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95,922 | 075335be5409cafe33d50b83c8450e9e12ae353d | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 03:25 EST, 6 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:40 EST, 6 April 2012 . For suspected drug trafficker Ronaldo Silva, prison was a real drag... so he decided to escape in what he thought was the perfect disguise. When his wife came to visit, he popped on her bra, threw on a wig and poured his curves into her pretty blue dress. He even shaved his arms and legs for good measure, and squeezed into a pair of killer heels. But his plan to sashay through the prison gates went awry after he forgot one thing: it can take a woman years to master how to glide naturally in high heels. What a drag getting caught: Ronaldo Silva popped on his wife's bra, threw on a wig and poured his curves into her pretty blue dress for the daring escape... but hadn't mastered how to walk in heels . Half an hour into his daring bid for freedom, one eagle-eyed guard noticed that, despite looking like a woman, he didn't walk like one. He was followed as far as the bus station before police picked him up and dragged him back to jail. The jail's director Carlos Welber said Silva had swapped clothes with his wife during her weekly visit. She left the prison wearing his bermuda shorts and another top she had brought in her bag. Foolproof plan: Silva had been awaiting trial for drug trafficking until his escape attempt . He told Brazil's Globo G1 website: 'He left the prison shortly after her, along with other inmates' wives. He was wearing a wig, painted false nails and a long dress. He'd spent a long time shaving his legs and arms. There was a lot of preparation and premeditation involved in this.' Silva managed to get past prison guards, but a policeman patrolling the street outside became suspicious and decided to follow him. Mr Welber said: 'He noticed that the woman was walking funny and looked strange. He followed him to the bus station, where two men were waiting on motorbikes to pick him up. 'The policeman approached him and managed to arrest him and bring him back, still dressed as a woman.' Silva had been awaiting trial for drug trafficking. He was transferred to the prison last month after another escape attempt, when armed men tried to invade another jail to release him. According to Mr Welber, Silva's wife admitted changing clothes with her husband but claimed she had no idea why he wanted them. He said: 'He was the one who demanded her clothes, at least that's what she's telling us. Of course we don't believe her, but that's her story. 'At the time it was visiting hour and there were more than 150 family members inside the prison. But we're taking measures to ensure this doesn't happen again.' | Ronaldo Silva wore wig, lipstick and wife's bra and dress - he even shaved his arms and legs .
He made it as far as the bus station before guards picked him up 30 minutes into his bid for freedom, still in drag . |
14,051 | 27dbc67cdc86569d7c4285c35d86a9e4dae895a6 | London (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama failed to keep his 2008 election promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp at a U.S. naval base in Cuba because the world had stopped watching. Europeans, delighted at his election and pledge to abandon Bush-era torture practices that had sullied the U.S. reputation worldwide, assumed that he would do what he said was going to do. It has taken three years to realise that he missed his self-imposed deadline. For many that realization has been brought about by the Guantanamo detainees themselves, who unable to voice their despair in any other way are now on hunger strike in large numbers. Even the U.S. military now admits that more than 50 of the 166 detainees in the camp are now involved. In reality, the number is much higher: Reprieve understands, through unclassified phone calls with our clients, that more than 130 are now on hunger strike. These include men with close ties to Europe: Shaker Aamer is a Londoner, a UK resident with a British wife and four British kids living in the capital. He has been cleared for release twice -- by both the Bush and Obama administrations. Successive British governments have called for him to be returned home. Yet he is still in Guantanamo, more than a decade on from being taken into U.S. custody. A fortnight ago, he told his lawyer, Reprieve's Clive Stafford Smith, that he had joined the hunger strike and had already lost over 30 pounds in weight. "I can't read. I am dizzy and I fall down all the time," he said, adding "My back and my neck are getting worse day by day. I don't want the end of this torture here to be paralyzed. I want to carry my kids when I get home." Nabil Hadjarab's father and grandfather both fought for the French army. He longs to return to his family in France -- his uncle, Ahmad Hadjarab, has said: "I am asking America for humanity, and asking France for gratitude." But so far Nabil has had neither -- he has now lost so much weight that he is being force-fed by Guantanamo personnel, strapped to a chair while a tube is pushed up his nose and down his throat -- an intensely painful process that has been described by the World Medical Association as inhuman and degrading treatment. Nabil has been cleared for release since 2007 -- yet over five years on from U.S. authorities deciding that he is no threat to anyone, he still languishes in Guantanamo. On Wednesday night on an unclassified call with his lawyer he told her he had "lost all hope of ever being released." Another detainee, Younus Chekkouri hopes one day to be reunited with his family in Germany. He too has joined the hunger strike. On a recent unclassified call, he told Reprieve: "The nightmare has started again. For some time, things had got a bit better here ...but now it has changed again ... really, now it is just pain everywhere. I don't want to die in Guantanamo." Like Shaker and Nabil, Younus has never been given a trial or charged with any crime, and has been cleared for release by the U.S. authorities. There are many more in Guantanamo like these men -- stuck in a limbo with no apparent end, adrift from even the most basic principles of the rule of law. The hope which rose on the election of President Obama, who promised to close Guantanamo, now seems like a cruel joke. It is easy to understand the desperation they must feel: as Shaker himself put it recently, "a little over 50% of the prisoners have been told they can go home -- or go somewhere -- but [they] are still here." On Thursday the European Parliament tabled an urgent hearing on the hunger strike in Guantanamo. The debate is welcome. It is crucial that Europe realises that this is not just a U.S. issue -- it is our problem as well. European intelligence services worked closely with the U.S. in implementing the misguided policies of the so-called "War on Terror" that saw so many innocent men swept up, "rendered" and tortured, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Europe has tolerated for too long the U.S. departure from the rule of law with regard to people who deserve the support of European governments. It must be hoped that this debate is a first step towards remedying this. There is much to welcome in the motion: a call for Europe to re-engage, to demand the closure of Guantanamo, and, crucially, to offer to resettle the dozen or so prisoners who have been cleared for release but cannot go home because of the risk of torture. If Europe follows through on this, there will still be hope that one day soon, men like Shaker, Nabil and Younous will be reunited with their families. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Polly Rossdale. | U.S. President Barack Obama promised in 2008 to close Guantanamo Bay .
Reprieve: It has taken three years to realize he missed his self-imposed deadline .
U.S. admits more than 50 of 166 detainees in camp are on hunger strike - media reports .
European parliament is debating the hunger strikes at the camp . |
52,813 | 95c6049dceb7d3e04c568baca10f8e821db1e319 | Warrants for three Wesleyan University students arrested after a rash of illnesses on campus linked to the party drug Molly show police believe the bad batch of the drug originated in the Washington, D.C., area. The students, all neuroscience majors, were arraigned Wednesday in Middletown Superior Court, not far from the private college's campus. Superior Court Judge Leo V. Diana set bond at $50,000 for Eric Lonergan, 22, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and 20-year-old Rama Agha Al Nakib, a Syrian citizen. Zachary Kramer, 21, of Bethesda, Maryland, was freed after posting a $5,000 bond. Eric Lonergan, left, and Rama Agha Al Nakib, right, are two of the four Wesleyan University students arrested Tuesday in connection with about a dozen hospitalizations among people who took a party drug known as Molly . Expected: Zachary Kramer, 21, of Bethesda, Maryland, is also due in court Wednesday . None of the three students entered pleas and their cases were continued to March 3. The fourth student who was arrested, Andrew Olson, of Atascadero, California, posted bail Tuesday and is due in court March 3. All four have been suspended from Wesleyan. Authorities said 11 people, including 10 Wesleyan students, some of whom had attended a rave music show Saturday night, received medical attention over the weekend. Two remain hospitalized. One of the victims was found unresponsive with no vital signs and was revived by paramedics who used six defibrillator shocks and numerous chest compressions, according to arrest warrant affidavits released Wednesday. Lawyers for Lonergan, Kramer and Al Nakib said Wednesday that no Molly was found in their clients' rooms on campus. But according to the affidavits, Al Nakib told police the 'bad Molly' came from Kramer, and witnesses told them it was purchased in Washington, D.C. The affidavits also cite a text conversation that references Kramer losing his usual supplier and going back to an old source. Jennifer Zito, Kramer's lawyer, asked the public to reserve judgment. 'These are very, very bright students, who have bright futures ahead of them and we certainly don't want to make any judgments at this time,' she said. Molly is a term used to describe a refined form of Ecstasy, a synthetic drug also known as MDMA. It can drive up body temperature and cause liver, kidney or cardiovascular failure. Prosecutors said authorities found numerous prescription drugs in Lonergan's room. Police also found more than 600 Xanax capsules and $310 in cash in Al Nakib's room, and nearly 200 nitrous oxide canisters, a scale and marijuana in Kramer's room, prosecutors said. Witnesses told police all four students sold Molly on campus, according to the affidavits. One witness told police she bought a bag of white powder from Olson on Friday and began feeling sick after consuming it. Olson established the Wesleyan chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in 2013 and currently is co-president. The group advocates for changes to national drug laws that it describes as counterproductive. Authorities from various agencies were working to identify the different types of chemicals in the batch of Molly that caused the overdoses, Middletown Police Chief William McKenna said. 'This particular batch may have had a mixture of several kinds of designer drug chemicals, making the health risks unpredictable and treatment to combat the effects complex and problematic,' he said. Lonergan is accused of possessing a controlled substance and illegally obtaining or supplying drugs, while Olson faces charges of possessing and selling a hallucinogen. Kramer is accused of possessing drug paraphernalia, a regulated substance and a small amount of marijuana. Al Nakib is accused of possessing a controlled substance, a controlled substance with intent to sell it and drug paraphernalia. Eleven Wesleyan students, some of whom had attended a rave music show on Saturday night, received medical attention over the weekend, police said, and two students were still being treated . Dr. Mark Neavyn, chief of toxicology at Hartford Hospital, said users who believe they are taking Molly are often receiving different kinds of designer drugs, with ranges of purity and potency making the health risks unpredictable. The weekend rash of Molly hospitalizations wasn't the first such episode this year at the private university of nearly 3,000 students. Wesleyan health officials said in a campus-wide email on Sept. 16 that students had been hospitalized the previous two weekends after taking Molly. Students were urged to visit the university's health center if they had questions or concerns. The police chief said the safety and welfare of community members, including those on the Wesleyan campus, were his top priority. 'Incidents jeopardizing the safety will not be tolerated,' he said, 'and those offenders will be held accountable.' | Three of four Wesleyan University students appeared Wednesday on drug charges related to about a dozen hospitalizations .
Those hospitalized took a party drug known as Molly .
Eric Lonergan, Zachary Kramer, and Rama Agha Al Nakib appeared in Middletown Superior Court .
The student were arrested on assorted drug charges and suspended from the university .
Eleven students, some of whom had attended a rave music show on Saturday night, received medical attention over the weekend, police said .
Two students were still being treated, according to police . |
77,446 | db96a8242d696d8f29dbc618b26b83182d0e3596 | By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 09:11 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:09 EST, 25 June 2013 . A father has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after his toddler son was found dead inside a sweltering car while he was passed out drunk inside the home. Wayne M. Hubert, 32, from Illinois, was charged on Friday, one day after his wife found their 23-month-old son Nathan in their car, where he was trapped in temperatures of up to 135 degrees for more than two hours. He was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child because his four-year-old daughter was at home when he was passed out. He was released on $250,000 bail on Saturday. Tragic: As 23-month-old Nathan Hubert was dying in a sweltering car parked outside his home last Thursday, his father Wayne lay on the floor of the home, passed out and drunk . Booked: He was also charged with two counts of . endangering the welfare of a child because his four-year-old daughter . was at home when he was passed out . The county coroner has said 23-month-old Nathan had a temperature of 104.6 degrees when first responders arrived on Thursday afternoon. The temperature that day was above 90. Hubert took Nathan out to his vehicle, a black Hyundai Elantra four-door with a dark-colored interior, at about 2:30pm with plans to make a trip, according to O'Fallon Police. Inside, a charging document says, Hubert 'consumed alcohol to a level which caused him to pass out'. The boy's mother came home about 5pm and the child was found strapped into his car seat. Only one of the windows in the vehicle was cranked open. When police arrived at the home, the mother was in the yard cradling her son and wailing. Nathan was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors described Hubert as a loving father. A phone message left for Hubert on Sunday wasn't returned. Keith Richter, 63, a neighbor who lives across the street from the family said: 'They are fantastic people. From what I could observe, they always seemed to be very . attentive and well-caring parents . Happy child: Nathan was found dead and strapped in a car seat about 5pm and only one window was partially open during the time he was trapped in the vehicle . Heartbroken: When police arrived the mother was wailing in the yard of their O'Fallon, Illinois, home with her son in her arms . O’Fallon police Chief John Betten told STLToday.com: 'As a result of that long of an exposure in the 90s for somebody less than two, the consequences were going to be dire.' Neighbors remember Nathan as a happy, energetic toddler who could be seen laughing and playing with his 32-year-old father outside their home along Joy Drive in the southwest Illinois community of O'Fallon. Keith Richter, 63, a neighbor who lives across the street from the family said: 'They are fantastic people. From what I could observe, they always seemed to be very . attentive and well-caring parents. 'Unfortunately, it was just a tragic . accident and that I know, he would never do anything intentionally to . harm his children.'Non traffic Fatalities of Children.JPG . Nathan was the 13th child to die this summer alone from being left in an overheated car. On average, 38 children die in the United States each year because they are either forgotten and left inside a vehicle or manage to get inside without anyone knowing and then cannot get back out. Over the weekend, a three-year-old boy in Florida died after his parents accidentally left him in the car while they were attending a funeral. Kyrese Anderson was pronounced dead after spending about three hours in the back of the hot car, with his siblings and babysitter just feet away. Earlier this month, a five-month-old baby girl died after being left in a minivan for hours. KidsandCars.org suggests parents take precautions to keep them from forgetting about children sitting in rear car seats. For example, leaving a purse or cell phone in the backseat is a good way to ensure that you will look in the back of the vehicle before getting out of it. Another way is to put a large stuffed animal in the seat when the baby is not in the vehicle. When the baby is in the vehicle, the group suggests you put the stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder that a baby is in the back. | Nathan Hubert was strapped into car seat for more than two hours .
His father Wayne Hubert charged with involuntary manslaughter .
Also faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child because his daughter, 4, was also in the home .
Mother discovered the toddler when she came home .
Nathan is the 13th child to die this summer from being left in a hot car . |
6,136 | 115da4ab28b6fafa6be64c813538b3b70664d738 | By . Martin Robinson and Jaya Narain . PUBLISHED: . 07:27 EST, 3 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:38 EST, 4 January 2013 . First came the Tamworth Two, now the Durham Duo. Two little black pigs brought drama to the coastal town of Seaham after escaping from an allotment. Police raced into action as traffic was held up by the runaway pair, and one was last night under arrest after being found rooting for food in a waste bin. Pig hunt: Two of the animals went on the run yesterday but this one was caught after it stopped to raid a bin for a bite to eat . But its friend continued to show . officers a clean pair of trotters and, as night fell, the trail was as . cold as a frozen pork chop. The drama in Seaham, six miles south . of Sunderland, is reminiscent of the famous dash for freedom made by . Butch and Sundance – the Tamworth Two – in 1998. The story of the Tamworth Two was later made into a hour-long BBC television drama. They cheated the butcher’s knife by . going on the run from an abattoir, swimming the River Avon and . disappearing into a dense thicket. They were eventually caught but, . thanks to the Daily Mail, were given a reprieve from their death . sentence and lived out their days in an animal sanctuary. All went quiet in the sphere of . porcine escapology until Wednesday evening, when the two black pigs – . thought to be Berkshire crossbreeds – made a break from Hill Crescent . Allotments in Seaham. One of the runaways was lassoed by . 37-year-old mother-of-three Shereen Temple, who found it in a back alley . with its snout in an overflowing bin. She is keeping it on her own . allotment until it can be reunited with its friend. Piggy dinner: This little hog was nabbed on Fox Street but his friend from the allotments is still on the loose . Neighbourhood sergeant Jim Peel of . said: 'The owner of the pigs normally whistles at them to get them to . come back. Everyone is keeping an eye out for the one which is still . missing.' Police officers were alerted to the . escapees after being called when one of the pigs was seen trotting along . the middle of the road heading towards the Dawdon Welfare Pub in the . town. Sightings of the new fugitives were reported on social networking sites as they caused mayhem around Seaham. Dan Johnson Stafford commented via Facebook said: 'Not every day you see a pig holding up the traffic lol.' Safe: The captured pig, nicknamed Porky, is now being looked after back at the allotments but is missing his partner in crime . Helpers: Painter and decorator Shereen Temple lassoed Porky with the help of her son Robert, 11 . Munching: It was this pig's prodigious appetite that caught up with it last night, and he is now being fed fresh fruit and vegetables among other delights . After capturing one of the pigs, Seaham Police tweeted: 'After struggling for 30 mins we caught the pig in Fox Street in Seaham.' Miss Temple, who helped to catch one of the runaway pigs last night. The painter and decorator helped to lasso the pig in a back alley after it was cornered by police. 'He was found in a back lane that was full of rubbish,' she said. 'He was scared when we found him, I tried to catch him but he scarpered down the alley. 'I tried to lasso it once with a dog lead but it slipped away the first time and the second time I managed to loop it around it's neck. 'The pig has been nicknamed Porky by some, everyone's talking about him.' Idyllic: The seaside town of Seaham is said to have been thrown into chaos by the fleeing pigs . Captured: The one pig intercepted was spotted trotting towards the Dawdon Welfare Pub . Shereen kept the pig in her allotment where she keeps 14 chickens. She also owns two horses which are kept in stables, enjoying fresh food including carrots, apples, grass roots and some horse feed. 'He's having a good time digging up my vegetables and he's being kept in the chicken shed for now. 'Apparently the other pig was seen near the allotments this morning, and he was caught but he got away before the officers came to rescue him. 'It's been quite exciting helping to catch them - we just want to reunite him with the other one - we don't know if it's his brother or not.' While the RSPCA took in the runaway pig, the other has still not yet been found. Police were made aware of a sighting of the other pig at Seaham Harbour around 11pm last night but when they attended, the pig could not be found. Another sighting was reported at around 8am this morning, but again when officers arrived at the scene, the pig had once again escaped. Parallels: This latest escape has reminded people of dynamic duo 'The Tamworth Two' Sundance, left, and Butch, who went on the run from an abattoir . Neighbourhood Sergeant Jim Peel said: 'We had a call around 8pm last night to say that there was a pig on the loose. 'It was running around the roads in Seaham. 'Two PCSOs and response officers attended and they chased the pig into a back alley where the pig was detained. 'That was it for about an hour until a second pig was reported to also be loose. 'About 11pm last night there was a second call saying that a pig was running around Strangford Road, Seaham. 'However when officers searched the area, no pig was found. 'Another call came in around 8am this morning to say that a pig had been seen on Mount Stewart Street in Seaham. 'A further area search revealed no signs of the pig, meaning there is still an animal on the loose.' | One was found munching on food from a bin but the other is still missing .
Police say the fugitive has been spotted but keeps fleeing the authorities .
Pair launched daring escape in Seaham, County Durham .
Draws comparison to legendary 'Tamworth Two' pigs who fled an abattoir . |
254,301 | d52c5682aa3af967acf73df63c87fe841c20ac54 | Manchester United's new summer signings Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind celebrated their team's 4-0 Premier League win against QPR with a Chinese meal. Falcao and Blind were joined by Dutch duo Robin van Persie and Patrick Kluivert as they dined out at Wing's Chinese restaurant in Manchester. Blind was joined by his famous father Danny and his girlfriend Candy-Rae Fleur while Falcao, wearing a T-shirt paying homage to martial arts movie legend Bruce Lee was all smiles as he cradled his daughter. Daley Blind (right) dined out at Wing's Chinese restaurant with his girlfriend Candy-Rae Fleur . Radamel Falcao also attended the meal with wife Lorelei Taron (right) and his baby girl Dominique . Falcao (centre) wears a T-shirt paying homage to martial arts star Bruce Lee which reads 'We do not live for, we simply live' Former Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert joined Robin van Persie for the evening in Manchester's city centre . The United stars certainly had something to celebrate after picking up their first three points of the season with an impressive win against Harry Redknapp's side. Goals from Angel di Maria, Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata helped Louis van Gaal's side sail to a victory which lifted the gloom from a tough start to the season. Despite Sunday's emphatic win, Van Gaal claimed he was quick to warn his players there is still plenty of room for improvement. Falcao (centre) shares a joke with his wife as the United star leaves Wing's Chinese restaurant in his new city . Blind made his full Manchester United debut on Sunday and looked very assured as his side defeated QPR . Van Persie (above) who couldn't find the net on Sunday,looks a little glum in Manchester city centre . Kluivert (centre), who knows Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal well, was a Sky Sports pundit for the afternoon before dining out with Van Persie . The Dutchman's new-look side ran Rio Ferdinand and his QPR team-mates ragged all afternoon, but the United boss insists there is yet more to come from his squad, which was only completed last Monday following the deadline-day signings of Falcao and Blind. 'The result is fantastic, but I think we can do much better,' Van Gaal said. 'I said (before the match): 'let's make a new start today'. 'I have made now the (squad) selection of 27 players - three goalkeepers and 24 players, you shall see it Tuesday with the photoshoot, that is our squad.' Van Gaal was even restrained is his post-match praise for Di Maria, who set United on their way with a curling free-kick and then had a hand in the other three goals. 'When you prepare three goals and make the first goal by yourself then you cannot play bad but he had a lot of unnecessary losses so we can do better,' the former Ajax manager said. Former Holland captain Danny Blind (right) joined his son for the meal on Sunday night as the United players bonded over a Chinese . Falcao made his Manchester United debut after replacing Juan Mata in the 67th minute of the easy victory over QPR . Van Persie (right) talks tactics with his new strike partner during the second half but neither could find the net . Manchester United boss Van Gaal (above) believes there is more to come from his stars . Falcao missed a chance to score on his United debut but insists he will make a big impact. 'I will fight to stay here to play many years for Manchester United, I want to make my mark here,' he told Sky Sports. 'I would like to be a legend at this club.' The Colombia striker added that his aim was always to play for a club like United, saying: 'I refused another club with Champions League pedigree for this club. I am so excited, I always worked to arrive at a club like this.' Falcao tweeted after the match: 'Very happy to debut in Old Trafford and for all the support I received from the first day in @ManUtd.' Click here to like our Manchester United Facebook page . Angel di Maria gave United the lead at Old Trafford on Sunday with a curling 40-yard free-kick . The Colombian striker had the chance for a debut goal but was thwarted by QPR goalkeeps Robert Green . VIDEO Van Gaal happy to get goals on the board . You can like our Manchester United Facebook page here . | Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind head to Wing's Chinese restaurant after Manchester United's win against QPR .
United new boys enjoy meal with Robin van Persie and Patrick Kluivert .
Both Falcao and Blind made their United debut on Sunday .
Falcao replaced Juan Mata in the 67th minute to make his Old Trafford bow .
Dutch defender Blind started in the 4-0 win against QPR .
Kluivert was a Sky Sports pundit for the Premier League clash . |
44,242 | 7cc210537e93d3fd02af4054a3fcee48e89be265 | (CNN) -- Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund rounded off their Bundesliga seasons in contrasting styles Saturday ahead of their May 25 showdown at Wembley. Bayern came from two goals behind for a 4-3 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach while Dortmund surrendered a lead to lose 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim, who kept their hopes of avoiding the drop alive. Bayern's 29th league win from 34 matches gave them a record tally of 91 points -- fully 25 points clear of Dortmund, who had been the reigning champions. Veteran Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes was saying farewell to the Bundesliga after 1,011 games -- he will be replaced by Pep Guardiola next season -- and the match had an added poignancy because it was against one of his former sides. They looked like spoiling his party as they led Bayern 3-1 inside the first 10 minutes, but Franck Ribery with a double, also setting up Arjen Robben for the second half winner, left Heynckes beaming. "I had the feeling the team were still at last Saturday's party to celebrate the league title," he told their official website. "But the team slowly got the game under control and we played like we're used to in the second half. I realized my team wanted to win for me." Heynckes had fielded a full strength line-up tipped to start next Saturday's final but Austrian defender Martin Stranzl and striker Mike Hanke, on his farewell for Moenchengladbach, put the home side 2-0 ahead in the opening moments. Javi Martinez pulled one back for the champions before Havard Nordtveit made it 3-1. Bayern had conceded only 15 goals in the entire Bundesliga season going into the final match. Then came Ribery to the rescue with a fine strike on 18 minutes, an equalizer early in the second half and a cross for Robben to tap home the winner. Dortmund's opponents Hoffenheim were fighting for their Bundesliga life and it looked bleak for the strugglers when Robert Lewandowski put the home side ahead after just six minutes -- the 24th of the league campaign for the Polish star. Juergen Klopp's men should have added to their tally but with 13 minutes left Mats Hummels fouled Kevin Volland to concede a penalty and also limped off with a turned ankle, leaving him a possible doubt for next week's final. Sejad Salihovic leveled from the spot and four minutes later had a second penalty opportunity after home keeper Roman Weidenfeller fouled Sven Schipplock and was sent off. Salihovic netted the penalty and Hoffenheim held on to earn a relegation playoff against Kaiserslautern. "We now draw a thick line under the Bundesliga season and see now if all the players are fit for the final," Klopp told AFP after the defeat. Elsewhere, Schalke 04 earned a Champions League spot for next season with a 2-1 win at SC Freiburg, who will have to settle for a Europa League place. Julian Draxler put Schalke ahead in the first half but Jonathan Schmid leveled for Freiburg just after the break. An own goal from Julian Schuster saw Schalke ahead again and left Freiburg in fifth place in the final standings. With Hoffenheim winning, Fortuna Dusseldorf were automatically relegated, losing 3-0 at Hanover. Stefan Kiessling stayed ahead of Lewandowski as the Bundesliga top-scorer as he sealed third-placed Bayer Leverkusen's 1-0 win at Hamburg with a last minute goal -- his 25th of the campaign. | Bayern Munich round off triumphant Bundesliga season with dramatic away win .
Champions beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-3 .
Borussia Dortmund beaten 2-1 at home by struggling Hoffenheim .
Dortmund and Bayern to contest Champions League final on May 25 . |
233,250 | b9f9e6c2f7e4df38070d004e0fe3edb0432d58e6 | Ted Cruz says he wasn't elected to the Senate to stay quiet. And his refusal upon entering Congress to observe its protocol to sit back and learn like a freshman, as expected, rubbed some of his more senior colleagues the wrong way. And while he has angered much of his party over his crusade against President Barack Obama's health care law and the potential government shutdown it could cause, Cruz says he's standing for the same principles that got him elected. On Tuesday, he took that edict to the Senate floor in support of his plan to defund Obamacare, saying he would speak "until I am no longer able to stand." But his marathon appearance will not do anything to block Obamacare funding with a key procedural vote on the issue still scheduled for Wednesday. Instead, Cruz said his speech was to simply "make D.C. listen." Critics question his motives, though — is this about his principles or about presidential aspirations? CNN political analyst Gloria Borger said his Republican detractors think Cruz is putting his political career above all else. "While many others have, no doubt, come to the Senate in the past as a springboard to the presidency, it's hard to recall someone who has created as much controversy within his own party," Borger said. Cruz has been in Washington for less than a year, but his short stint has been an effective lesson in partisan politics. Only history will tell, however, if his tactics will be worth repeating. The Texas Republican's counterparts in the House of Representatives have tried 42 times to roll back Obamacare, but their efforts have gone nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Cruz has upped the ante. His latest battle to disrupt Obamacare is tied to funding the government in the new fiscal year that starts on October 1. The House passed the measure last week. But Senate Democrats are not about to allow the health care bill to be unraveled, therefore putting at risk a government shutdown. Cruz's refusal to give up the fight has rankled many of his fellow Republicans, widening divisions in a splintered party. Democrats, meanwhile, are sitting back and watching the intraparty fight. Who is this guy? His effectiveness at political debate has landed Cruz in many successful places. He was elected to the Senate in 2012, after rebuking the Republican establishment and winning the Republican primary, paving the way to a general election victory. Previously, he was the youngest solicitor general of Texas and has argued multiple cases before the Supreme Court. He got his start at Princeton as head of the debate team and then honed his skill at Harvard Law School. What's his fight? Cruz did not take his Senate responsibilities lightly. As a freshman, he refused to stand on the sidelines until he's gained a measure of seniority, a common tradition in Washington. Instead, he was loud and opinionated. "I find it amusing that those in Washington are puzzled when someone actually does what they said they would do," Cruz told CNN in February. "At the end of the day, I was elected to represent 26 million Texans and to speak the truth. You know, I think a lot of Americans are tired of politicians in Washington in both parties who play games. Cruz was elected, promising to shrink government, especially the new health care law. That battle has been embraced by most Republicans in Congress, but his latest tactic has frustrated many. Political novice...? New York Rep. Peter King has been an outspoken critic of Cruz' latest crusade — at one point calling him a "fraud." "Whether it's Custer, whether it's kamikaze, or whether it's Gallipoli or whatever, we are going to lose this," the New York Republican said on CNN's "The Situation Room" last week. And Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee tweeted that he "didn't go to Harvard or Princeton" but that he "can count" that Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Senate. But Cruz said to let his critics talk. "If you get outside of Washington, D.C., there is a frustration with Washington that is palpable. When you ask your constituents what are the problems you're facing, over and over again, the answer that comes back is Obamacare is killing jobs, is taking away my health insurance, is driving up my premiums, is causing small businesses to shrink, to go out of business. If we listen to the American people, that should be our priorities," he told CNN this week. Still, Republicans are frustrated by his insistence at fighting a divisive, losing battle. 'Don't break filibuster' "We are giving Obama the escape out," Republican strategist Ana Navarro said on CNN's 'AC360.' "Instead of now focusing on the problems with Obamacare, everybody's focused on the civil war in the Republican party." Navarro also noted that the numerous polls, including CNN's latest poll, that while the public is concerned with Obamacare, they don't support shutting down the government over it. "If you want to fix Obamacare or repeal it or fix it or change it, the best way to do it is to elect more Republicans. And the political cost of a government shutdown is really going to affect any -- any possibility of electing more Republicans," Navarro added. ...or political genius? While Cruz is ruffling the feathers of his colleagues in Washington, he is mobilizing the grassroots outside the Beltway. Conservative groups are praising Cruz. "Senator Cruz came to Washington to advance conservative policies, not play by the same old rules that have relegated conservatives, and their ideas, to the back bench," Michael Needham, president of Heritage Action, recently said about Cruz. His group helps activate grass roots Republicans for conservative candidates and political causes. And Republican candidates running against Republican incumbents in the primaries are using Cruz' crusade in their races. Matt Bevin, who is running for Senate to replace top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, said in a statement that he would support "conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz in his fight to defund Obamacare." Obamacare: Can it be stopped? Bevin bashed McConnell for coming out against Cruz' effort to shut down the government in order to stop Obamacare. Like so many other crucial fights, Mitch McConnell has caved to (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid on Obamacare and is refusing to fight to defund this disastrous legislation." And long-time Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming came out in support of Cruz. He is facing Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, in a contentious primary. Will Cruz be scarred or be a star? Cruz could alienate his colleagues to a point where he becomes marginalized and completely ineffective in Washington. He has also hinted at a possible presidential run in 2016. If he has no support of the Republican Party, he risks being cut off from its resources and financing. On the other hand, Cruz' principled stand can help to grow a movement of disenchanted conservative voters. If a groundswell of conservative grassroots activists grows between now and 2016 -- and their financial support - Cruz could have carved out a path to the Republican nomination. "I think what Senator Cruz understands is that he has more to gain from adhering to his principles, staying in touch with the grass roots here and around the country than he does being friends with other senators," Brendan Steinhauser, a leading Texas tea party activist who worked to get Cruz elected, said. Cruz calls for backup plan . | Ted Cruz does not play by Senate rules, irritating traditionalists on both sides of the aisle .
Unapologetic, Cruz says he was elected to do a job that includes shrinking government .
Cruz ups ante in battle to derail Obamacare, but will he chart new course or stumble?
Latest crusade that threatens gov't shutdown frustrates many -- including some in his own party . |
40,076 | 7113a4f2fb1f4feb0020cc3e38b1d4be240f977f | Obesity shaves two to four years off the average lifespan, while being very obese can shorten your lifespan by 8 to 10 years, according to a new analysis of 57 studies including nearly 900,000 people. Men and women with BMIs between 22.5 and 25 were the least likely to die during the study's follow-up period. "This is scary and something that we should pay close attention to," says Ali Mokdad, Ph.D., a professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. The new findings actually underestimate the true impact of obesity on society because they don't address the costs of obesity-related illness and other factors, says Mokdad, who was not involved with the current study. The study, published online March 18 in the journal The Lancet, was conducted in part by the eminent epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto of the University of Oxford. Peto and his colleagues in the Prospective Studies Collaboration, a team of dozens of researchers from around the world, say they did the new study to figure out exactly how body mass index (BMI) relates to mortality. Researchers also investigated how smoking influenced this relationship and how excess weight affected death risk from specific causes. Their analysis included 894,576 people, mostly from North America and Western Europe. Most were age 46 when the study started and were recruited in 1979; the average BMI for all participants was 25. The researchers eliminated deaths during the first five years of their analysis to avoid including people who were excessively thin because of illness. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is normal (that translates to weighing between 114 and 149 pounds if you're 5 feet 5 inches tall); overweight is 25 to 29.9 (150 to 179 pounds if you're 5 feet 5 inches tall); and obese is 30 or more (180 pounds-plus on a 5-foot-5-inch frame.) You can figure out your BMI at the National Institutes of Health Web site. Men and women in the new analysis who had BMIs between 22.5 and 25 were the least likely to die during the follow-up period, which averaged eight years. But every additional 5 BMI points boosted mortality risk by 30 percent. The increase was strongest for deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney, and liver disease; cancer deaths also went up with increasing BMI, but not as much as other diseases. Health.com: How to find your healthiest body mass index . People with BMIs below 22.5 had a higher mortality risk during the study than those who weighed slightly more, largely because of respiratory illnesses, such as lung cancer. The researchers say this is probably the result of skinny people who were smokers. The researchers calculate that having a BMI of 30 to 35 takes to two to four years off the average lifespan compared with having a BMI of 22.5 to 25. Having a BMI between 40 and 45 (for example, being 5 feet 5' and weighing 240 to 270 pounds), they say, reduces one's lifespan by eight to 10 years. This reduction in lifespan is on par with being a heavy smoker. Health.com: Dietary fats can help -- or harm -- your heart . This isn't too far out of line with research conducted by Katherine M. Flegal, Ph.D., a senior research scientist and distinguished consultant with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In a 2005 study, Flegal and her team reported that while being obese (having a BMI of 30 or above) shortened lifespan, those who were overweight (a BMI of 25 to 29.9) were at no greater risk of death, and may actually have had a lower mortality rate in a given time period than their normal-weight peers. Health.com: How to cut up to 900 calories with simple substitutions . While the study kicked up a lot of controversy -- some people thought the findings minimized the health effects of excess weight -- several other studies have also found no greater mortality risk associated with being overweight (but not obese), and possibly lower mortality, Flegal notes. Given the difficulty of losing weight, the authors of the new study say, it may be best if people are motivated to prevent the weight gain in the first place. For example, a person who held their BMI steady at 28 rather than going up to 32 (typical of the increase seen in middle age) could extend their life by two years, the researchers say, while a young adult who maintained a BMI of 24 rather than going up to 32 could add three years to his lifespan. Health.com: BMI success story: How one woman lost 44 pounds . For this to happen here, Mokdad notes, the United States government is going to have to do a much better job of supporting prevention efforts. A "bailout" for such efforts that translated to healthier American and workers could be a pretty effective economic stimulus, he added. Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Health - CLICK HERE! Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Study: Obesity shortens life by 2-4 years; the very obese could lose up to 10 years .
Higher mortality because of diabetes, cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease .
Cancer deaths also went up with increasing BMI, but not as much as other diseases .
Another study had found that being overweight, but not obese, didn't shorten life . |
102,956 | 10b29f65a6a2c14347208d25ec0649a7614b8fc3 | Brisbane, Australia (CNN) -- Recovering from flooding in northeastern Australia will be a "reconstruction task of post-war proportions," a top official in Queensland state said Sunday. "We have massive infrastructure damage that will take months and in some cases years to fully repair," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told reporters. "We have homes and lives torn apart, in some cases ... by an event of the most traumatic proportions. So we cannot underestimate what is happening." Police in the flood-ravaged state said Sunday that the death toll from flooding had climbed to 18, and they urged residents to knock on their neighbors' doors as waters recede. "Many people don't have friends and family to check on them, so it's up to the whole community to do their part and look out for their neighbors," acting Inspector Gareth Bosley said, according to a statement on the Queensland Police website. Meanwhile, flood warnings were in place Sunday in Victoria state in southeastern Australia as authorities said heavy rains threatened homes there. Police said 14 people are missing in Queensland, many of them in the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley areas. The missing include people who were swept from cars or were in houses that collapsed. "Credible and reliable information provided to police indicates that these people were caught up in the storm surge that swept the valley, and police hold grave fears for their well-being," Queensland Police Service said in a statement. Among those who died were Llync-Chiann Clarke, 31, and her two children, ages 5 and 12, who were swept to their deaths as a rescue fire truck became inundated by floodwaters on a local road. Two other people escaped. Robert John Kelly, 30, was found dead in an upside-down vehicle in a creek, authorities said. The body of Jean Gurr, 88, who was trapped by rising water, was found in her residence. A teenager who was afraid of water drowned in the Queensland floods after begging rescuers to save his younger brother first. Jordan Rice, 13, and his mother Donna, 43, were swept away as a wall of water hit the town of Toowoomba last week. His family has hailed the youngster's selfless actions. "Jordan can't swim and is terrified of water," his father, John Tyson, told local newspaper The Toowoomba Chronicle. "But when the man went to rescue him, he said, 'save my brother first.'" Officials warned the cleanup would take months. More than 20,000 homes were inundated after the normally subdued Brisbane River turned into a raging torrent as weeks of rain pushed it to more than 4 meters (13 feet) at high tide last week. Residents in Brisbane were urged not to enter floodwaters because of the risk of illness after sewage plants along the river were inundated. | NEW: The official death toll in Queensland stands at 18, police say .
Fourteen people are still missing in the northeastern state .
Police urge residents to knock on neighbors' doors .
A mother and her two children are among those who died . |
97,147 | 0905eca2097befe710f34e82d0cae06b23bd23c8 | By . Richard Arrowsmith . They may have failed to set White Hart Lane alight last season, but Tottenham forwards Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado have been on fire during pre-season. Both players were brought in as part of Spurs' recruitment drive to replace Gareth Bale last summer but struggled to justify their price tags. However, each found the target again as Tottenham thrashed Celtic 6-1 in Helsinki on Saturday - taking their pre-season goal tallies to three apiece. Following such sizzling form, Lamela posted a picture of the pair cooling down after training while sharing smiles that Tottenham fans will hope set the tone for the new campaign. Scroll down for video... Thumbs up! Tottenham forwards Erik Lamela (L) and Roberto Soldado (R) cool down after training . King Erik? The 22-year-old Argentine has caught the eye of Mauricio Pochettino during pre-season . Making up for lost time: Roberto Soldado has raised his game by scoring three goals during pre-season . The 22-year-old was signed for £25.7m from Roma but made only three league starts under Andre Villas-Boas due to a series of injuries and difficulties adapting to life in London. Soldado also had an uninspiring first season in north London, scoring only six league goals following his £26million move from Valencia. But, both have caught the eye of new manager Mauricio Pochettino who is determined to restore their reputations as some of the most exciting talents in Europe.. Speaking of Lamela, he said: ‘We know the Erik Lamela from Argentina and Italy. But he is still young and the Premier League is the most difficult league to play; the style, the language. Season to forget: Erik Lamela's statistics from last season make for unimpressive reading . Flop: The former Valencia striker only managed six league goals following his £26m move last season . ‘But after one year we believe that Erik is ready to show his quality. ‘Will he play as a No 10 or out wide? It depends on the situation. My philosophy is to give a freer style with good organisation but not only with Erik; with other players as well.’ Soldado is desperate to prove himself in the Premier League, despite Spanish newspaper Marca reporting that Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is interested in taking him back to La Liga. Will Lamela or Soldado make it in to your dream team? CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There’s £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… . | Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado have been in fine form during pre-season .
