Unnamed: 0
int64 0
287k
| id
stringlengths 40
40
| article
stringlengths 117
14.7k
| highlights
stringlengths 37
3.97k
|
|---|---|---|---|
129,871 | 33df83329a306df02fd6650d98e28bd53422dce5 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:37 EST, 22 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:20 EST, 22 March 2013 . Across Britain, campaigners have been battling with local authorities to prevent the closure of their cherished libraries faced with Government cuts. But one English town has found itself in a unique position - with locals battling against the opening of a new £2million library. Residents in Glossop, Derbyshire, have argued that an existing library, housed in a 19th century gothic revival hall should remain, despite being in need of major renovation. Conflict: Derbyshire County Council has proposed the building of a new library 'that is fit for the 21st century' in Glossop. But a campaign group wants the existing library in Victoria Hall (pictured) to remain . The affinity displayed by some locals for Victoria Hall has prompted a complicated debate over the future of public reading in the town. The ground floor of Victoria Hall, constructed in 1888, is leased to Derbyshire county council for free by High Peak borough council, which is its trustee. The county council plans to build a new library offering 'new, enhanced and extended services' on the site, which was previously a primary school and currently serves as a county council social services building. The proposed build, which includes 'ancillary accommodation' and 'garden space', will be considered by the council's planning committee on Monday. Campaign group Glossop Soul (Save . Our Unique Library) said that it will take a favourable planning decision to judicial review, claiming that 97 per cent of 1,000 residents questioned were opposed to the plans. The group has expressed concern that the hall will fall into disrepair if the library is removed and queries whether it would cost as much to repair as has been mooted. Offer: The county council's leader Andrew Lewer said he wanted to 'provide the best possible library' for Glossop (pictured) Challenge: Campaign group Glossop Soul (Save Our Unique Library) said that it will take the planning decision to judicial review, claiming that 97 per cent of 1,000 residents questioned were opposed to the plans . The listed building is in desperate need of renovation and the county council argues that any proposed redevelopment of it would be limited by a covenant. Having been built on land donated by 2nd Lord Howard of Glossop, he stipulated that it should only be used for 'the purpose of the erection of a public free library and public hall thereon'. The borough council, controlled by Labour, has offered to transfer ownership of the hall to the Conservative-run county council, hoping that it will spend the £2million pot on the existing library. But the county council's leader . Andrew Lewer said he wanted to 'provide the best possible library'. He said: 'I find it deeply disappointing that party . politics ahead of a tense county council election has led to efforts to . portray the building of a new library in Glossop as somehow bad news.' Denying that council was planning the move without adequate consultation, he told the Guardian: 'Elsewhere in the country libraries are closing and here we are making this exciting and forward-looking investment. 'The county council wants to provide . the best possible library, the borough council would like to unload one . of the large number of expensive 19th-century buildings it owns that are . underused and costly. 'Saving Victoria Hall and saving – or . rather improving – Glossop library are both worthwhile but it does not . follow that they are one and the same thing.' A spokesman for Derbyshire County Council said: 'The current building – Victoria Hall – is just not suitable for a 21st century library. The plans we have are for a much bigger, lighter, brighter library for the town giving space for more books and computers for public use. 'We only occupy one of three floors of Victoria Hall and this floor needs around £500,000 of essential repairs. 'This would not improve the service we provide or refurbish the top floor which is currently empty, or the basement which is used by a local youth group. 'There is a restrictive covenant on the building that would prevent us from using the other floors in a way that would meet our accommodation requirements in Glossop.' | Derbyshire county council wants to build the new library in Glossop .
But campaign group said it will take planning decision to judicial review .
It argues the money should be spent on the existing library Victoria Hall .
Council leader said he is 'disappointed' proposed building seen as 'bad news' |
167,526 | 64a8b241dbd0d7f3036d7b705f3deafc8533f4ae | Formula One's long-awaited return to South Africa has taken a step closer to coming to fruition. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone confirmed last month he was 'in the middle of trying to do something in South Africa', with the race last on the calendar in 1993. Anthony Hamilton, father of two-time F1 world champion Lewis, has been working on a plan for the past year to bring the grand prix back to the country. Anthony Hamilton (left), with son Lewis, has been working on bringing a Grand Prix to South Africa . British driver Lewis Hamilton is a the reigning Formula One world champion . Africa is the only inhabited continent without a Formula One race, and it would represent an historic achievement should an event again take place in South Africa. Ecclestone is currently in the process of proposing terms for the country to again figure on the schedule, hopefully from 2016, and significantly with Cape Town the venue. Ecclestone said: 'I've been looking to go back to South Africa for a long time, and now we have a good chance. 'They're getting on with it. We're hoping to be back in 2016, but we will have a look and see. We'll see how we get on.' F1 has long been associated with a potential return to South Africa, although this would be Cape Town's first foray into the sport. Bernie Ecclestone has been holding negotiations in South Africa about bringing Formula One back there . The race was previously held in East London in 1962, 1963 and 1965 before moving to Kyalami - 20 miles north of Johannesburg - from 1967-1980 and 1982-1985, and again in 1992 and 1993. Should the race go ahead, and with Azerbaijan also scheduled to make its debut next year, there is the prospect of a record-breaking 22-race calendar on the cards for 2016. At present 20 races stands as the most in one year, as was the case in 2012, and again for this year. | The last Formula One race that was held in South Africa was in 1993 .
Bernie Ecclestone is proposing terms to take a race there as soon as 2016 .
Anthony Hamilton has been working on a plan for past year to take it back .
Click here for more F1 news . |
99,135 | 0bb23625f75d517e65dd884452dc9d09d868f144 | Alan Pardew becomes new Crystal Palace boss as Newcastle United thrash out £2million compensation deal with Eagles . Hull City boss Steve Bruce is interested in replacing Alan Pardew as manager of Newcastle United and would be willing to work with owner Mike Ashley. The Geordie boss is under increasing pressure at Hull after Sunday’s defeat at home to Leicester left them one place above the relegation zone on goal difference only. And Bruce – who was sacked by Sunderland three years ago - would jump at the chance of a return to his native North East and the club he supported as a boy. Steve Bruce is interested in replacing Alan Pardew as Newcastle United manager . Bruce celebrates with son Alex after Nikica Jelavic makes sure of Hull's Boxing Day win at Sunderland . Steve Bruce - Boyhood Newcastle fan and under pressure at Hull. Would work under Mike Ashley and gets on well with chief scout Graham Carr. 4/1 . Tony Pulis – Out of work and an attractive proposition for Ashley in that respect. Thought to be interested. 7/2 . Tim Sherwood – Would jump at the chance and possibility of bringing Newcastle favourite Les Ferdinand with him would be popular with supporters. 10/1 . Steve McClaren – Doing a fine job at Derby and is respected within St James’ Park. He would find lure of return to Premier League hard to resist. 16/1 . Glenn Hoddle – Has emerged as a popular choice among Toon Army and current QPR coach might fancy shot at top job. 20/1 . Fabricio Coloccini - The 32-year-old Argentine has been at the club since 2008 and could be given job on interim basis. 15/8 . Crucially, he has a good relationship with Newcastle chief scout Graham Carr and it is thought he would accept the transfer model which sees Carr identify the majority of targets. Bruce, though, faces competition for the position from two out-of-work managers whose unemployment – and thus no compensation fee – would appeal to Ashley. Tony Pulis has not worked since quitting Crystal Palace at the start of the season and is keen on a return to the dugout. Newcastle would represent the biggest club on his managerial CV and it is thought he is interested in succeeding close friend Pardew. Likewise, Tim Sherwood. He was sacked by Spurs at the end of last season and was in the running for the Palace job before Pardew’s shock move to Selhurst Park. Ashley has connections to Spurs and Sherwood will certainly be applying for the position on Tyneside. Were he to persuade former Newcastle favourite Les Ferdinand to join him as assistant then it could prove a shrewd move in appeasing supporters who are sceptical about Ashley’s motives in identifying a replacement. One name which is proving popular with the Toon Army is that of former England boss Glenn Hoddle. The current QPR coach missed out on the job at Spurs when Sherwood was appointed last season and he has long since fancied another No.1 role. Alan Pardew is set to be appointed as the new Crystal Palace manager . Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, who is currently in Barbados, will have the final say . John Carver, however, is set to be placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs. The Newcastle-born coach boasts a 100-per-cent record as caretaker boss having guided the Magpies to a 3-0 win over Blackburn in the wake of Sir Bobby Robson’s sacking in 2004. Should he impress during a busy January period then a deal until the end of the season at least could be in the offing. Steve McClaren, meanwhile, is rebuilding his reputation at Derby County but would be tempted by the offer from a Premier League club. He is respected within St James’ Park and is another used to working within the European model of transfers controlled at a level above the manager. Bruce led his Hull side to the 2014 FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal . Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood is also in the frame for the St James' Park role . | Steve Bruce could replace Alan Pardew as Newcastle boss .
Pardew will soon be named as the new Crystal Palace manager .
Hull manager Bruce is willing to work with Magpies owner Mike Ashley . |
198,205 | 8c8edb850b861407e1a0f4718abeeddc48f9551b | There will come a time, in a 100 years from now, when England supporters will cast their eyes over Wayne Rooney’s records and wonder what all the fuss was about. Injury-permitting the England forward is on course to break Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps some time in 2017 (at the very latest). In the new year, when England’s head coach Roy Hodgson picks up again, Rooney will pass Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record before we are done with 2015. So what more do we want from Rooney? VIDEO Scroll down to watch Neil Ashton and Charles Sale on Scotland 1-3 England . Wayne Rooney and Roy Hodgson depart Glasgow Airport on Tuesday night after England's fine win . Rooney's double means he is three goals behind Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time England record . Rooney celebrates his first goal with Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain . The great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has played 101 times for his country and scored 51, is idolised and cherished by the good folk of Sweden. Zlatan, unlike Rooney, has previously refused to play for Sweden over a disciplinary issue and also retired, briefly, from international football in October 2009. It did him no harm. Rooney’s record of 46 goals in 101 international appearances is similar to the Swedish forward and yet our country remains divided about his contribution to the English game. His performance in Scotland, where he scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Gordon Strachan’s team at Celtic Park, was masterful. There is a maturity about his game. At 29, with the captain’s armband strapped to his left bicep, he has taken it upon himself to draw the best out of England’s emerging young players. Rooney nods in the first of his double against Scotland to move into third on England's all-time scorers chart . The England captain sweeps in his second of the night and his side's third to seal victory . ‘Sometimes results don’t go the way we want them to and people see it as if we don’t want to play four the country, but that’s far from the truth,’ he claimed. ‘We love coming to Scotland, we love playing for England. You have seen what it means to us and we are like that in every game.’ Rooney has had his moments, but if we are to make comparisons then Ibrahimovc has a rap sheet, all documented in his brilliant autobiography I Am Zlatan, that puts the England forward to shame. Ibrahimovic is no angel. He has never scored a goal at a World Cup, either, but Ibrahimovic’s acolytes always gloss over that because Sweden is Sweden, right? Rooney operates under different pressures with England and his detractors will always reference his disappointing record (one goal, in a 2-1 defeat against Uruguay in Sao Paulo at the 2014 World Cup) on the biggest stage of all. Rooney runs away in celebration as he prepares to launch himself into a cartwheel . The forward cannot hide his delight as he wheels away in front of the travelling England support . Rooney became England's youngest ever player when coming on in a 3-1 loss to Australia in 2003 . If bringing home the Golden Boot from a World Cup really is the be-all-and-end-all about a player’s place in the game’s Hall of Fame, then we are duty bound to look back at the last few tournaments. Since Rooney was born in Croxteth in 1985 there is only one striker in the game who has won as many league titles as Rooney during his career. That man was Hristo Stoichkov with Barcelona (5). Whether or not you like Rooney, respect him or otherwise, there are few Golden Boot winners who have done it consistently for club and country since they made their international debuts. The much-admired Gary Lineker, who scored six times during England’s run to the World Cup quarter-final at Mexico 86, never won a league title. After scoring 48 times for England, he enjoys legendary status. Rooney acknowledges the crowd before England's Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia, his 100th cap . Rooney is edging closer to the England record of Charlton (left), here scoring against Portugal in 1966 . At Italia 90 we fell in love with the Italian forward Toto Schillachi. He scored five at the tournament but never won a league title. Russian forward Oleg Salenko, who scored six at the 1994 World Cup in the USA, won a league title with Dinamo Kiev. Davor Suker, leading scorer at the 1998 World Cup, won one league title with Real Madrid. The Brazilian Ronaldo, who scored eight in 2002, won just one league title in Europe, with Real Madrid. Miroslav Klose, who scored five for Germany at the 2006 World Cup, won two league titles with Bayern Munich. Injury permitting, Rooney is on course to beat Peter Shilton's 125-cap record for England . Rooney's career has not always been simple, but he has five Premier League titles with Manchester United . Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci was top scorer at Italia 90, yet he never won a title . Thomas Muller, top scorer in South Africa, has three DFB titles with Bayern Munich and will win countless more. James Rodriguez (Brazil 2014) won three league titles with Porto. Some of the other issues, judging by the consistent reaction to Rooney on social media, is that the forward happens to play his club football with Manchester United. It is there that Rooney has scored 219 goals in 450 appearances for since joining United just weeks after he announced himself to international football at Euro 2004. Gary Lineker nets the second of his three goals against Poland - he was top scorer at the 1986 World Cup . Hristo Stoichkov (left) joined Oleg Salenko, who hit five goals against Cameroon, as top scorer in 1994 . Davor Suker scores one of his six goals in the 1998 World Cup during the semi-final against France . He is third on the list of all-time leading scorers, just 18 behind Denis Law and 30 short of equalling Sir Bobby Charlton. ‘I can’t speak for him but if you ask me the records should be very important,’ claimed Hodgson after England had recorded their sixth successive victory in Scotland. ‘It must be nice for him to think he’ll see his name at the top of the list and a record number of caps is in sight too.’ After more than ten years at the top for club and country, it is time Rooney is given the credit he deserves. Germany legend Miroslav Klose is the top World Cup goalscorer ever with 16 goals . Before the tournament in Brazil, Ronaldo was the World Cup's top scorer - he hit 62 goals in total for Brazil . Rooney scored his one and only World Cup goal in the 2-1 defeat by Uruguay in Sao Paulo in the summer . But, not for the first time, the tournament ended in dejection for both the United man and England . VIDEO Hodgson praises attack as Rooney approaches record . | Wayne Rooney scored twice in England's 3-1 win vs Scotland on Tuesday .