Tottenham pair both struggled in their debut seasons in the Premier League .
Lamela made only three league starts under former boss Andre Villas-Boas .
Soldado scored six league goals following his £26m move from Valencia .
Both players are part of new Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino's plans . |
2,006 | 05cb8aa8982022c5c8beee927163c614bf86f95b | By . Associated Press . Many of the exhausted dogs that have been in . search of victims of the deadly mudslide that buried a mountainside Washington . community will take a two-day break as the official death toll rose from 18 to 21. The dogs can lose their sensing ability if overworked in the cold and rain. ‘The . conditions on the slide field are difficult, so this is just a time to . take care of the dogs,’ said Kris Rietmann, a spokeswoman for the team . working on the eastern portion of the slide, which hit March 22 about 55 . miles northeast of Seattle and is one of the deadliest in U.S. history. Needed rest: Rescue dog Tryon, muddied from the day's work, stands with his handler near the west side of the mudslide on Highway 530 near mile marker 37 in Arlington, Washington. Dogs like Tryon have been given a two-day break from work because days of intense searching can dull their senses . Dogs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that arrived more recently will continue working. Fifteen of the victims have been identified by the Snohomish County medical examiner, and six have yet to be identified, Biermann said. Another four bodies were found in the debris field on Sunday, but they won't be added to the official count until the medical examiner receives the bodies. Biermann said 30 people remain missing. Authorities have said the task of finding and identifying victims from the debris field has been extremely challenging, and not all may ultimately be recovered. Dirty job: Rescue dog Nexus, muddy from working onsite, waits to be decontaminated via hose. He's one of many that helped uncover four more bodies over the weekend . Slog: Periods of rain and wind have hampered efforts for days and constant exposure to the conditions can hurt dogs' ability to sense victims . Holding strong: Search and rescue teams navigate the wet, muddy terrain at the west side of the mudslide. While some dogs will be given a break, others will continue working in the unforgiving conditions over the next two days . Rescue dog Nexus, muddy from working onsite, strolls the staging area at the west side of the mudslide . FEMA dogs that were brought in more recently will continue to work as the local rescue dogs that have been searching for days will get a break . Crews have completed a makeshift road that will link one side of the debris field to the other, significantly aiding the recovery operation. They have also been working to clear mud and debris from the highway, leaving piles of gooey muck, splintered wood and housing insulation on the sides of the road. Searchers have had to contend with treacherous conditions, including septic tanks, gasoline and propane containers. When rescuers and dogs leave the site, they are hosed off by hazardous materials crews. The slide dammed up the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, causing water to pool up on the east side. The river cut a new channel through the mud, but the rain has raised the water level nearly a foot, Rietmann said. In at least one place, the water level got so high that it covered areas that have already been searched, said Tim Pierce, leader of Washington Task Force 1, a search-and-rescue team. ‘At this point, there's no point in searching (that area) again until the water drops back down,’ he said. Rescuers should get some relief soon. Conditions were improving Sunday, and mainly dry weather is forecast Monday through Wednesday in western Washington. Devotion: The congregation of the Glad Tidings Assembly of God church in Darrington sings Sunday during morning church services . Staying strong: Much of the music and speaking at Sunday's service was devoted to reaction to the deadly mudslide that hit the nearby community of Oso . The size of the debris field is also smaller than initially thought, officials said Sunday. After review and analysis, geologists have determined it is about 300 acres — just under half the size of an earlier projection of 1 square mile. Away from the whirring chain saws and roaring bulldozers, many residents of nearby Darrington sought comfort in church services. ‘I can only compare it to a hot, hearty meal after a very cold day,’ said Slava Botamanenko, who works at the hospital in Arlington. He said he spent two nights there to be sure he was available for work after the mudslide blocked the road. All week, a steady stream of people has stopped in to pray at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God on the edge of town, said Lee Hagen, the senior pastor. ‘At a time like this, everybody knows they've got to have God's help,’ he said. Tough times: Search and rescue teams navigate the wet, muddy terrain at the west side of the mudslide. Soggy conditions have made the search effort difficult for both humans and dogs . Remembering what's important: An American flag pulled from the debris hangs in the staging area . Reaching out: Randy Fay, a volunteer rescue technician with Snohomish County's SnoHawk 10 rescue helicopter, helps Jetty Dooper, from the Netherlands . Terrible conditions: Search and rescue teams walk through a field of mud on a path of plywood at the west side of the mudslide . Evidence of tragedy: Assorted broken debris sits on a muddy suitcase pulled from the scene at the west side of the mudslide on Sunday . In it together: A sheriff chaplain offers a few words to a rescue worker as he enters the decontamination tent area . Firefighters navigate through downed trees as they carry shovels in the muck on Sunday . Country singer Susie McEntire, sister of Reba, performed for the congregation Sunday, crooning: ‘You'll get through this and you'll break new ground.’ At the St. John Mary Vianney Catholic church a few blocks away, Father Tim Sauer said: ‘Bless our communities, bless our people, bless our valley.’ The Rev. Owen Couch, a chaplain for the fire district in Darrington, said he's worried about the first responders. ‘My concern is when this slows down and they're not going full tilt, and they have time to kind of reflect on what they've seen and what they've done,’ he said. ‘That's when the critical incident stress starts to kick in.’ Steve Huot, lead chaplain for the Arlington Fire Department, said he is seeing people in various states. Some are in shock, while others have begun to grasp the reality of the disaster. Many are exhausted. ‘It's more about listening right now. You need to encourage them and maybe change their focus to staying busy for the group, for the team,’ he said. Unprecedented: A flag flies at half-staff on a log Sunday with the slope of the massive mudslide that struck Saturday, March 22 n the background . | The dogs can lose their sensing abilities if overworked .
FEMA dogs that arrived more recently will continue working .
The death toll for the tragedy now stands at 21 with 30 still missing .
Another four bodies were uncovered Sunday but cannot be added to the official list of victims until they are identified . |
11,852 | 21a08e373f018611389e9784192878561d87b60b | Cristiano Ronaldo hiked up his shorts in Real Madrid's training session to show the secret behind that incredibly powerful shot. The Portuguese, who is looking to win back-to-back Ballon d'Or titles, showed off his muscular legs in the session at Madrid's Valdebebas training base ahead of their match against Celta Vigo on Saturday. Ronaldo has been shortlisted alongside rival Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for this years Ballon d'Or - and the Madrid man is favourite. Cristiano Ronaldo (left) looks at ease in training as he hikes up his shorts to show off his muscular legs in training with Gareth Bale . Ronaldo (left) grins as he enters into a sprint race with Madrid youngster Alvaro Medran at their Valdebebas training base . Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti (right) gestures as his team prepare to face Celta de Vigo on Saturday evening (left) The Champions League holders looked relaxed in the training session as loanee Javier Hernandez and Marcelo were in fits of laughter as they entered into a race with the lightning-fast Gareth Bale. Real Madrid lead La Liga by two points ahead of the weekend games but they are closely followed by rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Arrigo Sacchi was a visitor to the training session. Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and captain Sergio Ramos took a break to chat with the former Italy coach, and the trio was seen sharing a joke. Javier Hernandez, Marcelo and Bale (left-right) looked at ease during the training session as the teammates entered into a sprint . Bale (centre) looks to beat defender Pepe (second right) and Karim Benzema (second right) at Madrid's Valdebebas training centre . Summer signing James Rodriguez (left) points an accusing finger at Ronaldo as the two prepared for their league match on Saturday . Former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi (left centre) shares a joke with Ancelotti and Ramos while Isco (right) controls the ball in training . | Cristiano Ronaldo pulled his shorts up in Real Madrid's training session to show off his muscular legs .
The Portuguese joined his Madrid teammates at their Valdebebas training base ahead of game against Celta Vigo .
Former Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi was a visitor to the session, meeting up with Carlo Ancelotti and Sergio Ramos . |
286,445 | ff25408d258803ac1031d3becb80cb20cd2fea09 | Fans of Gary Glitter (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court where he was convicted of sexual offences) expressed support of singer in Amazon reviews . Amazon is still carrying glowing reviews of Gary Glitter CDs, with fans describing the paedophile as 'not a vile monster' despite his numerous convictions for sexual offences against children. Among products for sale on the website are the artist's Greatest Hits album, with 23 customers rating the CD with five stars, the highest possible review on the site. Most made reference to his chequered criminal past but said it had 'nothing to do' with his abilities or success as a musician. One fan even cast doubt over his convictions, writing: 'He would have been massive in America before his "crimes" came to light'. The 70-year-old was found guilty of sexual attacks at Southwark Crown Court this month, his youngest victim an eight-year-old girl. It was the latest in a string of convictions relating to indecency and children, having been jailed for three years over separate incidents in 2006 and tried in court in 1997 after police found child pornography on his computer. Among the most supportive comments is one written by a fan calling himself 'R N Smith'. It reads: 'Gary glitter is a genius and should have been more popular than Elvis, I believe he would have been massive in America before his “crimes” came to light. 'I personally could listen to his music every day and I very often do. 'I don't believe for one minute that he is this vile monster everyone paints him to be, most of you claim to know so much about what he has supposed to have done and yet hardly anything has ever been published regarding his crimes.' Another said they felt sympathy for the paedophile who they had grown up listening to. 'I am so upset for this guy - yes I know he has gone to places people don’t wish to speak of. 'But I grew up in the Seventies and I thought him the Sweet, Mud, Slade, T rex - Suza Q, Showaddywaddy, etc were great send up fun. 'Do you remember when it was the thing to go to Glasgow and watch the New year GG show ? well I do and went a few times too..... a great night out - what a deep shame... coz it was very very good.' Among reviews for the singer's many CDs are some which dismiss his convictions for sexual assaulting children . Among comments of support for the musician were others describing him as a 'lowlife'. Many fans acknowledged his convictions but said they should be kept separate from his body of work. Amazon has not responded to MailOnline's request for comment on the matter. Earlier this month Glitter was found guilty of a string of sexual assaults on children as young as eight. It comes after the paedophile was first found guilty of possessing child pornography in 1997. After being sentenced to four months imprisonment he fled the UK. After settling in Cambodia, in 2002 he was deported to Vietnam having been accused of the rape of a child. Three years later he was arrested trying to board a flight to Thailand. Six girls and women, aged 11 to 23, came forward to say they had had sex with the musician. Following his conviction of offences this month he was remanded in custody. He will be sentenced on February 27. Glitter was arrested in Vietnam in 2006 over the sexual assault of children. Last month he was convicted of more offences in London . The singer was previously convicted of possessing child pornography. Above, he addresses the media at a 2000 press conference over other alleged assaults . | Dozens of reviews remain under singer's Greatest Hits album on the site .
Fans dismiss convictions claiming 'he would have been bigger than Elvis'
Others described the 70-year-old as 'a genius' who they felt sorry for .
Glitter has been convicted of attacks against children as young as eight .
The paedophile will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court this month . |
198,734 | 8d3f54b0153aef122a02fd7c2e75f5df66f36dcf | A cosmetic surgeon struck off the medical register for a series of botched operations has been allowed to treat patients again while a review of his case is scheduled. A medical tribunal found Dr Olufemi Adeyinka Adeogba was unfit to practise last December. But the High Court has since reinstated his name on the medical register, allowing the surgeon to practise without any restrictions. Meanwhile, judges have ordered the General Medical Council (GMC) to reinvestigate the allegations against him. The GMC is going to the Court of Appeal to have the original decision reinstated, raising serious concerns over patient safety. Cosmetic surgeon Dr Olufemi Adeyinka Adeogba was deemed unfit to practise and struck off the medical register in December after a medical tribunal found he left patients like Rita Nugent, above left and right, disfigured after surgery . Ms Nugent, 31, paid £2,200 for her nose job but soon realised there was a problem when her nose caved in . GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: 'Drr Adeogba faced very serious charges which the MPTS panel found proved. 'We believe the panel's decision to stop him from practising medicine was the right one and was necessary to protect patients. 'Following a legal challenge from the doctor, the High Court referred the matter back to the panel. 'However, we remain of the view that the original decision was correct and are now taking the case to the Court of Appeal. 'We are here to protect the public and make sure that doctors who treat patients are safe to do so.' The decision to remove Dr Adeogba from the medical register followed an investigation into complaints from patients, left disfigured after procedures carried out by the Merseyside-based surgeon. A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel heard one patient was left with a dented breast, and her nipples too high. When she begged Dr Adeogba for help, he told her to wear a supportive bra. Another patient's nipple turned black after he failed to warn her of the dangers of tissue necrosis if she continued her 12-a-day smoking habit after her operation. Rita Nugent, 31, ended up disfigured after paying what she thought was a bargain £2,200 for a nose job. She said things started to go wrong almost immediately after her surgery, and by the time her wounds had healed six months later, her nose had caved in. Dr Adeogba is now free to practise again without restriction after a High Court ruling when he appealed the decision. Judges have called for his case to be reinvestigated by the GMC . 'It was like something from a horror movie,' she said. Dr Adeogba was employed at the private Birkdale Clinic in Crosby, Merseyside, until 2011. Women rushed to sign up for cosmetic surgery, attracted by half-price discounts. The MPTS panel heard how Dr Adeogba, who passed his exams in Germany in 1979, repeatedly failed to take adequate medical histories of patients, and failed to give full information on the dangers of surgery. In December MPTS panel chair Dr Malcolm Philips, said: 'Dr Adeogba's standards fell below or seriously below those to be expected of a competent cosmetic surgeon. 'The failings were wide-ranging and occured over a two-year period. 'Dr Ageogba's failings placed patients at risk of harm, some did suffer direct harm as a result of his lack of care.' But after being removed from the doctor's register by the MPTS, Dr Adegoba has since successfully overturned the decision in the High Court. He is now free to practise without restriction, pending further legal challenges. The High Court wants the MPTS to look at Dr Adeogba's case again but a date for the hearing has yet to be set. Until the second hearing he is back on the medical register with no conditions. The doctor's watchdog, the GMC, which investigates cases and brings doctors before the MPTS, is now taking the case to the Court of Appeal, to reinstate its original decision. The Birkdale Clinic, based in Park Road, went under the control of new management more than a year ago and renamed itself The New Birkdale Clinic. It has no links with its predecessor. Dr Adeogba could not be contacted for comment. | Dr Olufemi Adeyinka Adeogba was struck off in December 2013 .
Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel deemed him unfit to practise .
Heard one patient left with a dented breast and nipples that were too high .
Another patient's nipple turned black after Dr Adeogba failed to warn her of the dangers of tissue necrosis if she carried on smoking after surgery .
Rita Nugent, 31, was left disfigured after £2,200 nose job at Crosby clinic .
But after Dr Adeogba went to the High Court to have the decision overturned judges have ruled he can be reinstated on the medical register .
He is free to practise without any restrictions pending further legal action .
High Court ruled the General Medical Council and MPTS must review case .
GMC is going to the Court of Appeal to have original decision reinstated . |
229,342 | b4f53969f27d97c8bb2376607d4bb5000adbab77 | (CNN) -- Rafael Nadal has been upset early at Wimbledon the past two seasons. His opponents in the opening rounds this year aren't easy, either. Nadal, coming off a record-extending ninth French Open title and 14th major overall, begins with dangerous Slovak left-hander Martin Klizan and then could face the man who beat him in 2012 in the second round, Lukas Rosol. Ivo Karlovic, who possesses one of the game's biggest serves ever, might confront Nadal in the third round. But here's something that should give the world No. 1's fans hope: Nadal owns a splendid record against left-handers, is rarely upset by the same player twice and Karlovic owns a 2-21 record versus the so-called "Big Four" of Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Second-seeded Nadal -- Wimbledon has flexibility in its seedings and gave Djokovic the top billing -- was placed in the same half as Federer, who is seeking an eighth crown at tennis' most famous postcode of SW19. Federer -- ousted prior to the quarterfinals in three of his last four majors -- starts against Italian Paolo Lorenzi before potentially meeting Julien Benneteau. Benneteau stretched Federer to five sets at Wimbledon in 2012. Defending champion Andy Murray has no such trouble, it seems. He is in the same quarter as David Ferrer, who prospers on clay and hard courts. Djokovic opens against Andrey Golubev. Serena Williams fell to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon one year ago and was upset in the second round of the French Open. She has landed in the same quarter as French Open winner Maria Sharapova and French Open semifinalists Eugenie Bouchard and Andrea Petkovic. Top-seed Williams could play Bouchard in the fourth round and Sharapova in the quarterfinals. It was 10 years ago that a 17-year-old Sharapova stunned the tennis world by opening her grand slam account at Wimbledon. If the seedings hold, 17-time grand slam champion Williams would face second-seed Li Na in the final. Like Williams, Li was bundled out of the French Open in the first week, eliminated by Kristina Mladenovic in the first round. EXPLORE: Wimbledon by the numbers . | World No. 1 Rafael Nadal faces a difficult draw at Wimbledon this year .
Spain's Nadal has been upset at the All England Club the previous two years .
Defending champion Andy Murray's path to the latter stages looks uncomplicated .
Serena Williams is also bidding to reclaim the Wimbledon title after losing early in 2013 . |
170,530 | 68be5b57a245d34e81e64a3f03a1db19a3fde1b7 | At around 337kg, he is Australia's heaviest man. But Ulu Tuipulotu, 26, who 'pumps a whole loaf of bread' for breakfast and is addicted to a popular video game, wants to change his life. The western Sydney man, who gorges himself with food while playing the first person shooter Call of Duty on his couch for as long as 12 hours a day, is determined to see his next birthday and be at the future weddings of his nieces and nephews. 'I want to be there, bro,' said Mr Tuipulotu, whose diet includes wolfing down a whole chicken for lunch. He has gone public with his weight loss struggle after signing up to a two-year sponsored psychological and physiological program ran by a Sydney hypnotherapist. Doctors have bluntly warned Mr Tuipulotu he will die if he cannot lose weight. But it's not going to be easy. He has attempted diets, such as Lite 'N' Easy packaged food plans. He's tried Optifast, a milkshake weight loss plan, as well as going to the gym. Nothing has worked so far. Scroll down for video . Fighting for life: Ulu Tuipulotu, 26, is determined to see his nieces and nephews get married one day . Weighing around 337kg, Ulu Tuipulotu, pictured, is determined to lose more than two thirds of his body weight . On the scales: Mr Tuipulotu today went public with his fight for life. He has lost fifteen kilos since starting a program of physical activity and hypnotherapy . Instead the unemployed man, who lives with his Tongan family in Quaker's Hill, plays online games for most of the day and touts himself as one of the best Call of Duty players in the world. 'Like a boss,' he told Daily Mail Australia. In his own words, Mr Tuipulotu has always been 'big'. He was born weighing 12.5 pounds and, at age 5, weighed 60kg. But it did not become a problem until his weight began to balloon around age 13. Now he is around four times the weight of the average Australian male, which is 85.9kg. His family also struggle with their weight. His mother Sue checks in at 180kg, his dad Sale weighs 130kg and sister Nine tops 120kg. 'We just love food as a people,' Mr Tuipulotu told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm speaking Pacific Islanders in general. Me, I just took it to the extreme'.' Mr Tuipulotu's downfall was non-stop snacking on cheeses, biscuits and packets of Arnotts Shapes . Ulu Tuipulotu, Australia's heaviest man, plays the hit video game Call of Duty (pictured) for as many as 12 hours a day . But it was his family who convinced him it was time to try something drastic. Sydney hypnotherapist Mark Stephens, who has worked with extremely obese patients in the past, has committed Mr Tuipulotu to a two-year program involving hypnotherapy and multiple sessions a week with personal trainers. Mr Stephens told Daily Mail Australia his client had tried just about everything before his mother, Sue, watched a program about the success another morbidly obese man, Jordan Tirekidis, had with hypnotherapy on the Nine Network's A Current Affair program. Mr Tirekidis lost 200kg. '(My family) are really pushing to go hard on it (his weight loss program),' Mr Tuipulotu said. 'So I've got to do it, hey?' BREAKFAST: . 'I pump down a whole loaf of bread, toasted, and Milo (a chocolate drink) LUNCH: . 'Probably a whole chicken, like a boss.' DINNER: . 'Yeah whatever, takeaway' - including KFC, Hungry Jacks or McDonald's . SNACKS: . Chips, drinks, donuts, Arnott's Shapes, biscuits and cheese . Game player: Pictured here in his home in western Sydney, Ulu Tuipulotu, is an avid Call of Duty fan . Big boy: Tuipulotu was born at the sizeable weight of 12.5 pounds. He is believed to be the country's heaviest man now . Growing up: Pictured as a child, Tuipulotu's weight began to balloon as he got older . Mr Tuipulotu, pictured centre, grew heavier as his schooling progressed . Mr Tuipulotu and his family began the program around four weeks ago after meeting with Mr Stephens. Mr Stephens said: 'With hypnosis, the worst thing that can happen is nothing. The best thing is you can change your life. Dietitian Dr Joanna McMillan said the reasons why Mr Tuipulotu is overweight are apparent in his unhealthy diet, which included constant snacking on cheese, biscuits and Arnott's Shapes while playing games. 'It's not hard to see why he was so overweight when he has that kind of a diet,' she said. But he could make drastic changes by just making small changes to his diet each week. 'Let's just focus on three meals and two snacks and don't eat in between,' she said. 'Cutting down on that amount of bread. Introducing vegetables.' Australia's heaviest: Mr Tuipulotu, pictured today after setting the scales at 337kg . Dr McMillan said the psychological side of weight loss is often forgotten. 'I often think the mind connection is what is given a bit of lip service to in any weight loss program.' 'Whether hypnotherapy, or seeing a counsellor or a hypnotherapy or a counsellor or a psychiatrist each of these people have their own approaches. 'People have to find what works for them.' Sydney GP Dr Brian Morton said hypnotherapy should be used as part of a program involving proper diet and exercise. He said he had seen it work as part of a program for smokers trying to quit. For others, it was 'useless'. 'It's not going to be magic,' Dr Morton said. Mr Tuipulotu is pledging to plough ahead, having lost 15 kilos over the space of a month. He said he is already beginning to feel the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, including more energy when he walks around. 'I can feel lots of changes,' he told Daily Mail Australia. And he warned others not to follow his lifestyle. 'Look at me, man,' he said. 'You don't want to be here.' | Australia's heaviest man has publicly pledged to lose 225kg .
Ulu Tuipuloto, 26, weighs 337kg - the size of four average Australian men .
He wants to one day witness his nieces and nephews getting married .
Mr Tuipuloto constantly snacks while playing Call of Duty .
He plays the popular shoot 'em up game for 12 hours a day . |
129,860 | 33dbfef3723ee19bfcf5df4014d86e02a73d5fe7 | By . Steve Nolan . They may look like humble garden sheds from the outside. But they are in fact the latest innovation in affordable housing. Complete with their own kitchen, bathroom and living space, these tiny homes on wheels could be the solution for any young buyer struggling to get on the property ladder. Created by Mark Brown, the designs have started a miniature home movement that is becoming popular in the US and Britain. Home sweet home: Tiny homes on wheels could be the solution to getting on the property ladder at an affordable price . All the mod cons: The tiny homes can come complete with a fully functioning kitchen, shower and toilet . Prices start from £10,000 ($15,400) for a basic shell and a fully fitted home costs up to £18,000 ($27,800). The homes are built in Mark's UK-based Tiny House workshop and towed to the desired location of their buyer on special built in wheels. Despite their cramped appearance, the homes can sleep up to six people and are fitted with a fully functioning kitchen, shower and toilet. The homes are also energy efficient - they arrive fully insulated. Environmentally friendly: The small homes are good for conserving energy - they come fully insulated . Comfortable: Complete with sofa space the tiny homes can sleep up to six people despite their snug appearance . Mark, a builder for more than 15 years, came up with the idea after the credit crunch meant building work became a lot harder to find. Mark said: 'I think they are a fantastic idea because people can live cheaply with very low outgoings. If they ever decide to move they can simply take their home with them and with a bit of TLC, I don’t see any reason they couldn’t last a lifetime. Spacious: The homes feature a double bed sized sleeping space on a mezzanine floor away from the main living area . 'The majority of interest in our Tiny Houses comes from the younger generation who are desperate to get on the property ladder in some way. 'Tiny Houses are not only compact but are very cheap to run which helps the owner save money towards a deposit on a proper ‘bricks and mortar’ house. 'Some people laugh and point when they see one being towed down the high street but when they see the inside, the phrase "wow" and "oh my God" is used a lot.' | Builder Mark Brown started making the homes when work became scarce .
They come complete with a toilet, shower and fully functioning kitchen .
The homes have special wheels so they can be towed by car . |
86,181 | f47965beb3b0ba13f6440cbd011bf623e2e69ac8 | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani soldiers and militants battled Saturday in the country's vast tribal region, with more than a dozen insurgents killed in airstrikes, at least four soldiers slain in skirmishes and a key village seized by troops, the military said. A Pakistani soldier pictured during operations against militants in June. The fatalities come hours after Pakistani troops launched a massive ground offensive backed up by air power targeting the Taliban in South Waziristan, a refuge and a power base for insurgents operating in Pakistan and along the Pakistani-Afghan border. The highly anticipated offensive, which comes after a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan, also has prompted the exodus of tens of thousands of civilians, the U.N. refugee agency said. One military official said Pakistani troops seized control of Kotkai, where Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has lived with fellow commander Qari Hussein, the mastermind behind some of Pakistan's deadliest suicide attacks. Watch how the offensive began » . Another military official said the airstrikes from jet fighters and helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Kotkai and the villages of Badar, Barwand and Khisur, all strongholds of the Taliban and their late leader Baitullah Mehsud. The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media. There have been confrontations throughout the day between soldiers and militants. Along with the four slain soldiers, 12 have been wounded, the military said. Gen. Athar Abbas, the Pakistan military spokesman, said the ground offensive in South Waziristan was launched shortly after midnight after the military received clearance from the government. He said the region's eight entry and exit points have been sealed by troops. Pakistani officials say that about 10,000 to 15,000 militants linked to the Taliban or to al Qaeda operate in South Waziristan, a harsh terrain familiar to militants but difficult for others to navigate. About 28,000 Pakistani soldiers have moved into the epicenter of Taliban activity in the region to counter their activities, officials said. Elsewhere in Pakistan's tribal region, in the Mohmand Agency, at least eight militants and one soldier were killed Saturday when they exchanged gunfire near a military checkpoint, the military said. For months, the military had been targeting militant hideouts in South Waziristan and other hot spots in Pakistan's tribal areas. This year, troops launched a large operation targeting militants in the Swat Valley, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. But despite these efforts, insurgents have continued to strike with relative impunity inside Pakistan, brazenly targeting government, police and security locations. The latest attack occurred Friday in the northern city of Peshawar, when a suicide car bomber detonated near a police station, killing 13 people, most of them civilians. The recent wave of deadly attacks has raised concerns about the ability of Pakistan's security forces to maintain control. The attacks heightened internal and international pressure on the government to take swift and effective action. In a high-level meeting Friday, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani "gave a detailed briefing on the prevailing national security situation and its ramifications in the future," according to a statement from the prime minister's office. Those who attended the meeting condemned the recent attacks and "agreed that these elements pose a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state," the statement said. The attacks show "once again that the militants in Pakistan threaten both Pakistan and the United States," White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said. On Thursday, President Obama approved an additional $7.5 billion in assistance to Pakistan over the next five years. | NEW: Official says troops take village of Kotkai .
About 28,000 Pakistani soldiers move into epicenter of Taliban activity .
Up to 10,000 militants operating in South Waziristan, officials estimate .
Tens of thousands of civilians fleeing region, U.N. refugee agency says . |
105,381 | 13e095ff586515e68b171a258b0111dc89bd1bef | MI5 has hired a marketing company to recruit British spies by scouring personal websites, including Facebook and LinkedIn pages. They want Russian linguists and analysts. Those whose profiles reveal they are British-born, Russian speakers have been sent pop-up links directing them to an MI5 advert for Russian-speaking spies. Gadgetry: Spy technology has moved on somewhat from the days of guns hidden in fictional leg casts, as depicted here in the 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye . Popular: LinkedIn was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011 and has millions of users . A Whitehall source said that the targeted recruitment had already been a success with a small number joining MI5 through LinkedIn. Recruits will use old-fashioned spycraft as well as new online technology. | Potential secret agents once got a tap on the shoulder at Oxford University .
Now MI5 will scour the internet including Facebook and LinkedIn profiles .
Marketing company hired to do the work and needs Russian speakers . |
5,234 | 0ed0bca54ddd7f41b49d30a594e65e88c85be760 | By . Sally Lee . A 12-year-old girl has survived a 15m from a cliff on Friday in Terrigal, Sydney's north. It is believed the girl bounced against some rocks before she landed in water. She then swam her way out of the water and onto the sand at Terrigal Beach. She suffered a pelvic injury and a fractured wrist, Nine News reported. Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before 5pm. She was then taken to the helicopter which flew her to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. Scroll down for video . A 12-year-old girl fell 15m from a cliff on Friday in Terrigal, Sydney's north. Paramedics were called to the scene before 5pm . It is believed the girl bounced against some rocks before she landed in water at Terrigal Beach . The girl then swam her way out of the water and onto the sand at Terrigal Beach . | Paramedics were called Terrigal Beach, north of Sydney, before 5pm on Friday .
The girl was taken to hospital as she injured her pelvis and fractured her wrist . |
5,591 | 0fe501762cb5087968ae164ed1ef2231d3a427b1 | A 5-year-old boy was sent home on his first day of kindergarten after school officials said his hair was too long. Malachi Wilson, who is half Native American and a member of the Navajo Nation, was dismissed from F. J. Young Elementary in Seminole, Texas for violating school policy that states boys can't have hair that is longer than the collar of their shirt, or wear ponytails. Many Native Americans believe that hair is scared, and cutting it is a manifestation of loss. Scroll down for video . Kicked out: 5-year-old Malachi Wilson was sent home from F. J. Young Elementary in Seminole, Texas on his first day of school because of his long hair, and told he needed to cut it to return . Heartbreaking: 'How do you explain to a 5-year-old that he’s being turned away because of what he believes in?' asked April Wilson, Malachi's mother . 'After we had enrolled him he was excited. He was ready to go. Everyday it was the question, "Mom, [am I] going to school?"' his mother, April Wilson, told KOSA. No sooner had he arrived however, than Malachi was sent home, with an order from the school's principal, Sherrie Warren, to cut his hair if he wanted to return. Adding insult to injury, when his mother protested his dismissal, noting her son's Native American religious beliefs, Miss Wilson demanded she show proof of his heritage. Once she had provided formal proof Malachi was indeed Native American, he was allowed to return to school, but the young boy still seems hurt. 'It was a sad day,' he said of being sent home. 'It’s kind of heartbreaking because how do you explain to a 5-year-old that he’s being turned away because of what he believes in? Because of his religion, because of what’s part of him,' his mother added. 'Our hair is sacred to us.' Proof: Malachi's mother April was asked to obtain formal paperwork of her son's Navajo heritage, and bring it to the school . School policy: The Seminole Independent School District does not allow boys to have hair that goes past their collars, or wear ponytails . She said she has not ruled out filing a discrimination lawsuit against the district. School district officials say they followed procedure, and pointed out the rule in their handbook that says, 'certain recognized religious or spiritual beliefs may qualify for an exception from provisions of the dress code.' Interestingly enough, the school's mascot is a Seminole, with long hair. Similar case: Adriel Arocha, a member of the Lipan Apache, tribe was was also sent home from school for having long hair in 2008. His family took their case to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and won . Malachi's story is very similar to that of another Texas kindergartner, Adriel Arocha, who is also Native American and was also sent home for having hair that was deemed too long by officials in his school district back in 2008. Adriel, a member of the Lipan Apache tribe, and his family were told by the Needville Independent School District that he must either cut or conceal his hair. The family eventually took their case to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after the district refused to give Adriel an exemption for religious beliefs, and in 2010 a judge ruled in the family's favor. | Malachi Wilson, 5, is a member of the Navajo Nation, who believe hair is sacred and should not be cut .
He was sent home on the first day of school, and his mother told by the school's principal his hair would have to be cut for him to return .
The young boy's school, F. J. Young Elementary in Seminole, Texas, says boys cannot have hair past their collar or wear ponytails .
'It was a sad day,' said the youngster of his dismissal from school . |
208,890 | 9a82726bf3c5623e4925114bac49063f2fc6f055 | Manchester United midfielder Anderson is due to sign for Internacional on Monday. Talks have been ongoing since last week with the Brazilian side, the player's representatives and United in discussions about cancelling the 26-year-old's contract. Manchester United's Anderson could finally leave after offer from Brazilian side Internacional . Internacional want Anderson to play in the Copa Libertadores and are understood to have offered a four-year contract worth around £25,000 a week after tax with a £650,000 annual bonus. Anderson is due in Porto Alegre with his agents on Monday for medical tests before being unveiled on Tuesday. Anderson, pictured in 2013, has not played since a 20-minute cameo against Burnley in August and is for sale . Anderson has been surplus to requirements under Louis Van Gaal and indeed under David Moyes, who loaned him out to Fiorentina. The 26-year-old has rarely shown glimpses of his potential since moving from Porto with Nani in a deal worth £26million in 2007. Anderson (right) challenges for the ball with Southampton's Gaston Ramirez during a Premier League match . | Anderson offered four-year contract worth around £25,000 a week after tax .
The 26-year-old midfielder is due in Porto Alegre on Monday for medical . |
264,705 | e2dc1951036e6a21382f6730428acdfc17ecf3ac | Jose Mourinho has spoken of the bond between himself and his new rival at Manchester United, Louis van Gaal, ahead of the upcoming season. The Chelsea boss was assistant to the then Barcelona manager between 1997 and 2000, before Mourinho took up his first managerial post at Benfica and Van Gaal left for his first stint as Holland coach. And although Mourinho admits contact between the pair has been limited since their spell at the Nou Camp, he told Sport magazine of his utmost respect for his former mentor. VIDEO Scroll down to watch A happy Louis liking his players in training . Master and the apprentice: Mourinho (right) shares his views with Van Gaal in 1999 . 'We worked together, then we went our separate professional ways,' said the 51-year-old Portuguese. 'But there will always be a fantastic relation between us. I like him a lot and I know he likes me a lot too.' Seventh-placed United finished 18 points behind Mourinho's third-placed Blues last season and Van Gaal will be eager at the very least to significantly reduce that gap in his first season at Old Trafford. Mourinho watched the Dutchman's first United press conference and drew some insightful conclusions from the words and demeanour of the man he met in the 2010 Champions League final when his Inter Milan side beat Van Gaal's Bayern Munich. 'I think he was very Louis,' said Mourinho. 'The Louis I know, by which I mean he was very honest, very pragmatic. New era: Van Gaal takes to the touchline with his Manchester United coaching staff in Pasadena on Thursday . Seventh heaven: United beat LA Galaxy 7-0 in Van Gaal's first match in charge . VIDEO Van Gaal delighted with new-look United . 'Sometimes people say there is a bit of arrogance but no, when you are honest and direct and say what you want and what you think you are not arrogant - you are just honest.' Mourinho has often used a similar defence for himself when he has been labelled as arrogant by his critics, but he insists that, despite their similarities, he is not an exact replica of Van Gaal. 'Louis is Louis and I am Jose and each one is unique,' added Mourinho. 'There are no points to compare us. Reunion: The pair before the 2010 Champions League final, which Mourinho's Inter won 2-0 . 'But the training philosophy and methodology... well, I learn with him. I also developed a lot of my own ideas, but I would lie if I didn't say I learned something with Louis, because I did.' Mourinho and Van Gaal go head-to-head at Old Trafford on October 26 and again at Stamford Bridge on April 18. | Jose Mourinho was Louis van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona .
Pair met in 2010 Champions League final with Mourinho's Inter winning 2-0 .
Mourinho speaks of the respect and admiration the pair have for one another . |
275,204 | f0814435ad279f8e908c65049775a8676ce15f94 | Juan Mata insists finally getting into the groove for Manchester United towards the end of last season has put him in a good place ahead of Spain's defence of the World Cup. Mata, who joined United from Chelsea in January for a club-record fee, was involved in the Spain squad in 2010 for their World Cup win in South Africa, and is hungry for more. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Mata destroying Reina's goal from inside his own half . All smiles: Mata believes his form for United at the end of the season makes him confident for the World Cup . Bittersweet: United endured a poor season, but Mata picked up form towards the end after his move . Speaking to Laureus.com, Mata said: 'Winning the World Cup for Spain and being part of the squad was probably my best moment in my career and one of the best moments in my life. 'The last three or four months for me were great. I played a lot. I scored some goals. So I am looking forward to being there and to try my best for the team.' Mata, however, admits is was a difficult year for Manchester United under David Moyes, but is looking forward to a change in style with Dutchman Louis van Gaal at the helm. He added: 'It's been a difficult year, but I think this season we will improve and we will try to win again, because Manchester United is about winning and fighting for titles. '[Van Gaal] is a very experienced manager. He likes to play in an offensive way, so hopefully he can bring success and trophies to the club and to the players.' Home favourite: Manchester United star Juan Mata considers England an outsider to win the World Cup . Perfect fit: Mata is excited to play under Van Gaal (left) at United, particularly his attacking style . | Mata says his form for United stands him in good stead for the World Cup .
The Spaniard is delighted with Louis van Gaal's appointment at United, particularly for his attacking style .
Mata was part of Spain's 2010 World Cup-winning squad . |
84,904 | f0d93bdd383762936746b48f7e67ffe72cfb1ede | By . Ollie Gillman for MailOnline . The wife of a retired banker who lived a luxury lifestyle off the proceeds of £10million land investment scam has been spared jail. Linda Noad, 58, helped her husband Roger, 60, launder £655,000 which they then used to help their fund their £1million family home in Sevenoaks, Kent, as well as a lavish holiday in Dubai. Roger Noad, who spent 27 years working at Coutts bank, was jailed for three years for allowing the proceeds to be funnelled through his bank accounts over six years. Linda Noad (left), 58, helped her husband Roger (right), 60, launder £655,000 which they then used to help their fund their £1million family home in Sevenoaks, Kent, as well as a lavish holiday in Dubai . The land investment scam on wealthy pensioners and Thalidomide survivors was masterminded by their conman son Matthew, 30, and his associate Clive Griston, 52, who were both jailed for four years and eight months earlier this year. Matthew's parents spent the money on fine wines, jewellery worth £18,000 and a new Mercedes. But Mrs Noad, who suffers from depression and left her job at Sainsbury’s in shame when the story hit the newspapers, was given a two-year suspended sentence at the Old Bailey. Judge Christopher Moss QC told her: ‘I ought to send you straight to prison, however I am prepared to take what may be thought to be a merciful course. ‘You and your husband received that money from your son who was one of the architects of a land bank fraud which stole £10million from elderly investors. ‘You used it to enhance your standard of living including the house in which you presently live. ‘Your family is in effect in tatters and both your son and husband are serving substantial prison sentences. You deserve to do the same. ‘It is clear you are and have been suffering greatly from the convictions of your son and husband, although it could be said you brought this situation on yourself.’ Mrs Noad sighed loudly in relief and looked up to family members in the public gallery as she learned she would not go to prison. The judge told her: ‘You are now free to go.’ Land scam: Matthew Noad (left), 29, and Clive Griston (right), 52, admitted two counts of fraud earlier this year . The Noads now face having their home and other assets confiscated to repay the victims of the fraud. During the series of trials relating to the £10million fraud, jurors were told how Matthew Noad and Clive Griston targeted vulnerable pensioners eager to invest their life savings. The pair used glossy brochures to persuade investors to buy land on the basis they would get high returns if it was developed. Griston laundered £1million of the proceeds through his partner Kerry Golesworthy, 48, who was jailed for three-and-a-half years at an earlier hearing. Golesworthy drove a £109,000 Bentley, bought a £10,000 pearl necklace and a new house in a private estate near Orpington, in Kent, which is now valued at around £2m. At the time she earned less than £9,000 a year as a bookkeeper. Golesworthy and Linda and Roger Noad were all convicted of entering into an arrangement facilitating the use of criminal property relating to the land fraud. Matthew Noad, of Keston, Kent, and Griston were convicted of fraud and jailed in April this year. | Linda Noad helped her husband launder £665,000 from their son's scam .
The couple lived a lavish lifestyle, drinking fine wine and holidaying in Dubai .
Son Matthew masterminded a land investment fraud on wealthy pensioners .
Father Roger allowed Matthew to funnel funds through his bank accounts .
Both men were jailed earlier this year for their roles in the scam .
Matthew's associate Clive Griston was also jailed for more than four years .
But a judge says Linda is free to go as she has been 'suffering greatly' |
36,879 | 688db9649a248da0862aac6733987315abf93786 | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 12:10 EST, 20 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:20 EST, 20 December 2012 . Samsung is set to show off a 5.5in flexible 720p display at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to reports. That Samsung is choosing to present the hotly anticipated technology at the world's premier electronics trade show strongly suggests it will be included on the company's next generation of smartphones out next year. However the company will not just be presenting a tiny, phone-sized bendy screen at the event, but will also bring along a mammoth 55in version more suited for a television or monitor. Scroll down for video . Bendy: Samsung is gearing up to produce the next generation of mobile phone screens that can be bent and twisted by early next year, according to reports . The screens work through the use of . organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are thin and can be put on . flexible material such as plastic or metal foil. They are a major advance on regular . LED displays, which are usually made on a glass surface and are thus . prone to cracking and smashing. CNET reports that Samsung will show . attendees at the January CES a 5.5in flexible screen with a 1,280x720 HD . resolution intended for smartphone use, as well as the bigger version. Flexible displays are made by depositing organic light emitting diodes on a flexible plastic surface. Regular . LED displays are usually made on a glass surface, but substituting that . for a flexible plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate makes it . possible to manufacture screens that are both flexible and lightweight. One possible mass-production method might use a technique similar to inkjet printing. Officials from the South Korean firm's . screen-making spin-off Samsung Display told the website the new screens . are able to curve without breaking, but they aren't yet ready to be . rolled up or folded. The announcement comes after rumours . began circulating earlier this month that Samsung is secretly preparing a . new version of its Galaxy handset that uses the radical, resilient new . technology. Codenamed 'Project J' after mobile . division chief JK Shin, development of the new Galaxy S IV could be . released as early as April, according to analysts and tech blogs. Experts believe that as smartphones . increasingly look alike, an unbreakable screen could be a big selling . point for the Galaxy, which is battling Apple iPhone to lead the . $200billion plus smartphone market. The Galaxy S IV is also expected to have powerful quad-core processing power and a 13-megapixel camera. 'Looking to the first half of 2013, we . see evidence of Samsung likely accelerating the release of the Galaxy S . IV - compared with May (this year) for the Galaxy S III,' said UBS . analyst Nicolas Gaudois. 'We believe preparations for volume manufacturing of unbreakable plastic substrate displays continue. 'All in all, we could see a strong products push in the high-end in the first half, followed by other releases.' Bendy: The breakthrough has been made by through the use of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are thin and can be put on flexible material such as plastic or metal foil . Durable: Although being bendy is their most exciting characteristic, simply using plastic to manufacture the screens rather than glass could help make phone screens less likely to crack . Samsung is a frontrunner in developing . the unbreakable screens, as OLED panels can replace glass substrate . with plastic material. Down the road, mobile gadgets could be flexible as well as unbreakable. 'Eventually, they'll have unbreakable and flexible displays,' said Mark Newman, an analyst at Stanford Bernstein in Hong Kong . 'Either the Galaxy S IV or S V will have unbreakable and even possibly flexible and foldable displays by 2014. 'That's going to be a game-changer.' Both Mr Newman and Mr Gaudois are . ranked as 5-star analysts, the top ranking, by Thomson Reuters StarMine . for their recommendations on Samsung. It would also be a game-changer for . Samsung, which has built its reputation as a 'fast follower' of others' technologies and designs. The Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone - the next version could have a radical news 'bendy' screen, according to rumours . The South Korean consumer electronics . giant is currently battling for a retrial after a U.S. jury ruled it . copied some of its smartphone rival Apple's patents and ordered it to . pay $1billion in damages. Samsung wants the verdict overturned, while Apple wants the damages to be increased and Samsung phones banned in the U.S. Since that landmark verdict, however, . Samsung shares soared to record highs, while Apple shares - dented by a . maps app fiasco, tight supply of its iPhone 5 and ever tougher . competition in the mobile market - have slipped. | Resilient, bendy displays are a major advance on previous LED screens .
Firms officials admit they bend, but are not yet ready to roll up .
Follow-up to Galaxy S3 handset could have radical new screen technology . |
158,012 | 584b3ffba0088682a5248eff036dfb9af5446136 | (CNN) -- Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza -- Protective Edge -- has animated the Shia Islamist leadership in Tehran. The bloody conflict, and the global Muslim outrage it has provoked, is held by the Iranian regime as a chance to redeem itself in the eyes of the Sunni Muslim majority in the world. When Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week called on the "Muslim Nation" to set aside differences and unite against Israel, he was in fact pitching Iranian leadership. Other Muslim leaders speak in such terms. The difference is Iran has the capacity to militarily make a difference by resuming arms supplies to Hamas. As Khamenei and other Iranian leaders intensify the call to arm Hamas, the political reward they seek is hard to miss. On the geopolitical map of the Middle East, the Gaza conflict offers an opportunity for Tehran to perhaps start reversing a trend for Iran to be seen as a Shia power -- thanks to its support for the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war -- and go back to what it prefers most: to carry the pan-Islamist banner and offer itself as the principal guardian of Muslim causes. The beleaguered Hamas -- Iran's one-time favorite Sunni surrogate -- might not have an alternative but to return to Tehran's orbit after a four-year freeze in relations. Senior security officers from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah in the West Bank are keeping a very close eye on the Iran-Hamas dynamics. Officials in the PA, dominated by Hamas' secular rivals from the Fatah movement, fear that Iran extending its hand to Hamas will only embolden it and prolong this latest military round with Israel. At the same time, officials from the PA detect a strong tendency among Hamas leaders to be open to Tehran's conditions for a resumption of Iranian assistance should Tehran decide to forgive Hamas for its 2011 betrayal. That is when Hamas chose to back the Syrian opposition against the Tehran-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad and thus left Iran's orbit after nearly two-decades of Iranian patronage. According to one PA official, "Hamas has no other option except to return to its Iranian sponsor." As he put it, "Iran's relations with Hamas were from the outset tactical" and the present circumstances make reconciliation beneficial to both. Hamas can look forward to the resumption of Iranian arms. Tehran can hope to turn the global Muslim attention to its role as a protector of Palestinians, a development that serves its regional agenda given the unpopularity of Iranian support for Assad in Syria among Muslim public opinion. In reality, Tehran never entirely cut Hamas loose after the debacle over Syria. According to a senior PA official, Hamas' political contacts with Iran were largely frozen but the military relationship has continued throughout. Tehran never shut the door to the radical line of Hamas leaders, including Mahmoud al-Zahar in Gaza, and Imad al-Alami, the former representative of Hamas to Iran. Other Hamas chiefs did not receive this Iranian benevolence. Khaled Meshaal, the one-time Damascus-based political face of Hamas who relocated to Qatar in 2011, has -- according to Iranian media -- tried unsuccessfully for the last three years to make a visit Tehran. He was kept at bay but there is now speculation that Tehran might be willing to receive Meshaal. If so, it might just be the beginning of the end of the Hamas-Iran fallout over Syria. The groundwork for such a visit might already be in place. Soon after Israel launched its latest campaign against Hamas in Gaza, the influential speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, was on the phone with Meshaal. A few days later, the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif called, each promising Tehran's support. Hezbollah of Lebanon, the jewel in Iran's Arab crown, has also opened the door to Hamas. Palestinian reports suggest that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a militant movement close to Iran that unlike Hamas stayed loyal to Tehran over its support for Assad in Syria, is now mediating between Hamas and Hezbollah. The head of PIJ, Abdullah Shallah, is said to personally lead the effort, which has included a phone conversation between Hassan Nasrallah and Meshaal. Last week, Nasrallah gave an impassioned speech where he pledged "Hezbollah and the Lebanese resistance will stand by the Palestinian peoples' uprising," but he has thus far resisted Hamas' call for it to open a northern front against Israel." With Hezbollah fighters still in action in Syria in support of the Assad regime, and with memories fresh of Hamas' support for the Syrian opposition, and given Nasrallah's delicate domestic policy agenda in Beirut, a northern front is very doubtful in this round of fighting. Still, Iran and Hezbollah can deliver weapons and military know-how, something that other Hamas backers -- such as Qatar and Turkey -- are unable or unwilling to do. As Major General Saeb al-Ajez, the former commander of PA National Security Forces (NSF) put it, Hamas needs to return to the Iranian orbit as it desperately needs military replenishment. Palestinian sources believe that Meshaal's visit to Tehran likely will happen once a ceasefire with Israel has been agreed. He is expected to thank Tehran for its support and use the visit as a public pronouncement that the Hamas-Iran spat is finally over. A visit to Tehran by Meshaal, however, is still entangled in the geopolitical mess that is today's Middle East. Meshaal's closest regional allies, Qatar, where he lives, and Turkey, are still at loggerheads with Tehran over competition for influence in Syria and increasingly in Iraq. As a way to bypass this hindrance, Tehran will no longer insist that Hamas publicly support the Assad regime in Syria but only to refrain from publicly criticizing his rule. According to Palestinian sources in the West Bank, Hamas is willing to make this compromise with Tehran. | Gaza has provoked outrage in the Muslim world, write Alex Vatanka and Mohammed Najib .
Tehran is trying to build on the outrage, to gain influence by backing Hamas, they say .
This follows Iran's backing of the al-Assad regime in Syria, while Hamas backs rebels .
Hamas needs to return to Tehran's orbit in order to get military supplies, authors say . |
191,312 | 83bb1bf030af66aa788539b6e4158a93ae99588f | By . Jennifer Newton . A polar bear who survived a near fatal injury has defied the odds and is now rearing a second set of cubs. It was feared the bear, who appeared to have a badly broken leg, would have to be put down when spotted on a barrier island in Bernard Spit, Alaska in 2009. But five years on, the sow has now been spotted with a second set of cubs showing that her disability is not holding her back. The female polar bear, who survived a broken leg leads her new cubs along a barrier island in Bernard Spit, Alaska . The new set of pictures were captured by wildlife photographer, Steve Kazlowski, who has been monitoring the bear since 2009 . Wildlife photographer Steve Kazlowski has been monitoring the polar bear over the years, charting her progress. He said: 'Her new cubs are only a year old and I don't know if her other cubs made it. 'I observed her many times during the eight weeks that I was photographing polar bears last fall. The female polar bear, who suffered a near fatal broken leg, poses with her cubs, left. Mr Kazlowski says the sow, right, has learned to deal with her disability as one of her legs has calloused over internally . The female bear, seen here, starts to head into the water for a swim . The two cubs, who follow their mother, are thought to be her second set of cubs. Her first set were first spotted in 2011 . It is thought that the new cubs are around one year old with Mr Kazlowski monitoring them over an eight week period . 'She was feeding, resting, playing, walking and swimming - doing all the natural things you would expect a polar bear to do. 'I would imagine her chances of survival are pretty good as she has been able to survive with a bad leg and she has her second set of cubs now. 'I was so happy to see that an animal with a disability was able to learn to live and cope with it. 'Not only that she is thriving and bringing up her offspring. 'Every female polar bear giving birth is a good thing with all the changes that are going on with their habitats. The trio of polar bears pause for a break, with one of the cubs lying down rolling about in the snow . Mr Kazlowski said: 'Every female polar bear giving birth is a good thing with all the changes that are going on with their habitats.' The female bear leads her cubs into the water for a swim in Bernard Spit, Alaska . 'It shows that she is a very smart mother and is raising intelligent cubs.' The bear was first spotted in Alaska in 2009, when she appeared to have a badly broken leg, which was causing her to walk more slowly. It was thought at the time that she would be unable to survive but remarkably the animal has learned to deal with her disability. In 2011, just two years after her life-threatening injury, she showed up with her first set of cubs. Photographer Mr Kozlowski is now interested to see if the bears show up on Bernard Spit again next year . Mr Kazlowski added: 'We knew it was the same bear because she's the only one who shows with the same break in the same spot. 'The first couple of years she walked softly on it but has now figured out how to move efficiently with it. 'The leg has calloused over internally so it hangs and dangles - it will remain that way for the rest of her life. 'She moves fine and seems to have more confidence and now has another litter of cubs. She just showed up along the coast again and I saw her. She is hard to miss with that leg. 'It will be interesting to see if she shows up next fall.' Mr Kazlowski believes that the female polar bear is a 'a very smart mother and is raising intelligent cubs'. | The female bear has been pictured with her second set of cubs along Bernard Spit in Alaska .
In 2009, the same bear suffered a near fatal broken leg and it was thought she would have to be put down .
But she has learned to deal with the impairment even though her leg hangs and dangles over .
Wildlife photographer Steve Kazlowski captured the photos of the sow and her two cubs .
Mr Kazlowski said the bears are doing all the natural things you would expect them to do . |
273,364 | ee1e702d4afb3705ebbb19fdef86d06917b28fe2 | (CNN) -- The Kellogg Co. announced Wednesday it is recommending that consumers not eat its peanut butter crackers because they may be tainted with salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods. The products affected are Austin- and Keebler-branded: . -- Toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers. -- Cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers. The Michigan-based maker of cereals and snacks posted the recommendation in a statement on its Web site. Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America, one of several peanut butter suppliers to the company, has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has affected at least 434 people in 43 states, federal health officials said Wednesday. "Kellogg Company's investigation has not indicated any concerns, nor has the company received any consumer illness complaints about these products," the Kellogg statement said. "Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue." All of the company's peanut-butter crackers are made at its bakery in Cary, North Carolina, said spokeswoman Kris Charles. Though consumers are urged "to hold the product until we have more information," Charles recommended anyone seeking a refund call 888.314.2060 for details about how to get one. | Some types of Austin- and Keebler-branded sandwich crackers affected .
One of its peanut butter suppliers has been linked to outbreak of salmonella .
Kellogg says warning is strictly precautionary; no incidents of illness reported .
Outbreak of salmonella poisoning has affected at least 434 people in 43 states . |
37,174 | 695d437d0403e36970013a987f81d93eb487dac3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:22 EST, 27 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:25 EST, 30 March 2013 . A 10-year-old girl who was reported missing from her California home overnight has been found 12 hours later, shoeless in front of a Starbucks coffee shop. Sgt. Rudy Lopez says the girl, who's identity is being withheld, was apparently spotted by someone who recognized her from information that had been publicized and contacted the Police Department. The girl with distinctive long red hair was found at mid-afternoon in Woodland Hills about six miles from her home in the Northridge area of Los Angeles. Scroll down for video . Happy end: Nicole Ryan, 10, has been found outside Starbucks about six miles from her home some 12 hours after her disappearance . Mystery: The girl suffered lacerations and bruises to her face, had no shoes on and was dressed differently from the clothes she was wearing before she went missing . Her parents reported her missing from home before dawn Wednesday. Police say the child was dropped off by an unknown person in a parking lot near a Goodwill store shortly before 3pm. A female passerby recognized the girl from the news by her distinctive red hair and alerted police. A patrol officer who responded to the 911 call arrived at Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue and located the child. She did not have shoes on and was dressed in a white T-shirt instead of the black shirt she was wearing the night before. 'Her face was white. She looked very . tired and worried,' Nicolas Jackson, manager of an animation studio . who spotted the girl next to Starbucks, told the Los Angeles Times. 'You could see she had some . worries for the past few hours.' First aid: Nicole was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment . Relieved: The girl's family were notified of her discovery and were later taken by car to the hospital to visit her . She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment. According to authorities, the child . suffered cuts and bruises to her face and appeared confused. During a press conference Wednesday night, Los Angeles police officials said they were on the hunt for two men who are believed to have abducted Ryan overnight. Capt. William Hayes told the LA Times that officers have secured several locations where the unidentified perpetrators had allegedly taken the 10-year-old girl using multiple cars in the process. Police also said they have recovered a black pickup truck that was apparently involved in the kidnapping. She was last seen in her bedroom just after midnight at her home in Northridge, California. When her parents checked on her at around 3am, she was gone, police spokesman Richard French said. Desperate search: LAPD look for the missing girl in her Northridge neighborhood . When her dissapperance was announced, French said there was no indication of foul play. No windows had been forced at the property although the back door to the home was left unlocked and a side gate was open. She was unable to reach the lock on the gate without help, an LAPD alert noted. The parents said nothing happened in the house that might have prompted her child to run away. Unexplained: Police said that there is no indication of foul play in the ten-year-old's disappearance . WATCH VIDEO HERE: . | Girl was dropped off by someone outside Starbucks in Woodland Hills .
Had no shoes on, was dressed in clothing that she was not wearing the night before and appeared confused .
She suffered cuts and bruises to her face .
Police search for two men suspected in the abduction .
Last seen just after midnight at her home in Northridge . |
134,294 | 39a761c4c123b6ff8ee58f040fc2c36ec3d5f939 | New York (CNN) -- A 10-year-old boy turned the tables and scared off armed intruders who forced their way into his Brooklyn home, according to police. Surveillance video released by police shows someone in the house on Monday afternoon opening the door for a man wearing a FedEx uniform, followed by another man. Police say the two men were armed, and upon making their way into the house, demanded money from the nine people inside. When one of the alleged intruders went upstairs, someone was able to close the door on his arm, making him drop his gun. The boy picked up the gun and fired once, police said. The armed suspect fired back, before both men fled the scene empty-handed. Both bullets missed, and there were no injuries, but the two assailants were still at large Tuesday; the investigation is ongoing. Tuesday, there was a letter on the door of the home asking for reporters to give the residents privacy. "Many of the victims are minors and are all traumatized on what occurred yesterday. We just want to continue with our daily routines." CNN's Dana Garrett contributed to this report. | Two armed men try to rob residents in Brooklyn .
Boy, 10, fires gun after one assailant drops it . |
65,474 | b9ecc3e49acd73caf291057b3d1069392bf0aaaf | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:10 EST, 24 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:39 EST, 24 February 2014 . An audience of 'pandas' has appeared in a Taiwan theatre to highlight the plight of the endangered animals. Some 1,600 paper-mache made pandas are on display, designed by French artist Paulo Grangeon, at the National Theatre in Taipei. The Pandas on Tour exhibition was launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2008 as a way of highlighting the need to protect endangered species, and has since travelled around the world. After being asked by the WWF, Grangenon created the 1,600 pandas from recycled paper - to represent the actual amount of real pandas left in the world. For the Taiwan exhibition, the artist specially created another 200 Formosan black bears in order to support wildlife protection acts for local animals and set a green tree frog made out of paper in the middle of it. An audience of 'pandas' has appeared in a Taiwan theatre to highlight the plight of the endangered animals . Some 1,600 paper-mache made pandas are on display, designed by French artist Paulo Grangeon, at the National Theatre in Taipei . For the Taiwan exhibition, the artist specially created another 200 Formosan black bears in order to support wildlife protection acts for local animals and set a green tree frog made out of paper in the middle of it . After being asked by the WWF, Grangenon created the 1,600 pandas from recycled paper - to represent the actual amount of real pandas left in the world . The exhibition was first held by the French section of the World Wildlife Fund in a joint project with Grangeon in July 2008 at Paris City Hall . | Pandas on Tour exhibition launched by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2008 to .
highlight need to protect species .
1,600 paper-mache made pandas on display, designed by French artist Paulo Grangeon, at National Theatre in Taipei . |
2,038 | 05ef8e95c2d9522f6c6a59b4d2b2efe421bbb452 | (CNN) -- The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, according to two new government audits. The reports come from the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. The Iraqi government in 2004 gave the Department of Defense access to about $3 billion to pay bills for certain contracts, and the department can only show what happened to about a third of that, the inspector general says in an audit published Friday. Although the Department of Defense (DoD) had "internal processes and controls" to track payments, the "bulk of the records are missing," the report says, adding that the department is searching for them. Other documents are missing as well, including monthly reports documenting expenses, the audit says. "From July 2004 through December 2007, DoD should have provided 42 monthly reports. However, it can locate only the first four reports." A letter accompanying the report is signed by Stuart Bowen, the inspector general. The audit was overseen by Glenn Furbish, assistant inspector general for audits. In a response letter also contained in the report, Defense Under Secretary Mark Easton acknowledges "a records management issue." The audit says it believes records management is to blame, and "has been an ongoing problem for DoD in Iraq. By all accounts, DoD established good internal processes and controls to account for and report on" the funds it was given after the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolved. Where the records did exist, they matched other records and contained "good financial documentation supporting individual payments." Also, there is "sufficient evidence" that required monthly reports were sent to the government of Iraq, even though they can't be found, the audit said. The audit deals with a time when Iraq's government was undergoing a transition. The Coalition Provisional Authority ran the country for 14 months from 2003 to 2004. During that time, the authority awarded numerous contracts. When it dissolved in 2004, the Iraqi government gave the U.S. Defense Department access to the $3 billion to pay bills for contracts the provisional authority had awarded. The Defense Department letter from Easton -- the department's deputy chief financial officer -- thanks the inspector general's office for "the collaborative effort and professional courtesy" in a series of audits. Separately, the inspector general's office sent a letter Sunday to the U.S. ambassador to Iraq complaining that the U.S. government is not providing Iraq with a complete list of reconstruction projects. The U.S. criteria for selecting which projects to report to Iraq -- which include only those valued at $250,000 or more -- is a central part of the problem, the letter says. The U.S. Embassy says the system is designed to help Iraq "focus its limited resources on sustainment of infrastructure and other large capital projects done through U.S. reconstruction efforts," the report notes. The inspector general's office argues that the limited list -- which is also "hampered by unreliable data and other data entry problems" -- does not allow Iraq to decide where to focus its resources, and notes that the country might consider some smaller projects more important than those that are reported. "Without more comprehensive knowledge about reconstruction projects the (Iraqi government) will not be in a position to maximize the use of its resources," the report says. Billions of dollars in spending are not reported to Iraq under the current system, the report says. In a response letter, Peter Bodde, assistant chief of mission for the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, says that while the current system is incomplete, "it does capture the vast majority of reconstruction projects and there is no other alternative that captures more." He also notes that the Iraq reconstruction effort "is now in its very last stages, and all remaining capital projects will be reported through the asset transfer process." The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction was created in 2004 to continue oversight of Iraq reconstruction programs. | NEW: The U.S. is keeping Iraq out of the loop on some projects, report says .
NEW: The U.S. Embassy in Iraq disagrees with that complaint .
The Defense Department can't account for about $2 billion in past spending, report says .
The department acknowledges a "records management issue" |
138,179 | 3eb29dc4b054a29604838d7eb4dd739144ac5cae | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:18 EST, 6 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:02 EST, 6 August 2012 . The lone survivor of the brutal Connecticut home invasion that left his wife and two daughters dead has remarried five years after the horrific attack. Dr. William Petit, 55, wed photographer Christine Paluf, 34, on Sunday in West Hartford, Connecticut surrounded by around 300 friends and family. The couple began dating last year and became engaged in December after working together at the Petit Family Foundation, a charity Dr. Petit set up . in memory of his family. New-found happiness: Dr William Petit, the lone survivor of a brutal home invasion in Connecticut, has married photographer Christine Paluf. His wife and two daughters died in the attack in 2007 . Dr Petit, a diabetes specialist, gave up practicing medicine after the death of his wife and children and decided to devote his life to fighting . for justice for them through the foundation. In 2008, he met Paluf at a local . country club, where she worked as a marketing director, and she offered . her professional photography services to the charity. 'It was fun,' Hayley Hovhanessian from the Petit Foundation told ABC News after the wedding, adding that the couple had planned on a honeymoon but she is 'not sure where'. Marybelle Hawke, the mother of Dr Petit's deceased wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit, said her family welcomed the engagement and encouraged Petit to find peace and joy in his life. Murdered: Dr Petit with his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters, Hayley (left) and Michaela . New love: Paetit met Paluf while she volunteered at the Foundation he set up in his family's memory . Hawke-Petit's sister was among the . wedding guests. A blessing written by Hawke-Petit’s father, the Rev. Richard Hawke, was read at the wedding, family friend Rick Healey said. After his engagement in December, his sister-in-law Cindy . Hawke-Renn said: 'This is something we'd hoped and prayed . for, that Billy would one day find love again. He's happier and more joyful, . lighter.' The happy day comes five . years since the horrific killings of Dr. Petit's family at the hands of . two house invaders, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes. They are on death row for the . murders of Mrs Hawke-Petit, 48, and the couple's daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old . Michaela. Mrs Hawke-Petit was raped and strangled while her children were tied to their beds and left to die when the house was set on fire. Together: The couple were joined by 300 friends and relatives at the wedding in West Hartford on Sunday . Support: The family of Petit's deceased wife have wished him and Paluf the world of happiness . Dr Petit was beaten with a baseball bat and tied up in the basement, but managed to escape by crawling to a neighbour's house. Paluf attended the trials for the killers of Petit's family. Both Komisarjevsky and Hayes were convicted and are currently on Connecticut's death row, waiting to be put to death by lethal injection. 'There is never complete closure when . you lose your wife and family, but the first part is over and we think . justice has been served,' Petit said last December. He also spoke of his devastation and how he had contemplated suicide after he was left with a 'jagged hole in my heart'. 'I miss my entire family, my home, . everything we had together,' he said. 'They were three special people. I . lost my entire family. I lost the records of our shared lives together . due to the fire..' Killers: Joshua Komisarjevsky, left, and Steven Hayes, right, were convicted of raping Mrs Hawke-Petit and murdering her and her two daughters. They have both been sentenced to death . Devastation: The tied down all their victims before setting the home alight. Pictured, Michaela's bedroom . In March . 2011, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a new law that ends the . state's death penalty for future crimes, but it does not apply to those . already on death row. Many had insisted that the death penalty remain for previous cases so that Komisarjevsky and Hayes would not be spared. Earlier this year it emerged that Steven Hayes came up with a bizarre plan to end his own life by lying in a series of letters that he had killed 17 other victims and raped dozens of women. However, he later claimed in an interview that he had 'made it all up' and that he had hoped the letters would lead prison authorities to notify police and he could trade information for food. He planned to use the ploy to eat oysters in his cell to which he is deathly allergic. | Dr William Petit married Christine Paluf on Sunday in West Hartford .
Met after Paluf volunteered for foundation set up in his family's memory .
Comes five years after his wife and two daughters, aged 11 and 17, were murdered in their home; Petit managed to escape .
Family of his murdered wife gave the newlyweds their blessing . |
154,252 | 535a15b2c11fca1dedb70a438e156501420a3651 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- London commuters crammed onto buses, scrambled for taxis, cycled or simply walked on Wednesday as a strike by Tube workers shut down most of the subway network. Commuters queue for packed buses in London on Wednesday morning. The strike began Tuesday at 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) but the first full effects were felt during Wednesday's morning commute. The strike was set to last for 48 hours with a normal service resuming Friday morning, according to Transport for London (TfL), which runs the city's transportation network. The RMT trade union called the strike after talks with management over pay, job cuts, and disciplinary issues broke down. "RMT doesn't resort to industrial action lightly," General Secretary Bob Crow said in a statement. "The fact is that Tube workers have been driven into walking out today." Transport Commissioner Peter Hardy said the talks had been making progress on all issues and he urged the RMT to return to the table. "The RMT leadership says we were close to a deal," Hardy said in a statement. "If that is the case, then they should call off the strike, return to talks ... and resolve this issue without any more disruption to Londoners." TfL was running extra buses and free shuttle services across the River Thames during the strike. Electronic travel cards used for the TfL network were temporarily being allowed on all train lines in greater London, it said. While most services on the Tube were shut because of the strike, one line -- the Northern line -- was running normally and five others were running on a reduced schedule, TfL said. "It's been really good," a girl on Oxford Street told CNN about her commute. "The Northern line is running perfectly." Still, some bus services were packed with commuters who normally ride the underground trains or who failed to find a taxi. "I think we'd all like to strike for more money, but unfortunately we can't," said one woman at Oxford Circus, where the Tube is closed. Others hit the pavement and walked. "It's OK -- quite refreshing," said a man on Regent Street. He said he had just walked from Liverpool Street Station, a train station as well as a Tube stop that is more than 2.5 miles away. The RMT represents about half of the 20,000 employees on the Tube, a TfL spokeswoman said. Other unions including Unite and TSSA represent the rest, she said, and were not on strike. | London transport system crippled as Tube workers go on strike .
Normal service not due to resume until Friday morning .
Buses crammed with commuters; many chose to cycle, walk to work .
RMT trade union called strike in dispute over pay, job cuts, disciplinary issues . |
3,054 | 08dc00a954527b08c26cf5faed981c575328b35f | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 09:47 EST, 6 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:04 EST, 6 February 2013 . In court: Brian Copsey lived in one of London's most exclusive mansion flats and was finance chairman of its management board . A resident of one of London’s most exclusive mansion flats has appeared in court accused of stealing more than £1million from the building’s management company. Brian Copsey, 59, was finance chairman of Bryanston Court Management, a collective of residents who manage a luxury apartment block in Marble Arch, central London. Copsey is charged with plundering cash from the company and using it for his own purposes between March 2010 and October last year. Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, Copsey spoke only to confirm his name. Prosecutor Rajan Barot said: ‘The allegation in this case is that the defendant was acting in a fiduciary capacity as director of a management company. ‘In that role he was finance chairman. Over a period of two and a half years he has transferred more than £1m out of residents’ accounts for the company and used it for his own purposes.’ Bryanston Court Management is a registered company with the shareholders made up of residents. They filed accounts showing cash assets of £1,735,405 in 2011. An unfurnished two-bedroom flat in Bryanston Court, George Street, would cost nearly £1 million. Copsey, of Bryanston Court, George Street, Marble Arch, is charged with fraud by abuse of position, and attempting to launder the stolen cash between different accounts. He was bailed to return to court on April 3 for a committal hearing on condition he report twice weekly to Paddington Green Police Station, resides at his home address and does not apply for travel documents or leave the country. Luxury: An unfurnished two-bedroom flat in Bryanston Court, George Street, would cost nearly £1 million . Bailed: Brian Copsey has been bailed on condition he must report twice weekly to a police station in London . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Brian Copsey is charged with plundering cash from a collective .
59-year-old is alleged to have transferred £1m from Marble Arch residents .
He has been bailed to return to court until his next appearance on April 3 . |
277,888 | f3fff5ddfb9b59b61c94e4896cd32361c2ce57b1 | By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 6 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:43 EST, 7 June 2013 . Microsoft has released a video showcasing all the new features of its upcoming Windows 8.1 software, due to be released later this year. Among changes to apps, tile options and an improved search, Jensen Harris from the Microsoft User Experience team also confirmed the company will be bringing the Windows Start button back. Microsoft removed the button from the Windows 8 operating system when it was released last year but many customers complained and demanded it was put back. Scroll down for video . A preview video earlier this month suggested that the update would reinstate the Start button, pictured. The button was removed from Windows 8 . The lock screen is being turned into a 'cloud-powered photo frame' that will shows photos stored on the device and in SkyDrive. Windows 8.1 also includes a vastly improved 'search' function, which allows a user to search for documents, apps, or items on the Internet from a single search bar. It also allows users to see all their applications immediately in a grid by swiping down or pressing a button on-screen. There are new personalisation options for tiles including colours and fonts. Users can also customize the Start screen much more easily; changing sizes of app icons or controlling which apps appear. For the first time, it will be possible to open two windows simultaneously in the new-look interface. Windows 8.1 includes Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 11, and lets the user restore the address bar and tabs to the screen view. Many customers said that the new Windows 8 interface was too complicated, . and sales of iPads and tablets have also eaten significantly into . Microsoft's profits as users move away from desktop computers. Screenshots leaked last month suggested that Microsoft would be reinstating the button and this latest video has confirmed it - albeit not directly. During the demonstration, Harris swipes between screens and lands on the Desktop view. A Windows logo is shown in the bottom left-hand corner. Although it will not be labelled 'start', the leaked screenshots suggested that Windows logo would takes the user straight to a grid of applications. To catch a glimpse of the button, skip to 2.11 in the video below. The new Windows 8.1 also includes a . vastly improved 'search' function, which allows a user to search for . documents, apps, or items on the Internet from a single search bar. The feature resembles Apple's Spotlight feature. The new software also allows users to see all their applications immediately in a grid . by swiping up or pressing a button on-screen. This should make it . easy for unfamiliar users to get to the app they want quickly. Users can also customize the start . screen much more easily, changing sizes of app icon 'tiles' or . controlling which apps appear. For the first time, it will be possible to open two windows simultaneously in the new-look interface. Windows . 8.1 includes Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 11, and lets . the user restore the address bar and tabs to the screen view. Microsoft has introduced new app tile sizes to the Windows 8.1 Start screen including small apps, pictured here for the Microsoft Office program app. Windows 8.1 also has more personalisation options for tile colours and fonts . That . feature was missing in the initial version of Windows 8, which was . designed to make the most of limited screen space on a tablet but tended . to disorient traditional mouse and keyboard users. Users will also no longer have to switch to the old desktop view to make changes in their default settings. But . they will still have to switch back to a traditional desktop set-up to . use some programs such as Word or Excel, which have not been redesigned . to function in the new Windows 8 style. Windows 8.1 - codenamed Windows Blue - is expected to launch later this year. Executives say the plan is now to update Windows periodically, rather than waiting three years or so between big releases. The world's largest software company is . hoping to kickstart sales of its latest Windows version, which has not . made the splash with computer users it was hoping for. Although . Microsoft has sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses since . October, broadly in line with Windows 7 three years ago, the company . must tackle a dwindling PC user base and its inability to make a mark in . the exploding tablet market. The lock screen on Windows 8.1 is being replaced by a 'cloud-powered photo frame' that automatically pulls in images from SkyDrive accounts . Shipments . of traditional PCs - the most reliable gauge of Windows' popularity - . are expected to fall almost 8 percent this year, while Microsoft's . Surface has taken less than 2 percent of the tablet market. Windows 8 was designed to be used both on touch-screen tablets and traditional PCs. But while touch-screen users tend to . like the new 'tile'-based interface, many mouse and keyboard users . complained that the new design was confusing. Windows 8.1 will be available for free to all Windows 8 users some time later this year. Microsoft will make a test version available at its annual developer conference on June 26. Windows 8 was launched in October last year. Microsoft chose to remove the start button as part of the interface overhaul. This angered many users who said the new software was too complicated to use. In response to this backlash, Microsoft is reinstating the button into Windows 8.1 and making sorting apps and searching simpler . | An official Microsoft video shows off the new features of the upcoming update to its Windows 8 software .
Windows 8.1 is due to be released later this year and the 'start' button WILL be making a comeback .
Other features include changes to app sizes and improved search . |
40,589 | 7283cf2955a3a0a710fe3012ca19ada20e83c427 | (EW.com) -- One of the more intriguing pop controversies of 2013 was the friendly fire exchanged over the perceived similarities between Katy Perry's "Roar" and Sara Bareilles' "Brave." This Sunday's Grammy Awards just might bring some resolution to that argument — or at least declare a "winner": Both tracks are nominated for best pop solo performance, alongside Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man," Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors," and Lorde's "Royals." If Sunday represents an end to the controversy, that will suit Bareilles just fine. "I was surprised and to be honest disappointed at how vicious people were," Bareilles tells EW. "It's not my nature, and it's not reflective of what I feel I hope to incite in people. People really felt like Katy was ripping me off, and I disagree." Bareilles was most frustrated by the fact that she was apparently supposed to be rivals with Perry. "Katy and I have known each other a really long time, she's a friend of mine, and it seemed like there was this infusion of people wanting to create conflict and drama. I find that to be really fatiguing," she said. "It's an old paradigm of pitting people against each other based on the idea that there's not enough—not enough fans, not enough music lovers, not enough space for both of you, so you have to hate each other. I don't believe in that. I was disappointed. I feel it was misguided. There's better s— to do than worry about that stuff." Like, for example, whether or not she should be preparing notes for a possible pair of victory speeches (she's also up for Album of the Year). "I haven't written anything down," she admitted. "I would want [an acceptance speech] to be authentic, so if it happened I would want to speak from my heart. But I do worry about being so nervous." Find out whether Bareilles wins (and gets nervous) this Sunday at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (8pm on CBS), which you can follow in all its bombastic glory here on the Music Mix. See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Fans have noted the similarities between "Brave" and "Roar"
Bareilles says she and Perry are friends .
The pair both have songs nominated for best pop solo Grammy . |
202,073 | 9199c8b41497dfb1057c9905b2daa5b065c434ae | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Army is establishing a suicide prevention board to examine the mental health of its recruiters around the country after the fourth suicide in three years by Houston, Texas-based recruiters, according to Army officials. The Army Recruiting Command is examining recruiters all over the country for job-related and combat-related stress. The board will look at how to handle the high-stress climate facing recruiters who may be both under pressure from their job and victims of post-combat deployment stress, according to Douglas Smith, a spokesman from the U.S. Army Recruiting command. "The United States Army Recruiting Command is deeply concerned by the instances of suicide within the Houston Recruiting Battalion," said a statement released by the Recruiting Command. "The board's objective will be to prevent future suicides, increase suicide awareness, analyze trends and highlight additional tools and resources to combat suicide within the Recruiting Command." The Army's examination comes after a sergeant first class, a member of the Houston Recruiting Battalion and an Iraq combat veteran, killed himself at his home earlier this month. CNN has chosen not to name any of the recruiters. The sergeant's was the second suicide within the ranks of the battalion within weeks, Army officials said. In August, a staff sergeant, a combat veteran in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, also killed himself. Another Houston recruiter killed himself in 2007 and a yet another in 2005, Army records show. The Army Recruiting Command is sending a team -- including a chaplain and a psychologist -- to assist the Houston recruiters. The team was scheduled to show up in mid-September, but because of the severe hurricane damage the arrival was delayed until October, officials said. A chaplain from Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky, was sent to be with the battalion shortly after the latest victim's death, Smith said. He said recruiters receive annual suicide prevention training, and commanders have additional tools to help their soldiers cope. The members of the Houston battalion received their last training in December 2007, according to an Army statement. The Army Recruiting Command is examining recruiters all over the country for both job-related and combat-related stress problems, but is giving special attention to the Houston battalion at the moment, according to Smith. "We do not have any other circumstances with our recruiters around the country like we do with the Houston unit," he said. The deaths of the two recruiters this year also caught the eye of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn from Texas. Cornyn wrote a letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren this month about the suicide rate in the battalion. "Due to the recurring deployments that have proven necessary to sustain operations in the Middle East, it is likely that a large majority of our recruiters are also veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," he wrote. "Many of our military recruiters work in recruiting offices and facilities remote from the military installations at which their fellow soldiers serve. As such, many of them lack the same access to peer support networks and important services for dealing with stress, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions that may directly result from their prior combat service," he said. A veteran's advocacy group says Houston has one of the top recruiting operations in the United States but there is a good deal of stress in bringing in new recruits when the Army is stretched. "The suicides in the Houston battalion are a very loud, very bright alarm that Army officials and politicians can't afford to ignore," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. While recruiting among all of the services has been on target for more than a year, the stress levels on recruiters to bring in new service members can be crushing with extended hours and, many times, six- or seven-day work weeks. Army officials said Cornyn was correct in saying one of the problems for recruiters is they work in locations often far from bases where they can get the mental health help that is readily available to other troops. With the United States at war for the past seven years, the vast majority of recruiters have combat experience, Smith said. The recruiter suicides come at a time when the total number of suicides in the Army's ranks has been growing, Army officials said. Through August there had been 93 active duty suicides in the Army. Last year there were 115 active duty suicides, the highest for the Army since the Vietnam War, according to Army statistics. | Army will examine mental health of recruiters .
Recruiters under pressure from job and victims of post-combat deployment .