Rooney's international record reads: 46 goals in 101 caps .
The 29-year-old has scored once at a World Cup - vs Uruguay in summer .
Rooney's club record outshines his international achievements - including five Premier League titles and one Champions League medal . |
72,357 | cd1fe917c67c1ed17995876934e6415800f35642 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 10:49 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:53 EST, 16 July 2013 . Nigel Farage today launched a blistering attack on Ed Miliband, branding the Labour leader ‘spineless and clueless’ for not standing up to his union paymasters. The UKIP leader tore into the Unite union after his party was branded ‘pre-fascist’ and ‘xenophobic’ in a secret report. And Mr Farage brushed off a poll showing voters switching back to the Tories, insisting the threat he poses to the Tories is ‘more psychological than arithmetical’. Row: UKIP Leader Nigel Farage tore into Labour leader Ed Miliband for not distancing himself from the Unite report describing UKIP as fascist . The explosive Unite report was written by Steve Hart, who has close links with the Labour leadership and was Unite’s political director until he left last month after a power struggle. The confidential report, submitted to a meeting of Unite’s political committee, launches a highly provocative attack on UKIP leader Nigel Farage, warning Mr Miliband not to ‘chase’ his party’s votes. ‘The UKIP vote represents a dangerous, populist Right-wing vote which is swayed by anti-immigrant and anti-European rhetoric – and nostalgia for a comfortable world that never really existed,’ it states. ‘These are all the hallmarks of pre-fascist movements – which is not to say that UKIP is fascist, because it isn’t, but to point to the dangers of ignoring them and the issues or attempting to chase them.’ Warning: Steve Hart, a recent Unite political director, wrote the key report slamming UKIP . Unite has given Labour more than £8million since Mr Miliband became leader in 2010. Today Mr Farage condemned the criticism of UKIP, insisting it was evidence ‘all that is wrong with the Left of British politics’. Writing for MailOnline, Mr Farage said he had previously urged Mr Miliband to ‘condemn inflammatory, narrow minded and provocative behaviour’ by Unite Against Fascism at a UKIP public meeting in Hove. ‘The reply simply never came. It suits the spineless and clueless Labour leader to promulgate the utterly reprehensible and totally unfounded view that UKIP is somehow xenophobic or dangerous. ‘The only danger we pose is to the other three parties, who have for too long ignored British voters.’ Len McCluskey's Unite has become embroiled in a bitter row with the Labour party over allegations that the union tried to fix candidate selection in Falkirk. It prompted Mr Miliband to announce an overhaul of Labour's union links, including ending the automatic payment of £9million in political levies into party coffers. It has also emerged that Labour has suspended two local councillors who are accused of paying for people to join the party. Following a meeting last night, Pervaz Khan and Derek Loughborough, who sit on Middlesbrough Council, were placed on 'administrative suspension'. It is claimed that the pair recruited people to join the Labour Party after paying their initial subscription fees. In a sign that the row is damaging Labour, a new opinion poll last night put the party neck and neck with the Tories on 36 per cent. While the Tories were up seven points, UKIP was done five points to just seven . The Conservatives believe they have countered some of UKIP’s appeal by backing legislation paving the way for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU to take place by the end of 2017. The Tories were also boosted by Home Secretary Theresa May’s success in finally getting hate preacher Abu Qatada deported to Jordan. But Mr Farage insisted: ‘One deported terrorist suspect does not a summer make.’ He blames the opinion poll on the fact that pollsters ICM do not name UKIP when asking people how they will vote. 'Most of the pollsters don’t know how to handle UKIP, and neither do the political establishment. In some respects, they are all doing us a favour. ‘The arrogance of both sides reveals a deliberately myopic political establishment that would have the UK sleepwalk towards a situation where wholly undesirable organisations such as the EDL gain traction with people who otherwise have absolutely no sympathy with their dangerous views,’ he added. The leaked Unite report sadly underscores all that is wrong with the Left of British politics. When I wrote to Ed Miliband after the protest organised by Unite Against Fascism at the UKIP public meeting in Hove, I would have expected a responsible Party leader to condemn inflammatory, narrow minded and provocative behaviour against valid political debate. The reply simply never came. It suits the spineless and clueless Labour leader to promulgate the utterly reprehensible and totally unfounded view that UKIP is somehow xenophobic or dangerous. The only danger we pose is to the other three parties, who have for too long ignored British voters. What we are looking at is the Left Wing of British politics trying to control the views of their voters, particularly among blue collar workers, while at the same time ignoring their voice. This is a left wing that feels it has an automatic right to that vote, and cannot bear the idea that another party is gaining credence. This is a left wing that cannot fathom that it has ever done anything wrong despite senior Labour figures revealing that they openly courted Eastern European workers to come to the UK in their hundreds of thousands. The report describes the UKIP vote as having the hallmarks of pre-fascist movements. What he is either naively or arrogantly failing to identify is that UKIP is the solution to the problem, not the problem itself. What he calls ‘the UKIP vote’ is a society that feels let down; a society that wants to rise up against a democratic deficit. History has shown us that all too often such a vacuum is easily filled by opportunistic and unsavoury political elements that play upon long ignored societal issues and dissatisfaction to further their own ill ends. The political class should be grateful that a responsible, reasonable and rational political power is representing the unheard voices underpinning this discontent. In the battle against fascism, UKIP is far and above the best medicine. In the UK, and indeed across Europe, people have felt unrepresented and ignored for too long, while great change such as mass immigration set against a backdrop of economic turmoil has not only been ignored but wilfully swept under the carpet. Yet instead of reading the signs, Unite and The Labour Party instead obsess over their self-preservation. Where voters are turning to UKIP, they wish to discredit and destroy our party, rather than seeking to understand the needs of the