Texas sees four suicides in three years . |
235,732 | bd27bc7dad1f281af5693b2fe78d679c92d74357 | By . Emily Andrews . PUBLISHED: . 03:29 EST, 9 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:40 EST, 10 April 2012 . When her beloved husband was killed in Afghanistan, Christina Schmid thought she could never love again. But nearly three years after Staff Sergeant Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid died defusing a Taliban bomb, his widow has a new man in her life. The 36-year-old met Mark Clarke, who is also a serving member of the Armed Forces, six months ago and believes her late husband would give them his blessing. Christina has fallen for military man Mark Clarke, pictured, who she met in a coffee shop queue, and she believes Oz would give them his blessing . Has his blessing: Christina with Oz, whom she still loves and misses everyday . Staff Sgt Schmid, 30, died while trying to defuse a bomb in Afghanistan in October 2009, 24 hours before he was due to fly home. He was awarded a posthumous George Cross for his bravery, which saw him disarm more than 60 explosive devices in six months. Mrs Schmid was left devastated but knew she had to be strong for her son Laird, who is now eight. Christina tells her story in the latest issue of Hello! ‘I didn’t know if I would ever be able to love again after I lost Oz, but Mark has taught me that I can; that I have a lot of love still left to give and a lot of life left to live,’ she told Hello! magazine. Posing for a lavish photo spread with 30-year-old Mr Clarke, she said her love for her husband has ‘not in any way diminished’ and she misses him every day. But she added: ‘I have been lucky enough to meet this lovely man who cares deeply for me and wants to be with me – and I adore him.’ Mrs Schmid said Laird has accepted his mother’s new partner – and is already asking if the pair will marry. ‘He wants to have brothers and sisters. Children don’t understand it’s more complex than that.’ She added: ‘Mark gets me completely, and I get him. It’s refreshing, comfortable and easy. Some people don’t find that once in a lifetime. I’ve been fortunate to find it twice. ‘Having Mark in my life hasn’t changed the way I feel about Oz. He is always in my heart and spiritually he’s always by my side.’ Mrs Schmid, who lives in a £500,000 detached house in rural Hampshire, has just published her memoir Always By My Side about her life with her husband, whom she described as her ‘soulmate and best friend’.She says she actually completed the book a year ago and then felt ready ‘to move on to the next chapter of my life’. Hero: Oz was awarded the George Cross after his death for defusing more than 60 defusing bombs . Brave and proud: Christina gave a thumbs up as she waited for Oz's body to be repatriated in November 2009 . The widow met Mr Clarke, who had just returned from serving in Afghanistan, in a coffee shop last autumn. The attraction was instant and they spoke for two hours before parting, having exchanged phone numbers. Mrs Schmid, who accepted the George Cross on her late husband’s behalf, said she believes he would have liked her new partner ‘very much’ and added: ‘We did have a discussion once, Oz and I, about how he’d feel about me meeting someone new. ‘He said, “If anything happens to me, honey, you and Laird have got each other, and nothing can break that. But if you meet someone who will look after you, then that’s lovely”. So I feel I have his blessing.’ Mrs Schmid and Mr Clarke are now discussing having a blessing to symbolise their commitment to each other and ‘new start’ to their friends and relatives. But it is too soon to say if they will marry. ‘Mark is a big part of my life,’ she added. ‘But at the same time I am a widow and I am aware that I have to be dignified. I have my closest friends to consider, many of whom are also Oz’s dearest friends. Whoever comes into my life must be able to get on with them. Luckily, Mark has. I feel that, in some ways, I have been pigeonholed as a grieving widow and campaigner – and don’t get me wrong, I was that woman. But I achieved what I set out to achieve, and now I want to move forward. I want to leave that woman in the past and look to the future.’ Mrs Schmid bought her new home, in its own grounds with a stream running alongside, eight months ago when she moved out of Army accommodation. It is understood she and Laird live there with frequent visits from Mr Clarke – the couple are often seen walking her late husband’s dog in the countryside. A neighbour said: ‘They seem very happy. Is she pregnant? I don’t know but I think she has said she would like more children one day.’ The full interview with Mrs Schmid is in the current issue of Hello! magazine. My first call was to my mother. ‘Oh no, no, not Oz. Oh my God, you knew . . .’ she wailed.Over . the next few hours I called Oz’s family and friends. When I finished, I . launched the phone across the room and smashed the base. I was . screaming ‘no’ and shaking uncontrollably. People . came and went. The night passed in a blur but I still remember it . vividly — the flashbacks of that night still happen to this day. Later, I’d discover that Oz had been killed while trying to defuse his third IED of the morning. Colonel Bob Seddon, who led the technical investigation, showed me photographs of Oz kneeling over the device that killed him. The . pictures had been taken a few moments before the explosion. There was a . compound wall in the background, and wires poking out of the ground a . few yards in front of it. Oz was deep in concentration. The . next photographs of the same spot showed a crater with scraps of burned . paper lying about — the remains of letters and photos that Oz had . tucked into his body armour. Grim . as the details were, I wanted to know the full story of my husband’s . death. But no witness could say for sure why the IED had exploded. My . own belief is that it may have been detonated by remote control. Oz was . always so careful — he once said to me: ‘I deal with every device as . though you and Laird are on the end of it. That’s how I keep my focus.’ Extracted from Always By My Side, by Christine Schmid . Christina with Oz's George Cross, which was conferred on her husband by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 . | Christina Schmid's husband Oz was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 .
She has now fallen for a military man she met in a coffee shop . |
230,104 | b5f561ae79642ebec8b5ee0a8621264470608ce1 | (CNN) -- Those who live in fear today imagine that America is being overrun by foreign, disease-carrying, tax-sucking criminal hordes. They cannot imagine that immigrants, whether documented or not, could ever contribute to our country. They refer to the children and families trying to cross the southern border as "illegals." But to quote John Lewis, who fought 50 years ago for civil rights and fights now for immigration reform, "There is no such thing as an illegal human being." Language matters. Words are expressions of power and identity. And even something as trivial as punctuation can say a lot about what it means to become American. For instance, I never hyphenate. As I explain in my new book "A Chinaman's Chance," I call myself "Chinese American" -- without a hyphen. American is the noun, Chinese the adjective. Or, rather, Chinese is one adjective. I am many kinds of American, after all: a politically active American, a short American, an earnest American, an educated American. This is not a quibble about grammar; it's a claim about the very act of claiming this country. The hyphenated form, "Chinese-American," to me signifies a transaction between two parties, as in Chinese-American diplomatic negotiation or Chinese-American commerce and trade. The hyphen implies a state of interchange across nations. It does not name a person, much less a citizen. For the same reason, I never really accepted the label that my immigrant parents attached to me and other second-generation kids: "ABC," or American-born Chinese. I understand why they used it. They had been formed in China. They were deeply culturally Chinese and as they tried to make their way in this country and raise kids, they hoped those kids would think of themselves the same way. We didn't, exactly. The second generation rarely does. While Chineseness was a deep influence on my palate and vocabulary and moral sensibility, I grew up in this land, an American. I went to Chinese school on Sundays, but I counted the minutes until I could get back to playing baseball with my best friend John. I was raised at home with a Chinese belief in family obligation and social propriety, but I was schooled everywhere else in an American spirit of individual invention and reinvention. Actually, my immigrant dad taught me this. He's the one who introduced me to the noxious phrase, "a Chinaman's chance," which since the 1850s had meant "slim to no chance." When he came here in the late 1950s, he decided, with his wry sense of humor, to reappropriate this slur. He would apply it playfully to commonplace situations, such as saying that the Yankees had "a Chinaman's chance" of making a ninth-inning comeback. That's how I grew up. To call me "American-born Chinese" is to make my birthplace and upbringing incidental rather than central. It is to imply that wherever a person of Chinese ethnicity may be born, he is not truly of that place; he is just a sojourner, attached to a vast global web of Chinese. That's not the way of our nation. In America, immigrants become American -- and by so doing, change America. The change is accelerating. We've already become heavily Hispanic. Now -- to the surprise of many -- Asians have become America's fastest-growing group. People who look like me can no longer be presumed foreign until proven otherwise. We are becoming the new face of the United States. In 1914 or 1814, when Italians or Irish were coming in great waves (uninvited by government, by the way, and unsanctioned by law), "becoming American" meant assimilating to a white, WASP way. In 2014, it means entering a vibrant and more complex omniculture that mixes the styles and memes of the entire world. This shouldn't be scary. It should be exciting. For what makes America enduringly great is precisely this ability to synthesize the best of the rest of the planet. That's our edge -- as long as we don't blow it. Yes, not blowing it includes taking illegal immigration seriously because borders do matter, and so does enforcing borders. But it primarily means keeping our eye on the bigger picture: that we are stronger when we are more inclusive and better when we activate our full diversity. Welcoming and integrating legal immigrants is therefore a necessity. So is creating a pathway to citizenship for our undocumented neighbors, friends and colleagues so that we don't leave millions of people stuck in second-class limbo. There will never be a simple answer to the eternal American question, "Who is 'us'?" But in this moment when jobs feel scarcer and life feels more zero-sum, we have to make a conscious choice to be bigger than our fears. That, without hyphens or hyperventilating, is the true American way. | Eric Liu: Words are expressions of power and identity, and even punctuation matters .
Liu: As I explain in my new book, I call myself "Chinese American" -- without a hyphen .
He says the hyphenated "Chinese-American" signifies a transaction between two parties .
Liu: Similarly, "ABC," or American-born Chinese, is also inadequate in its identity label . |
30,410 | 5675d7040a50ede7ec44797e80a2a96ae490263f | The girlfriend of Russian tycoon Roman . Abramovich has dramatically apologised after being accused of racism by . posing in a chair that resembled a bound and semi-naked black woman. Art . expert and fashion guru Dasha Zhukova, 32, said: 'I utterly abhor . racism, and would like to apologise to anyone who has been offended by . this image.' The photograph showing her sitting in the shocking chair was published 'completely out of context', she said. Outrage: Buro 247 used the horrendously offensive image, pictured, of Dasha Zhukova Monday to illustrate an unrelated interview about the former model's new magazine, Garage . The . chair - designed by Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard - was 'an art work . intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics', . she said. The image appeared . in blog Buro 24/7 run by a leading Russian fashionista, Miroslava Duma, . accompanying an interview with Abramovich's partner, who is the founder . of a leading Moscow art gallery. It . shows 32-year-old Zhukova wearing a white shirt and jeans sitting on a . chair, the seat of which is mounted on a lifelike model of a topless . black woman lying on her back in bondage gear with her legs up in the . air and belted to her body. The image created a storm in Britain and other Western countries. 'Certain things just shouldn't exist,' said Cosmopolitan.com's pop culture editor Alex Rees. 'But . if they must... they really shouldn't be photographed and uploaded onto . the Internet -- and especially not on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.' Wealthy: Zhukova, right, is the wife of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, left . The blog also apologised. 'Buro 24/7 is against racism and everything that may humiliate people,' said an editorial statement. 'We sincerely apologise if the posted photos insulted our readers.' Russian . art expert Andrei Yerofeyev said the chair was inspired by British pop . artist Allen Jones, who created similar sculptures featuring white . women. Zhukova is the founder of Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, a gallery in Moscow's Gorky Park. Cropped version: After an immediate barrage of disgusted comments, Duma deleted the picture from Instagram and cropped out the chair on Buro 24/7, pictured . 'This is incredibly racist,' Organizing for Women's Liberation tweeted Monday, after news of the unbelievable picture spread. Ms Zhukova's publicist blasted the use of the image on MLK day and said her client has a strong record of promoting diversity. She said it was 'regrettable' that the image of the chair by Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard had been used on such a sensitive day by the blog, and pointed out that such a use took the work completely out of context. Ms Zhukova herself added: 'This photograph, which has been published completely out of context, is of an art work intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics. I utterly abhor racism, and would like to apologise to anyone who has been offended by this image.' Zhukova, staring at the camera, appears the complete opposite of the black woman she's weighing down. Editor: Dasha Zhukova is the editor-in-chief of Garage magazine, pictured, which focused on art and fashion. She is also described as a Russian socialite . Dasha Zhukova, the partner of . Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich and editor-in-chief of . bi-annual art and fashion magazine Garage, was born in Moscow but grew up in California. The 32-year-old's father is a prominent Russian businessman and oil magnate and her mother was a Russian . scientist. Her parents split when she was 3 and she and her mother moved to the US . when she was 10. She went to a privileged Jewish day school in California and graduated the University of California, Santa Barbara . before returning to Moscow and later moving to London. In . 2008, Zhukova founded the IRIS Foundation, a non-profit organization . dedicated to promoting contemporary culture. A year later, she was . appointed editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine Pop but she only . lasted three issues. She and Abramovich, who is worth $14 billion, have . two children Aaron Alexander, born 3 December 2009 and Leah Lou, born 15 . April 2013. Abramovich has five other children from a previous . relationship. Zhukova's was previously with Marat Safin, the retired . former Tennis World Champion Number 1 but the couple split in 2005. FashionBombDaily.com . editor Claire Sulmers was among the first to express her disbelief, . claiming the photo's message was startlingly clear: 'White dominance and . superiority, articulated in a seemingly serene yet overtly degrading . way.' She wrote on her blog that racism remained rampant in the art and fashion worlds and this needed to stop. 'The . art and fashion industries are the few bastions of society where . blatant racism and ignorance are given the greenlight in the name of . creativity,' Sulmers complained. Twitter erupted after Duma published the article, presumably not realizing citizens in the U.S. and around the world were remembering the Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King's struggles for racial equality. User Ric Caric wrote, 'I guess Garage Magazine thought that today would be a great day to advertise their racism,' while Julee A. Wilson tweeted, 'MLK is turning in his grave and I'm cursing these people's stupidity with all my heart and soul! MAJOR fail!' User Nikia tweeted: 'Extremely disappointed in Miroslava Duma and Buro247 for posting this nonsense, especially on a day like today. smh,' and Alex von Tunzelmann wrote, 'Even in the grim, tasteless world of fashion photography, this revolting racist image- pub'd on MLK Day!- stands out.' Zhukova was born in Moscow to a prominent Russian businessman and oil magnate and a Russian scientist but her parents split when she was three and at 10 she moved to the US with her mother. She went to a privileged day school in California and then attended the University of California, Santa Barbara before returning to Moscow and later moving to London. She and Abramovich, who is worth $14 billion and known for his luxury yachts, have two children Aaron Alexander, born 3 December 2009 and Leah Lou, born 15 April 2013. Neither Buro 24/7 nor Dasha Zhukova have yet responded to MailOnline's calls for comment. Offensive timing: The horror picture was published on a day U.S. citizens and many people from other countries were remembering the Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King's struggles for racial equality . | Russian fashion blog Buro 24/7 used shocking image of Dasha Zhukova .
Miroslava Duma, blog's editor, also posted insensitive photo on Instagram .
Ms Zhukova criticized blog for using image on Martin Luther King day .
She has since apologized, saying: 'I utterly abhor racism' |
176,842 | 70ea5ff7d67257b0d89fec7705d7a4866968e440 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:03 EST, 4 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:17 EST, 4 October 2012 . Former Vice President Al Gore has addressed President Barack Obama's lackluster performance in the first 2012 debate, blaming his less-than-stellar performance on the Mile High City. Denver, Mr Gore said, is five thousand feet above sea level and Mr Obama did not have the necessary time to adjust to the altitude. 'I'm going to say something controversial here,' Mr Gore said on CurrentTV, before dropping his bewildering hypothesis. Scroll down for video . Seriously? Former Vice President Al Gore has addressed President Barack Obama's lackluster performance in the first 2012 debate, blaming his less-than-stellar performance on the Mile High City . Face-off: Denver, Mr Gore said, is five thousand feet above sea level and Mr Obama did not have the necessary time to adjust to the altitude . He went on to argue that while Mr Obama had just arrived, the Republican nominee Mitt Romney had been training in Denver. 'Romney did his debate prep in Denver,' Mr Gore said. 'Obama arrived in Denver at 2p.m. today, just a few hours before the debate started.' The amount of time either candidate spent in the elevated city can effect a speaker's performance, Mr Gore argued. Challenge: The amount of time eiter candidate spent in the elevated city can effect a speaker's performance, Mr Gore argued . 'When you go to five thousand feet, and . you only have a few hours to adjust...' he said, implying that Mr . Romney's extended period in Colorado's capital gave him an edge on the . President. The other CurrentTV pundits did not buy Mr Gore's theory. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the term to describe a variety of nonspecific symptoms, acquired at high altitude or in low air pressure, resembling a case of 'flu, carbon monoxide poisoning, or a hangover,'It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) during acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitudes. The official elevation of Denver, however, is exactly one mile or 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) above sea level. 'I just came from LA the same day,' Current TV host Cenk Uygur said. 'You know what I did? I drank two cups of coffee coming out here.' Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the term to describe a variety of nonspecific symptoms, acquired at high altitude or in low air pressure, resembling a case of 'flu, carbon monoxide poisoning, or a hangover,' It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) during acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitudes. The official elevation of Denver, however, is exactly one mile or 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) above sea level. Another hole in Mr Gore's argument is that Mr Obama never spoke more eloquently than in 2008, when the Democratic National Convention was held in Denver and the President accepted their nomination. | Al Gore blamed Colorado capital's elevation for President Barack Obama's stale speech .
But Mr Obama accepted 2008 Democratic nomination with rousing energy in Denver . |
277,006 | f2df7bfe2ad58d370d91ca984b4c4c007b5dad2b | Appearing on the cover of Newsweek, Barack Obama looks coy, half-smiling, half-surprised, gracefully clutching his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. It might appear to be some sort of watch advertisement were it not for Niall Ferguson's blazing headline 'Hit the Road, Barack: Why We Need a New President.' The article sizes him up on his economic and foreign relations accomplishments, as well as announces the rise of his apparent new nemesis: Paul Ryan. Hey Girl: Newsweek's cover might appear to be some sort of watch advertisement were it not for Niall Ferguson's blazing headline 'Hit the Road, Barack: Why We Need a New President' Niall Ferguson, a British professor of history at Harvard University, relies heavily on the idea of promises to lampoon Barack Obama into submission - a surprising argument for the historically liberal, and pro-Obama publication. It is urgent, he argues, to lose the rhetoric and spring for reform. 'I was a good loser four years ago,' he writes. As a 'full disclosure' adviser to John McCain, his sentiments are hardly surprising, but he does not rely on opinion to make his case. Drawing heavily on unemployment numbers, stagnant growth on the economy and expert dissatisfaction, he presents Mr Obama as a lame duck. 'It is five years since the financial crisis began, but the central problems—excessive financial concentration and excessive financial leverage—have not been addressed,' Mr Ferguson writes. But more than just his policies are the problem, Mr Ferguson says, it's his decision making abilities. Campaign: Campaign: The article reads like a report card for the current POTUS . Stop: Drawing heavily on unemployment numbers, stagnant growth on the economy and expert dissatisfaction, he presents Mr Obama as a lame duck . 'After the imperial presidency of the Bush era, there was something more like parliamentary government in the first two years of Obama’s administration,' Mr Ferguson writes. 'The president proposed; Congress disposed.' 'The voters now face a stark choice,' Mr Ferguson says. 'They can let Barack Obama’s rambling, solipsistic narrative continue until they find themselves living in some American version of Europe, with low growth, high unemployment, even higher debt—and real geopolitical decline.' The nail in the coffin will be Paul Ryan, Mr Ferguson argues. The two met in 2010 at a fundraising dinner. Competition: It is urgent, the writer argues, to lose the rhetoric and spring for reform . 'Ryan blew me away. I have wanted to see him in the White House ever since,' Mr Ferguson writes. While Mr Ryan possesses the charm that Mr Obama once mastered, Mitt Romney harnesses the private sector experience, and leadership, that Mr Obama has always lacked. 'Now Obama is going head-to-head with his nemesis: a politician who believes more in content than in form, more in reform than in rhetoric,' Mr Ferguson writes. His analysis is not without controversy, however, as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has called him out on an error. Reception: The public reception of the cover has been hot and cold . No Thanks: Some readers announced their allegiance to Newsweek, while other readers pronouncing their disdain . Reverse: Still, other readers thought the controversial cover might be a boost for Barack . 'There are multiple errors and misrepresentations in Niall Ferguson’s cover story in Newsweek — I guess they don’t do fact-checking,' Mr Krugman writes on his blog. He refers to this passage of the piece: . 'The president pledged that health-care reform would not add a cent to the deficit. But the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation now estimate that the insurance-coverage provisions of the ACA will have a net cost of close to $1.2 trillion over the 2012–22 period.' And then declares: . 'Readers are no doubt meant to interpret this as saying that CBO found that the Act will increase the deficit. But anyone who actually read, or even skimmed, the CBO report (pdf) knows that it found that the ACA would reduce, not increase, the deficit — because the insurance subsidies were fully paid for.' He calls on Newsweek to correct the 'plain misrepresentation of the facts.' POLITICO called out editor Tina Brown for the gaffe. 'Tina Brown certainly swings for the fences,' they write. 'She just puts a little too much pine tar on the bat.' Spice: Since Tina Brown took the helm of the floundering publication, she has made it her mission to spice up the covers with controversial images of bondage or a heavily photoshopped Princess Diana . Since Mrs Brown took the helm of the floundering publication, she has made it her mission to spice up the covers with controversial images of bondage or a heavily Photoshopped Princess Diana. The public reception of this cover has been hot and cold, with some readers announcing their allegiance to Newsweek, while others pronouncing their disdain. The paper created the hashtag #HitTheRoadBarack to keep track of the discussion. 'I will never ever purchase another @Newsweek magazine #HitTheRoadBarack Thank You @nfergus #SubscriptionCanceled,' tweeted one reader. 'Chronic unemployment, stagnant economic growth, unsustainable deficits, no plan. Yes, it's time to #HitTheRoadBarack,' wrote another. Still, some readers thought the cover was just another attempt at stirring the pot - in the POTUS's favor. '#HitTheRoadBarack Not to burst anyone's bubble,' one reader wrote, 'but Newsweek might be trying the old reverse psychology. Trash Barry, to energize his base.' After all, it was not so long ago that the same magazine proclaimed Mitt Romney was 'too insecure' to be president. The now iconic image that graces this cover of Newsweek was taken by Associated Press photographer Carolyn Kaster. Taken . on August 12, the image is one in a series of nine of the President . walking on a lush green street with secret service trailing him close . behind. He seems at ease, happy, as if he is surrounded by good friends. The . captain reads: 'President Barack Obama speaks to media as he walks . through his Hyde Park neighborhood to a campaign event, Sunday, Aug. 12, . 2012, in Chicago.' This disarmed appearance is critical to the cover image, which almost comes off as a sneak attack on the POTUS. At least they had the dignity to remove the gum he was chewing. The . divorce between the president's light demeanor and the damning text . makes the cover - and the image - all the more interesting. Some . might recognize Mrs Kaster as the same photographer who snapped the . image of Barack Obama in Iowa's Bayliss Park last week. Speaking from a podium, he gestured his hands in such a way that he seems to be grasping the sun, or rather, a crystal ball. Vision: Some might recognize Mrs Kaster as the same photographer who snapped the image of Barack Obama in Iowa's Bayliss Park last week . | British writer - who worked for John McCain in 2008 - bashes Barack Obama's years of 'failed' policy .
Calls for new era of Romney/Ryan .
Magazine courts controversy again, leaning right instead of left .
Uses same photographer who snapped 'Wizard Obama' picture . |
140,837 | 421bd09af6a75ffbd5717811e95faf570344f5dc | By . James Nye . A man has died at a Utah spin-off of the iconic Burning Man festival after appearing to run into a ceremonial bonfire on Saturday night. The man who has not been identified was too fast for bystanders to stop as he sped into a burning 30-foot tall effigy built to represent a character from the book 'Where the Wild Things Are.' The apparent suicide at the Element 11 off-shoot of Burning Man in Tooele County happened around 11 pm after the art project was set on fire. Scroll down for video . Prior event: Element 11 is part of the series of events that leads up to Burning Man in Black Rock, Nevada and just like that famous event - effigies are burnt (the one pictured is not the effigy that the deceased approached) 'The nature of the fire is such that our volunteers were not able to get close enough to the fire for risk of their own safety,' said Element 11 spokesman J.P. Bernier. Element 11 hosted more than 1,200 attendees and is a precursor to the famous Burning Man, held in held in Black Rock City, Nevada. 'He was very fast; he was very motivated. It wasn't an accident or any act of negligence on anybody's part. He had a very deliberate objective to get past our volunteers, past our safety perimeter.' Grantsville police confirmed that a man had died, but would not confirm it was suicide nor his identity. Effigy: The theme for this years Element 11 is Where the Wild Thins Are' Many at the event on Saturday night were left distraught by what they saw, including a photographer named Christian who spoke to Deseret News. 'I did see that a lot of the community was shocked and traumatized,' he said. 'There's a lot of questions, a lot of facts that are unknown.' Officials said there were between 25 and 40 volunteers forming a perimeter around the fire to prevent people from getting too close. Precursor: Element 11 comes before the massive Burning Man festival - which plays host to tens of thousands of people . Those nearby attempted to shout at the man and even chase him, but could not stop him. Element 11 officials delivered a verbal statement Sunday to FOX 13 News’ Robert Boyd regarding the incident: . 'This is a deeply upsetting event with tragic results, our hearts go out to the Utah community and the attendees of Element 11. 'This is a tragic event and we struggle to respond to it we ask for your patience while we find the appropriate resources but please know we are committed to supporting those who are affected by this event in the best way we can.' | Police in Tooele County, Utah confirmed a man lost his life after running into a bonfire on Saturday .
Eyewitnesses at Element 11 said that it appeared the man took his own life . |
191,046 | 8364fdfd0e4128175edab95b7764830cb4304cca | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:00 EST, 1 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:15 EST, 1 October 2012 . Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has been diagnosed with leukemia and is expected to be hospitalized six to eight weeks as he undergoes treatment. He will be replaced on an interim basis by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Team owner Jim Irsay made the announcement on Monday during a somber and sometimes emotional news conference at the team complex. Seriously ill: Chuck Pagano is being kept in a 'protected' hospital environment where air is filtered and hand-washing is essential . Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, right, general manager Ryan Grigson, center, and interim head coach Bruce Arians at Monday's press conference . 'I think it's unlikely he'll be all in as the head coach the rest of this season,' Irsay said. 'He may be able to come back and be in the press box or something.' The 51-year-old Pagano is in his first season with the Colts (1-2). He was hired in January after serving as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator. Dr. Larry Cripe, the physician treating the coach at Indiana University's Simon Cancer Center, said Pagano has acute myeloid leukemia, where the bone marrow is producing abnormal white blood cells that interfere with healthy blood cells. Symptoms can include weakness, weight loss and easy bruising or bleeding. Treatments can include chemotherapy, drugs and radiation therapy. Irsay said Pagano's wife pushed him to see the doctor after noticing unusual bruising on the coach's body. The initial phase of treatment usually requires a hospital stay of four to five weeks, though Irsay later acknowledged he expected Pagano to be in the hospital at least six weeks. Coach Pagano only took over at the Colts in January . Cripe said Pagano began the 'arduous' treatment last week and that many adults do recover from the disease. For now, Pagano is being kept in a 'protected' hospital environment . where air is filtered and hand-washing is essential. Pagano was admitted last Wednesday evening; the team had a bye this weekend and players and the assistants, other than Arians, were not told Pagano was ill until Monday morning. 'This is not an easy day for any of us,' Arians said. 'It was not the way I ever dreamed about addressing a group like this. But I know he'll get through it.' General manager Ryan Grigson said he was not yet certain how the rest of the coaching duties would be split up, though he expected all of the assistants to pitch in. The Colts are starting over this year after a dismal 2-14 season that led to a major staff and player overhaul. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, left, announced that head coach Chuck Pagano has been diagnosed leukemia, while Dr. Larry Cripe, right, is the physician who is treating the coach . Irsay dumped much of his front-office staff, including Bill and Chris Polian, and let four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning depart to the Broncos in free agency, giving the reins of the team to No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck. The Colts used 15 new starters, including nine on offense, in the season opener at Chicago. Two of the returning starters, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, were playing different positions. Only 10 players remain from Indy's 2009 AFC championship team and only five were there when the Colts won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season. One of the league's most experienced teams over the past decade started this season as the NFL's ninth-youngest. When Grigson and Pagano were hired, they wanted to build the new-look Colts around a more balanced offensive approach and a more aggressive defense. Luck has looked solid, rallying the Colts for a Week 2 win against Minnesota, and both the defense and special teams have improved. | Chuck Pagano was hospitalized last Wednesday with acute myeloid leukemia .
Diagnosed after wife pushed him to see a doctor after noticing unusual bruising on his body .
Being kept in a 'protected' environment .
where air is filtered and hand-washing essential .
His interim replacement is offensive coordinator Bruce Arians . |
104,807 | 1335256544b0c6ce7d5967fb952b65862bbb3cf7 | Astronauts on board the International Space Station will celebrate New Year's Day 16 times as it repeatedly crosses the globe. The 'official' New Year starts on the space ship at midnight GMT which is also known as the Universal Time Clock. However, Expedition 42 crew, who are travelling at 17,500 miles-per-hour will pass a point on the earth at the stroke of midnight today a staggering 16 times. Barry "Butch" Wilmore, left, and Terry Virts, right, sent a special New Year's message on Nasa TV . Astronauts on board the International Space Station will celebrate the new year 16 times today . The ISS travels around the globe at 17,500 miles-per-hour and orbits the world 16 times every day . Astronauts on board the International Space Station sent a special message to the world earlier . Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and his crew, which includes NASA’s Terry Virts, Russian cosmonauts Elena Serova, Alexander Samoukutyaev and Anton Shkaplerov, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, say they plan to celebrate with fruit juice toasts. The crew are scheduled to have New Year's Day off. However, they have been busy with a range of experiments and are preparing for the next delivery of supplies on January 6. Commander Wilmore will use a 58-foot robotic arm to grab the resupply space craft by its tail and bring it into the space station's dock where it will be unloaded of its 3,7000 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies. The current experiments onboard the ISS include one which looks at the long term effects of space travel on the human eye. A second looks at the effect of environmental disasters on the earth's surface. This year has been highly successful for the ISS with what is quite possible the world's best selfie . | The International Space Station travels across the globe at 17,500 mph .
It will pass a point on the globe marking midnight 16 times today .
The official New Year begins on the ISS at the same time as London .
Astronauts on board the ISS will celebrate with fruit juice at midnight . |
119,193 | 25f3fda61c14765c27dac219b0b70d45aa0a6f50 | Every year, thousands of Hawaiian tourists choose the small residential town of Kailua over the hustle and bustle of larger resort towns. Even President Barack Obama and his family have made it their yearly holiday vacation destination. Located off the southeast coast of Hawaii, Kailua boasts beachfront properties overlooking pristine white sand beaches. But residents are now asking Hawaii's Tourism Authority to stop promoting the town as an overnight destination. "We have a city ordinance that does not permit these short terms tourist rentals in residential areas," said Kailua Neighborhood Board Chairman, Chuck Prentiss. He cited a Honolulu County land use ordinance approved in the 1980s. "We are not against having tourists in the community. It is a nice community for them to come and see. It has a nice beach and everything, but it is not proper to have a residential community used for overnight accommodations," Prentiss said. A move to slow tourism . In September, the Kailua Neighborhood Board approved a motion asking the Tourism Authority "to respect the zoning and quality of life of our residential neighborhoods, and immediately stop promoting Kailua as a tourist destination and an alternative to Waikiki." Waikiki, on the south of the island, is home to several high-end hotels and a lively night scene. The board's resolution was a response to a page on the Tourism Authority's website promoting Kailua's short-term rentals for families and large groups. "We want them to take it off their website," Prentiss said. The problem, he said, is that most of these short terms rentals are illegal. In October, Hawaii's Tourism Authority's President Mike McCartney sent a letter to Prentiss in response to the board's request. "Ultimately, the decision of what is appropriate land use policy must be determined by the county itself. However, the HTA does not encourage or promote illegal vacation rentals that are not properly licensed," the letter read. Prentiss did not consider that a "satisfactory response." McCartney estimates Kailua visitors have an economic impact of $103 million a year in revenue for the town. "It's about our collective existence and how we live and work in our island home to find the right balance," McCartney said. Prentiss response: "they seem to be fixed on increasing tourism at any cost." Tourism is her livelihood . But for Bonnie Madigan, the cost would be her livelihood. She is the owner of Under a Hula Moon, a boutique in Kailua that sells furnishings with beach appeal. She said 80% of her business comes from tourists. "Take the tourist away and I'm gone," said Madigan, who is also a resident of Kailua. "They don't understand the reality." "I'm pro-tourism and I'm pro change. Change is part of life," she said. "We are a beautiful place, it is a jewel. Why should we hoard it for ourselves, I think that is wrong." The battle goes on . A quick web search for short terms rental properties in Kailua returned over 250 properties. Of these, Prentiss said, only 65 are legal -- properties that were grandfathered after the zoning ordinance was passed. "We have a general plan for the island that designates the tourist sites and residential areas," Prentiss said. "We have people trying to live their lives in residential communities without being thrust into tourist areas." Prentiss said the lack of oversight has resulted in other problems for Kailua residents such as increased property taxes, a rise in criminal activity and noise complaints. "Tourists are on a different schedule than residents, it is incompatible with residential living," Prentiss said. The Kailua Neighborhood Board has brought up the issue of illegal short term rentals to the city and the county of Honolulu, but due to the lack of staffing, it has been difficult to enforce the ordinance, Prentiss said. The board plans to re-take the issue in its next meeting in January. | Kailua boasts beachfront properties overlooking pristine white sand beaches .
Even the Obamas have made it their yearly holiday vacation spot .
City says it does not permit short terms tourist rentals in residential areas .
Most of these short terms rentals are illegal, official says . |
247,851 | ccbb0bdb9e9234207c28236a833c1e203f768876 | It was a bit of a stretch, but a new record was set for the World’s Largest Prenatal Class in China when 505 pregnant women practised yoga together. Dressed in purple leotards, the women made for quite a sight in Changsha, the capital of southern China's Hunan Province. The 505 women, who all produced medical proof showing they are 12 weeks or more pregnant, did the group yoga in Juzizhou Park for 37 minutes and 28 seconds under the watchful eye of Guinness Record officials. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Purple pose: Over 500 women practicing yoga as they attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest prenatal yoga class, in Changsha, central Hunan province . And stretch: The 505 women, who all produced medical proof showing they are 12 weeks or more pregnant, did the group yoga in Juzizhou Park for 37 minutes and 28 seconds . They broke the previous record of 423 pregnant women doing yoga together that was set in Shenzhen, southern China's Guangdong Province, in 2013. The achievement follows the news that two of the U.S.’s biggest denim brands are claiming that yoga pants are encroaching on their territory – and affecting their sales as a result. GAP’s CEO Glenn Murphy and Levi’s President and CEO Chip Bergh have both made comments about how the leggings’ popularization as an everyday item has lessened consumers’ demand for jeans. Winning mentality: They broke the previous record of 423 pregnant women doing yoga together that was set in 2013 . Expecting: The 505 women all produced medical proof showing they are 12 weeks or more pregnant . The achievement follows the news that two of the U.S.¿s biggest denim brands are claiming that yoga pants are encroaching on their territory . ‘We’re actually losing consumption to yoga pants,’ Mr Bergh told Yahoo! last week, adding: ‘What used to be a premium jeans occasion for women is now socially acceptable to be a yoga pants occasion, and shame on us as a category leaders for letting that happen.’ The brand’s numbers tell that exact story. Levi’s has experienced a near $3billion fall in revenues since 1995, which have now stalled at $4.6billion. The demand for yoga pants during the work day has become so intensified that in January, Betabrand released a stretchy dress pant that could be worn at a desk or on the floor of an asana room. | The 505 women, in Changsha, were all 12 weeks pregnant or more .
They did group yoga in Juzizhou Park for 37 minutes and 28 seconds .
They broke the previous record of 423 pregnant women doing yoga together . |
286,472 | ff2fc796f43ea2db3a91c790441106d406241634 | By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 12:55 EST, 5 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:48 EST, 5 May 2012 . Bottles, fireworks and smoke bombs were set off as 1,500 officers tried to contain thousands of English Defence League supporters holding a protest march in Luton today. The town centre was flooded with police as tensions mounted that the right wing organisation's members might clash with a counter demonstration by a 1,000-strong group from Unite Against Fascism at the same time in the usually busy shopping area. Two people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences, police said. Clash: Around 1,500 police were drafted in to Luton town centre amid fears a protest by 3,000 English Defence League supporters might erupt in violence . Bedfordshire Police said the day of . action had concluded peacefully, despite ‘isolated incidents’ of . disorder including smoke flares being set off and bottles being thrown . towards police officers. The cost of the police operation is put at between £600,000 and £1million and for the council £600,000. Bedfordshire Police and Luton council . tried to send out the message that Luton was open as normal and . encouraged shops in the Mall to remain open. But many shoppers chose to ignore the advice, instead deciding to stay away amid fears violence might erupt. A police spokeswoman said a group of . people from the counter protest, which formed under the 'We Are Luton' banner, had attempted to break away from the . main march but were pushed back by officers. Held back: Thousands of English Defence League supporters were kept away from a counter demonstration by Unite Against Fascism in Luton . Assistant Chief Constable Andrew . Richer said: ‘Overall the policing of these protests has been a . resounding success and is testament to everyone involved including the . community themselves and our partners. ‘It is disappointing that we saw . disorder from some members of Unite Against Fascism, who were part of . the 'We Are Luton' march, who attempted to break out of the agreed . protest route. This shows policing of these events is justified as there . is such a large area to protect. ‘The policing operation has been in . the planning for weeks and the professionalism of the officers was borne . out today. We were assisted by 20 forces and it's a great example of . how forces can work together in difficult circumstances. ‘I'd like to thank everyone involved . in the planning and execution of the operation, all our partner agencies . and in particular the community mediators who volunteered to help us . communicate. Tensions: A masked EDL supporter in central Luton as a heavy police presence separated English Defence League members from a counter protest by Unite Against Fascism . 'Their involvement really made a difference. I am confident . the town is now back to normal and disruption has been minimised.’ Police said the two people arrested . remained in police custody. A spokeswoman said one was an EDL supporter . and the other from the 'We Are Luton' group. Councillor Hazel Simmons, leader of . Luton Borough Council, said: ‘I'd like to thank Bedfordshire Police, all . the staff at the council and everyone in the community for coming . together and again facilitating a peaceful day in Luton. ‘I was very disappointed that the EDL . chose to come to Luton again today so soon after their previous protest . in February last year which caused large scale disruption to the people . of the town and loss of trade for its businesses. ‘I would like to stress that what . happened in town today does not represent the real Luton. The Luton I . know is a town where people get along well together, celebrate our . diversity and work together to overcome challenges.’ Show of force: The massive police operation cost around £1million as tensions mounted that EDL members might clash with anti-fascist demonstrators in central Luton . Police were on duty to make sure EDL demonstrators did not enter the Bury Park area of Luton, where most of the town's 30,000 Muslim population live. They also were there to prevent any Muslims attacking the EDL. The EDL has held demonstrations across the country since it was formed in Luton in March 2009 as a response to Muslim radicals, who disrupted a home-coming parade by the Royal Anglian Regiment. In February, last year, their demonstration in St George's Square in Luton cost businesses £1 million as the shopping centre was closed. | More than 1,500 officers drafted in to prevent EDL members clashing with anti-fascists demonstrators .
Massive police operation estimated to have cost upwards of £1.2million .
Two people arrested on suspicion of public order offences .
Shoppers stay away despite claims Luton would be open as normal . |
224,631 | aed59b027965662aaf2305000226cde34c41cd88 | A 23-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly killing his girlfriend's two-year-old son by jumping up and down on his chest, shaking him and slamming his head into a window sill. Mirsad Hamidovic reportedly attacked the toddler, named Lorenzo, at an apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri, in the early hours of Friday morning while the child's mother was at work. He repeatedly jumped on the youngster's chest 'with his forearms in front of him', crushing him, possibly knocking his head into a window sill and causing him to vomit blood, police said. As Lorenzo lost consciousness, Hamidovic then allegedly violently shook him to wake him up. Scroll down for video . Arrest: Mirsad Hamidovic (left), 23, has been arrested after allegedly killing his girlfriend's two-year-old son, Lorenzo (right), by jumping up and down on his chest, shaking him and slamming his head into a window sill . Following the alleged assault, Lorenzo was rushed to hospital with serious head and brain injuries, including bruising on his brain, court documents state. He was also suffering from a lacerated liver. The boy was placed on life support. But despite medics' best efforts, he passed away on Sunday. While Lorenzo was dying in hospital, Hamidovic was arrested and charged with two counts of felony child abuse and two counts of first-degree domestic assault, according to KCTV 5. These charges will likely be upgraded now that the boy has died. Tragic: Mirsad Hamidovic reportedly attacked Lorenzo (pictured) at an apartment in Kansas City, Missouri, in the early hours of Friday morning while the child's mother was at work. The boy passed away on Sunday . Scene: In an interview with police, Hamidovic apparently admitted to jumping on Lorenzo's chest at least twice as the boy lay on his back on a bed at the apartment on the 1700 block of Washington Avenue (pictured) In an interview with police, Hamidovic apparently admitted to jumping on Lorenzo's chest at least twice as the boy lay on his back on a bed, with his head partially on a window sill, at around 3am. 'The suspect jumped up in the air and came down on the victim's chest and the victim's head may have hit the window sill,' according to court documents obtained by the news station. 'The suspect said the victim was on his back on the ground when the suspect jumped off the bed up in the air and came down on the victim's chest with his forearms in front of him. 'He did this twice. The suspect stated the victim was coughing up blood and he cleaned the blood off the victim's mouth in a panic.' The toddler then fell unconscious, it is reported. When Lorenzo failed to wake up, Hamidovic allegedly started violently shaking the toddler, causing his head and arms to flail around, before placing him under a cold shower. In a panic, he then ran down the hallway at the Nottingham Apartments, situated on the 1700 block of Washington Avenue, shouting for help, with Lorenzo lying limp in his arms. Several neighbors tried desperately to resuscitate the toddler before paramedics arrived. It is not clear whether Hamidovic, or one of his neighbors, dialed 911. Neighbor: Several neighbors tried desperately to resuscitate the toddler before paramedics arrived at the scene. One, Gena Gutierrez (pictured) said of Lorenxo: 'He wasn't breathing, so I started breathing into him' Resident Gena Gutierrez, who performed CPR on Lorenzo, said: 'The baby was stone cold, turning blue. I put him on the ground and he wasn't breathing, so I started breathing into him.' She added: 'It breaks my heart. God knows I tried to do what I could. I feel real sorry for the mom.' Hamidovic, who has three biological children that he often sees, is being held on a cash-only $500,000 bond, according to KSHB. He is due to appear in court on January 28. His relationship with Lorenzo remains unclear. | Mirsad Hamidovic, 23, allegedly attacked two-year-old Lorenzo on Friday .
He 'repeatedly jumped on toddler's chest with forearms in front of him'
Impact possibly knocked boy's head into windowsill and tore his liver .
As Lorenzo fell limp, Hamidovic began violently shaking him, it is said .
Youngster was taken to hospital with brain injures, but died on Sunday .
Hamidovic's initial assault charges are likely to be upgraded after death .
Boy's mother was at work at time of 'assault' in Kansas City, Missouri . |
92,662 | 032e4ffebdfc8b489b825aab390298fdef6f1329 | First ever: Eric Daniel Hughes saw 11.02 of his Bitcoins, a type of online currency, taken by the federal government in the first ever seizure of its kind . A South Carolina man received a dubious honor in April when his Bitcoins became the first ever seized by the U.S. government. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized the 31-year-old Eric Daniel Hughes’ Bitcoins, which are a type of online currency. It’s believed that the seizure may have been related to shady online drug clearinghouse Silk Road, a site that only accepts Bitcoins as currency. According to DEA documentation, agents seized 11.02 Bitcoins from Hughes, worth $814. Though . the forfeiture notice makes no mention of the online illicit drug . seller, the Post and Courier reports that speculation regarding the . involvement of Silk Road has quickly arisen simply because of the . Bitcoin seizure. When buzz . began to spread of the seizure, users of the blog Let's Talk Bitcoin! were able to connect the Bitcoin account number listed on the DEA . document to a transaction made in April on Silk Road of exactly 11.02 . Bitcoins. ‘This is the . first time something like this has happened with Bitcoin,’ said Adam B. Levine, editor of Let’s Talk Bitcoin!, told the Post and Courier. ‘And . the interesting subtext is: We don't have any idea just how involved the . DEA is with Bitcoins.’ Consequently, . neither do Silk Road users know how deeply the so-called ‘eBay of . drugs’ has been breached, if indeed it has at all, by the federal . government. eBay of drugs: Evidence suggests that Hughes' Bitcoins were seized in connection with shadowy internet drug bazaar Silk Road, which only accepts Bitcoins . Chomping at the bitcoin: Bitcoins are a virtual currency that are difficult to track and the fact some were seized by the government led many who follow the novel money to wonder how they did it . Federal . authorities admit to seizing Hughes’ Bitcoins, however it is unclear how . they went about actually holding onto the largely anonymous currency . units. The Post and Courier reports that the feds have not, however, charged Hughes as of yet. The . local authorities are going after him. The Charleston, South Carolina . police raided Hughes apartment in June and, according to police . affidavits, found 10 bags of the narcotic Suboxone during the search. How'd they do that? The digital currency is stored virtually by sites like Bitcoin Wallet. The feds may have used Hughes' own computer to seize his 11.02 Bitcoins or staged an online sting operation . He is also accused of selling other prescription drugs as well as marijuana to police informants. So how did the DEA confiscate completely digital currency? According to Levine, the police would have either had to use the same computer Hughes used to make the transaction to take ownership of the currency or they undertook an online sting operation in order to confiscate the coins. Unstable currently: Those in the know when it comes to Bitcoins seem at a loss as to how Hughes' virtually currency was seized and what it means for the illicit sale of drugs and other items on sites like Silk Road in the future . Either way, this remains one for the record books and likely has Silk Road drug buyers squirming as their so-called Deep Web—a difficult to access layer of the internet invisible to the typical user where Silk Road can be found—may have been penetrated by authorities. They are no doubt chomping at the bitcoin as they wait to find out. THE 'EBAY OF DRUGS' Dubbed by some as the 'eBay of drugs,' Silk Road is an online, peer-to-peer marketplace for every drug imaginable. Instead of money, however, Silk Road buyers and sellers use the hard to track digital currency Bitcoins. Unlike normal websites, Silk Road cannot be reached via normal routes. A special browser called a Tor browser must be used to access the illicit site. Sites like Silk Road exist in a sort of hidden internet, just beneath the one most people know and enjoy. It is known as the Deep Web. Commerce within the shadowy bazaar is tough to track and authorities have been unable to shut it down. However, the seizure of Hughes' bitcoins has some wondering if federal agents are getting closer to successfully infiltrating the site after years of unsuccessful attempts to bring it down. MONEY IN A DIGITAL AGE . Bitcoins are a type of online currency that can be exchanged for dollars and vice versa. The main idea behind it is to facilitate cheap, anonymous transactions policed by its community of users. Much like gold, there are a finite number of Bitcoins - 21 million exist and are predicted to last until 2140. This number was designated by the inventor (or inventors) of the virtual coinage when it first came about in 2008. Also like gold, Bitcoins are mined. But instead of digging in the ground, Bitcoins are extracted online via complex algorithms like virtual pickaxes. The value of Bitcoins fluctuate like gold, too. Explore the price and fluctuations of Bitcoins with this real-time interactive widget... | Known as the 'ebay of drugs,' the site is part of the so-called Deep Web, which is invisible to the typical internet surfer .
Silk Road only accepts Bitcoins .
Eric Daniel Hughes may have had connections to the site . |
199,844 | 8eb45a92208b5718267e2011e4a16e90e487ff2a | She is the world’s first ‘living’ doll, with her long fair hair and trendy clothes ‘My Friend Cayla’ can chat about hobbies and help with homework. She is designed to sync with a smartphone or tablet which allows her to recognise a child’s speech and conduct simple conversations. Questions posed by a little girl are transposed into text using Google software to allow Cayla to search of the web to find an answer. The doll then recites what she has found out. The 'My Friend Cayla' doll can chat about hobbies and help with homework. She is designed to sync with a smartphone or tablet which allows her to recognise a child's speech and conduct simple conversations . As a result, it will be possible for little girls ‘to have in-depth chats with their new best friend’, according to the manufacturer, Vivid. Cayla’s ability to surf the web is limited by Google’s SafeSearch technology, which is meant to block unsuitable content and words. At the same time, parents can log into the smartphone app used to control her to block any words or phrases they consider unsuitable. Cayla was described as 'world's first internet-connected doll' during the Toy Fair 2014 at Kensington Olympia . The doll syncs with a smartphone or tablet which allows her to recognise a child’s speech. Questions posed by a child are transposed into text using Google software . The doll's ability to surf the web is limited by Google’s SafeSearch technology. Parents can log into the smartphone app used to control the doll to block any words or phrases they consider unsuitable. The firm said the 18inch tall doll, which costs £59.99, also encourages role play and dressing up. A spokesman said if the doll thinks she has heard a swear word, or anything related to race or body parts, any internet searches are automatically shut down. ‘She will say something like ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, let’s talk about something else’, or give no response at all,’ said a spokesman. The whole scenario is a little reminiscent of the Stepford Wives, where a community of men created apparently perfect robot versions of their own wives with chilling results. However Vivid insists the experience with Cayla is entirely positive, even educational. It said children can play games, read stories and talk to Cayla, who will also provide hints and tips to help them complete their homework. The spokesman said: ‘They can talk about their likes and dislikes and hobbies. Cayla can even answer questions about maths, general knowledge and the weather. Cayla's ability to surf the web is limited by Google's SafeSearch technology, which is meant to block unsuitable content and words . ‘She can also do lots without an internet connection such as telling stories from her database and playing games.’ The firm said the 18inch tall doll, which costs £59.99, also encourages role play and dressing up. Cayla is among a growing army of hi-tech dolls designed to play the role of virtual friends, which were launched at the annual Toy Fair at London’s Olympia exhibition centre. The group also includes the Vtech ‘Little Love’, a baby that develops and grows up alongside the child. The voice activated baby doll, which costs £24.99, can speak over 100 words and 80 phrases. Also on the shelves this Christmas will be the Nenuco Won’t Eat baby doll, who shakes her head every time someone tries to feed her. A magic spoon and persistence normally wins her round in a scenario which is designed to encourage children to eat properly. Cayla is among a growing army of hi-tech dolls designed to play the role of virtual friends, which were launched at the annual Toy Fair at London's Olympia exhibition centre . | 'My Friend Cayla' doll syncs with a smartphone and can recognise speech .
Questions posed by a child are transposed into text using Google software .
Doll's ability to surf the web is limited by Google’s SafeSearch technology .
Parents can log into an app to block any words they consider unsuitable .
18inch doll, costing £59.99, also encourages role play and dressing up . |
255,419 | d69c6cc06eae671006b934a1ed13a284c6456563 | He may have thought the worst of the Vegas ordeal was behind him as he tries to distance himself back in the UK from his partying antics. But one lone source has claimed the nude strip billiards picture of the Prince is nothing compared with the rest of the story. A single quote from an anonymous source, used by celebrity blogger Norm Clark on his Las Vegas gossip page, says: 'Something pretty gigantic' is involved; something more . serious than 'strip billiards'. Scroll down for video . Before the party: Prince Harry was snapped in Las Vegas admiring a tall blonde, who has been named as 27-year-old Danielle Davidson, before hosting a private party in his hotel room . The claim is the latest in a string of revelations to potentially tarnish the third-in-line-to-the-Throne's Royal image. Last night, The Palace had no comment on the vague accusation. After a nude photo of the Prince emerged last week from a private party in a hotel room in Las Vegas, Prince Harry has removed himself from Facebook, where he operated under the pseudonym Spike Wells. Following advice from his private secretary, . Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who is heading an inquiry into the Prince’s . trip to Las Vegas, Harry deleted his account. The Mail on Sunday has been told that . the Prince’s two best friends, Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip, 25, who joined him . in Vegas, and Arthur Landon, 30, have also closed their Facebook . accounts, as has one of his key Scotland Yard minders. The latest comment to surface surrounding the 27-year-old's antics has no implicit context, but could be linked to concerns raised by the Prince following the US publication of the derobed heir. The Prince was said to be ‘terrified’ further damaging images might emerge and his concerns intensified after . photos of an ‘even wilder’ week in the British Virgin Islands on Sir . Richard Branson’s private island of Necker, shortly before the Vegas . weekend, were leaked to a newspaper. Pictures from the trip were originally posted on Facebook by one of Harry's friends. Stills from the US showbusiness channel ExtraTV show the Prince at a party in Las Vegas surrounded by bikini-clad women . Further pictures have emerged from Prince Harry's Las Vegas trip which followed immediately after the Necker sojourn. The Prince is seen partying in swimming shorts, a hat and sunglasses, surrounded by bikini-clad women. Harry, Inskip and rugby player Adam Bidwell, 36, were among his entourage who checked into a £5,100-a-night suite on the 63rd floor of one of the city’s most elite resorts. 'The . suite is in a tower that has its own private casino,' said a maid. 'It . has mohair walls to absorb the sound, a pool and a wet bar.' They ate and drank at the hotel's most exclusive bars and restaurants, including the most expensive restaurant, the SW Steakhouse, . named after the complex’s owner Steve Wynn, who reportedly picked up the . £50,000 bill for their visit. Harry appeared to show an interest in the 27-year-old blonde, a cocktail server at the MGM Grand Hotel . The rowdy group then moved on to one of . the hotel’s nightclubs, Surrender, where they were ushered into the . red-curtained VIP area. They . are understood to have picked up two girls at the club for the party where the naked Prince was captured on fuzzy mobile phone shots and sold for £10,000 . to the TMZ website. At 1.30pm the next day, just seven-and-a-half hours after the now infamous 'strip billiard' game, Harry is believed to have hosted a second vodka-fuelled pool party with a dozen ‘randomly recruited’ girls. ‘Girls were . invited to come over and meet Harry,’ according to a source. Scotland Yard minders looked on as the girls were ushered inside the private villa – or cabana – at the MGM Grand . Hotel’s Wet Republic club, according to the source. The party went on for five-and-half-hours. ‘What . is incredible is that his detectives didn’t request any special . security at Wet Republic,’ said the source. ‘They had no requirements . whatsoever. His handlers just sat around while friends went to . neighbouring private areas that had been rented by rich guests, inviting . their girls to come over and meet Harry. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Celebrity blogger in Las Vegas claims an anonymous source implied more details could emerge .
Harry is keeping a low profile in the UK .
The Palace had no comment when presented with the blogger's remarks . |
83,503 | ecdfc8996383f3509d42cb15ee8153db032a253e | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- An arrest warrant for murder has been issued for the ex-husband of a former swimsuit model whose nude body was found over the weekend, Orange County police said Thursday. An arrest warrant has been issued for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, wanted in the death of ex-wife Jasmine Fiore. The body of Jasmine Fiore, 28, was found Saturday stuffed into a suitcase inside a Dumpster behind an apartment complex in Buena Park, just outside Anaheim in Orange County. Her teeth had been extracted and her fingers removed. Fiore lived in Los Angeles and was last seen alive Friday in San Diego at a poker game with her ex-husband, Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a reality TV contestant. "We believe he has crossed into Canada," U.S. Marshals Chief Inspector Thomas Hession told reporters. "He needs to understand that he is now officially wanted. We won't stop looking for him." Watch why cops are looking to Canada » . Prosecutors requested bail be set at $10 million. Wednesday night, officers from the Blaine Police Department in northern Washington recovered a black 2003 BMW X5 SUV outfitted with a boat trailer and a boat belonging to Jenkins in Point Roberts, just south of the Canadian border, said Buena Park, California, Chief of Police Tom Monson. "It's now our belief that he has now crossed the border on foot," he said, adding that authorities were working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to find him. Monson appealed to the public for help in locating a white 2007 Mercedes Benz CLS550 with paper license tags also linked to the suspect. Hession cautioned anyone who might be considering helping the suspect flee that doing so would leave them open to charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive. "Ryan Jenkins is an animal," said Robert Hasman, a family friend who said Fiore had been his girlfriend for 2 1/2 years. Watch Hasman speak out » . "What he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable. It's just not right." He described her as "a beautiful person who was a very caring individual and a lot of the information that you are seeing in the news is not true." He would not specify to what he was referring. Buena Park Police Lt. Steve Holliday said Fiore's fingers and teeth had been removed. Asked whether that was done to keep her body from being identified, he said, "It can be inferred that way." "It appears to be a gruesome attempt to conceal her identity," concurred Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas in an interview with CNN's "Larry King Live." Jenkins is the sole suspect in the killing, authorities said. "There is no indication that anybody else might be involved," he said. Jenkins is believed to be armed, Rackauckas said. "There's a handgun missing from his apartment, which is the last place he was before he fled," he said. Jenkins matched the description of a man seen driving a boat Wednesday in Blaine Marina off northwest Washington, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said. Blaine, Washington, borders Canada. Authorities searched the area and found Jenkins' black SUV with an empty boat trailer at the Blaine Marina, police said. Jenkins reported Fiore missing Saturday night to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said. The body was identified as Fiore on Monday. While the cause of death has not been confirmed, a preliminary coroner's report indicates she was strangled. Jenkins and Fiore reportedly had been married a few weeks before getting the union annulled. According to court records in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jenkins was charged in June with battery for allegedly striking Fiore in the arm with his fist. And in 2007, Jenkins pleaded guilty in Calgary, Alberta, to assault in a separate case. He was sentenced to 15 months probation, ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction and to stay away from the person involved, according to court records. Jenkins, who appeared on VH1 shows, "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and "I Love Money 3," is from Calgary. 51 Minds, the production company of "Megan Wants a Millionaire," said Thursday in a written statement that it "was not aware of Ryan Jenkins' record when it cast him. "The company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows," it said. "Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case. 51 Minds is investigating what went wrong and taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again." In a statement, VH1 said it has postponed any airings of "Megan Wants a Millionaire" because of the "tragic situation." | Body of Jasmine Fiore, 28, found Saturday stuffed into a suitcase inside a Dumpster .
Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a reality TV contestant, is sought in her slaying .
Authorities believe Jenkins has crossed into Canada from Washington .
Fiore's teeth had been extracted and her fingers removed . |
43,256 | 79fa84159f099ad6fd0e637b11b566067f2c8714 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 05:15 EST, 26 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:55 EST, 26 February 2014 . Taxes on bingo would be slashed under plans being considered by George Osborne to bolster the Tories’ image among working class voters. The Chancellor is examining plans to cut to 20 per cent duty on earnings from bingo to 15 per cent, in line with online gambling and betting on horse races. It is claimed the move would lead to bigger bingo prizes, investment in tired bingo halls and more jobs in some of the country’s poorest areas. Pulling power: Chancellor George Osborne is considering cutting the tax on bingo halls to bolster support among working class voters . The Chancellor tried his hand at pulling a pint at the Red Lion pub in Whitehall which has reopened after a refurbishment . The idea of a tax cut for bingo could become a totemic issue for the Conservatives at a time when the party is desperate to shed its image as being dominated by ‘out of touch’ southerners. The plan has been discussed by Treasury ministers and could be announced by Mr Osborne as part of next month’s Budget aimed at wooing working families. To burnish his man of the people credentials, the Chancellor was last night seen pulling pints in the Red Lion pub near Downing Street. Tory party chairman Grant Shapps yesterday claimed his was the Workers’ Party. In a speech he said: ‘We are the party on the side of the whole nation. We are the party on the side of working people. The economic recovery has been boosted by new figures showing Britain has become less reliant on consumer spending. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that business investment rose by 2.4 per cent quarter on quarter in the final three months of 2013. It came as the ONS confirmed that the economy grew by 0.7 per cent in the last three months of 2013. However the pace of growth overall last year was nudged down to 1.8 per cent from the previous estimate of 1.9 per cent. Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the figures, saying in a message on Twitter that they provided 'more encouraging news our long-term economic plan is working'. The figures from the ONS showed that, while business investment picked up sharply from growth of 2 per cent in the third quarter, household spending rose by a more muted 0.4 per cent between October and December, down from 0.9 per cent growth in the previous three months. Compared with a year earlier, business investment was 8.5 per cent higher. ‘Our politics isn't about a list of statistics and numbers. There is a moral purpose to it, a mission.’ Bingo clubs are closing at a rate of one a month, according to the Bingo Association. More than 1,000 jobs have been lost since 2012. The industry has promised to invest an extra £30milliuon in new clubs, better community facilities and more jobs if the duty is reduced to 15 per cent. The issue is being championed by Tory MP Robert Halfon, who has previously successfully lobbied ministers on fuel duty and energy companies. A petition signed by 300,000 people backing the Boost Bingo campaign is being presented to Number 11 Downing Street today. Mr . Halfon told MailOnline: ‘What we need is a level playing field for . bingo so we boost bingo clubs, boost investment, boost jobs and boost . bingo prizes. ‘It will put . millions back into the game. Bingo is not gambling. It is a social club . and a community activity for working men and women, of all ages. ‘It is very much about supporting working people and supporting our communities.’ There are 54,000 members of . bingo hall in Mr Halfon’s Harlow constituency alone. He said that if Mr . Osborne announces the tax cut in next month’s Budget, it has to be part . of a wider message to voters that the Tories are on their side. ‘It . is not just a tax cut. We have got huge bingo clubs, many are closing . because they cannot afford to ru because of this tax. It means . regeneration and jobs in some of our poorest communities.’ The Treasury has refused to be drawn on the plans for bingo tax ahead of the Budget on March 19. Exchequer Secretary David Gauke said: ‘The Government keeps all taxes, including bingo duty, under review.’ Cutting the tax on bingo would increase prizes and lead to investment in bingo halls, campaigners claim . The call for the Tories to do more to appeal to working class areas comes after criticism that David Cameron's inner-circle is still too elitist. An IpsosMori poll in September found 70 per cent of voters thought Mr Cameron was ‘out of touch’, a figure never reached by any Tory leader in the past 35 years. The Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election this month saw the Tories come third behind Ukip, leading Nigel Farage to claim his party is now the opposition to Labour in the north. Pauline Latham, the MP for Mid-Derbyshire, complained that Mr Cameron tends to surround himself with ‘people who are like him’. ‘I am sure he listens to Samantha Cameron a lot but he is never going to listen to me. Everything is looked at through the prism of London, by people from London. We should have regional input’. | Chancellor urged to cut bingo duty from 20% to 15% in line with betting .
Tories argue it would boost jobs, bingo halls and jobs in poorest areas .
Osborne burnishes populist credentials pulling pints in Whitehall pub .
Tory chairman Grants Shapps declares: 'We are the Workers' Party' |
141,663 | 43317f942ebe15062d2c6de1c3af5f5bbd367d9e | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 07:23 EST, 17 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:36 EST, 17 December 2013 . We may think of Neanderthals as a brutish, primitive species, but a recent find suggests they were more thoughtful than we give them credit for. Researchers claim a Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in France over a century ago was intentionally buried. This is according to a 13-year reanalysis of the site which suggests careful burials existed among the Neanderthals 50,000 years ago. A 13-year re-analysis of a French cave suggests careful burials existed among Neanderthals 50,000 years ago . Scientists believe the friends and family of the Neanderthal went to great care to dig a grave and protect his body. ‘This discovery not only confirms the existence of Neanderthal burials in Western Europe, but also reveals a relatively sophisticated cognitive capacity to produce them,’ said Dr William Rendu, a paleontologist at New York University. Neanderthals were similar to early modern humans but belonged to a separate human sub-species. The two tribes co-existed for thousands of years in Europe before Neanderthals vanished around 30,000 years ago, probably because they could not compete with the modern humans. The friends and family of the Neanderthal went to great care to dig a grave and protect his body . The concept that Neanderthals carefully buried their dead fits with recent discoveries that they were capable of developing rich cultures. Earlier this month, evidence was found that Neanderthals lived in organised and tidy spaces - much in the same way as modern humans. Investigation of three Neanderthal levels at Riparo Bombrini, a collapsed rock shelter in north-west Italy, revealed how areas were divided up for different activities. The top level, containing animal remains, seemed to have been reserved for butchering animals. The middle level was a long-term sleeping area, and the bottom level a place for shorter stays. In the middle level, containing the most traces of human occupation, artefacts were distributed to avoid clutter around the hearth at the back of the cave. The findings centre on Neanderthal remains first discovered by two brothers in 1908 at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southwestern France. The well-preserved bones led its early 20th-century excavators to believe the site marked a burial ground created by a predecessor to early modern humans. But their conclusions have sparked controversy in the scientific community ever since. Skeptics maintain that the discovery had been misinterpreted and that the burial may not have been intentional. Beginning in 1999, Dr Rendu and his team began excavating seven other caves in the area. In this excavation, which was completed last year, the scientists found more Neanderthal remains of two children and one adult along with bones of bison and reindeer. Geological analysis of the hole in which the remains were found suggests that it was not a natural feature of the cave floor. As part of their study, the scientists also re-examined the human remains found in 1908. In contrast to the reindeer and bison remains at the site, the Neanderthal remains contained few cracks, no weathering-related smoothing, and no signs of disturbance by animals. ‘The relatively pristine nature of these 50,000-year-old remains implies that they were covered soon after death, strongly supporting our conclusion that Neanderthals in this part of Europe took steps to bury their dead,’ said Dr Rendu. The findings centre on Neanderthal remains first discovered by two brothers in 1908 at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southwestern France . ‘While we cannot know if this practice was part of a ritual or merely pragmatic, the discovery reduces the behavioural distance between them and us.’ The concept that Neanderthals carefully buried their dead fits with recent discoveries that they were capable of developing rich cultures. Previous findings have shown that they probably decorated themselves using pigments, and wore jewellry made of feathers and colourful shells. Earlier this month, evidence was found that Neanderthals lived in organised and tidy spaces - much in the same way as modern humans. Investigation of three Neanderthal levels at Riparo Bombrini, a collapsed rock shelter in north-west Italy, revealed how areas were divided up for different activities. The top level, containing animal remains, seemed to have been reserved for butchering animals. The middle level was a long-term sleeping area, and the bottom level a place for shorter stays. In the middle level, containing the most traces of human occupation, artefacts were distributed to avoid clutter around the hearth at the back of the cave. A collapsed rock shelter in north-west Italy has revealed that cavemen were in fact tidy. The site showed how they arranged their living space, assigning separate areas for preparing food, making tools and socialising . | Neanderthal remains first discovered at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in France .
A re-analysis of the site suggests careful burials existed 50,000 years ago .
‘The discovery reduces the .
behavioural distance between them and us,' said Dr William Rendu at New York University . |
268,160 | e75090a60731da4cf991058aca9d5ab795ba2b39 | By . John Drayton . PUBLISHED: . 07:41 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:52 EST, 16 October 2013 . Threat: The head of the PCC gang Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho is serving a life sentence for the murder of a judge in 2003 . Brazil's biggest drug cartel has promised a 'World Cup of terror' next year - in a reminder of the high level of violence that still marks the country. The threat was issued by the First Capital Command in Sao Paulo, who last year was behind the murder of more than a hundred of the city's police officers. And last night violent demonstrations exploded on the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo with protesters setting fire to cars and fighting pitched battles with police. The protests were in support of a . teachers' strike and were the latest in a long line of unrest that has . seen millions take to the streets in Brazil to protest against the . government. Both will be a . sobering reminder amid the euphoria of England's fans that next year . they will be travelling to a country where safety and stability cannot . be guaranteed. Six matches . in next year's competition, including the opening game, will be held at . the Arena de Sao Paulo while seven, including the final, will be held in . Rio de Janeiro's Estadio do Maracana. In . messages intercepted by police this week, leaders of the gang in Sao . Paulo made the vague but ominous threat should the authorities move . jailed members of the cartel to a tougher prison. Threat: In messages intercepted by police this week, leaders of the gang in Sao Paulo made the threat if the authorities move jailed members of the cartel to a tougher prison (file photo) Enraged: Efforts to transfer high-ranking imprisoned members of the gang, known by its Portuguese initials PCC enraged the gang in 2006 (file photo) Can England win the World Cup in Brazil? In Brazil, powerful gangs often linked . to the drug trade are very powerful and frequently control whole . prisons and favelas, or shanty towns. Since 2002, the PCC has been led by Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, known as Marcola, or 'Playboy.' The . gang have nicknames including Wander Eduardo 'Fat Face' Ferrari, Isaias . 'Weird' Moreira do Nascimento and Antonio 'Ugly Beast' Carlos dos . Santos. During 2012, a war broke out between the gang and Sao Paulo's Military Police. They . felt the government had violated an informal agreement, long denied by . officials, to slow the prison transfers of gang leaders and limit . crackdowns on its operations on Sao Paulo's outskirts in exchange for an . end to gang violence. Threat: Brazil's biggest drug cartel has promised a 'World Cup of terror' next year - in a reminder of the high level of violence that still marks the country . Battle: Last night violent demonstrations exploded on the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo with protesters setting fire to cars and fighting pitched battles with police . Anger: The protests across Brazil last night were in support of a teachers' strike . Tension: The protests were the latest in a long line of unrest that has seen millions take to the streets in Brazil to protest against the government . The gang ordered attacks on police, 106 officers - many off-duty - were killed. In the protests in Rio de Janeiro, a group of masked youths attacked shops, set fire to a police car and threw petrol bombs. In Sao Paulo shops were ransacked. Police responded with tear gas, pepper spray and sound bombs. Efforts . to transfer high-ranking imprisoned members of the gang, known by its . Portuguese initials PCC, to far off prisons where they would have . difficulty giving orders by cellphone to their soldiers on the outside . enraged the gang in 2006. Demands: Protesters oppose a pay proposal by the city's mayor, saying it doesn't go far enough in addressing their demands, according to published reports . Unstable: A police car burns during clashes following a largely peaceful protest by teachers and supporters . Injured: Demonstrators help the staff of a McDonald's store during the clash between anti-government demonstrators and riot police . Bitter: A pile of chairs are set on fire as demonstrators illustrate their frustration . Demonstrations: A protester spray paints a government building as the clashes erupt . Five . days of gang-inspired attacks then left at least 175 dead, including . police officers, traffickers and the innocent in between. After the . violence lingered for months, an alleged informal truce between the . government and the PCC slowed the transfers and the attacks tapered off. The . gang was founded in 1993 by hardened criminals inside Sao Paulo's . Taubate Penitentiary, but remained a relatively obscure group until . early 2001, when uprisings in 29 prisons across the state killed 19 . inmates. It was the biggest prison rebellion in Brazil's recent history . and took police 27 hours to crush. The PCC was formed to pressure for improved prison conditions. Jubilant: England captain Steven Gerrard celebrates his goal with teammates Wayne Rooney and Daniel Welbeck during their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Poland at Wembley last night . Brazilian . Justice Minister Jose Cardozo, speaking at a security conference last . year, said he would 'prefer to die' than serve time in his nation's . prisons. He added: 'We have a medieval penal system.' While . the gang's start may have been rooted in fighting for basic human . rights of the imprisoned, its members quickly began using their power . inside prisons to direct drug-dealing and extortion operations on the . outside. 'The PCC is better . organized, more powerful, and they have a monopoly of crimes and power . which is something nobody achieved in Rio,' said Ignacio Cano, a . researcher at the Violence Analysis Center at Rio de Janeiro State . University. 'They are by far the strongest criminal group in Brazil.' There . are no official numbers on the gang's size, but the inner core . considered as members is thought to include no more than a few thousand . people, Cano said. Preparations: The Olympic Village under construction in Rio de Janeiro this week . Police documents obtained by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo last year indicated the gang's members numbered just over 1,300, and showed they are required to pay $300 in monthly fees in exchange for legal aid if they're arrested and support for their families if they go to jail. What makes the PCC so powerful is that corporate approach to how it manages gang enterprises as well as its reach beyond its core membership. 'They outsource. They contract people and allow them to carry out certain activities as long as they're paying them (the PCC) something in return,' Cano said. 'For example, in 2006 many people say the killings of policemen were outsourced.' Estimates of the number of people connected in some way to the gang go as high as 100,000. | The threat was issued by the First .
Capital of the Command in Sao Paulo .
Gang was behind the murder .
of more than a hundred of the city's police .
On Tuesday violent demonstrations exploded on the streets of Brazil . |
81,727 | e7a0ade9d4270f6f1fd80185a9a7f85a850c6ca5 | New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday night that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's steps toward a run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination would have no bearing on his own decision about whether to jump into the race, a decision he will make later this year. Bush's announcement last week that he was "actively exploring" a run was a blow to Christie's ambitions because the two men will be competing for many of the same donors as they test their viability as candidates. But Bush will be leaning on a far deeper network of financial supporters that came together to back the winning presidential campaigns of his father, George H.W. Bush, and his brother, George W. Bush. Many of those donors were intrigued by Christie before the George Washington Bridge scandal broke earlier this year. During an hour-long interview with Steve Adubato on NJTV, Christie said his decision would be based solely on three factors. "Is it right for me? Is it right for my family? Is it right for the country ... If I answer 'yes' to all three of those things then I will run. If I don't answer 'yes' to all three then I won't," he said. Adubato pressed him on how much a run by Bush would affect his plans. "It's not one of the three questions," Christie said with a faint smile. He did not elaborate on his thoughts or make any comments sizing up Bush as competition. Christie, who has faced many questions about his temperament as he has moved on to the national stage, also waved off questions about whether his brusque and sometimes confrontational manner would wear well over time. Adubato noted that Christie's demeanor has in many ways been "his calling card" and how he gets "stuff done," but asked whether he would modulate his behavior to appear more "presidential. " "No," Christie responded with characteristic bluntness. "Why would I? It's who I am." "If people want somebody different, then if I ever ran for president, they'd vote for somebody different," he said. "I don't intend to become a phony to win an election." RELATED: Poll: America not ready for 'Jersey Guy' president . Christie added that members of the public rarely ask him about those traits, and argued that the subject is an obsession of reporters. In a recent incident where he told a heckler to "sit down and shut up," he noted that many news outlets only ran that sentence without showing him let the man "yell, go on, block the cameras with his signs, speak over me, get booed by the crowd." The governor said he told the man that he would talk to him later -- a part, he said, that often gets edited out of the footage -- but that he stood by his direction to the heckler to sit down and shut up. "I don't regret that for one second and I wouldn't change that part of myself," he said. "What you all do," he said, referring to the media, "is to take that small part and say 'Look at him, all someone had to do was stand up and something, and bang, he says sit down and shut up.'" "People like to watch that," he said. He joked that his sometime unpredictable demeanor was one reason why people were tuning in to Monday night's hour-long interview. "I don't think they've seen me punch you yet," he said to Adubato. "But they live in hope." | Chris Christie says Jeb Bush's plans will not affect his .
The New Jersey governor has no plans to tone down his demeanor .
Christie says he will decide on 2016 early next year . |
186,838 | 7dfc7d2cb6e1a3e4ef8a7c5d996c657974986a5d | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Seven areas of Afghanistanwill begin to be handed over to Afghan forces to maintain their security in July, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday. The announcement from the president marks the first step in NATO's long-awaited plan to hand over security to a series of provinces across the country, leading up to 2014 when it is expected that Afghan security forces will be in control of the whole country. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Karzai's announcement. "As we have long said, the Afghans themselves must take responsibility for their own future -- for providing security, for strengthening governance and for reaching a political solution to the conflict," Clinton said in a prepared statement. "The United States continues to support the Afghan people as they work to build a more stable and peaceful nation, and we remain committed to the goal of a region that is free from Al Qaeda and no longer a safe haven for international terrorism." Members of NATO also applauded the announcement. "This represents the next stage of Afghanistan's journey," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "We are committed not to leave any security vacuum that could breed extremism." The "transition is a process. It is not flipping a switch. Certainly Afghans will be in the lead but we are still here and will still help," said Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. He said the decision to begin transitioning Lashkar Gah, an area in the restless province of Helmand, was a "testament to the progress made in the south." Areas to be handed over include parts of the capital Kabul. Southern regions such as Kandahar and Helmand provinces have long been major fronts in the war against the Taliban. In a speech last month, Karzai talked about this upcoming transition. During that speech, Karzai credited the influx of 70,000 international forces in 2010 for improving the situation and helping Afghan security forces. "We are determined to demonstrate Afghan leadership and ownership of the transition process," he said. CNN's Matiullah Mati and journalist Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report . | NEW: Secretary of State Clinton, NATO welcome news .
The announcement is part of long-awaited plan to hand over security .
Karzai credits the surge of international forces with improving security on the ground . |
280,038 | f6c9a6e389a019a0b65d216c5203ca2e2a9e20b1 | Pablo Zabaleta hopes Manchester City's higher Champions League seeding will prevent another 'group of death' when the draw takes place in Monaco on Thursday. City's current UEFA co-efficient will see Manuel Pellegrini's side in the pot of eight second seeds in the draw, which should hand his club an easier group than in the last two seasons. Chelsea and Arsenal, should the Gunners qualify, will be in the pot of eight top seeds, and Liverpool among the third seeds. VIDEO Scroll down for Manchester City's Vincent Kompany wants the quadruple . Champions League: Pablo Zabaleta hopes that Manchester City will avoid a 'group of death' this year . City were drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich last season, but still managed to qualify, but finished bottom of an even tougher group in the 2012-13 season against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax. Argentina defender Zabaleta said: 'We know we are Manchester City and have a strong squad to play against the best teams in Europe so we will see the draw and this time if we have a little bit more luck than the last few years. 'We were in the group of death and it has always been tough for us in Champions League - but it is a competition we are looking forward to and hopefully we can do better. 'The rest of the teams see Manchester City as a tough team to have in the group and I think that is the most important thing for us.' Groups: Last year Manchester City faced then-champions Bayern Munich in the group stages . The prospect of being drawn in as tough group as that is a worry for Liverpool - with the worse-case scenario seeing the Reds drawn with reigning champions Real Madrid, big-spending Paris St Germain and Italian side Roma. Chelsea and Arsenal, however, will be guaranteed to avoid the big European powers such as Real, Barcelona, Bayern or last season beaten finalists Atletico Madrid. The draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco will see 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four. The English clubs cannot be drawn into the same group as each other. As in previous seasons, the top two in each group will qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and the third-placed side go into the knock-out stages of the Europa League. Last 16: Because they were in a difficult group, City finished second, meaning they faced Barcelona afetrwards . It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . | Manchester City will be seeded higher in this year's Champions League .
Pablo Zabaleta hopes City can avoid a difficult group .