people increasingly identifying with our policies. The problem, to them, is UKIP. Not the fact that they are not listening to the electorate, whereas we are. But it's not just the Labour party who are missing the point about the UKIP surge. Today's ICM poll showing - astonishingly - the Tories and Labour on 36 per cent is a symptom of a political class more interested in polling data backing up their pre conceived views. Just as the media have their favourite political parties, polling companies now lean towards their own politics with the results being skewed in favour of the paymaster's allegiance. Just as a bookmaker at a race course would slash the odds on a favourite horse to encourage punters to put their money on the least risky option, political parties want voters to go with the same urge of 'backing the favourite'. I've often said I thought the effect of UKIP on the Conservative Party was more psychological than arithmetical but when political parties rely on manipulated data sets they risk once again ignoring what gets people voting UKIP. It's not a risk for me, of course. It's always been UKIP's unique selling point that we actually listen to the people rather than convince ourselves that the public think we've all the answers and nothing to improve upon. Because what happens is that election time comes as a bitter disappointment. I'm not taking the ICM poll to heart today despite calls from many quarters saying that the Tories have effectively managed to 'squeeze UKIP out'. One deported terrorist suspect does not a summer make. If the data had been from a pollster who prompted UKIP in the first round maybe I'd be more concerned but the figure they have UKIP on, 7 per cent, is the same figure they polled us at a mere two months before our best ever election result, scoring an average of 25 per cent where we stood. Most of the pollsters don’t know how to handle UKIP, and neither do the political establishment. In some respects, they are all doing us a favour. The arrogance of both sides reveals a deliberately myopic political establishment that would have the UK sleepwalk towards a situation where wholly undesirable organisations such as the EDL gain traction with people who otherwise have absolutely no sympathy with their dangerous views. We are not afraid to talk about immigration and the EU, even if we must suffer the name calling and abuse, for we understand how important these issues are to any society. These last few weeks, both Unite and The Labour Party have demonstrated a distasteful and corrupt obsession with forcibly trying to dominate the political landscape, by any means. It is time the Left Wing stopped focusing on their selves and started waking up to what the people of Britain really want. This blind, narrow minded hostility towards UKIP is a blind narrow minded hostility towards Britain itself. | Secret report by Unite union branded UKIP ‘pre-fascist’ and ‘xenophobic’
Union has given Labour £8million since Ed Milband became leader .
New poll suggests voters are switching back to the Tories . |
115,978 | 21b1c361d7d7683d3619eec6ef0a0c5b31c3242d | Washington (CNN) -- Five years ago, not many people knew of Ted Cruz or sequestration or had seen a tricorne hat. Today, all are familiar in the political arena because of the tea party movement that emerged in 2009. For better or worse, the coming together of frustrated conservatives fearing American ruin due to rising debt has altered the national discussion to raise the profile of people and policies previously relegated to the right-wing fringe. Republicans fear tea party challengers in primaries. Democrats complain about the tea party caucus. The fiscal conversation focuses on reducing deficits and even reforming entitlement programs that make up the social safety net. Here's a kind of "greatest hits of the tea party, volume one": . 1) Protesting patriots . Never in the past 200 or so years have so many worn tricorne hats and other Revolutionary War-era garb to make their political point. At protests and rallies that began in February 2009 to spawn the tea party movement, the overwhelmingly white, middle-aged and older participants dressed the part of past patriots protesting against taxation without representation. They also adopted the Gadsen flag of the the 18th Century -- a coiled snake warning "Don't tread on me." It reflected the movement's link to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 that helped launch the War of Independence, while some note that the word "tea" in the label is a backronym for "taxed enough already." Top tea party group celebrates five years . Such romanticism ignores the private funding from big conservative donors, such as the billionaire Koch brothers, that helped amalgamate scattered local organizations into a more coherent movement with national focus. 2) Obamacare fury . Daily headlines scream with Republican rage over President Barack Obama's signature health care reforms that passed in 2010 with zero GOP votes. The roots of such fury emerge from the origins of the tea party movement -- conservative anger over the stimulus bill that contained more than $800 billion in tax relief and spending to help the economy recover from recession. Tea party zealots as well as mainstream Republicans and independents also disliked the auto industry bailouts and financial sector rescue started under the previous administration of Republican President George W. Bush. That anger helped Obama and Democrats win big in 2008. With control of the White House, Senate and House, Democrats pushed through the stimulus bill in 2009 and the Obamacare bill a year later. Anyone who attended or watched can't forget how opponents of the health reforms flooded public hearings on the proposal to spew full-throated attacks. Supporters got shouted down, shoving matches occurred, and the resulting perception was that middle-class America would never accept Obamacare. Today, Republicans and conservative groups try to maintain that perception with mixed results. 3) Republican control of the House . Tea party anger over the stimulus bill and Obamacare translated to a conservative campaign onslaught in the 2010 congressional elections, with private groups freed from previous funding restrictions because of the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. Cruz angers GOP colleagues -- again . Republicans won back the House by gaining 63 seats in a major shift, with dozens of tea party-backed newcomers joining the GOP caucus. Advocating showdown politics and brinksmanship over federal spending and raising the federal borrowing limit, the Republican-led House forced a rightward shift on fiscal issues that resulted in more austere policies, more fights between the parties and mounting public disgust with dysfunction in Washington. 