City have faced Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Dortmund in recent years . |
180,785 | 7607831aee3f1d06be40bef4203f9998103c3955 | (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has nominated his top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to be the next director of the CIA. If there is an emerging Obama doctrine to deal with the threat from al Qaeda and its allies, it is clearly a rejection of the use of conventional military forces and a growing reliance instead on the use of drones and U.S. Special Operations Forces -- and Brennan has been central to Obama's policy. In an April 30 speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, Brennan laid out the rationale for the drone policy in more detail than any administration official had done publicly hitherto. He asserted that the drone strikes are legal both under the Authorization for Use of Military Force passed by Congress after the September 11 attacks and because, "There is nothing in international law that bans the use of remotely piloted aircraft for this purpose or that prohibits us from using lethal force against our enemies outside of an active battlefield, at least when the country involved consents or is unable or unwilling to take action against the threat." This does not appear to be the view of Ben Emmerson, U.N. special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, who announced plans at Harvard Law School in October to launch an investigation into U.S. drone attacks and the extent to which they cause civilian casualties. Politics: Compared to Hagel, reaction to Brennan nomination muted . One of Brennan's most significant legacies in the four years he has been the president's principal adviser on terrorism is the U.S. drone campaign against al Qaeda and its allies in countries such as Pakistan and Yemen -- one that has shifted focus significantly in the past year or so. On Thursday, a CIA drone strike in the South Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan killed Mullah Nazir, a leading Taliban commander. That strike garnered considerable coverage in media outlets around the world and by U.S.-based news organizations such as The New York Times and CNN. The same day a CIA drone killed three suspected Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants near the town of Rada'a in Yemen. There was scant media coverage of this attack. Yet Thursday's dueling strikes in Pakistan and Yemen are emblematic of a quiet and largely unheralded shift in the way that the CIA conducts its operations. The accompanying bar chart (click on it to enlarge) does a good job of representing this shift. The red bars are U.S. strikes in Pakistan, and the gold bars are U.S. strikes in Yemen based on data collected from reliable news reports by the New America Foundation. (Due to the difficulty of distinguishing between what may be a U.S. drone strike or an airstrike by the Yemeni air force, the true number of American drone attacks in Yemen could be even higher than is shown in this chart.) One possible reason for the decline of drone strikes in Pakistan is that the CIA is simply running out of targets; at least 36 militant leaders have been reported killed by drones in Pakistan since Obama took office, according to the New America Foundation data. The growing criticism of the drone program in Pakistan has also surely had some role in the Obama administration's decision to scale back the intensity of the drone campaign there. In April the Pakistani Parliament formally voted for the first time to end any kind of approval for the CIA drone program. Opinion: When are drone killings illegal? Unlike in Pakistan where political leaders have almost universally -- at least in public -- condemned the strikes, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said in September during an interview with the Washington Post that he personally signs off on all U.S. drone strikes in Yemen, and that they hit their targets accurately, asserting, "The drone technologically is more advanced than the human brain." The steadily increasing rate of drone strikes in Yemen over the past two years shows that the CIA's drone war -- rather than declining -- is shifting from one part of the world to another. Brennan has been the key architect of this policy. The Arabic-speaking Brennan, who was once CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, in a sense became the "case officer" for the Yemen "account," traveling to Yemen seven times since al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula sent the so-called underwear bomber to try and bring down Northwest Flight 235 over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. Read more: Who's in, who's out of cabinet . How effective has the subsequent U.S. campaign against this group been? Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has not tried to launch an attack on a target in the West since its abortive attempt to bring down cargo planes bound for the United States more than two years ago, so the campaign does appear to have suppressed the group's abilities to attack overseas. According to a count by New America, at least 28 of the group's leading members have been killed in drone strikes, including the notorious American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who played an operational role in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, for instance, offering instruction to the underwear bomber. Balanced, against this is the fact that some of the popular resentment against the U.S, drone campaign that has long been the case in Pakistan is beginning to emerge in Yemen. On Friday, dozens of armed tribesmen took to the streets of Rada'a protesting the drone strike that had taken place a day earlier. One of the tribesman told Reuters that seven civilians had been killed in that drone strike. And the drone program in Yemen is also stirring some of the same controversy internationally that the strikes in Pakistan have done for many years. Human rights groups in the United States are particularly aggrieved by the targeted killing of al-Awlaki, an American citizen who was killed by a drone along with his teenage son. Gregory Johnsen, who has written an authoritative book about Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, "The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia," says the group has grown from around 200 fighters to more than 1,000 and that the drone campaign has helped it to recruit these new fighters. Christopher Swift, a Georgetown University academic, conducted interviews of tribal leaders in Yemen in June 2012. Swift found that it wasn't the drone campaign that had swelled the ranks of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula but rather because the group was able to offer jobs to desperately poor young men. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. And drone strikes are now reportedly being considered by the Obama administration in the West African nation of Mali, where an al Qaeda affiliate has largely taken control of the north of the country, an area the size of France. Brennan has been at the center of the decisions about the use of drones in Pakistan and Yemen and their possible use in Mali, and all of this surely will be a matter of discussion during his forthcoming nomination hearings. A road map to what Brennan will likely say about drones in his nomination hearing is provided by his April speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in which he explained that drone strikes are "ethical" because of "the unprecedented ability of remotely piloted aircraft to precisely target a military objective while minimizing collateral damage; one could argue that never before has there been a weapon that allows us to distinguish more effectively between an al Qaeda terrorist and innocent civilians." Read a version of this story in Arabic. | President Barack Obama is nominating John Brennan to lead the CIA .
Peter Bergen: Brennan has been key in use of drones in Yemen .
Drone war in Pakistan winding down as it intensifies in Yemen .
Bergen: Controversy on drones is beginning in Yemen, as in Pakistan . |
246,891 | cb80d284942b9ea235021d46fee2a19c740ea260 | Washington (CNN) -- Hers is a struggle shared by all freshly arrived refugees in the United States. Learning English. Getting a job. Adapting to American culture. But starting life anew has been that much tougher for Eman al-Obeidi, the woman who came to embody the cruelty of Moammar Gadhafi's regime in the midst of Libya's brutal civil war. She lives every day with the scars of the rape she alleges was committed by Gadhafi's thugs. Sometimes, she said in an exclusive interview with CNN, she gets so depressed that she doesn't leave her apartment for days. Other times, she can't even get out of bed for three or four days. "I cry all the time just like little children," she says wiping dry her moist eyes. "And I always smile, too." Al-Obeidi found relief on these shores when she arrived here last summer. She finally felt safe, unlike in Libya, where she felt constantly in danger and her family was threatened. But she has found it hard to make ends meet. She said she has been going to the employment office for four months but job opportunities have been slim. "When I came, I never imagined life would be this hard," she said. "As we say in Libya, you have to kill yourself working. I wish there was work. There are no work opportunities." Her family in Libya sends her $300 a month. Without that, she said, she would not have made it so far. Out of desperation, last week, al-Obeidi bought a one-way ticket from Colorado to Washington with money from an Iraqi family. She had all but $100 in her bag; she used $65 of it and took a taxi to the Libyan Embassy in Washington. She came with a distrust of politicians and diplomats but with hope in her heart that her compatriots would not turn her away. But Libyan Ambassador Ali Aujali, she said, spoke to her like a father. He offered her an educational stipend. And health insurance. "It means everything to me," she said, opening up an envelope containing check for $1,800. "It's not about whether it's a lot or little. It's about the time that I got it," she said. It was like winning the lottery. Otherwise, she might have wound up on the street in a few days. Aujali said he thought al-Obeidi needs help. "I told her one thing," he said. "You have to close the doors to the past and look to the future. She cannot live in misery the rest of her life." Al-Obeidi first caught the world's attention in March when she burst into Tripoli's Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists were staying, and publicly accused members of Gadhafi's forces of gang-raping her. She was hysterical. She screamed that she had been taken from a checkpoint and held against her will for two days while being beaten and raped by 15 of Gadhafi's militiamen. Security officials said al-Obeidi was "mentally ill" and was being taken to a "hospital." They dragged her unceremoniously to a waiting white car and whisked her away. She wasn't heard from for more than a week, but eventually in media interviews, she spoke of her ordeal. She fled to Tunisia in May with the help of a defected military officer and the Libyan rebels, then in the thick of civil war. She found temporary sanctuary in Qatar before being granted asylum in the United States. Al-Obeidi arrived in New York at the end of July and with the help of a refugee agency, she was resettled in Colorado. She has no family in the United States, and she would perhaps like to return to her homeland one day. "Of course, there is no one who doesn't wish to go back to his country," she said. "But I am not mentally ready for that. I also feel personally I am not ready to integrate back into society, I am not ready. I feel life is hard for me because it is different -- in culture ... language -- everything is different here." Al-Obeidi cannot know the twists and turns her life will take from here. She wants to finish schooling. Marry. Five years from now, she pictures herself as a mother. One thing she knows though. If and when she returns home, it will be to a Libya without Gadhafi. She just wishes Gadhafi had met proper justice. She felt his killers did him a favor by ending his life. In the eyes of some, he became a martyr. "They shouldn't have given him this honor," she said. He should have been tried for his crimes, she said -- for what he did to the people of Libya, for what he did to her. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reported from Washington and Moni Basu reported from Atlanta. CNN's Khalil Abdallah contributed to this report. | Eman al-Obeidi arrived in the United States in July .
It has been hard to get a job, learn a new language, adapt to a new culture .
She bought a one-way ticket to seek help at the Libyan Embassy in Washington .
Al-Obeidi says Moammar Gadhafi's militiamen gang-raped her . |
73,347 | cff9ad3308f6ed43c552402f6a4f95f3495166e2 | Seoul (CNN) -- What could bring together the biggest names in the Korean pop industry? A visit by the Pope will do it. As Pope Francis tours South Korea through August 18, some 20 Korean household names got together to record a video for a song titled "Koinonia," which means camaraderie and communion in Greek. It was composed by K-pop veteran Noh Young-shim to celebrate the first papal visit to Korea in 25 years. Some 5.4 million Koreans are Catholics -- roughly 10% of the population -- and amongst them are pop stars and actors. Figure skating star Kim Yuna is also a follower of the faith and one of the celebs expected to appear at official functions during the Pope's visit. During a recent TV appearance, she had appealed to the Pope to bless Korea and "provide messages of hope." Unfortunately for fans, she does not appear in the new music video. Video worship . Despite involving some serious pop star power, the video for "Koinonia" is devoid of the typical trappings of a K-pop music video. There's no tightly choreographed dancing or thematic costumes. Instead, director Cha Eun-taek has the famous faces hidden behind sheet music, huddled together like a devout church choir. It's a far cry from Cha's previous work, such as the "Hangover" video starring Psy and Snoop Dogg. "When I called everyone they were extremely happy to be part of the music video, and those who could not make it were extremely regretful," said veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, who helped organize the project. Ahn has been at the forefront of several cultural projects that support religious causes, such as narrating a biopic about the life of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, the country's first Catholic cardinal and a much respected figure amongst religious and secular groups. Devoted diva . The number of Catholics in Korea continues to grow, with roughly 100,000 baptisms per year. The baptism du jour is that of pop star Rain (aka. Jung Ji-hoon) in July. Local media widely reported that his actress girlfriend Kim Tae-hee inspired the conversion, and the celebrity rumor mill spelled an impending marriage. Rain's agency Cube Entertainment has rejected the claim: "Rain has indeed been baptized, but this is something he has been meaning to do for some time now. It would be rash to make assumptions about engagement plans." Rain's girlfriend Kim, who rose to international stardom through TV soaps such as Iris, is outspoken on religious beliefs. She had espoused premarital chastity through press interviews early on in her career and continues to make statements on religion through the media. Korean celebrities are far from shy when it comes to expressing their faith, and actors and singers frequently pay religious tributes while making award acceptance speeches onstage. Pop singers including Lee Chang-min of 2AM, Taemin of SHINee and YeSung of Super Junior have been open about being Catholic, as have popular actors Jung Il-woo, Lee Joon-gi and Kim Rae-won. "Korean celebrities convey their religiosity much more openly than their political views. They have been more outspoken and proactive since the 1980s as religion became increasingly secularized here," said culture critic Kim Bongseok. Strong resonation . Protestant Christian celebrities have often been more vocal than their Catholic counterparts, and many are part of well-known church gatherings. HaMiMo is a church group of young screen actresses including Han Hye-jin and Eom Ji-won, while Moonmien includes members of K-pop group such as Girls' Generation, Super Junior and 2NE1 as well as actor Kim Soo-hyun. "These groups are not only for Bible studies and prayer, but also for carrying out volunteer work and networking. It's difficult for celebrities to socialize even if they are in show business together, and mutual religious views often become a strong basis for building friendship or even romance," said an industry insider who asked to remain anonymous. Sooyoung of Girls' Generation has been reported to have met her actor boyfriend Jung Kyung-ho through Moonmien. Meanwhile, celebrities are posting welcome messages for Pope Francis on social media networks. "I hear this is the Pope's first visit to Korea in 25 years, and I wish he could instill hope in youths across Korea and beyond," tweeted RyeoWook of Super Junior. His fellow band member, KangIn, also tweeted: "I would like to welcome Pope Francis' arrival on Aug. 14. I pray you can safely wrap up the four-night, five-day trip and that you can inspire youths across the world with visionary messages." "Pope Francis is particularly respected for making socially meaningful statements, which are resonating strongly among even non-Catholic Koreans. This is largely due to the prevailing sense of anxiousness and mistrust here following recent traumatic events," culture critic Kim said, referring to a ferry sinking earlier this year that left hundreds dead. | About 10% of the South Korean population is Catholic, including some of the country's most famous pop stars .
A music video was made with 20 celebs to celebrate the Pope's first visit to Korea in a quarter of a century .
Pop sensation Rain, figure skating star Kim Yuna amongst the devoted . |
174,977 | 6e79ab6d454ef70c4c5bc93dd2616780c93c903b | (CNN) -- The accelerating pace of the slaughter of elephants for their tusks has put African elephants at catastrophic risk in the coming decades. To make matters worse, some of the region's most notorious armed groups are taking tusks to finance their atrocities. The Somali terrorists of al-Shabaab, the Sudanese government-supported janjaweed militia that has been responsible for much of the violence during the Darfur genocide, and the Lord's Resistance Army, which has kidnapped hundreds of boys and girls across central Africa to be fighters and sex slaves, are participating in this illegal trade. These groups typically kill elephants using the automatic weapons that they also use to kill people. And as the militants become more involved in the poaching business, they apply the same lack of discrimination in killing elephants that they have demonstrated with their human victims. For example, poachers thought to be janjaweed from Sudan, working with Chadians, allegedly killed at least 86 elephants, including calves and 33 pregnant females, over the course of a week. The International Fund for Animal Welfare found that at least 400 elephants were slaughtered between January and March 2012 at the Bouba Ndjida National Park in Cameroon. Animal rights groups say poaching is worse than it's been in decades. They say it may be even worse than it was in the 1980s, before the international ban on ivory was put in place. Watch: Fighting the Lord's Resistance Army slaughter of elephants . Typically, the elephants are killed only for their tusks. Poachers often hack off their trunks first and then their tusks with hacksaws and machetes, and leave the bodies to rot. Some Lord's Resistance Army groups have reportedly eaten the meat of some of the elephants they have killed, which is not surprising given their frequent hand-to-mouth existence in the bush. This appalling reality presents an opportunity for conservation groups and anti-atrocity and human rights groups to join forces to combat the threat posed to people and elephants by these armed groups. Achim Steiner, U.N. undersecretary general and the U.N. Environment Program's executive director, said, "The surge in the killing of elephants in Africa and the illegal taking of other listed species globally threatens not only wildlife populations but the livelihoods of millions who depend on tourism for a living and the lives of those wardens and wildlife staff who are attempting to stem the illegal tide." According to a report released in March 2013 by UNEP, 17,000 elephants in monitored reserves were killed in 2011. The toll climbed in 2012. The number of elephants killed for their tusks has exploded in recent years because of high prices from rising global demand for ivory, particularly in China and Thailand. The pace of killing outstrips wild elephants' natural reproductive replacement rate. Armed groups take advantage of the increasing value of ivory to fund their atrocities. Their fighters have the training and weapons to kill large numbers of elephants and trade their tusks for arms, ammunition and food. The Enough Project and the Satellite Sentinel Project recently released a report focused on the LRA's poaching of elephant tusks in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Garamba National Park. The LRA, whose leader Joseph Kony is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has for decades terrorized the people of central Africa. Other groups, such as al-Shabaab and the janjaweed, seem to have made similar calculations. Ivory poaching for profit by armed groups is not new. In the 1970s, according to University of London researcher Keith Sommerville, the South African military partly funded its support of white Rhodesian forces fighting African rebel groups through revenue from the killing of elephants in Rhodesia, which was then legal. Rebels in Angola and Mozambique, also supported by South Africa, took tusks and sold them through South Africa. Both poaching and armed groups such as the LRA arise from a vacuum of governance. Indeed, The New York Times correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman and others say that members of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda have participated in the illegal ivory trade as well. Only effective local, national, and transnational action can stop this horror. Anti-atrocity groups such as the Enough Project can advocate for actions to shut off the demand for ivory in Asia. Conservation groups could broaden their focus to include efforts to end wars that have created a symbiotic relationship between ivory poaching and civilian suffering. Both types of organizations should emphasize the longer-term requirement for effective governance to lessen the likelihood of war and ivory poaching. Joint and parallel action could tap activist organizations, increase the pressure on policymakers for action and broaden the knowledge about both of these problems among those who previously had focused on only one. The combined efforts of conservation and human rights groups could spur the efforts of governments and international organizations to slow the destruction of the African elephant and free the people of east and central Africa from the threat of Joseph Kony and his ilk. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, one that could help stop the massacre of both humans and animals in Africa. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Quarterman. | Number of elephants killed for tusks is rising as demand for ivory soars, especially in Asia .
Mark Quarterman: Africa's militant groups kill elephants for tusks to fund their atrocities .
Quarterman: Future grim as the pace of killing outstrips ability to replace deaths with births .
Human rights and conservation groups, he says, should combine efforts to stop suffering . |
153,039 | 51c77e79a5a4ded9d4ad501acdfa60b2a115c069 | (CNN) -- At least 38 people have died in mudslides on the Portuguese island of Madeira, which was hit by heavy downpours overnight, an official told CNN on Saturday. Pedro Barbosa, the vice president of the Civil Protection Agency in Madeira, told CNN that an unknown number of people were missing -- perhaps dozens, he said. The mudslides and flooding caused substantial damage to roads and homes in the capital, Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava, which are both on the southern portion of the Atlantic island, which lies about 600 miles southwest of Portugal, Barbosa said. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Interior Minister Rui Pereira arrived on the island on Saturday, according to CNN affiliate Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP). Socrates told RTP that "the situation is under control" and the government is offering all its support to regional authorities. The country's president, Cavaco Silva, expressed his condolences to the people of Madeira in a televised statement and promised to do everything to help "during this difficult time." Pedro Ramos of Dr. Nelio Mendonca Hospital in Funchal, told CNN that 68 wounded people were hospitalized from the mudslides and flooding. Three were critical, he said. The vice president of Madeira's regional government had tallied 68 victims with injuries, according to the official Lusa news agency. The floodwaters overturned cars and knocked down trees, Barbosa said. Authorities have evacuated hundreds of people to military and civil protection facilities in Funchal, he said. Search and rescue teams have been reinforced, but haven't been able to reach every area, according to the Civil Protection Agency. The Portuguese military has dispatched five teams to help with search and rescue efforts, it announced on its Web site. The military is also ready to shelter up to 130 people where 50 people are already staying, it said. Barbosa said weather conditions have substantially improved, with the rains winding down. Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a popular resort destination. There have been no reports of any dead or missing tourists. CNN's Umaro Djau contributed to this report. | NEW: Portuguese military has dispatched five teams to help with search and rescue efforts .
NEW: Weather has substantially improved, civil protection official says .
Madeira hit by heavy downpours overnight, triggering mudslide that killed at least 38 .
Unknown number of people, perhaps dozens, are missing, official tells CNN . |
244,855 | c8e972b95583ed20a09f766f17f0fb892e7a8c1b | A mother under investigation for letting her two young children walk a mile home from the park by themselves has spoken out to publicly defend 'free-range parenting'. Danielle Meitiv appeared on the Today show Monday morning with her children Rafi, 10, and Dvora, six. Just before Christmas, the two children were walking about a mile home from a park near their Maryland home when police officers stopped them and asked why they were alone. The officers escorted the Meitiv children home, launching a Child Protective Services investigation into Danielle and her husband Alexander's competence as parents. But Mrs Meitiv doesn't think she they did anything wrong in giving her children a little independence. Scroll down for video . What's wrong? Danielle Meitiv (right) appeared on the Today show on Monday with her 10-year-old son Rafi (center) and 6-year-old daughter Dvora about a month after Child Protective Services launched an investigation because she let the two walk home from a park alone . Walking home alone: Rafi said his parents let him take short walks alone or with his sister in a practice known as 'free-range parenting' 'We're just doing what our parents did. It was considered perfectly normal just one generation ago,' she said on Today. Free-range parenting is the name given to a style of raising kids in opposition to so-called 'helicopter parenting'. 'Helicopter parents' are named for their habit of hovering over their offspring, micro-managing their lives in an attempt to keep them safe. However critics believe this creates under-confident, over-reliant children, while also causing the parents stress. Free-range parents advocate a more hands-off approach, where children are allowed to go out and experience the world on their own. Instead of constantly monitoring activities to make sure children are safe, the emphasis is put on adults assessing risk ahead of time, and equipping children with the skills to deal with danger themselves. Mrs Meitiv admits that the walk back from the park was longer than her two kids had taken before, but says she wasn't worried because they have been on several shorter walks together with no issues. 'Well I've walked home from school before. Not with my sister, but I've done it alone,' 10-year-old Rafi said. 'We walked around the block a lot and we walk home from another park which is just around the block. The Meitivs describe themselves as 'free-range parents' who encourage their two children to take journeys without supervision in order to build confidence and teach them about the outside world. Usually they have the kids carry around a card that reads 'I'm not lost. I'm a free range kid' but they left them behind that day when they went to the park that was a bit further away from their house. Someone saw the two kids walking alone and called 911, and about three police officers stopped the children as they were about halfway home. While Mrs Meitiv says her children assured the officers that they knew where they were going, the police escorted them home to talk to her husband, Alexander Meitiv. Mrs Meitiv wasn't home at the time, but says the officers were aggressive to her husband, and that her son called her crying, fearing that he would be arrested. 'He was shocked. He sees three police officers with our kids. And they didn't really explain what was going on so it was kind of uncomfortable. They asked for ID. He said he felt they were really aggressive,' she said. Journey: On December 20, the brother and sister were walking about a mile home from this park when a citizen called 911 after seeing the two without their parents . When Child Protective Services later showed up at the house, she says they threatened her husband if he didn't sign a form, promising to supervise his children at all times until a follow up appointment. 'He said I don't want to sign this without talking to a lawyer or talking to my wife. And she said if you don't sign this we're going to take the children right now and she called the police,' she said. The Meitivs are still under investigation by CPS. Mrs Meitiv says she understands why other parents wouldn't let their children walk alone, but doesn't believe her decision to give her children more freedom makes her a bad mother. 'I think what's really unfortunate is we're really overestimating the danger and underestimating our children. 'And in fact what's really sad is that by driving our kids instead of letting them walk, we're actually endangering them more because the number one cause of death for children this age are actually car accidents. 'So letting children walk is not only good for their health, it's actually safer than driving.' Parenting choice: Mrs Meitiv (pictured) says she and husband Alexander often let their children Rafi, ten, and Dvora, six, walk alone to teach them about the world . Play time: Danielle (left) and Alex Meitiv (right) pictured with their two children at the park . The Meitiv children pictured outside the National Gallery in Washington, DC this month . Alex and Danielle have yet to learn whether any further action will be taken against them, but say whatever happens next, the experience has left them furious. Mrs Meitiv previously told the Washington Post: 'I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an essential part of growing up and maturing. 'We feel we’re being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly disagree with.' A CPS spokeswoman told the Post that they couldn't comment on individual cases, but pointed to state law which says children under eight must be left with a responsible person aged at least 13. Police said they could not find information on the case, but a spokeswoman said that when concerns are reported, 'we have a responsibility as part of our duty to check on people’s welfare.' | On December 20 police were called after Danielle Meitiv's children were spotted alone, walking about a mile home from the park .
Child Protection Services were called and accused parents of neglect .
Mrs Meitiv appeared on the Today show on Monday to defend 'free-range parenting'
She and her husband let their children go on regular walks alone to build confidence . |
243,027 | c68cb0592aee75a3b8478a9dc9c622ffb64974af | By . Thomas Durante and Michael Zennie . PUBLISHED: . 23:16 EST, 10 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:52 EST, 11 December 2012 . The family of a Mexican-American singer whose plane crashed on Sunday is refusing to give up hope that she will be found alive. Jenni Rivera's brother said last night the family has not accepted that she died when her private jet went down in the mountains outside Monterrey, Mexico - despite her half-melted river's license being found at the crash site. 'In our eyes, we still have faith that our sister will be OK,' Rivera's brother Juan told reporters outside the family house near Long Beach, California, on Monday. 'We thank God for the life that he has . given my sister,' said Juan Rivera, also a singer. 'For all the triumphs . and successes she has had, and we expect that there will be more in the . future.' Scroll down for video . Mourning: Jacqueline Rivera, daughter of Jenni Rivera, arrived at her grandparents' home on Monday - where the Mexican-American singer's family is still holding out hope she is alive . Missing: Authorities in northern Mexico are confirming that a small plane carrying Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera has disappeared . Shocking: Jenni Rivera's mangled driving license was found near the wreckage of the plane crash that killed the singer and reality star on Sunday . No bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the Learjet LJ25 that disappeared from radar 10 minutes after taking off from Monterrey early Sunday, where Rivera had performed a concert. 'There is nothing recognizable, neither material nor human in the wreckage,' transportation ad communication minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza told the Televisa network. It was revealed on Monday that seven years ago, a fuel system malfunction on the 1969 Learjet 25 caused one of the plane's wings to weigh more than the other and crash while it was attempting to take off from an Amarillo, Texas, airstrip. The 43-year-old plane- which was the same age as the famed singer on board- was approved for flight after transportation safety officials checked out the fuel systems following the 2005 incident. The cause of Sunday's crash remains unknown, but investigators with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board are assisting Mexican authorities. The wreckage was spread 300 feet from the point of impact outside Monterrey, Mexico. Rivera . and the six other people aboard the plane - two pilots and four members . of her entourage - are presumed dead, though authorities have found no . bodies amid the debris. Searchers: Forensic experts arrived at the crash scene at El Tejocote ranch by helicopter on Monday . Speaking out: Jenni Rivera's uncle Octavo was one of the family members who gathered at the home of Jenni's mother to mourn . Fears: This photo of Jenni Rivera, right, taken aboard her private jet, may be the last photo taken of the singer . The 43-year-old mother of five is already being mourned by her family in Lakewood, California, and her millions of fans. River was revered for her soulful voice and her openness about her personal struggles. 'I want to thank you all for your . support, and please remember her with all your heart,' Rivera's father . Pedro said outside his Lakewood, California, home. The U.S.-registered Learjet 25 went missing early Sunday after taking off from the city of Monterrey. Widespread: Searchers used helicopters as they looked for pieces of the wreckage and attempted to recover bodies from the mountainous area where the plane went down . Discovery: It appears that one of the pilots was inexperienced, based on the temporary airman's certificate found at the crash site . Mourning: Fans left candles at a makeshift memorial outside the home of Jenni Rivera in California . Jorge Domene, spokesman for Nuevo . Leon's government, said the plane left Monterrey about 3.30am after a . concert there and aviation authorities lost contact with the craft about . 10 minutes later. It had been scheduled to arrive in Toluca, outside Mexico City, about an hour later. Jose Antonio Gonzalez, the . mayor of the town of Iturbide in Nuevo Leon state, said earlier the plane had . been located in the municipality of Los Tejocotes. Domene says a search for the plane was launched early Sunday, with helicopters from the local civilian protection agency flying over the state. Seven people including the star's publicist, . Arturo Rivera, lawyer, makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, and the flight crew were believed to be aboard, the ministry of transportation and . communication said in a statement. Grieving: Fans set up a memorial of candles and flowers outside of the Basilica de Guadalupe in the same region as where the plane crashed on Sunday . Support: Relative embrace as they entered the home of Jenni's mother in Lakewood, California (left) and her brother Gustavo (right) was one of the family members to congregate . Missing mother: Jacqueline Rivera, the daughter of the late singer, is escorted into her grandmother's home . Family: Rivera was not traveling with any relatives at the time of her death . Disaster: Rivera was headed for a suburb of Mexico City when her plane crashed . Onstage: Rivera performs at the 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami in this April 23, 2009 file photo . The 43-year-old who was born and raised in Long Beach, California, is known for her interpretations of Mexican regional music known as Nortena and banda. She recently won two Billboard Mexican Music Awards: Female Artist of the Year and Banda Album of the Year for 'Joyas prestadas: Banda.' Her famous songs include 'La Gran Senora' and 'De Contrabando.' As her fans awaited news on the search, even some celebrities took to Twitter to voice their concern. Latin songstress Gloria Estefan . tweeted: 'OMG! Just heard about @jennirivera Praying for her and her . family during this difficult & uncertain time!' Wreckage: Officials say almost nothing remains of the Learjet that crashed in El Tejote locality, Nuevo Leon State, Mexico . Better times: Rivera is pictured with her third husband, former baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza. The couple divorced in October . Rescue crew: The plane crashed at such high speed that it was torn toe pieces, leaving nothing recognizable in the wreckage . Sensation: The 43-year-old who was born and raised in Long Beach, California, is known for her interpretations of Mexican regional music known as Nortena and banda . Reality TV: Rivera currently stars in I Love Jenni on the Mun2 network, and had just signed on to play the lead in a new ABC sitcom . Gossip guru Perez Hilton added: 'I am praying for them all!' Mexican songstress and actress Lucero wrote on her Twitter account: 'What terrible news! Rest in peace ... My deepest condolences for her family and friends.' Rivera's colleague on the Mexican show 'The Voice of Mexico,' pop star Paulina Rubio, said on her Twitter account: 'My friend! Why? There is no consolation. God, please help me!' Rivera, the daughter of immigrant parents, has sold some 15 million records in . her career and won several awards and Grammy nominations, her website . said. She also currently stars in the . reality TV show I Love Jenni on the Mun2 network, as well as Jenni . Rivera Presents: Chiquis and Raq-C and her daughter's Chiquis 'n . Control. The singer, businesswoman and actress appeared in the movie Filly Brown, as the incarcerated mother of Filly Brown. She divorced former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza in October after two years. It was her third marriage. Concern: Singer Gloria Estefan was shocked to learn the news about Rivera's plane . Saddened: Celebrity gossip guru Perez Hilton also voiced concern about the ordeal via Twitter . After the concert in Monterrey on Saturday night, she gave a press conference during which she spoke of her emotional state following the divorce. She said: 'I can't get caught up in the negative because that destroys you. Perhaps trying to move away from my problems and focus on the positive is the best I can do. 'I am a woman like any other and ugly things happen to me like any other women. The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up.' She has five children from prior relationships. Three days ago, it was reported that Rivera had agreed to shoot a pilot for a new ABC sitcom called Jenni. Family: Rivera, right, poses with her daughter Jenicka at her quinceañera party . Plane: Rivera was a passenger aboard a private Learjet like the one seen here. Four others, including the pilot, are believed to be on board . | Learjet carrying Rivera and six other people lost contact after departing from Monterrey, Mexico .
Other passengers include her lawyer, publicist and make-up artist .
Records show the plane malfunctioned in 2005 .
Rivera is the star of the reality TV series I Love Jenni on the Mun2 network . |
51,263 | 911dce0f8096e6ebf4dfca7f9efebe0d1e908c0d | By . John Drayton . Romelu Lukaku flew home from Belgium's World Cup campaign in Brazil and was already looking ahead to the European Championships in two year's time. The Chelsea striker came off the bench in his side's defeat to Argentina at the weekend as the Red Devils were knocked out of the World Cup. But Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Everton, was taking the positives from the tournament and was already looking forward. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Lukaku scores a long distance curler for Belgium . Looking to the future: Romelu Lukaku and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois smile for the camera as they fly home . Up in the air: Romelu Lukaku has not yet discussed his Chelsea future with Jose Mourinho . Going home: Lukaku and his Belgium team-mates were eliminated from the World Cup by Argentina . VIDEO Lukaku scores long distance curler . He posted a picture of him and . goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on the plane back to Belgium with the . message: 'Thanks for our support! You're awesome! Strive for greatness . for the euro 2016!' The striker is set to go on holiday but admits when he returns he does not know where his club future will lie. The striker says there have been no talks about his future at Chelsea and he is unsure where he will be next season. ‘I have a few ideas but we’ll see,’ said Lukaku. ‘I have to think about it. Got the blues: Lukaku was not in favour with Mourinho and was sent out on loan last season . Hit: The Belgian striker was a key player on loan at Everton, where he helped their top-four charge . ‘I want to . be somewhere where I can play my best football and hopefully win . titles. There are choices to make. Things like that happen in football . and I’m confident I will make the right choice.’ Asked . whether he had spoken to anyone at Chelsea since he left to go on loan, . he said: ‘No, not yet. It depends what is the best for me, where the . most ambition is and where is the best place for me to do develop as a . young player. ‘I’m still 21 but I think I’m experienced enough. I’ve played a lot of games and scored a lot of goals, now I want to win titles and be one of the best.’ | Lukaku looking ahead to Euro 2016 with Belgium team .
Striker not yet certain where he will play next season .
Chelsea striker has had spells on loan with West Brom and Everton .
Belgium eliminated from World Cup after 1-0 defeat by Argentina . |
68,791 | c3117cc4244a309bc2b5286df60c0d14de032a43 | By . Snejana Farberov . A New York healthcare firm is under fire for allegedly forcing employees to join prayer circles, thank God for having jobs and say 'I love you' to co-workers and managers. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a discrimination lawsuit Wednesday against United Health Programs of America and its parent company, Cost Containment Group. The EEOC says the Long Island company required employees to practice a belief system called 'Harnessing Happiness' or 'Onionhead.' It includes praying, discussing personal matters with colleagues and reading spiritual texts. Under fire: The EEOC has sued Syosset-based United Health Programs of America owned by Cost Containment Group, claiming that staff have been forced to practice the Harnessing Happiness or Onionhead belief system . The agency says employees of the Syosset-based firm who objected were disciplined or terminated. Staffers were required to wear 'Onionhead' buttons to work; read spiritual texts; keep a dim lighting in the office and burn candles, the lawsuit stated. 'Onionhead' was created by a relative of the company owners, according to court filings. The EEOC stated the New-Age religious practices have been in place since 2007. ‘While religious or spiritual practices may indeed provide comfort and community to many people, it is critical to be aware that federal law prohibits employers from coercing employees to take part in them,’ Sunu Chandy, senior trial attorney for the EEOC, told Newsday. The Harnessing Happiness Foundation describes 'Onionhead' as a belief system that was created two decades ago by a mother and daughter to guide people to more harmonious and successful lives. 'Cult of happiness:' The Harnessing Happiness Foundation describes 'Onionhead' as a belief system that was created 20 years ago by a mother and daughter, who are reportedly related to the owner of the insurance company . Inappropriate: Staffers were required to tell one another and managers 'I love you,' and thank god for having jobs . The complaint against the Long Island-based insurance firm and its parent company was first brought by three former employees, according to New York Daily News. Elizabeth Ontaneda, Francine Pennisi and Faith Pabon allegedly had been demoted and later let go for refusing to attend meetings with Denali Jordan to discuss divine paths and moral codes. Jordan reportedly was in charge of enforcing 'Onionhead' practices in the workplace. After Pennisi publicly denounced 'Onionhead,' declaring that she was Catholic, the woman was ousted from her office and replaced with a statue of Buddha, according to the lawsuit. Ms Jordan reportedly attributed the woman's resistance to the 'Onionhead' way to demonic intervention. Fringe faith: Since 2007, company employees have been forced to wear 'Onionhead' buttons and read spiritual texts . Zen retaliation: When a staffer refused to discuss moral codes with a supervisor, she was allegedly banished from her office and replaced with a Buddha statue . The EEOC is asking a judge to stop the practices and ensure employees receive back pay and other compensation. Both Denali Jordan and United Health Programs of . America have denied the allegations laid out in the federal lawsuit, . deeming them without merit. | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed discrimination lawsuit against United Health Programs of America and its parent company .
Lawsuit alleges employees were forced to practice belief system called 'Harnessing Happiness' or 'Onionhead' created 20 years ago .
At least three workers were allegedly terminated for refusing to attend prayer sessions and follow 'Onionhead' practices .
One staffer was allegedly removed from her office for resisting 'Onionhead' and replaced with Buddha statue .
Workers have been required to keep office lights dim; burn candles; talk to supervisors about personal matters and wear 'Onionhead' buttons . |
32,296 | 5bdb7a804588818394a2895fc7cbaf523a3c3ca5 | The son of firebrand Islamist cleric Abu Hamza was leader of a gang who kidnapped a man and tortured him over a £15,000 debt. Tito Ibn Sheikh, 28, was jailed for 12 years after a jury agreed he 'orchestrated the violence' inflicted on restaurant worker Hassan Monawwer over three days. Mr Monawwer was knifed, strangled almost to death and battered with a metal bar and wooden cosh in three separate locations before armed police burst in to save him. Family values: Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, whose son Tito Ibn Sheikh was jailed for 12 years for kidnapping and torturing a restaurant worker said to have owed £15,000 to his friend . Sheikh, who is one of nine children of Hamza, was convicted last year, but a judge banned reports on his family ties to avoid prejudicing jurors. But last week after he and an accomplice unsuccessfully appealed their convictions the court lifted the gag allowing him to be named the the circumstances of the case revealed. Sheikh and friends Adam Abed and Mostafa Dawoud snatched Mr Monawwer in Acton, west London, in 2012. They subjected him to an ordeal of violence over £15,000 he was said to owe to Abed, the Sun on Sunday reports. Yet in an effort to extort even more money, the trio told his family they would sell him to another gang unless they came up with £25,000 ransom. Prosecutors said: 'His neck was squeezed so hard he thought his tongue would pop out.' Scammers: Hamza Mustafa Kamel, Mohamed Kamel Mostafa and Mohssin Ghailan, the three sons of jailed hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza who exploited a loophole in the vehicle registration system to steal luxury cars . Hamza, 58, has nine children – six sons, two daughters and a stepson. Five of his sons are now known to have criminal records. Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, Hamza's eldest son, was jailed for plotting to blow up British tourists. He was accused of masterminding a plot to sabotage economic and tourist sites in Yemen in August 1999, when he was just 17. He returned to London in January 2002 after serving three years in prison in the Arab state. Six years later he was jailed again, along with his brother Hamza Mustafa Kamel and their step-brother Mohssin Ghailam. Imran Mostafa was jailed after being convicted of armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm over a raid on a jewellers in King's Lynn, Norfolk. The trio operated a £1million luxury car scam which involved exploiting a DVLA loophole to steal BMW, Mercedes and other luxury brand cars, which they then either sold on or used as collateral to make fraudulent loans. Although they were investigated by anti-terror police there was no evidence they used the cash for terrorist purposes. 'They just used the cash to party,' a source said at the time. In 2012, another of Hamza's sons, Imran Mostafa, was jailed after being convicted of armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm over a smash and grab raid on a jewellers in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Hamza himself faces life in jail in the U.S. after he was convicted of 11 terrorism charges. Meanwhile, his second wife Najat Mostafa, 55, mother of seven of his children, lives in a £1.25million five-bedroom council house in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. | Tito Ibn Sheikh's role in the plot could not be reported until now .
He was one of three men who kidnapped Hassan Monnawwer .
Mr Monawwer survived being knifed, strangled and battered . |
251,994 | d2276cf9fd5dddcc197dd6879a49e808e6efb230 | Watford striker Odion Ighalo is the hottest property in English football since the turn of the year and is driving the his side towards the Premier League. The striker has scored 13 goals in nine games in 2015 as Slavisa Jokanovic’s men remain in the top six and in the hunt for a return to the Premier League. He has scored more goals this year than both Harry Kane and Danny Ings and is the top scorer in all four professional divisions in England in 2015. Odion Ighalo celebrates with Troy Deeney after he scored against Rotherham . Ighalo has scored 13 goals in 2015 - the highest in English football . Ighalo netted just four goals up until December 28 but has really found a rich vein of form since then. The 25-year-old was born in Lagos and began his career in Nigeria before moving to Watford’s partner club Udinese in 2008. His first real break came when he moved to Spain with Granada – who also have links with Watford – and he scored 35 goals over two loan spells. Ighalo joined Watford initially on loan at the beginning of the season before making the deal permanent in October. His nine goals this year – including four against Blackpool and two apiece against Charlton, Brentford and Rotherham – have attracted interest. Ighalo scored just four goals in the first half of the season - but has bagged 13 since the turn of the year . Watford manager Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to put the emphasis on the team rather than individuals . But manager Jokanovic is not keen to heap praise on any individual. Speaking earlier this month, he said: ‘There is no memory in football - this game is already history and so is his [Odion Ighalo] part in it. ‘Ighalo is just doing his job - he is in a good moment. ‘The team won the match, not just one player. They will see his name first but behind are many others.’ | Odion Ighalo has scored 13 goals in nine games for Watford in 2015 .
Watford are pushing for promotion and are sixth in the Championship .
Ighalo scored two goals in Watford's 3-0 win over Rotherham on Tuesday . |
108,563 | 17fb9030b00962c3acece73e4276fdf473bf9a39 | Paul Pogba's elder brother Mathias has signed for Crawley Town. Former Wrexham and Crewe Alexandra striker Mathias was a free agent after leaving Serie B side Pescara and has joined on a deal until the end of the season. The 24-year-old Guinea international, whose brother Paul is starring for Juventus, also has a twin, Florentin, playing for St Etienne . Mathias Pogba has signed a short-term deal at Crawley Town after leaving Serie B side Pescara . Mathias' brother Paul, pictured playing for current side Juventus, is one of the world's best midfielders . Paul (Juventus and France) - Serie A: 2012–13, 2013–14, Italian Super Cup: 2012, 2013 . Mathias (Crawley and Guinea) - No major honours . 'Mathias can play anywhere across the front or out wide so he gives us options,' interim boss Dean Saunders told Crawley Town's website. 'He’s got all the attributes and he has proved before he can score goals at this level. I think he could make a big contribution for us over the next few months.' Pogba is in contention to make his Crawley debut at Yeovil Town's Huish Park on Saturday while his brother takes on Italian giants AC Milan just hours later - and the forward has been given the club's No 28 shirt. Mathias has decided to keep it in the family by joining Crawley as the League One outfit share the same nickname as Paul's former side Manchester United. Paul joined Juventus in 2012 after failing to break into then manager Sir Alex Ferguson's first team plans . Paul left United for Juventus in 2012 after failing to hold down a first team spot at Old Trafford. Crawley themselves were extremely active on their own Twitter account on deadline day. One tweet, accompanied with a photo of the chairman's car-parking space and a taped-on 'SERGIO AGUERO' name badge, read: 'Close to getting our man! Hopefully the Chairman's car parking space seals it... #DeadlineDay.' | Mathias Pogba has joined Crawley on a deal until the end of the season .
The 24-year-old played for Wrexham and Crewe before moving to Italy .
Mathias could make debut against Yeovil on Saturday while younger brother Paul takes on AC Milan just hours later . |
247,720 | cc8af6734608949eac0a80e7d184ed25805b969b | By . Travelmail Reporter . England football fans heading to Brazil for the World Cup could be able to get a taste of home as a chef negotiates the rights to sell fish and chips. Mario Freitas Do Valle is in talks with FIFA to sell the traditional dish at the 46,000-seater stadium where England will play their first fixture against Italy. The Brazilian chef said he fell in love with Britain's favourite meal on a visit to Aberdeen in 2001, adding he will also be putting Scottish favourite, deep-fried Mars bar, on his menu. World Cup treat: England fans heading to the Arena da Amazonia could be able to buy fish and chips . Now he's negotiating a deal with FIFA to sell fish suppers at Arena da Amazonia in Manaus, and wants to serve them up in special cones in team colours priced at £2. He already has queues of tourists and locals outside his restaurant wanting to try the dish. Mario – known locally as Super Mario - said: ‘The people who are coming here will love them.‘The fish and chips are a bit different from the ones in Britain but they are becoming just as popular. ‘We have had lines of people out of the door coming to try them in our restaurant and we expect there will be 4,000 fans eating them at every game.’ Dish with a twist: The Brazilian chef puts his own spin on the classic English fish and chips . Outlet: Mario Freitas Do Valle is in talks to serve fish and chips in his Brazil restaurant . Instead of cod or haddock, Mario uses tabaqui, an Amazonian fish, and cuts it in half, then grills it before deep-frying it in batter. He already sells eight tonnes a month through different outlets in Brazil. Mario, the first Brazilian member of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) said: 'We didn't have fish and chips in Brazil. ‘In Manaus, restaurants selling fish were either really expensive or really cheap - and not safe to eat in. Fan: Mario Freitas Do Valle said he fell in love with Britain's favourite meal on a visit to Aberdeen in 2001 . ‘But I remembered Aberdeen and the fish and chips I had and thought it would work.‘It has really taken off.’ England boss Roy Hodgson gave the fish and chips the thumbs up when he visited Mario's restaurant last month with Alex Ellis, the UK's Ambassador to Brazil. Mario said: ‘They came to see the stadium and how everything was going for the World Cup and they tried them. ‘Roy Hodgson said they were a bit different from the ones in Croydon, where he grew up, because they had less vinegar and didn't come with mushy peas. But he really liked them. ‘I think the England fans will be in for an amazing surprise when they come here for the first match against Italy on June 13. ‘I hope they win the match but it is our home tournament and everyone is football mad in Brazil and we won't accept second place.’ Andrew Crook, NFFF secretary joked: ‘It will probably take more than good fish and chips for England to win.’ | Chef wants to sell traditional English dish in team-coloured cones .
He said he fell in love with fish and chips when visiting Aberdeen in 2001 .
He also plans to put deep-fried Mars Bar on the menu . |
52,303 | 942d96864aa1a2fac5ae80195b11d0de675af70d | Two seats will be contested at the General Election where the majority of voters were born overseas. A record four million people born abroad will be able to vote in May after a decade of mass immigration, a study predicted yesterday. The figure – up 500,000 since the last election – represents one-tenth of the electorate. In a historic development, more than half of those eligible to vote in London’s East Ham and Brent North seats were born overseas. In two seats - East Ham and Brent North - more than half of voters were born outside the UK . In 10 areas outside the capital at least a quarter of voters are foreign born, according to the study . Such voters will make up a third of the electorate in another 25 seats, and at least a quarter in a further 50 constituencies, according to experts at Manchester University. Their report says those born abroad are likely to hold the balance of power in 20 key constituencies – including 12 Labour marginals, six Tory seats and two held by the Lib Dems. The country that provides the most foreign-born voters in England and Wales is India, followed by Pakistan, the Republic of Ireland and Bangladesh. The figures, compiled for the Migrants’ Rights Network, include up to two million immigrants granted British citizenship since 2000. About 200,000 applications are now approved every year – or one every two-and-a-half minutes. Large numbers arrived when New Labour was operating an ‘open-door’ immigration policy – a strategy designed, according to Labour adviser Andrew Neather, to ‘rub the Right’s nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date’. The 3.98million voters born overseas includes up to a million from the Commonwealth who do not have British citizenship. Former Labour minister Barry Gardiner is the MP in Brent North while shadow minister Stephen Timms is MP for East Ham . Recent analysis by MigrationWatch UK, based on the 2011 census, showed there are 960,000 who have the right to vote in England and Wales. Under arcane rules, citizens of 54 independent sovereign states can register on the electoral roll as long as they have an address in Britain. In many cases, the arrangements are not reciprocal. Britons are not allowed to vote in Canada, Australia or the three most populous countries in the Commonwealth – India, Pakistan and Nigeria. In 2008, a report commissioned by the then prime minister Gordon Brown called for changes in the rules to prevent Commonwealth nationals without UK citizenship from voting in general elections. The report was never acted upon by the Labour Government – nor has the issue been addressed by the Coalition. MigrationWatch has suggested that ‘one possible reason’ why Labour ignored the report was that minority voters are more likely to support the party. The Runnymede Trust, an anti-racism organisation, found that 68 per cent of these voters backed Labour in the 2010 election. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats received just 16 per cent and 14 per cent of their votes respectively. The authors of yesterday’s report said that although migrants will not vote as a bloc, patterns suggest they are likely to prefer parties viewed as ‘positive’ about race equality and immigration. They added that the growing significance of the ‘migrant vote’ is being largely ignored by the main parties. Co-author Robert Ford told The Guardian: ‘Migrant voters are almost as numerous as current Ukip supporters, but they are widely overlooked and risk being increasingly disaffected by mainstream politics and the fierce rhetoric around immigration caused partly by the rise of Ukip. ‘Britain is more than ever an outward-facing, globalised country with a huge, hardworking, mobile electorate born overseas. However, the political debate fails to reflect that contemporary reality in any meaningful way. Ukip have made all the running with the immigration debate in the past few years and we have seen all of the parties looking to offer a harder line on migrants. ‘But there is another side to this debate – millions of hardworking British citizens who came to this country from abroad who find this kind of rhetoric profoundly alienating. ‘If the parties do not respond to that then they face lasting damage as this electorate is only going to become more significant.’ EU citizens are permitted to vote in local elections but not Parliamentary contests. This week, Ukip’s Nigel Farage said they should also be barred from any future referendum on EU membership. Last night MigrationWatch chairman Lord Green of Deddington said: ‘This report underlines the absurdity of giving the vote in Britain to foreign citizens from Commonwealth countries which do not give the vote to British residents in their own countries. ‘This is an issue which has been ducked for too long. It is not a question of hostility. It is a question of honesty and common sense.' | In East Ham and Brent North more than 50% of voters are foreign born .
4million people born overseas will be able to vote in May’s General Election .
Number is up by 500,000 in only five years and represents one in 10 voters . |
252,702 | d309637c82592a44296002c4ad9183cad717270d | (CNN) -- The violence and bloodshed on the streets of Kiev has left Ukraine on the "brink of catastrophe," according to one of the nation's most famous sons. Sergey Bubka, a man known across the world for his record-breaking exploits as a pole vault champion, has been left shellshocked by the scenes in his home country. From Sochi, where he is trying to salvage the spirit of Ukraine's athletes at the Winter Olympics, Bubka has watched on in horror as anti-government protestors clash with police. "I couldn't believe that has happened in my country," the 50-year-old, who is head of Ukraine's Olympic Committee, told CNN in Sochi Thursday. "Ukraine is so nice and the country is beautiful. We are kind, we are friendly and have shown outstanding hospitality in many events. "In this moment, I cannot believe it. We cannot go against each other. We need to understand each other. "We must listen. We must go back to dialogue, save the peace, save our Ukraine and save our nation. " A fragile truce crumbled Thursday as gunfire erupted at Independence Square, where the anti-government protests have been taking place. The head of the protesters' medical service told CNN that at least 100 people have died and 500 were injured. The Ukrainian government has not released an updated figure, but the interior ministry said earlier that one police officer was among the dead. "The reaction is really shocking," added Bubka. "It's difficult to say something because we love our country and our people. "We saw some moves to take the situation in a better direction but then suddenly the real violence started. "We're really sad at what has happened and our team has expressed condolences to the victims who died. We want both parties to settle down and stop this. "We have to try to start the dialogue again because we would love to see peace." The pictures being broadcast across the world have led to shock and condemnation with Bubka and the nation's athletes struggling to come to terms with the events. Also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Bubka held a meeting with his country's 43 athletes in Sochi. The team held a minute's silence instead of wearing black armbands following discussions between the team and the IOC. However, two members of the team withdrew Thursday in a show of solidarity with the protesters in Kiev. Alpine skier Bogdana Matsotska and her father and coach, Oleh Matsotskyy, made a joint announcement on Facebook. "As members of Ukraine's national Olympic team, we are extremely indignant at latest actions by President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who has drenched Ukrainians' last hopes in blood instead of resolving the conflict with Maidan (anti-government protesters) through negotiations, which we had hoped he would when we left for Sochi," they said. "This was the violation of the old principle of the Games -- the Olympic Truce. In solidarity with fighters on the Maidan barricades and as a protest against lawless actions made towards protesters, the lack of responsibility from the side of the president and his lackey government, we refuse further performance at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games." Bubka, who spoke with both athlete and coach before their decision was announced, admits that "it is not an easy time to compete." But he is adamant that Ukraine can be brought together by success in Sochi and through "sporting and Olympic values." Bubka, who won gold at the 1988 Summer Games, has put his hopes in the women's biathlon team which has a great chance of a medal in Friday's 4x6 km relay. "We need this," he said. "We need this and we pray for that. "We discuss with them to give them confidence and eliminate pressure from sport and situation at home. "We tell them we love them and believe in them. 'Do what you do every time. It's your time and it's your day. We need this.' "We want to show to everyone that Ukraine exists and is united through sport and Olympics." Earlier this month Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie broke Bubka's 21-year-old pole vault world record with a 6.16-meter leap in the Ukrainian's home city of Donetsk. | Sergey Bubka tells CNN he wants the violence in Ukraine to stop .
Former Olympic champion wants government and protesters to "start dialogue again"
CNN told at least 100 people have died and 500 injured since Thursday morning .
Two members of Ukraine Winter Olympics team withdraw from Sochi Games . |
93,299 | 0402752a856aed3d677d7afa990ed120a864212b | It was the ranting of a mad woman': Max Clifford's daughter Louise leaves Southwark Crown Court in London, as her father's sex abuse trial continues . The daughter of Max Clifford today told a court that accusations in a letter written by one of his alleged victims were the 'rantings of a mad woman'. Louise Clifford, 42, said the anonymous letter, which accused her father of assaulting a woman more than 35 years earlier, had been written by a 'very disturbed, malicious person'. Southwark Crown Court has heard that the letter was written by a woman who claims to have been abused by the celebrity publicist after meeting him in Spain when she was 15 in 1977. She is one of seven alleged victims of indecent assault in the trial. Giving evidence today, Ms Clifford . told the jury that she felt an 'atmosphere' when her father invited her . to his office to read the letter. 'I knew something was amiss,' she said. 'He showed me and said I’ve received an anonymous letter.' Asked . by defence barrister Richard Horwell QC what her father’s reaction was . to the letter, Ms Clifford said: 'He was just nonplussed. Completely . bewildered by it. It was obviously disturbing. 'It was the ranting of a mad woman. That was my reaction.' During . cross-examination, prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC suggested to Ms . Clifford that the letter reads as though it is written from 'someone . hurt by your father'. Ms Clifford replied: 'I think it reads like a very disturbed, malicious person.' Ms . Clifford, who suffered with juvenile chronic arthritis, said the . condition played a 'significant factor' in her life when she was on . holiday in Spain with her parents in 1983. It . was at this time Clifford is alleged to have put a 12-year-old girl’s . hand on his penis when the youngster joined him and his daughter in a . jacuzzi. The woman is not a complainant in the case as the alleged offence took place abroad, the court has heard. Ms Clifford denied the girl told her about the alleged incident after they had been in the jacuzzi together. 'It’s completely untrue. Utterly, utterly a lie,' she said. 'It didn’t happen. 'I would have been disturbed by it because it would have just been the most awful thing. It just didn’t happen.' Ms Clifford said the allegation was 'very unpleasant'. 'I don’t remember (the woman) and she certainly didn’t come in the jacuzzi with us,' she added. 'If it happened to be true I would say it and say it. 'I would have been disturbed for life.' The court heard Ms Clifford had worked with her father on a daily basis for the last 14 years. Ms Cottage asked Ms Clifford whether her father had driven a 'wedge' between her and her mother. Ms Clifford replied: 'He didn’t.' 'I would have been disturbed for life': Claims that Clifford had forced to 12-year-old girl to touch his penis while they shared a jacuzzi with his daughter were 'completely untrue. Utterly, utterly a lie,' said Miss Clifford . The witness confirmed Clifford had confessed to having an affair when she was 18 and in hospital. 'I absolutely think it didn’t come as a great shock to me because I think I had an inkling,' she said. Asked whether Clifford was 'leading a double life', his daughter replied: 'It worked with his lifestyle easily. He certainly wasn’t living a double life.' The trial continues: Clifford denies 11 charges of sexual assault against seven alleged victims . Ms Clifford told the court she had followed Twitter updates of the trial before today’s hearing but any suggestion she had lied in court was 'absolutely not true'. 'I would not been able to lie on oath,' she said. 'I’m not an actress. I have come here to tell the truth.' Wearing a grey blazer and white shirt, Clifford, from Hersham in Surrey, listened to the evidence with the aid of a hearing loop and smiled at his daughter as she left court. He denies 11 charges of indecent assault against seven women and girls. Earlier, a former winner of television talent show New Faces told the court he never saw Clifford, 70, 'get up to anything untoward'. Singer Tom Waite said he worked with the PR guru after winning the ITV series in 1973 - beating pop band Showaddywaddy in the final - until the Eighties. He said: 'I’ve got no problems with Max’s integrity or anything else. 'I just knew Max was a nice guy. 'I never saw him getting up to anything untoward.' Mr Waite, who told the court he suffers from panic attacks, angrily denied lying for Clifford after he admitted speaking to his former manager before giving a statement to police in January last year. 'I’m getting angry about that actually because I don’t lie,' he said. 'If he’s done something wrong he deserves what’s coming to him.' The trial was adjourned until tomorrow. Clifford denies 11 charges of sexual assault against seven alleged victims. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Louise Clifford appeared in court as a witness for her father's defence .
She denies alleged victim's claims that Clifford abused her as a 12-year-old .
It's claimed Clifford forced girl to touch his penis with his daughter present .
'I would have been disturbed for life,' she says of alleged incident . |
147,974 | 4b5ac9fbfc05abeb58a8564978a70d90d31315e5 | (CNN) -- Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. The list of names of black men killed by white men who have subsequently gone unpunished -- and in the case of Brown and Garner, untried -- continues to grow. In each of these cases, an ugly theme has been raised in defense of the perpetrators: The victims should have known better. Why did Garner resist arrest? Why was Martin wearing a hoodie? Why did Brown not meekly get out of the street when ordered to by a police officer? The reasoning goes that their deaths were triggered by their deeds; they need to be held posthumously accountable for their conduct. When it comes to the actions of their white killers, however, the accountability hawks fall suddenly silent. In their eyes, accountability is apparently only for the dark-skinned (for being "uppity" or vulgar), the poor (for failing to bootstrap themselves into success), the recently immigrated (for failing to "mainstream" into American society) -- and, as we've also seen, for women for failing to avoid sexual predators and LGBTs for being too blatant about their sexuality. A flagrant new example of this "accountability for thee, but not for me" sensibility emerged last week, when New England Cable News reported that actor Mark Wahlberg -- one of Hollywood's most bankable leading men, who scored a staggering $16 million paycheck for his turn as a heroic father and inventor in the most recent "Transformers" movie -- has petitioned Massachusetts for pardon of his brutal assaults on a pair of Vietnamese men, Tranh Lam and Hoa Trinh, while a teenager in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The attacks were peppered with racial slurs; he called Lam a "Vietnam f*cking sh*t" before smashing him in the head with a large club and knocking him unconscious, and he punched Trinh so hard that he left him blinded in one eye. He repeatedly referred to both men as "slant-eyed gooks" while he was being arrested. Wahlberg, who was 17, was tried as an adult and served 45 days in jail for the crime. In the application he filed to the state's Advisory Board of Pardons, Wahlberg states that he has "dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others" and that "receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was." He claims that, despite his use of racist language, the race of the men was not a motivation for his crime, blaming instead the "influence of alcohol and narcotics." (Wahlberg committed the assaults while seeking to steal two cases of beer from Lam's convenience store.) In a stroke of irony, he states that a major reason for seeking a pardon is the desire to expand his own burgeoning restaurant chain, Wahlburgers, whose licensing has been hampered by his record as a felon. So, young Mark Wahlberg, who would just half a decade later rise to fame as a rapper and a crotch-grabbing underwear model under the name "Marky Mark" before successfully transitioning to acting, was let off with a trivial 45-day sentence after battering an Asian man until he was permanently handicapped. Three gold records, $200 million in wealth and untold fame and adulation later, he's seeking absolution for his crimes, because, he writes, "troubled youths will see this as an inspiration and motivation that they, too, can turn their lives around." The unwritten phrase that should follow Wahlberg's assertion: "That is to say, so long as they're white and their victims are not." If a black, Hispanic or Asian youth under the influence of drugs and alcohol had put out a white man's eye while trying to rob his store, it's inconceivable that he would have been let off with such a light sentence; implausible that he'd have gone on to the kind of marquee stardom that Wahlberg has obtained; unlikely that he would have the sense of unvarnished privilege that is driving Wahlberg's desire for a whitewashing of his record, if you'll pardon the pun. According to The Boston Globe, to this day Wahlberg has never apologized or paid restitution to the victims of his crimes. He also hasn't really acknowledged his pattern of bigoted language and racist violence, which included a separate episode in which he threw rocks at African-American schoolchildren while shouting that "black n*ggers" were unwelcome in his community. And he has never reached out to the Vietnamese-American community or other communities of color with the kind of targeted charity and philanthropic presence befitting someone who was truly remorseful for the repulsive actions of his youth. And that's the most gut-wrenching aspect of Wahlberg's request, coming as it does in the wake of the repeated, unpunished killings of young black men and teens at the hands of white men. The darkest reactions to the deaths of Martin, Brown and Garner described the victims as hardened, bestial and irredeemably corrupted by casual drug use or records of petty crime. They were, in the coded language of these commenters, "thugs." Meanwhile, Wahlberg, a wealthy white man with a more extensive criminal record than any of the black men mentioned above, has been described across mainstream media as a "troubled" youth who's since made good. In the wake of the grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the choking death of Garner, the hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite trended on Twitter, featuring hundreds of white people sharing how their infractions were dismissed by police, while in many cases black friends were prosecuted for the same offenses. I noted at the time that the hashtag was "proof that there are two America: One that gets off with a wink. And one that just gets offed." In that other America, white versions of Martin, Brown and Garner might well have gotten the chance to "make good" like Wahlberg; they might be the ones seeking to redeem their youthful indiscretions. Sadly, no amount of pardoning will resurrect the dead. | Mark Wahlberg petitioned Massachusetts for pardon of his brutal assaults of two men .
Jeff Yang: There's a double standard when we judge crimes committed by whites and blacks .
In the cases of Eric Garner or Michael Brown, we ask accountability from the victims .
Yang: With Wahlberg, he hasn't even show true remorse for the repulsive actions of his youth . |
238,153 | c03cac7cba340d33d6d79783034c9c0a09daf0c5 | By . Emine Sinmaz . PUBLISHED: . 08:06 EST, 17 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:31 EST, 17 August 2012 . A 23-year-old woman who devoted her life to saving animals was mauled to death by dogs she had lovingly rescued. Rebecca Carey, of Decatur, Georgia, worked in an animal clinic and had been taking in abandoned animals for 10 years. But, in a tragic turn of fate, the college student was savagely killed sometime over the weekend by at least one of the dogs she had rescued. Loving: Rebecca Carey, of Decatur, Georgia, worked in an animal clinic and had been taking in abandoned animals for 10 years . Authorities say Carey had five dogs living with her at the time of her death, including a pit bull she had owned for six years. The other dogs included another pit bull, a boxer mix she had taken in and a Presa, a large Spanish breed. She was also dogsitting another Presa for her friend, Jackie Cira. Cira discovered Carey’s mauled body on Sunday afternoon after her friend failed to show up for work at Alpharetta's Loving Hands Animal Clinic. 'There was a lot of blood,' Cira told wsbtv.com. 'And when first got there, it looked like she had fallen and hit her head.' Police initially thought they were . dealing with a homicide but the DeKalb County medical examiner ruled . Carey's death the result of dog bites. DeKalb . County police spokeswoman Mekka Parish says all of the dogs were . euthanized on Wednesday with the consent of Carey's parents. Euthanized: Two of Carey's dogs who were later euthanized . Animal lover: Carey volunteered countless hours with rescue networks and animal shelters . Cira told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Carey would have been devastated to find out that her dogs has been put down, adding that it would have been possible to determine which animals were responsible for the attack. 'We're talking about three very different breeds weighing around 80 pounds, 55 pounds and 15 pounds,' she said. But, Tim Medlin, interim director of DeKalb Animal Control, told wsbtv.com that would not have been possible. 'We didn’t know which dog did which,' he said. 'I can’t be wrong. Not just myself, no one can be wrong in putting out a dog that possibly had to do with these type of injuries. I will not put another person at that kind of risk.' Cira said that Carey, a skilled dog handler, was experienced when it came to dealing with aggressive animals. 'If she found out it was a dangerous . dog, they were gone,' she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'She . felt strongly that dangerous dogs had no business being in society where . they could attack a child or something.' Location: A photo of some cages in Carey's home in Decatur where she was tragically mauled to death . Cira added to the newspaper that perhaps Carey had fallen on her head after attempting to break up a fight between the dogs. Carey's parents, Greg and Ellen Carey, released the following statement after their daughter's tragic death. ‘Rebecca Carey of Decatur was 23 years old and an avid animal lover. 'Since the second grade when she read the book "Throw Away Pets," she vowed to be a voice for all animals.' Betsy Duffey's novel follows the lives of two girls who find a dog, a cat, and a rabbit in a temporary animal shelter and try to find them homes before they are put to sleep by the authorities. ‘Upon placing her first abandoned animal in a permanent loving home in 2003, she volunteered countless hours with rescue networks and animal shelters,' the Carey family statement continued. ‘There she did what she loved the most: rescuing animals from untenable situations to find them safe, loving homes.’ In a similar case, a 44-year-old man was killed by his pet pitbull and later found by his wife with the dog on top of him, gnawing at his neck. Charles Hagerman has multiple injuries consistent with a dog attack when he was discovered at 8.15pm on Wednesday lying in the living room of the couple's home on the south side of Chicago. Police were trying to determine if one or both of the couple's two dogs attacked him. | Friends of Rebecca Carey say the 23-year-old would be devastated to learn that all of the dogs were put down .
Officials said it is impossible to determine which of the five dogs mauled the student . |
122,358 | 2a27cbf70a412a6a0de80a580f30df41f47aaa32 | The pilot who dated Britney Spears and helped her fight drugs has been shot dead by the Taliban in Afghanistan. John Sundahl, 44, was flying near Kabul, where he works, when a missile hit his helicopter last week. The news has come as a devastating blow to Spears, 33, sources claim. Tragic: John Sundahl, 44, (left) dated Britney Spears (right) in 2007 and coached her through a meltdown. He has been shot dead by the Taliban in Afghanistan, where he flies dignitaries in and out of the conflict zone . Sundahl and Spears met at Alcoholics Anonymous in Los Angeles in 2007 and briefly dated. According to numerous interviews at the time, he helped Britney through her darkest hour of public meltdown, and warned that alcohol could kill her if she didn't stop. 'I told her: "If you fall off the wagon, I don't think you will live",' Sundahl told the National Enquirer in 2007. '"If you don't want to get sober for yourself, do it for your kids." 'She truly wants to stop what she’s doing, and she has changed her life in another direction. She doesn’t get drunk every night and pass out.' Their relationship ended after a few months but they stayed friends. And despite moving to Afghanistan last year, where he flies dignitaries in and out of the conflict zone, Sundahl was said to have started seeing Spears again in the summer of 2014, the Daily Mirror reported. Sundahl told Britney to get sober or else she'd die, according to an interview in 2007 during her meltdown . Made a choice: Spears battled through alcoholism, which then-boyfriend Sundahl allegedly helped her with . A source close to Britney told the Daily Mirror on Friday: 'She is devastated. Britney thought he was a lovely man.' Spears, who has two sons Jayden James, eight, and Sean Preston, nine, with ex-husband Kevin Federline, has yet to issue an official comment. Sundahl's body has been expatriated to the Untied States and he was buried in a Buddhist ceremony this week in Los Angeles. His brother Karl, who also lives in LA, told the Mirror: 'It’s heartbreaking – John went there to try to repair the country. 'He was trying to help people, he would often say that the country was in chaos.' | John Sundahl and Britney Spears met at Alcoholics Anonymous in 2007 .
The 44-year-old is a pilot in Kabul, he was shot dead last week by Taliban .
Dated Britney during her public meltdown and warned her to stop drinking .
33-year-old singer is said to be devastated by his death, sources say . |
32,393 | 5c1c0579800d5df29ac597e6eb4ff91c28fc7c0a | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Helicopters were bringing 2,000 Mexican troops into the U.S.-Mexican border city of Juarez on Friday to quell a wave of drug-related violence blamed for 200 deaths since January, the city's mayor said. Mexico has ordered troops to move near Juarez, shown here with El Paso, Texas, in the distance. "Two rival drug cartels tried to push each other out of the city," Jose Reyes Ferriz told CNN. Among those killed were about 20 police officers representing the state, the military and the federal and city governments, he said. "Many [people] say the drug cartels targeted specifically the heads of the police departments," he said. "The violence got extremely bad in the city." He said no uninvolved civilians have been injured. "The two rival drug cartels in Mexico, one's from the Gulf, one's from the Pacific -- and Juarez being right down the middle, they tried to push the other one out of the area," he said. Watch police clash with suspected drug smugglers » . Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. The majority of the troops will be based in the city. Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan said Thursday 2,026 soldiers, 180 military tactical vehicles, three airplanes and more than a dozen drug detection devices would be used in the military operation. Mexican Attorney General Medina Mora stressed that the violence that goes along with drug trafficking is "not in any way a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness, deterioration and decomposition." E-mail to a friend . CNN's Ariel Crespo contributed to this report. | The majority of the troops will be based in Juarez, Mexico .
Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas .
Drug-related violence has claimed some 200 lives since the beginning of the year .
Mayor: Two rival drug cartels tried to push each other out of the city . |
85,769 | f34326b41b05225c64a486ad42127783b1b81067 | Dubai, UAE (CNN) -- Many of the pilots assembled at the Dubai Airshow can boast breaking the sound barrier, but only one man in the world can say he's done it both in the sky and on the ground. That privilege belongs to former fighter jet pilot Royal Air Force (RAF) Wing Commander Andy Green. As the driver of Thrust SSC -- the fastest car on the planet -- he broke the sound barrier in 1997 with a world land speed record of 763mph. Despite the roar of the display jets passing overhead, he remains focused on more terrestrial matters: the quest to drive a car over 1,000 mph with The Bloodhound Project. "As with everything I do in life, being able to do difficult things and do them well is hugely satisfying," he says from the roof of the Eurofighter chalet at the event. Read more: The Bloodhound that wants to run at 1,000mph . With a name that could be a code word for a covert Second World War operation (it's actually named after a missile), The Bloodhound Project has plenty of challenges up ahead. "Basically we're trying to do what no one has done before," he says. "I've got five supersonic runs, which is five more than anybody else. That gives me a unique perspective on the challenges facing the new car and how we're going to take it a lot further." The design of the car took years to perfect and while it still generally resembles a rocket on wheels, there are plenty of things that make it much more than just a fighter jet without the wings; one of the biggest challenges is dealing with the shockwaves caused by the wheels traveling at such high speeds. Something that the car does have directly in common with a fighter jet is the engine. It uses an EJ200 engine normally found on a Eurofighter Typhoon jet. It was one of the test-and-development engines donated by Eurofighter. It's as close as Green gets to a jet engine these days; the 51-year-old flew missions over Bosnia and Iraq and was in charge of running the RAF's air campaign missions over Libya in 2011. During that campaign he says that the success rate of the engine was 97%, which means he has no concerns about sitting in front of one and hurtling across the ground at previously unimaginable speeds. Read more: 15 ways drones will change your life . Thrilling though it may be for Green, the greater aim of the Bloodhound Project is to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists. The project is clearly quite attractive to the British scientific community as well, as it's backed by the British government's engineering and sciences agency, universities, the armed forces and a number of other organizations. In order to garner as much interest in science and engineering as possible, the project is mostly open-source (some technical points about engine performance are withheld). It also aims to broadcast the test runs and record attempts live. "That's almost as big a challenge as getting a car over 1,000 mph," says Green. With a chassis built, the aim is to roll out the vehicle for its first tests at the Aerohub in Newquay, southwest England. If everything goes well, the car will be transported to the Hakskeen desert in South Africa where Green and the team will test the vehicle and push it past the speed of sound. "The idea is to then go back in 2016 and get it above 1,000mph." It took three years to clear a 12-mile stretch of desert to make a test-run-ready track -- an enormous undertaking that perhaps reflects the ambitions of the project itself. Green was finally given the green light this month. Ironically, the fastest man on earth doesn't have much time to actually sit back and appreciate the experience. "[When driving], the ground is terribly close, going past terribly fast, and that's just one of those background things where you have to say, 'Yup, that should be a mind-blowing sensation.' But I can't afford for it to be, I have to concentrate on doing my job." | In 1997, Andy Green and broke the world land speed record driving the Thrust SSC .
Green drove the car to 763mph, and is now hoping to push it past 1,000mph .
The Bloodhound Project, as its known, is backed by the British government .
It took three years to turn 12 miles of desert into a test-run track . |
184,673 | 7b33e5a17b453d969c3d7f4e457a4f3c46c11d9d | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 10:17 EST, 20 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:49 EST, 20 May 2013 . A British animal lover spared no expense when she spent £2,500 to rescue a stray cat from a life on the streets in China. Angela Burrell, 33, of Warsett Crescent, Skelton, in Teesside, spotted the homeless cat Kandinsky during her five years in China teaching English. She has now admitted her good turn has cost her about £2,500 in injections, treatments and flights. But she says the cat is a friend for life and worth every penny. Angela Burrell spotted the homeless cat Kandinsky while working in China and has now brought him back home to the UK . Ms Burrell took in Kandinsky (pictured in her Chinese apartment) after she spotted him in the street, mewing and feeling sorry for himself . Ms Burrell has been working in the north east of China, close to Beijing, on an intensive International TEFL programme, teaching English as part of a foreign language course. She spotted Kandinsky - named after a friend and a Russian artist - in the street, mewing and feeling sorry for himself. The black and white stray stole her heart with his friendly character and white face and socks. Ms Burrell said: 'He was feeling very sorry for himself and I decided I wanted to bring him back home to Skelton with me. 'But he had to pass a blood test and in January this year I got him all his jabs and permissions. 'It's no longer necessary to quarantine cats now as the regulations have changed. Ms Burell has admitted her good turn has cost her about £2,500 in injections, treatments and flights. Pictured right is Kandinsky in Ms Burrell's apartment in China . 'I believe I'm the first person in that area of China to do this.' Sparing no cost, Kandinsky flew home to Britain first class in the hold via British Airways, while Ms Burrell took a far cheaper Russian airline flight, changing at Moscow. She said: 'My sister Jo came to meet us at Heathrow. She's also an animal lover and recently started a dog walking and pet house sitting business based in Guisborough. 'He was feeling very sorry for himself and I decided I wanted to bring him back home to Skelton with me' - Angela Burrell . 'Kandinsky's about two years old and is very affectionate. My apartment in China was tiny so he's been enjoying the space in Skelton in our garden. 'I take him out in a harness and everyone loves it. It's been an adventure, but it's great now I've got him back to the UK.' Ms Burrell was volunteering with animal charity Pet100 and acknowledges the help she received in China. Next, Kandinsky will be travelling to America in the next few months when Ms Burrell meets up with her boyfriend Abe Bazan to work out there, again teaching English. Ms Burrell is currently living at home with father Peter, 74, and mother Barbara, 63. She also has two sisters Jo, 31 and Heather, 29, who lives in Amsterdam. A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that if people follow the rules to the letter regarding cats, quarantine is no longer needed. | Angela Burrell met homeless cat Kandinsky while working in China .
The 33-year-old has spent about £2,500 bringing him back to the UK .
She flew him from China first class in the hold via British Airways . |
35,439 | 64b5acd3325c99ccde46f0b887e06ce342437ae4 | Leicester hope to beat Chelsea to Andrej Kramaric on a permanent £9million deal after the Premier League leaders failed to guarantee the player could return to them after a short loan. HNK Rijeka striker Kramaric wanted to sign for Chelsea and had agreed personal terms. He was happy to go out on loan for this season with Leicester and Vitesse the options but wanted a guarantee he could return to Stamford Bridge in the summer. Croatian striker Andrej Kramaric is in London to discuss a move to Chelsea or Leicester City . Kramaric, in action against Italy for Croatia, could be lining up for Chelsea or Leicester in the Premier League . The 23-year-old has managed to score 28 goals for Rijeka so far this season in the Croatian HNL . Chelsea could not commit to that and Leicester have taken control by offering extra bonus payments. Leicester, who are also keen on signing Tottenham defender Kyle Naughton this month, have made offers for Toronto's Jermain Defoe, Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki and Burnley's Danny Ings. They also had a £750,000 offer for Wigan's Shaun Maloney rejected. | Leicester hope to beat Chelsea to the £9million signing of Andrej Kramaric .
Kramaric wanted to join Chelsea who were keen to loan him straight out .
Striker was happy to move on loan until the end of the season .
But wanted a guarantee he could return to Chelsea in the summer .
Chelsea were unable to commit to that and Leicester have taken control . |
192,544 | 853fd16bc34675b939ee03053a7ff89862cde5c6 | By . Sadie Whitelocks, Louise Eccles and Paul Sims . PUBLISHED: . 04:45 EST, 24 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:40 EST, 24 May 2012 . It takes some doing to put Big Ben in the shade. Yet the British beach volleyball team managed just that yesterday as they played a game against the backdrop of the Houses of Parliament. Zara Dampney, who was joined by teammates Shauna Mullin, Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, said it was ‘great fun’ to play in such an iconic location. And with the temperature climbing rapidly on one of the hottest days of the year, it was also just the right weather to show off their head-turning sports gear. Scroll down for video . Stopping traffic: The British beach volleyball team managed just that yesterday as they played a game against the backdrop of the Houses of Parliament . Sporting stars: Members of Great Britain women's Beach Volleyball team (L-R) Denise Johns, Lucy Boulton, Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney . The early-morning match was a stunt to remind drivers that the London 2012 Olympics will cause major disruption on the roads - as there will be an extra 1,000 games-related vehicles travelling every hour. Beach volleyball will be held at Horse Guards Parade this summer, with 5,000 tons of sand shipped in for the players to compete on. Tickets for the sport were among the fastest to sell out, despite it being little-played in the UK. The British team usually trains in the warmer climes of California and Tenerife but were able to take advantage of this week’s homegrown heatwave for their Parliament Square exhibition. The stunt was aimed at reminding commuters that roads are likely to be busier at peak times during the 2012 Games . The event was held not only to indicate the effect on traffic but also to help launch Transport for London’s (TfL) online planning tool entitled Temporary Road Changes. Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s surface transport chief operating officer, said: 'We are doing everything we can to make sure people are aware of, and can comply with, the changes that will be made to London’s roads during the Games. 'Roads in central London and around venues will be exceptionally busy during the Games. Our Temporary Road Changes tool means roads users can see where there will be changes to the road network, allowing them to plan ahead. 'Our advice is to avoid driving in central London and around the Olympic Route Network (ORN) and venues or, if journeys are absolutely essential, to plan ahead and allow extra time.' Signs along the roads and public information campaigns before and during the Games will ensure roads users have all the information they need to comply with the changes. Parking or stopping on the Olympic Route Network will be restricted. A penalty charge of £130 will be issued to owners of vehicles who break these regulations during the Games and any illegally parked vehicle will be removed to a pound. Beach Volleyball made its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since become one of the most popular spectator sports at the Games. This year it will be played between July 28 and August 12 at a special temporary arena on Horse Guards Parade. Shauna Mullin and her partner Zara Dampney, ranked 34th in the world, and Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, ranked 50th are Britain’s women’s beach volleyball Olympic hopefuls. At least one team (pair) is guaranteed a place, but whether both make it won’t be known until next month. The United States has won five of the eight Olympic gold medals since the sport’s introduction. Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta of Brazil clinched a gold medal as beach volleyball returned to Beijing for the first time since the 2008 Olympics as teams went head-to-head in the FIVB Swatch World Tour . Beach Volleyball made its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since become one of the most popular spectator sports at the Games . | Stunt designed to highlight how busy London’s roads will be during 2012 Games . |
150,396 | 4e72a601c65090ed74c357c09ee41049fe34f482 | (CNN)A few years ago, Glyzelle Palomar was begging for food on the streets of northern Manila. This week, the 12-year-old girl was on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people, asking Pope Francis why God lets children suffer. "There are many children neglected by their own parents," Glyzelle said Sunday at a ceremony at a 400-year-old Catholic university in Manila. "There are also many who became victims and many terrible things happened to them like drugs or prostitution." "Why is God allowing such things to happen, even if it is not the fault of the children?" she asked the Pope, breaking down into tears as she spoke. Another former street child, Jun Chura, told Pope Francis about his struggle to survive without a home. "I was feeding myself with what I can find in the garbage," said Jun, 14. "I did not know where to go, and I was sleeping on the sidewalk." "When I was in the street, I witness also things I don't like, terrible things that happened to my companions in the street," Jun said. "I saw that they were taught how to steal, to kill also, and they have no respect anymore for the adults." Pope Francis responded to Glyzelle's question and Jun's testimony by giving the two children a big hug. "She is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer and she wasn't even able to express it in words but in tears," the 78-year-old Pope told the crowd. Glyzelle and Jun are both in the care of Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation, a non-governmental organization that looks after Manila's street children. The foundation came across Glyzelle and her older sister a few years ago, said Alexandra Chapeleau, the group's communication manager. The girls had left home -- where their impoverished parents were unable to support them or get them an education -- and were fending for themselves on the street, she said. They first attended one of the foundation's drop-in centers before moving into a residential facility and starting to attend school. In November, their younger brother joined them at the foundation. Glyzelle is still in touch with her mother and goes home to see her at Christmas, Chapeleau said. The foundation's center where Glyzelle lives is home to about 40 other former street children. "Most of them are victims of the terrible things that can happen in the street," including physical and sexual abuse, Chapeleau said. But Glyzelle's tears in front of the Pope on Sunday were apparently prompted by the intensity of the moment, not because of her own experiences. She asked the question "on behalf of all the children we take care of," not because of "something personal regarding her own story," Chapeleau said. The Pope touched on the street children theme again later Sunday when he celebrated Mass in a Manila park with millions of people, despite the soaking rain. "We need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected," he told the enormous crowd. "And we need to care for our young, not allowing them to be condemned to a life on the streets." The Pope had visited the center where Glyzelle and others live on Friday after celebrating Mass at Manila Cathedral, and reportedly said he was "very moved" by what he saw. There are estimated to be more than 1.5 million street children in the Philippines, about 70,000 of them in the Manila metropolitan area, according to the He Cares Foundation, another group that cares for them. In his account, Jun described seeing some of his friends sniffing glue and taking other drugs. He said he learned to be wary of adults offering money or help because it was often a trap to exploit the children. He initially declined an offer of support from Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation but later found out that the organization was genuinely trying to help him. "I realized that not all people have no heart," he said. The Pope left the Philippines on Monday, waving as he boarded his plane at the end of an Asia trip that also included time in Sri Lanka. In the first visit by a Pope to the predominantly Catholic Philippines in 20 years, Francis paid a visit to Tacloban, the city ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. Francis had to cut short his time there at the weekend because of the approach of another typhoon. But it didn't stop him from donning a slicker to celebrate Mass in Tacloban on Saturday for hundreds of thousands who gathered despite the stormy weather. | Glyzelle Palomar, 12, asks Pope why street children face drug abuse and prostitution .