4) Democratic control of the Senate . "I'm not a witch," declared Christine O'Donnell, a moment that symbolized how the tea party movement doomed Republican chances to gain control of the Senate in 2010. A conservative activist, O'Donnell entered the Republican primary to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden. So did former Delaware Gov. Michael Castle, a nine-term U.S. congressman, who was heavily favored to win and refused to debate her. With strong tea party support, O'Donnell beat Castle by 6 percentage points with strong backing from conservative southern Delaware, but she proved too inexperienced and downright flaky for the pressures of a full-fledged Senate campaign. Comedian Bill Maher unearthed a 1999 clip from a TV show he hosted in which O'Donnell talked about dabbling in witchcraft, and she responded with a commercial that opened with her flat-out denial. Senate passes debt-ceiling plan in blow to tea party . It went downhill from there, and Chris Coons easily defeated O'Donnell by 57%-40% in November. A similar scenario occurred in Colorado, where conservative Ken Buck defeated favored Lt. Gov. Jane Norton in the GOP Senate primary, then lost to Democrat Michael Bennet in the general election. Two years later in Indiana, Republican Richard Mourdock beat veteran Sen. Richard Lugar in the primary, then lost the race for the seat Lugar had held for six terms to Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly. 5) Ted Cruz and Michele Bachmann . Who had heard of either politician back in 2009? Today, both are household names after Michele Bachmann used her status as a tea party favorite to run for president in 2012 and Cruz rode tea party backing to get elected as a senator from Texas the same year. Bachmann railed against Obamacare and federal spending in her energetic but short-lived campaign best remembered for her frequent outlandish and accuracy challenged statements. She won the Iowa straw poll in August 2011 to get an early jump on the crowded GOP field, but her novelty flamed out and she finished sixth in the Iowa caucuses the following January. Bachmann dropped out of the race shortly thereafter, and now is leaving Congress altogether at the end of 2014. Cruz is on an opposite trajectory. More than any of the other tea party stalwarts elected in recent years, he has walked the talk by repeatedly taking on the Washington establishment of both parties in Quixotic escapades that gain him notoriety at the expense of GOP clout. Texas tea partier wants GOP on Cruz control . Last September, Cruz waged a 21-hour filibuster against a government spending extension, at one point reading aloud the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham" to his children back home, as part of his crusade against Obamacare. His tactics led to a 16-day government shutdown in October that failed to gain Republicans anything but public scorn for the political shenanigans involved. Undeterred, Cruz recently forced fellow Republicans in the Senate to join Democrats in overcoming his filibuster of a measure to raise the federal borrowing limit so the United States wouldn't default on its bills. GOP leaders wanted to let the measure pass with no Republican support so they could blame Democrats, but Cruz's filibuster threatened an impasse that could have rattled financial markets and possibly brought a downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. Fearful that Republicans would again be blamed for Washington dysfunction, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell led a dozen aisle-crossers who voted with Democrats to end the Cruz filibuster, then rejoined fellow Republicans in opposing the measure in the final vote that only needed Democratic support to pass. Afterward, Cruz complained that such political "show" votes hurt the party much more than his ideological purity of trying to wring more spending cuts out of Democrats in order to pass the debt ceiling hike. In the end, it remained unclear whether such antics will hurt or help the freshman senator considered a possible GOP presidential contender as soon as 2016. 6) New vocabulary . Who had heard of sequestration five years ago? Today it is part of the political-policy vocabulary, thanks in part to the way that the tea party changed the conversation through its laser focus on issues such as the national debt, the federal budget and entitlement spending. The refusal by tea party Republicans in the House to accept business-as-usual compromises on federal spending caused a series of showdowns with Obama and Democrats. One brought a compromise that included sequestration -- across-the-board cuts in government spending, including the military. While sparing entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the sequester cuts came closest to the tea party goal of shrinking government to lower deficits. Now Congress has started undoing the sequestration limits, angering tea party conservatives and putting pressure on Republican candidates in November congressional elections who supported the December budget compromise. 7) Poor John . Few sights have been as politically expressive as House Speaker John Boehner repeatedly having to drop legislation he supported because he was unable to get his own caucus to back him. The ability of tea party Republicans to undermine compromises with Democrats pushed by Boehner demonstrated the GOP split between the mainstream leadership and more extremist newcomers. Tea Party SOTU Response: 'Obamacare is an inequality Godzilla' After the government shutdown in October, Boehner adopted a tougher stance by criticizing tea party tactics that harmed Republicans. Earlier this month, he joined 27 other Republicans to vote with 193 Democrats in passing the debt-ceiling hike over the objections of 199 Republicans. Even Boehner's long-time political foe, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, sounded sympathetic on Thursday, calling on Republicans to "take back your party" from what she described as extremists. "I think (the tea party) considered it a success when they shut down government and I don't think that was for the good of the nation," Pelosi said, adding that the tea party "hijacked the name Republican." 8) IRS targeting . Without a tea party movement, there would have been no tea party groups for Internal Revenue Service officials to screen out when checking applications for tax-exempt status. It turns out that liberal groups also were targeted for extra scrutiny, based on specific words in their names, as the IRS tried to figure out if new organizations were trying to skirt election funding limits by claiming they were 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations. Conservative Republicans continue crying foul, but investigations so far found no deliberate political machinations by the IRS. CNN's Alan Silverleib, Shannon Travis, Ashley Killough and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. | For better or worse, the tea party movement has made a difference .
Who heard of Ted Cruz or sequestration back in 2009?
Protesting patriots or political obstructionists?