"She is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer," Pope says .
He hugs Glyzelle and Jun Chura, a boy who recounted foraging for food in garbage . |
244,078 | c7e7355ff0df50e5aae789bbb3c8ece51174c8f9 | Jesse Jackson Jr. grew up in his father's shadow, placing him on history's stage as the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. led civil rights campaigns, including Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition. Jackson was born in 1965, just months before President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which forced election changes that opened up the political process for African-Americans in the United States. He spent his 21st birthday in a District of Columbia jail cell after being arrested in an anti-apartheid protest at the South African Embassy in 1986, according to the biography on his congressional website. He was on the stage in Cape Town in 1990 when Nelson Mandela delivered his historic speech after his release from 27 years in a South African prison, the biography says. The younger Jackson earned a Master of Arts degree in theology and then a law degree in 1993. He served as national field director for his father's Rainbow Coalition, a role that included leading the campaign to register millions of new voters, the biography says. In 1995, the 30-year-old Jackson became the 91st African-American elected to Congress. Since then, he has represented Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, which includes parts of Chicago's South Side and Cook County suburbs. A potential opportunity created by Barack Obama's election as president in 2008 ironically triggered a series of events that nearly four years later threatens Jackson's political career. Jackson, then 43, spoke with then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in fall 2008 about the possibility of being appointed to serve the remaining two years of Obama's vacated U.S. Senate term. Blagojevich was arrested by federal agents the next day, and was accused of trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder. Jackson said he only presented his credentials and polling information that suggested he could win re-election in 2010. Blagojevich, eventually convicted on multiple corruption charges, started serving a 14-year prison sentence in March. The House Ethics Committee has been examining allegations Jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for Blagojevich in exchange for the Senate seat. "In doing so, Rep. Jackson may have violated federal law and House rules concerning the proper use of the member's representational allowance," the statement said. Jackson has maintained his innocence and pledged to continue to cooperate with authorities."I did nothing illegal, unethical or inappropriate in that pursuit, and I believe that is what the Ethics Committee will conclude at the end of this process," he said. Jackson apologized to his constituents in September 2010, after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a Chicago businessman told federal investigators that Jackson had asked him to pay for a restaurant hostess to fly between Washington and Chicago several times. He said he was "deeply sorry" that he had "disappointed some supporters." The newspaper also reported that the businessman, Raghuveer Nayak, told the FBI that Jackson asked him to raise $6 million for Blagojevich in exchange for Obama's vacated Senate seat. The governor ended up appointing former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the Senate post. Despite the congressional investigation, Jackson decisively won a heated primary for a 10th term. The congressman disappeared from Capitol Hill in May, and in June explained in a statement released by his staff that he was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a "medical condition." On Wednesday, Jackson's office released a statement that said he is "receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder." The statement attributed the quote to an unidentified doctor. The doctor also was quoted as saying Jackson "is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery." Jackson's wife of 21 years, Sandi Jackson, is a Chicago alderman. The couple met and married during law school. They have two children, Jessica Donatella and Jesse L. Jackson III. | Jesse Jackson Jr.'s famous father took him along in his civil rights campaigns .
At 30, Jackson became the 91st African-American elected to Congress .
The House Ethics Committee is investigating his dealings with disgraced Gov. Blagojevich .
Jackson took a medical leave of absence from Congress in June . |
256,617 | d8237a9b11c3464a14724215ce56c8186393796b | (CNN) -- Few issues divide people more sharply than abortion. So it is great news when recently lawmakers across the political aisle in Britain voted 181 to 1 to ban sex-selective abortion. The overwhelming support for banning abortion of a fetus based on its gender is progressive, moral and just. But what about gendercide -- the practice of killing baby girls, whether aborted or neglected after birth? Surely, there is no room for disagreement on the need to end gendercide. For every woman who freely chooses to abort a girl, there are countless others who are being forced to do so because of strong cultural preference for son. The sex-selective abortion of baby girls is not a pro-choice or a pro-life issue. It is a human rights issue that must be approached as an area of common ground. It is a woman's right to give birth to her daughter. For most of us, hearing "it's a girl" during a pregnancy ultrasound is cause for celebration. But in many countries, this phrase can be a death sentence. In fact, the words, "it's a girl" are the deadliest words on earth when heard during pregnancy. According to a U.N. estimate, up to 200 million women are missing in the world today due to gendercide. In China, the birth ratio of girls to boys is the most skewed in the world -- approximately 100 girls born for every 118 boys. When couples are restricted to one child, women often become the focus of intense pressure by their husband and in-laws to give birth to a boy. A woman need not be dragged out of her home and strapped down to a table to be a victim of forced abortion. Crushing social, economic, political and personal pressures in cultures with a strong son preference trample women who are pregnant with a girl. All too often, women in these cultures do not "choose" their daughters for abortion. They are forced. The "Terracotta Daughters" exhibit recently on view in New York City gave dramatic visual form to the girls that have been lost to the world through sex-selective abortion -- the haunting stares of an army of the dead. Because of gendercide, there are an estimated 37 million more men than women in China. As a result, the presence of "excess males" is one of the driving forces behind human trafficking and sexual slavery, not only in China but in surrounding nations as well. Alarmingly, China also has the highest female suicide rate of any country in the world. According to the U.S. State Department China Human Rights Report, the number of female suicides has risen sharply in recent years, from 500 women per day to a staggering 590. I believe that this grim statistic may be in some ways related to pressure on women to selectively abort or abandon their daughters. In India, the sex ratio at birth is 112 boys born for every 100 girls born. Indian girls, moreover, die of disease and neglect at a much higher rate than boys. Impoverished women in India are often manipulated or pressured into sterilization, which is one way of population control. There are even mass "sterilization camps" where women sometimes die of complications. Just this week, in Chhattisgarh, one of India's poorest areas, 11 out of 83 women who were sterilized died. This is the true "war on women" on a global scale. That one-third of the world's women -- those living in China and India -- are deprived of their right to bear girls is the biggest women's rights abuse on earth. These women deserve a passionate response from groups that stand for women's rights. Yet the response of the U.S. women's rights community has ranged from tepid to confused. My organization, Women's Rights Without Frontiers, has launched the "Save a Girl" campaign in rural China, and we are stopping gendercide, one baby girl at a time. We have fieldworkers in China who reach out to women who have learned that they are pregnant with or have just given birth to a girl, and are being pressured to abort or abandon her. A fieldworker will visit that woman and say, "Don't abort or abandon your baby just because she's a girl. She's a precious daughter. We will give you a monthly stipend for a year to help you support her." The practical support we offer empowers these women to keep their daughters. Our effort has helped more than 120 families keep their daughters. We plan to launch a "Save a Girl" campaign in India in 2015 as well. Every struggling mother in China and India deserves help to keep her daughter. Together, we can end gendercide one girl at a time and sweep sex-selective abortion into the dung-heap of history, where it belongs. | The British Parliament recently voted 181 to 1 to ban sex-selective abortion .
Reggie Littlejohn: While abortion is divisive issue, we should all agree to end gendercide .
She says in countries such as China and India, women are often forced to abort baby girls .
Littlejohn: Gendercide is human rights abuse with bad and tragic consequences . |
103,465 | 116b1150fddbce8ed323edf69144bb1a64d79efd | Online relations: 'Allie' Loftis was located by police Wednesday at the residence of a 45-year-old man she reportedly met online . Police arrested a 42-year-old man harboring a runaway 13-year-old Massachusetts girl at his New Jersey home Wednesday. Police say Alexandra "Allie" Loftis vanished from her Boston home for nearly two weeks after boarding a bus headed to New York City on November 4th, sending her parents on a relentless hunt to get their daughter back. Allie was located at Jorge Garzon's Jersey City residence and taken into police custody around 9 am Wednesday, after police say they received a tip off. Garzon, who also goes by the name George Gonzalez, was arrested just over an hour after her recovery at the Jersey address. Affirming Allie's father's fear, the two are believed to have met online, a sources close to the investigation told NJ.com. Allie's family had searched long and hard . for their daughter, never giving up hope, with their efforts rippling . throughout the New York area to local police stations, city streets and . across social media sites showing a number of various fliers. Believing . she had run away independently, her parents posted numerous messages to . her on Facebook, as well as pictures of them together, imploring her to . come home. Her father admitted that before her disappearance she seemed unhappy in school, but thought it was just a rough patch. Family pleas: Believing their daughter had chosen to run away, her parents posted numerous messages online, as well as pictures of them together, imploring her to come home . 'I live in semi-rural community where it's peaceful and quiet, and she wanted . big city, bright lights,' Mr Loftis said. 'She wanted to go to school in a . different area. As she said, where we live is boring.' Pleading, in hope that she may see their efforts and pain online, the family devoted a Facebook site to their missing daughter, posting a flood of photos of them together. 'One of many trips to get ice cream w dad,' her father, Tony Loftis, wrote above one picture of the two of them together. 'I luv u honey, pls let us know u r ok,' he wrote. Adventure: Allie, shown with her father and mother, had expressed frustration and boredom with their quieter Massachusetts community to her father, possibly building up to her New York City escape . Search: Allie's parents searched all the areas of the city they thought their daughter might go, focusing on Brooklyn where they knew she was more familiar . Following their daughter's trail the family traveled to New York City, chasing any and all leads of their daughter. Every location they thought she might go - from the Barnes and Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn to Prospect Park, both locations her father said he knew she loved - they handed out fliers and recruited volunteers. And with him having family in Brooklyn, the father hoped it's where she would be. Efforts: Family of Allie implored volunteers to take to street corners in matching T-shirts handing out fliers on their missing daughter, all around the city . 'Whenever I’m focused on trying to find . her, I’m okay. But, whenever that stops, and I’m home at night, and I wake up in . the morning, and I think, you know, I … I … I … it’s hard,' Mr Loftis told CBS Boston. 'You know this is . completely devas… you can’t … it’s my only daughter,' he said. Asking volunteers to take two Saturdays out of the next six to stand on street corners in matching T-shirts and fliers, the family's plan was to 'create a media event to help bring Allie home for the holidays,' her parents wrote in an email to volunteers, according to the Wayland Patch. 'We think . the only way to put pressure on the person holding her, and to keep the leads . coming, is to sustain media coverage,' they wrote. But after their daughter disappeared, Mr Loftis says she never turned on her cell phone or went on Facebook, despite him describing her as tech savvy. 'We have left voice mail messages on her cell phone until it got filled up. We’ve . tried every method we think possible but haven’t heard from her,' Mr Loftis told CBS after her disappearance. That made it even more concerning for him, with his fear that Allie could have been held against her will. Her father did confess his believe that she may have met someone online. Garzon, who Allie was found with, is currently being held in custody in the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office pending charges which have yet to be filed. The circumstances surrounding both her disappearance and the activities since she ran away are still under investigation, according to police. Growing attacks: Charges against the man Allie was found staying with have yet to be filed while the case remains an open investigation as police say cyber attacks on youth is a growing concern . Custody: Police say Allie took a bus from Boston Massachusetts to New York City, disappearing for nearly two weeks before she was found Wednesday in Jersey City . | Parents followed daughter's trail from Boston to New York City .
Father believed his daughter was restless, seeking a 'big city, bright lights' |
264,248 | e2438498beefafeb5d88dfa1671ce20c52b74558 | A ‘last ditch’ drug for prostate cancer sufferers is to be axed from NHS use. Jevtana gives men with advanced disease at least three extra months of life – but some have survived three or more years. The Cancer Drugs Fund plans to remove the drug from its approved list effective from March because of weak cost-effectiveness. Although it will remain available for existing patients, doctors will be unable to prescribe it for hundreds of men with the disease. A 'last ditch' drug for prostate cancer sufferers is to be axed from NHS use from March this year. The chemotherapy drug Jevtana gives men with advanced disease at least three extra months of life - but some have survived for more than three years. Cancer charities say NHS England has failed patients (file photo) More than 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in Britain, and over 10,000 die of it. Critics say the UK still lags behind Germany, France and Italy in prescribing life-prolonging medicines to cancer patients and the situation will get worse. Jevtana is among 25 drugs being re-evaluated by the Cancer Drugs Fund, originally set up to improve access to vital medicines in England, which will issue a full list of those being de-listed next week. The decision to stop NHS use of Jevtana – it has already been rejected by the rationing body NICE – follows news that six breast cancer drugs prescribed for thousands of women are also set to be axed. Some men whose prostate cancer has spread will have no other treatment option. Dr Alison Birtle, consultant clinical oncologist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the decision was a travesty. She said ‘As a doctor who treats men with advanced prostate cancer, I am deeply saddened and my patients will be devastated by this decision. Jevtana, also called Cabazitaxel is a drug used to treat advanced prostate cancer when the cancer can no longer be controlled by hormonal therapy. Jevtana is given to people after they've already been treated with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. It is usually given in the chemotherapy day unit or during a short stay in hospital, by a chemotherapy nurse. Source: Macmillan . ‘In my every day experience, Jevtana has given some men with advanced prostate cancer extra time. 'Some of the men that I started to treat with Jevtana 3 to 4 years ago are still alive today – and most importantly this time has been of good quality, allowing them to carry on doing the things they enjoy despite their cancer.’ The drug costs around £22,000 for a one-off course of treatment and about 500 patients a year have got it via the CDF. The £280million a year Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) which began in April 2011 has led to around 55,000 patients in England getting drugs banned on the NHS by Nice, the rationing body. The Government's aim, which was a Tory election pledge, was to enable NHS doctors to prescribe any drug if they believed a cancer patient could benefit. NHS England last year took over administration of the CDF, which is due to be wound up in 2016. Sandy Tyndale-Biscoe, of the prostate cancer patients’ charity Tackle, said ‘In recent years, earlier diagnosis and better treatments have led to great improvements in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer and in survival. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Picture, are human prostate cancer cells under the microscope . ‘By removing a key treatment available for this group of patients who are resistant to hormone therapies, NHS England has failed to honour its commitment to people with cancer who have no other options.’ Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK said: ‘The very fact that cancer drugs face being struck off the government’s additional funding pot in the first place is a symptom of a much deeper problem: the cancer drug appraisal and funding systems are broken.’ CDF chair Professor Peter Clark said ‘We need to get maximum value for every pound we spend through the CDF. ‘We can no longer sustain a position where we are funding drugs that don't offer sufficient clinical benefit when drugs that will do more for patients are coming on stream.’ | Jetvana gives men with prostate cancer at least three months of life .
But some men given the drug have survived three or more years .
Cancer Drugs Fund plans to axe drug from its approved list from March .
They say it is not cost-effective and doesn't offer 'sufficient clinical benefit'
Charities say the appraisal system for drugs is broken, failing patients .
40,000 men in Britain diagnosed each year, over 10,000 die from disease . |
34,939 | 634a95027692466efa01f3672eb3475d0e13e236 | (CNN) -- Real Madrid have done their bit, so now it's up to great rivals Barcelona to play their role if this year's Copa del Rey final is to become an extension of 'El Clasico'. Leading 3-0 against Atletico Madrid, Real's other main rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo scored two early penalties to wrap up the most comfortable of 5-0 aggregate wins in the semifinal. The Portuguese forward, currently serving a three-match league ban after a red card for violent conduct, was struck by a cigarette lighter as he headed towards the tunnel at halftime but reappeared afterwards without showing any ill effects. The manner of victory is a modicum of revenge for Atletico's 2-1 triumph against Real in last year's Copa del Rey final. Barcelona will meet Real in April's decider should coach Gerardo Martino's side defend a 2-0 lead at Real Sociedad in Wednesday's second semi. Needing an early goal to have any hope of overturning the odds, Atletico made the worst possible start when Ronaldo was tripped in the box after six minutes -- and the reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or holder made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick. Ten minutes later, the game at the Vicente Calderon stadium was effectively over as Ronaldo netted his second penalty after Gareth Bale was brought down. Despite Atletico's fine run of form this season, they lacked spark as Real coasted into their third Copa del Rey final in the last four years. Fiorentina also made it through to their domestic cup final but their 3-2 aggregate defeat of Udinese, bidding to reach their first Italian Cup final since 1922, was far more dramatic. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina found the first of the two goals they needed when Manuel Pasqual made the breakthrough after just 14 minutes. Shortly after the hour, Colombia's Juan Cuadrado scored the all-important goal in a game soured by the dismissal of two Udinese players in stoppage time, with Ghanaian Emmanuel Agyemang Badu sent off from the bench. Tensions frayed as Udinese narrowly failed to score the goal that would have taken the game into extra-time. Fiorentina will play the May final against either Napoli or AS Roma, with the team from the capital leading 3-2 after the first leg on home soil. In England, the Premier League took yet another twist as Chelsea dropped points for only the second time in nine matches. Thanks to a goal from Branislav Ivanovic, Jose Mourinho's side were leading 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion until substitute Victor Anichebe headed home in the 87th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw. The goal stopped the Blues from going four points clear at the top of the table, so offering the chance to either Arsenal (who host Manchester United on Wednesday) or Manchester City (who are also at home, against Sunderland) to climb above them. "We were comfortable in the game, maybe too comfortable. We didn't kill the game when we had the chance," Mourinho told reporters. "In this moment we have one more point than before. If Arsenal and City win (on Wednesday), they go above us but that is their job. Every game is difficult and every team needs points." West Ham were among the night's biggest winners after their 2-0 home victory over Norwich City enabled a side that has recently been fighting relegation to climb up to 10th after a third straight win. Their rapid rise coincides with keeping four consecutive clean sheets in the top flight for the first time since 1985. Southampton went a sixth game without defeat as they won 1-0 at Hull to go just two points behind Manchester United, while relegation strugglers Cardiff could only draw 0-0 at home to Aston Villa. | Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico 5-0 on aggregate to reach Copa del Rey final .
Barcelona can join them if they protect 2-0 lead at Real Sociedad on Wednesday .
English Premier League leaders Chelsea drop vital points at West Brom .
Fiorentina reach Italian Cup final with nail-biting win over Udinese . |
152,358 | 50e71c86544b343bd2c1d4696fc25bf87e1a3788 | Pablo Zabaleta proved he's made of stern stuff after playing on in Manchester City's 2-2 draw at home to Burnley, despite suffering a gruesome-looking injury. The full back took a nasty blow to the face after an accidental clash of heads with team-mate Eliaquim Mangala - as the duo challenged for an aerial ball in the first half. Images, not for the faint-hearted, show the City medical team applying three stitches to the Argentine full-back, who was cut above his left eye. Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta had to play part of their match against Burnley with a bandaged head . Zabaleta (right) cut his head open after an accidentally clashing with team-mate Eliaquim Mangala (centre) Goalkeeper Joe Hart (left) and Mangala (right) tend to Zabaleta as he holds his head in agony . The 29-year-old was laid stricken on the floor as the City medical team attended his bloody injury . Zabaleta's on-field treatment included an injection into his forehead from the Manchester City medical team . Zabaleta (centre) lays still as the City medical staff patch him up with a bandage around his head . The 29-year-old played the remainder of the game with a bandage wrapped around his head. Despite his injury, Zabaleta won't be the only City player with a sore head after they threw away the chance to close the gap to one point on league leaders Chelsea. The hosts took a two-goal lead at the Etihad Stadium courtesy of David Silva and Fernandinho before George Boyd and Ashley Barnes replied for the Clarets after the interval. City boss Manuel Pellegrini accused his players of complacency after the match and will be demanding his side produce a better display when they host Sunderland on New Years Day. The full back soon returned to the action as City were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Burnley . A bandaged Zabaleta (left) gets to grips with Jason Shackell during Sunday's Premier League encounter . | Manchester City drew 2-2 at home to Burnley on Sunday .
Pablo Zabaleta had to play the majority of the match with a bandaged head .
29-year-old had a bloody cut above his left eye after an accidental clash of heads with team-mate Eliaquim Mangala in the first half . |
268,975 | e86e55894e8234da43afa31ae78c8b5fb8d6591e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . It's difficult to understand how this man didn't get his face ripped off. Not only did he come face-to-face with a fully-grown lion, he washed the big cat with a soapy sponge like it was a car. The incredible viral footage shows the man, reportedly a Yemeni lion breeder, forcefully scrubbing the animal's head, belly and even genitals - and the lion generally didn't seem to mind. Scroll down for video . Incredible: A man believed to be a Yemeni lion breeder is captured on film washing a fully grown lion . Cornered: At one point, the man had the lion up against the concrete wall and scrubbed its head fiercely . At one point, the giant creature jumped up in protest but the fearless man yelled and pushed its head down before resuming the wash. The man later dragged the lion by its leg when it tried to edge away. El Arabiya News reported the scene may not be unusual in Yemen, known as a breeding hub for wildlife animals which are sold to rich collectors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates. According to a 2013 Guardian report, animal husbandry has become popular and profitable in Yemen, where the price of lion cabs can reach more than $13,000 (50,000 Saudi riyals) each. 'Animal trafficking represents an enormous opportunity to people in one of Yemen's poorest regions,' the reporter Joe Sheffer wrote. 'A loose network has sprung up, trading not just lions but also cheetahs, leopards, gazelles, hyenas and monkeys.' Unbelievable: When the impatient lion tries to edge away, the man grabs him by the leg and drags him towards the bucket . Death wish: When the lion roars and tries to shrug free himself from the washer, the man pushes his head down and orders him to 'sit down' Brave: Incredibly, the lion allowed the man to scrub his genitals and didn't flinch . Where's the rubber ducky? The big cat appeared to relish the wash, lying on its back with its legs in the air to let the man scrub his belly . | The man is reportedly a Yemeni lion breeder .
Footage shows him bathing the impatient lion with soapy water .
He drags the big cat by the leg, washes his genitals and pushes his head down . |
147,888 | 4b3cacded6d47445a9338edeaf15edd4d09a59bd | Alaska has become the third U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. This follows a vote last November which saw an 53-47 outcome in favour of legalizing marijuana use by adults in private places . Smoking marijuana in public remains illegal, and police officers in the state's largest city, Anchorage, have been told to remain vigilant. High five: Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene, who famously quit her job as a journalist on live TV last year to support the cause, smokes a joint at the medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage, Alaska . As of Tuesday, adult Alaskans can keep and use marijuana as well as transport, grow and give it away. A second phase, creating a regulated and taxed marijuana market, will not start until 2016 at the earliest. Alaskans caught smoking weed in public can expect a $100 fine, but the full details regarding what constitutes a violation has yet to be ironed out. Lawmakers have left the question to the alcohol regulatory board, which is planning planned to meet early today to discuss an emergency response. In the meantime, communities across the state have adopted different standards of what constitutes 'smoking in public'. Green day: Adult Alaskans can now use marijuana as well as transport, grow and give it away, but smoking in public remains illegal . Celebrating: Peter Lomonaco, co-founder of the Alaska Cannabis Club, and CEO Charlo Greene roll a joint at their medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage, Alaska . Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said his officers will be strictly enforcing the public smoking ban. He even warned people against smoking on their porches if they live next to a park. Further north, in North Pole, smoking outdoors on private property will be OK as long as it does not create a nuisance, officials there said. The newly formed Alaska Cannabis Club, which is having its grand opening on Tuesday in downtown Anchorage, is, unsurprisingly, celebrating the new law with a joint. Its CEO, former television reporter Charlo Greene who famously quit her job with a four-letter walkoff on live television last year to devote her efforts to passing the initiative, is promising to give away weed to paying 'medical marijuana' patients and other 'club members.' Meanwhile, Alaska Native leaders worry that legalization will bring new temptations to communities already confronting high rates of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and suicide. Violation: The full details regarding what constitutes 'smoking in public' has yet to be ironed out so different areas of the state has interpreted the law differently (pictured is the Alaska Cannabis Club in Anchorage) 'When they start depending on smoking marijuana, I don't know how far they'd go to get the funds they need to support it, to support themselves,' said Edward Nick, council member in Manokotak, a remote village of 400 that is predominantly Yup'ik Eskimo. Both alcohol and drug use are prohibited in Nick's village 350 miles southwest of Anchorage, even inside the privacy of villagers' homes. But Nick fears that the initiative, in combination with a 1975 state Supreme Court decision that legalized marijuana use inside homes — could open doors to drug abuse. Initiative backers promised Native leaders that communities could still have local control under certain conditions. Alaska law gives every community the option to regulate alcohol locally. From northern Barrow to Klawock, 1,291 miles away in southeast Alaska, 108 communities impose local limits on alcohol, and 33 of them ban it altogether. But the initiative did not provide clear opt-out language for tribal councils and other smaller communities, forcing each one to figure out how to proceed Tuesday. | As of Tuesday, recreational use of marijuana is legal in Alaska .
Adult Alaskans can now use, transport, grow and give away weed .
Smoking marijuana in public remains illegal across the state . |
181,341 | 76c1f4324695d2217d0e786dbaf96f89054111ee | By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 10:47 PM on 30th January 2012 . Eight airport security workers have been suspended for alleged blunders including sleeping on duty and not checking luggage for potential bombs. Some of the suspended TSA screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey had even allegedly stolen items from passengers. Hidden CCTV cameras allegedly caught staff at Terminal B - which handles airlines including Delta, British Airways and Virgin - sleeping on the job. Shocking: Some of the suspended TSA screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey allegedly stole items from passengers (file picture) ‘A plane goes out at 2am and there’s no activity for a while - so they’ll sit down and go to sleep,' a law enforcement source told the New York Post. A federal probe caught several TSA screeners sleeping on duty and eight were disciplined as a result, reported the New York Post. In addition one assistant supervisor has reportedly been suspended for improperly overseeing staff she was supposed to be watching. A Transportation Security Administration spokesman only told the New York Post that it takes ‘immediate action’ when standards are not met. Meanwhile screener Kujuanne McNiel is likely to be sacked after allegedly causing two planeloads of luggage to be taken off and rescreened. Bad reputation: Terminal B at Newark was voted the eighth-worst airport terminal in the world in a survey earlier this month by travel website Frommer's . He allegedly failed to properly check two bags last month after they raised concern - but this was spotted immediately, reported the Star-Ledger. The incident was just one of various . security lapses at Newark, which saw the airport’s federal security . director Barbara Bonn Powell dismissed. 'A plane goes out at 2am and there’s no activity for a while - so they’ll sit down and go to sleep' New York Post source . A TSA union rep said that Mr McNiel’s mistakes were probably because of poor training given. ‘It has a lot to do with the training,’ union rep Stacy Bodtmann told the Star-Ledger. She added: ‘It has a lot to do with the management.’ Terminal B at Newark was voted the eighth-worst airport terminal in the world in a survey earlier this month by travel website Frommer's. Last spring it emerged air traffic controllers would get an extra rest hour between shifts under new rules after five dozed off in a matter of weeks. | Some screeners even spotted 'not checking luggage'
Hidden cameras 'caught' staff at Newark Terminal B .
One screener expected to be sacked after blunder .
Terminal is eighth-worst in world, recent survey said . |
244,248 | c81cc80f981c65e0b62ccdb439a3766bcc01697f | (CNN) -- Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia said Wednesday that national elections would take place in September, giving unusually lengthy notice to voters and her opponents of a hard campaign ahead. In a speech in the national capital, Canberra, Gillard gave a somber assessment of the economic and social challenges that Australia is facing under her Labor government, which is struggling in opinion polls. She said that announcing the timetable for the September vote now would end "speculation about election timing" and give "shape and order to the year." But some commentators suggested that in trying to give the country more clarity, she was in fact creating a drawn-out ordeal for voters. "Julia Gillard has consigned Australians to something approaching a national pregnancy," wrote Tony Wright, national affairs editor at The Age, a daily newspaper. Federal election campaigns in Australia traditionally last around six weeks, far shorter than presidential races in the United States. Wright said that a 10 week campaign in Australia in 1984 left voters tired and "tetchy" and hurt the party of the incumbent prime minister at the time, Bob Hawke. "No more long campaigns became the unbreakable mantra," Wright said, noting that the September 14 date set by Gillard is 32 weeks away. Gillard, 51, said in her speech Wednesday that the aim of giving such exceptionally advanced notice was to make the year "one not of fevered campaigning, but of cool and reasoned deliberation." Dennis Shanahan, political editor of The Australian, a national broadsheet newspaper said that although Gillard was giving up the advantage of surprise that she held over the opposition, she would have the chance to leverage the benefits of her incumbency. "The prime minister has ensured that she will be able to maximize the effect of being in office, governing, working and being in parliament while people see her as the prime minister," Shanahan said. Her main challenger, Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition, said he welcomed the announcement of the date. Abbott, 55, said his coalition was "ready" and suggested that the election campaign would focus on themes like tax, regulation and freedoms. Gillard, who managed to form a government after a tight election in 2010, could have set the election date as late as November 30 under Australia's three-year election cycle. But Shanahan said he thought she was also moving to head off any potential challenges to her position from within her party. In the summer of 2010, Gillard replaced the prime minister at the time, Kevin Rudd, whose ratings were suffering after he placed his proposed carbon emissions trading plan on the back burner and introduced a hefty tax on the country's powerful mining industry. Tensions remained in the party over her ascension to the prime minister's office, with some calling it a palace coup. Rudd unsuccessfully challenged her leadership last year. Under Gillard's announcement Wednesday, the House of Representatives will be dissolved on August 12. The elections will involve the entire House of Representatives and half the Senate. | Julia Gillard says national elections will take place in September .
It's unusually advanced notice for elections in Australia .
Some commentators say it will subject voters to a lengthy ordeal .
Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he welcomes the announcement . |
162,718 | 5e5fc0f027b7a0f20f7d79dade6270b3cda9128e | Swansea defender Ashley Williams has been told he is not for sale this summer. The 29-year-old, who is wanted by Sunderland among others, has a year remaining on his current deal and the Swans do not want to lose him. His representative, Jamie Moralee, told the South Wales Evening Post: 'At the moment, there have been some bids coming in. Swansea have rejected those because they think Ash is important - everyone's clear on that. Wanted man: Swansea defender Ashley Williams (left) is a summer transfer target for Sunderland . On the move? Williams, pictured here in action against Everton, has just a year left on his Swans contract . 'Swansea are very clear that Ashley is not for sale. Whatever offer comes in, he is not going to be sold. 'That's the option they've got and we're comfortable with that. We respect that because he's their player, he's under contract.' Moralee admitted Swansea could cash in on Williams now or allow him to leave the Liberty Stadium for nothing in a year's time, but indicated that an extended stay at the Liberty Stadium is his preferred option. He added: 'If Ashley signs another contract at Swansea, he will probably end his career there. I'd like to think we can reach an agreement because that is Ash's preferred option." Sunderland have registered their interest in Williams, to date with little encouragement from his current employers, but Moralee believes the Black Cats will not allow the matter to rest. Planning: Sunderland boss Gus Poyet is hoping to strengthen his defence before the start of next season . He said: 'Sunderland have made it clear that they will just keep bidding and bidding. They want the player and I understand that. 'Sunderland are trying to get their business done early, while others prefer to wait. It's too early for a big decision, but the transfer window has only just opened. Hopefully things will move along in the next week or so.' | Swansea manager Garry Monk wants to keep Williams .
The defender has one year left on his deal at the Liberty Stadium .
Sunderland are hoping to sign the Welshman this summer .
Williams could sign a new deal to remain with Swansea . |
63,771 | b5152a0ee43a723cdb0109fd03ef3b0789279c6a | An Ebola outbreak that began in Guinea four months ago has turned into a cross-border African crisis that could spread to more countries, the World Health Organisation warned last night. Despite efforts by health authorities and aid groups to contain its spread, the WHO has recorded 635 infections, including 399 deaths, in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since the outbreak started. The crisis is already the deadliest outbreak since Ebola first emerged in central Africa in 1976, and the number of infections continues to rise. The WHO is calling for drastic action to halt the epidemic. Scroll down for video . Aid: Staff from Médecins Sans Frontières sitting in the isolation ward at the Donka Hospital in Conakry, Guinea, where people infected with the Ebola virus are being treated . Cleanliness: Guinean women washing their hands at the entrance of the Sino-Guinean hospital of Kipe in the Ratoma municipality, where the first person infected with the Ebola virus was treated in Conakry . Campsite: The isolation ward at the Donka Hospital in Conakry where people infected with the Ebola virus are being treated . Luis Sambo, WHO Regional Director for . Africa, said: ‘This is no longer a country specific outbreak but a . sub-regional crisis that requires firm action by governments and . partners. ‘WHO is gravely . concerned by the on-going cross-border transmission into neighbouring . countries as well as the potential for further international spread.’ In . response to the worsening crisis, the WHO said it will convene a . special meeting of health ministers from 11 countries in Ghana on July 2 . and 3 to develop an inter-country response plan. Ebola . - with a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent, no vaccine and no known . cure - has not previously occurred in the West Africa region. People . there have become frightened of health facilities, blaming them for . importing and spreading the virus. Guidance: A Liberian Unicef field worker reads an Ebola information poster on the prevention of the Ebola epidemic, during a meeting at the Mission for Today Holy Church, in Newkru Town, Monrovia, Liberia . Guidance notice: A Liberian woman reads an information poster on the prevention of the Ebola epidemic . Medical response: A Liberian nurse walks past a poster illustrating steps for nurses to put on protective clothing displayed at the Redemption Hospital where a nurse reportedly died of Ebola virus in Monrovia . Abandoned: Empty hospital beds are seen at Redemption after nurses and patients fled due to Ebola deaths . The Ebola virus initially causes raging fever, headaches, muscle pain, conjunctivitis and weakness, before moving into more severe phases with vomiting, diarrhoea and internal and external haemorrhaging. 'This is no longer a country specific outbreak but a sub-regional crisis that requires firm action by governments and partners' Luis Sambo, World Health Organisation . Mr Sambo said: ‘There is an urgent need to intensify response efforts; to promote cross-border collaboration and information sharing of suspected cases and contacts... and to mobilise all sectors of the community. 'This is the only way that the outbreak will be effectively addressed.’ Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said this week that a lack of understanding has meant people continue to prepare corpses and attend funerals of victims, leaving them vulnerable to a disease transmitted by touching victims or via bodily fluids. MSF accused civil society groups, governments and religious authorities of failing to acknowledge the scale of the epidemic, resulting in few prominent figures promoting the fight against the disease. | World Health Organisation: 635 infections and 399 deaths since outbreak .
Began in Guinea in February and has spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia .
Deadliest outbreak since Ebola first emerged in central Africa in 1976 .
The virus has no vaccine, no known cure and a fatality rate of up to 90% .
Ebola causes vomiting, diarrhoea and internal & external haemorrhaging . |
56,384 | 9fc0b9ca7138272093f4c03354685970a9c38dc2 | Washington (CNN) -- Counterterrorism drone strikes have killed four Americans overseas since 2009, the U.S. government acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday, one day before President Barack Obama delivers a major speech on related policy. In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Attorney General Eric Holder said the United States specifically targeted and killed one American citizen, al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, in 2011 in Yemen, alleging he was plotting attacks against the United States. The letter provided new details about al-Awlaki's alleged involvement in bomb plots targeting U.S. aviation. Holder also said the Obama administration was aware of three other Americans who had been killed in counterterrorism operations overseas. Holder said Samir Kahn, Abdul Rahman Anwar al-Awlaki and Jude Kenan Mohammed were not targeted by the United States but he did not add more details about their deaths. The letter represents the first U.S. admission that the four were killed in counterterror strikes even though their deaths had been reported in the media. Read Holder's letter . Abdul Rahman Anwar Al-Awlaki was the 16-year-old son of the al Qaeda cleric and was killed in Pakistan about two weeks after his father's death. Khan produced the English-language magazine Inspire for al Qaeda's affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula, which included bomb-making instruction. He was killed alongside the elder al-Awlaki. Mohammed, who was once on the FBI's Most Wanted list, was indicted in July 2009 as part of a North Carolina-based terror ring. He was charged with plotting to murder, kidnap or maim persons overseas and provide material support to terrorists. Mohammed was never arrested and for a time reportedly was living in Pakistan. The Justice Department did not say when he was killed or provide any details. Obama will deliver long-promised remarks on Thursday at National Defense University and will speak at length about the policy and legal rationale for how the United States takes action against al Qaeda and its affiliates, including the use of drones, according to a White House official. Obama will discuss the administration's rationale for why those strikes are legal and necessary, the official said. Targeting Americans with lethal force in counterterror operations overseas was a controversy that flared publicly during confirmation hearings for CIA Director John Brennan earlier this year. Senators aggressively sought the administration's legal reasoning for those operations. By the numbers: Drones . Some lawmakers were critical of the practice and questions were raised about whether drones might ever be used against U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism who were on American soil. Holder said Obama directed him to release the latest details, which had been classified "until now." He said the unprecedented disclosure was made as a way to build on Obama's commitment in his State of the Union Address earlier this year to "continue to engage" with Congress on counterterror efforts and to "ensure that they remain consistent with our laws and values." Holder noted in one of his own speeches last year he had made it clear the United States would only use lethal force against an American citizen "who is a senior operational leader of al Qaeda or its associated forces, and who is actively engaged in planning to kill Americans." He also said no American would be targeted unless he or she posed an imminent threat and could not be captured. The senior al-Awlaki was believed by U.S. authorities to have inspired acts of terrorism against the United States. It was said his facility with English and technology made him one of the top terrorist recruiters in the world. He was considered the public face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But Holder said in his letter that it "was not his words that led the United States to act against him" but his "direct personal involvement" in the "planning and execution" of terror attacks against the United States that "made him a lawful target." Opinion: 9 myths about drones and Gitmo . For instance, Holder said al-Awlaki "planned a suicide operation" for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner. Holder noted al-Awlaki directed Abdulmutallab to detonate his bomb, which was hidden in his underwear, only when the jet was over U.S. soil. The plot that ultimately involved a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009 failed. The letter also provided new details about al-Awlaki's alleged involvement in a 2010 plot to blow up U.S.-bound cargo planes with explosives hidden in printers. Holder said al-Awlaki was so involved he even participated in the development and testing of the explosives used in the plan that was foiled. Calling the decision to use lethal force "one of the gravest our government" can face," Holder said the operation targeting al-Awlaki received "exceptionally rigorous" legal review and additional policy screening by the administration. Congress was also briefed on the possibility of targeting the al Qaeda figure and informed once the decision was made in 2010. In his letter Holder said Obama approved a policy document this week that "institutionalizes the administration's exacting standards and processes for reviewing and approving operations to capture or use lethal force against terrorist targets outside the United States and areas of active hostilities." Obama focuses on drones, Gitmo . CNN's Jessica Yellin contributed to this report. | Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledges toll in letter to Senate chairman .
Latest disclosure was classified until now; Obama asked Holder to release info .
Admission comes one day before President Obama delivers speech on terror policy .
NEW: Holder letter reveals details on alleged bomb plots involving U.S. aviation . |
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