Mainstream Republicans are pushing back . |
39,941 | 70ba7afe2e3819267d4cd937cff2235ea7155811 | In two cases female students were . paid almost $1,000 to contaminate water tanks at their . schools . By . Tammy Hughes . PUBLISHED: . 07:42 EST, 6 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:27 EST, 6 June 2012 . The Afghan government have accused the Taliban today of poisoning schoolgirls by bribing students and workers to sneak toxic chemicals into drinking water or spread it around school grounds. Officials have said that 15 suspects have now been arrested. They revealed that six schools in northern Takhar province had been affected in the past three weeks, and although they did not give a total number of girls who got sick, they said one school alone had 125 cases. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, girls were banned from going to school and women were only allowed to leave their homes with a male relative as an escort. Shocking: The Afghan government have accused the Taliban of being behind six separate attacks on girls' schools . The Afghan government have made 15 arrests and claim that 12 of the suspects are Taliban insurgents . After their 2001 ouster, Taliban insurgents would attack schoolgirls by spraying their faces with acid. However, the group has appeared to tone down its stance against education for girls more recently. And Government officials suggested the . alleged plot may have been aimed at undermining the government's . achievements. President Hamid Karzai has called for an investigation . into the attacks. Meanwhile spokesman for the intelligence . service, Latifullah Mashal, said that his organisation had discovered a conspiracy by . militants to try to scare families from sending their children to . school. Marshal said: 'They want to create . terror and fear among students, especially in the education sector and . also in the health sector, which are two of the major achievements of . the 10 years of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.' He said that those currently being held . for the attacks include 12 identified Taliban insurgents, a teacher and a . school treasurer and his wife. Poisoned: A total of 160 girls aged between ten and 20 from the Aahan Dara Girls School were taken to hospital last month . Banned: Under Taliban rule girls were forbidden from going to school and some militants still attack female students . Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied any involvement in the poisonings. In an email he stated: 'The poisoning . of innocent children is against Islamic law. The mujahedeen are not . involved in the poisoning of schoolchildren. It is a crime.' Government officials had previously . said it was unclear what caused the series of outbreaks of illness at . girls' schools in the province starting about three weeks ago. In at least one case, doctors in the capital city of Taluqan attributed complaints of illness by 125 students to mass hysteria. But cases continued to mount and seven alleged school poisonings have now been reported in six schools in the province. Mustafa Rasouli, a spokesman for the . provincial government has told how the insurgents confessed to bribing . teachers, school workers and even students to sneak toxic chemicals onto . school grounds. In two cases, female students were . paid 50,000 Afghanis (almost $1,000) to contaminate water tanks at their . schools with a toxic powder. In other instances, conspirators sprayed a sweet-smelling yellow liquid around the grounds of the school, he said. Officials did not identify any of the toxic substances allegedly used. | The Afghan government have made 15 arrests for six attacks on girls' schools in three weeks .
Those being held include 12 Taliban insurgents, a teacher and a school treasurer .
The Taliban have denied involvement saying that hurting children is against Islamic law .
In two cases female students were .
paid almost $1,000 to contaminate water tanks at their .
schools . |
98,379 | 0aad58d582d5b41c715d0f3f80804409108e523b | By . Eleanor Harding . PUBLISHED: . 18:59 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:01 EST, 25 June 2013 . Thousands had queued overnight to get their hands on tickets. But yesterday there were still rows of empty seats on the major courts at Wimbledon – to the fury of those who had failed to get in. Unoccupied seats were clearly visible at Centre Court as Serena Williams and David Ferrer played. And as millions of Britons were glued to their television sets to watch Heather Watson’s fortunes, Court Two – where she lost to American teenager Madison Keys – appeared to be only half full. The situation was better on Court One where Laura Robson was playing, but many seats still went unfilled. This was despite many of the tickets for yesterday’s show courts being allocated more than a day before the gates actually opened. Room to spare: Row upon row of empty seats at Court No1 for the Robson match yesterday . Tennis fans watching at home took to Twitter to voice their frustration at the abundance of vacant seats . The empty seats led to a fierce Twitter row, with many blaming it on corporate hospitality clients failing to show up. Sports presenter Gary Lineker wrote: ‘Lot of empty seats on centre court. Corporate lethargy, no doubt. What a waste of tickets so many would give their right arm for #wimbledon.’ The All England Club denied that the seats belonged to businesses and sponsors, saying that they were empty because spectators had gone to buy food. Spectators sit among empty seats during day two of Wimbledon. The empty seats led to a fierce Twitter row, with many blaming it on corporate hospitality clients failing to show up . However, tennis fan Neil Harris tweeted: ‘Please can someone explain to me as if I’m a 2 year old why there are empty seats at #Wimbledon2013 yet can’t buy ticket to save my life!’ Impatient 4Evita said: . ‘Seems Wimbledon tickets have been wasted on businesses & sponsors, empty seats because they can’t be bothered turning up. Sound familiar?’ Rahmeh Aladwan wrote: ‘I’m getting increasingly angry at the empty seats of centre court.’ The subject was taken up by women’s No 1 Williams, who was asked yesterday if she thought those who didn’t want to sit and watch should give up their tickets. The All England Club denied that the seats belonged to businesses and sponsors, saying that they were empty because spectators had gone to buy food. She said: ‘Maybe there’s really good food here. But I think, you know, when a match starts, usually it takes a little while for the crowd to roll in.’ A spokesman for the All England Club said: ‘It’s a very long day. People don’t stay in their seats all day, they have to leave to eat and drink and so on. Less than 8 per cent of our tickets are corporate hospitality. And there were no hospitality seats on Court Two.’ The spokesman added that the hospitality suites knew in advance who was not able to attend, and were able to re-sell their tickets. Last summer, thousands of seats at the London Olympics remained empty, much to the anger of those who had tried but failed to buy one. | Fans desperate for tickets furious at vacant seats in Centre Court .
The crowd at Heather Watson's match looked half empty .
Many blamed corporate sponsors not turning up .
Gary Lineker tweeted: 'Corporate lethargy no doubt' |
166,687 | 638a3330d900de713499374218be94e92cdc161f | (CNN) -- Two years ago, Angela and Willie Gillis decided they were ready for a healthier lifestyle. Through diet changes and daily exercise they lost a combined 500 pounds. CNN readers were inspired by the Gillises' story, posting more than 1,000 encouraging comments for the couple. They also showed that weight loss success stories come in all shapes and sizes. Seems our readers are doing their part to make America a Fit Nation. "AWESOME! So inspiring!" Holly Jean Paquin Michels posted on the story. "My husband and I (along with another couple) are 3 months into our own transformation and have both lost almost 40 pounds. I love that your love for one another shines through in your commitment to this great challenge! That's how we are conquering it too. Congratulations!" "Three years ago my wife and I each lost a lot of weight -- I lost 70 pounds and she lost 65," alphacat4 said. "We have kept it off. Amazing how much better we feel. ... She was able to quit taking some medications and I stayed off medications." "You two keep up the GREAT work!" Joseph Elliott urged. "My girlfriend and I have lost about 300 pounds over the past 3 years combined. ... We still have a long way to go, but reading (stories) like yours help us stay focused!" "I love seeing a weight loss story like this one that focuses on healthy eating and exercising," Jacqueline Mayse said. "My husband and I both decided to start losing weight this past January and it really helps to have each other for support and motivation. We have both lost almost 20 pounds so far and our goals are 40 to 50 pounds total. People keep asking us 'What are you doing to lose weight?!' and seem a bit disappointed when we tell them calorie counting and exercise. Haha. You're an inspiration!" The Gillises' story provides hope to many married couples who fall into bad habits after the wedding. Research shows both men and women tend to gain more weight than their single counterparts. Reader Stimpee525 has lost 25 pounds since December, finally falling out of the "obese" BMI range. "Not gonna lie -- I was trying to keep up diet-wise with my husband and PACKED on weight," she said. "After awhile I decided enough was enough and joined Weight Watchers. ... I showed him this article last night. He's been getting on our exercise bike so it's a start." "My wife and I would lose weight here and there, but (had) never tackled both diet and exercise together," NightWatch posted. "Over the last 9 months, we've lost 134 pounds combined as well -- 75 for me, 59 for her -- and we've got another 100 combined to go to get where we need to be. And we'll get there!" Of course, all the single ladies -- and men -- out there aren't slacking off either. "I've decided to lose weight," Iggy Noramous said. "In seven weeks I've gone from 255 to 239. Only about 40 pounds to go." "I'm in week three of my 'healthier eating lifestyle change' and I find this story very inspiring!! Y'all did that!!" Dana Colson said. "I like stories like this, keeps me motivated," LostinSLC1969 said. "I am working to lose 75 pounds right now. So far down 10 in 6 weeks and staying on top of my goal." "I copied this article, along with the pictures, and will read it every morning until I lose the last 100 pounds I want to lose," LRob said. "I've lost 35, and now I know I can do it." Losing weight isn't all about looking better on the outside. Two of our readers really expressed what losing weight can do for your health overall: . "Being healthy just feels good," Melissa Rideough said. "I decided to lose 45 lbs a year and a half ago and it is the best thing I ever did for myself. I had no energy at 165 pounds and often got sick to my stomach. Now I don't feel like I have extra weight holding me down when I want to do activities." "I used to be a chubby 275 too," GreatGrizly1 said. "Then one day I started doing what I love doing -- hiking and backpacking. Within the course of a year I lost 74 pounds, and at 6' 1", I had a 33" waist and a 56" chest. ... I felt GREAT. And that was the reward." | Angela and Willie Gillis lost a combined 500 pounds .
CNN readers shared their own weight loss success stories .
Having someone to keep you accountable helps, reader says . |
204,582 | 94db0b3e86b1ec1c96c9235d81cbac6ba46c99e5 | A Sudanese mother who was sentenced to death for marrying a Christian has told of how her captors repeatedly tried to convert her to Islam. Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was pregnant with her second child when she was sentenced to hang for apostasy by Sudan's courts under Sharia law. She was shackled to the floor of a women's prison in Khartoum, where she gave birth to her daughter Maya while her 21-month-old son Martin was by her side. Scroll down for video . Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was pregnant with her second child when she was sentenced to hang for apostasy under Sharia law. Above, she is pictured holding her newborn daughter Maya while sat next to her toddler son Martin . Speaking out: Ibrahim told Fox News how her captors placed her under 'tremendous pressure' to renounce her religion by reciting parts of the Koran. She said: 'My faith was the only weapon I had in these confrontations' She was finally freed in in late June following an international outcry and was helped to travel to the U.S., where her husband Daniel Wani had citizenship. Now, Ibrahim has revealed how her captors placed her under 'tremendous pressure' to renounce her religion by reciting parts of the Koran. She said she was visited every day by imams from the Muslim Scholars Association, who read sections of the religious text to her in a bid to encourage her to convert to Islam. 'These were imams that created an intervention by reciting parts of the Koran for me. I faced a tremendous amount of pressure,' she told Fox News. Husband and wife: Ibrahim was arrested in August last year and in May, was sentenced to hanging and 100 lashes for adultery and apostasy for marrying Daniel Wani. Above, the couple are pictured on their wedding day . Horrific treatment: Ibrahim was shackled to the floor of a women's prison in Khartoum, where she gave birth to her daughter Maya (left). Right, she is seen leaving Italy for New Hampshire following her lengthy ordeal . 'I had my trust in God. My faith was the only weapon that I had in these confrontations with imams and Muslim scholars, because that's what I believe.' Ibrahim, whose mother was an Ethiopian Christian and father was a Muslim who abandoned the family when she was young, insisted she was raised a Christian 'from the start'. She said that she was forced to give birth to her daughter without medical treatment and with chains on her ankles, but added: 'I was sure God would stand by my side'. When asked why she didn't convert to Islam to escape her horrific situation, she replied: 'If I did, that would mean I gave up.' In June 23, Ibrahim was released from prison, but less than 24 hours later, she and her husband were arrested at a Sudanese airport as they sought to leave the country. Above, the family are seen following the re-arrest . Ibrahim was arrested in August last year and in May, was sentenced to hanging and 100 lashes for adultery and apostasy for marrying Mr Wani. Because her father was a Muslim, a strict Islamic judge said she had broken the law and must die. In June 23, she was released from prison, but less than 24 hours later, she and her husband were arrested at a Sudanese airport as they sought to leave the country with their two children. Last month, Ibrahim finally arrived in New Hampshire to start a new life with Mr Wani, a Christian from South Sudan, after her death sentenced was overturned. Home at last: Ibrahim arrived in Manchester, New Hampshire, last month (pictured) to start a new life with her husband, a Christain from South Sudan, after her death sentenced was overturned . Joyful: The mother smiled and hugged her supporters as she landed, telling a friend: 'Don't cry, I'm here now' Ibrahim smiled and hugged her supporters as she landed in Manchester, telling a friend: 'Don't cry, I'm here now.' At the time, her friend Maria Ajang said: 'She was so happy. She said: 'I'm so happy to see you guys here. I was crying and she told me don't cry, I'm here.' Meanwhile, Mr Wani sobbed uncontrollably and said: 'It's good to be home. There's a sense of relief. 'I want to thank everyone who helped get us home.' | Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was pregnant when she was sentenced to death in May .
Convicted of apostasy by Sudan courts for marrying her Christian husband .
Shackled to the floor of women's prison, where she gave birth to daughter .
There, imams recited parts of Koran to her in a bid to convert her to Islam .
'My faith was the only weapon I had in these confrontations,' said Ibrahim .
Finally freed in late June following international outcry and travelled to U.S. |
216,624 | a473b12f1e0c950cd643b7d07d4f0a021df9d130 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:10 EST, 1 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:13 EST, 1 June 2013 . A British woman has been found dead in mysterious circumstances in the Cayman Islands. Shakara Taylor, 31, was discovered with head injuries outside an apartment block on the Caribbean island's Seven Mile Beach. Local police said they are not treating the death as suspicious. British woman Shakara Taylor, originally from Blackpool, Lancashire, was found dead with head injuries in mysterious circumstances on the Cayman Islands . Miss Taylor was engaged to fiance David Ravenscroft, pictured with the 31-year-old. She moved to the Caribbean three years ago . Police are not treating the death of Miss Taylor, a former lap dancer, as suspicious . Miss Taylor was originally from Blackpool, Lancs., and moved to the island three years go. The former lap dancer was engaged to David Ravenscroft. Friends paid tribute to her on Twitter. Alison wrote: 'RIP Shakara Taylor, you was not just beautiful on the outside but also on the inxxxxxx.' Miss Taylor was discovered outside an apartment block on the island's Seven Mile Beach . Another friend, Tia Grimshaw, wrote: 'Wow, it's not right that a few months ago I was sat on the same table as her. Sleep tight beautiful.' Chloe Timmins added: 'RIP to a very dear family friend.' A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm the death of British national Shara Taylor on the Cayman Islands on May 28.' | Shakara Taylor, formerly of Blackpool, Lancs., suffered serious head injuries .
Police are not treating the 31-year-old's death as suspicious .
Miss Taylor had emigrated to the Caribbean Island three years ago .
She was engaged to be married to David Ravenscroft . |
107,284 | 16621a9436942f51432e5431a90839316cfba72c | (CNN) -- Singapore was shrouded in haze on Wednesday as smoke from forest fires in nearby Sumatra drifted across the Malacca Strait in the city's worst pollution crisis in more than a decade. Buildings in the city of 5.3 million people have been enveloped in a smoky haze since the beginning of the week as illegal burn off in nearby Indonesia and prevailing winds were causing a smoke crisis not seen since 1997. Interactive: See the smog descend on Singapore . Singapore's pollution index reached 371 on Wednesday, the worst level since 1997 when it reached 226, according to the Straits Times. The city's National Environment Agency said air quality becomes 'very unhealthy' when the index passes 200. The agency said that thick haze would continue for the next few days as forest fires were still raging in Sumatra. Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said he would urge commercial pressure against firms causing the haze. Critics have accused Singapore and Malaysian palm oil companies of investing in Indonesian companies that are clearing land for palm plantations. Dr Balakrishnan said on his Facebook site that he had approached his Indonesian counterpart, Balthasar Kambuaya, to express his "deep distress" at the situation. "I suggested Minister Kambuaya name the companies responsible for the fires," Dr Balakrishnan posted on the site. Singapore residents, meanwhile, could be seen around the central business district wearing facemasks or handkerchiefs. "I can say it's actually getting worse," a Singapore-based energy industry analyst who did not want to be named told CNN. "The staff are taking pictures out of the office window because you can't see the cruise ship terminal which is only 500 metres away." He said for three days the city has been under a pall of wood smoke that gave Singapore's normally highly urban central business district the smell of a campfire. "It gives off this smoky smell like you've been sitting a bit too close to the hearth," he said. "Whoever would have thought that I'd be going to Hong Kong for a weekend simply to get a breath of fresh air." Authorities in Singapore are anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1997 Southeast Asian haze which the government estimates cost $9 billion in health care costs and disrupted air travel and business. | Singapore enveloped in a thick pall of wood smoke caused by forest fires in Sumatra .
Pollution index reaches 371 on Wednesday, the worst level since 1997 when it reached 226 .
National Environment Agency says air quality becomes 'very unhealthy' when the index passes 200 .
Singapore is anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1997 haze crisis which cost an estimated $9 billion . |
62,709 | b228d848f8daeb017ae376a426b8dbeba54d3239 | Can you tell the difference between a fake $50 note and a real one? It seems most people have trouble spotting the difference. The Commander of the NSW Police Force’s Fraud and Cybercrime Squad has urged the community to be on the lookout for counterfeit banknotes, with double the amount of fake notes being reported from July to August. Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis says fakes have been circulating in numerous locations throughout NSW in recent weeks. Scroll down for video . The Commander of the NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad has urged the community to be on the lookout for counterfeit banknotes, after an increase in the number of counterfeit notes reported to police during August. The fake notes have been circulating in numerous locations throughout NSW in recent weeks . Two counterfeit $100 notes (top) seized by police are held next to a genuine note (bottom). The counterfeit notes appear very similar to the actual notes but are slightly darker and the clear window is stuck on. 'Since the beginning of August, we have seen an increase in the number of counterfeit banknotes being reported to police,' he said. 'During July, we received 41 reports concerning counterfeit banknotes. The number of reports for August was 81.' Police have seen a number of different counterfeit notes throughout the last month. 'While the notes we’ve seized have been from a range of denominations, the vast majority are fifty and one hundred dollar notes,' said Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis. 'Some of the counterfeit notes we’ve seized have been printed on paper, and some on plastic. All genuine banknotes are printed on a special form of plastic.' For those who think they might be victim to receiving a counterfeit banknote, police say there are some key features which can tell them apart from the real notes. 'With respect to the counterfeit notes printed on paper, they tear quite easily. Obviously, real notes do not tear.' he said. Two counterfeit $100 notes seized by police in Sydney. Police say counterfeit notes printed on paper tear quite easily while real ones do not. Plastic counterfeit notes usually feel slightly thicker and have poorer clarity . Plastic counterfeit money usually feels slightly thicker than the real thing and the clarity of the images is not as sharp as a real note. Police are appealing to consumers as well as business owners to keep an eye out for fake notes, being sure to check all security features are there. 'If you find a banknote that you are concerned about, please let us know,' said the detective. Anyone with information about counterfeit banknotes is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to the Crime Stoppers online reporting page. *Handle the suspect banknote as little as possible and store it in an envelope. *Note any relevant information, such as how it came into your possession. *Report the matter immediately to State or Federal police. *You are well within your rights to refuse to accept a banknote if you have concerns about it. *Under no circumstances should you take actions that may jeopardise your safety or that of others. | Police urging people and businesses to be on the lookout for counterfeit banknotes circulating in NSW .
During July police received 41 reports concerning fakes notes, while in August it was 81.
Seized counterfeit notes have been printed on paper and plastic .
Counterfeit notes printed on paper tear quite easily .
Plastic counterfeit money feels slightly thicker than the real thing and has poorer clarity . |
187,178 | 7e691b956d5a3d3bec2136afd77c201b140dd16a | By . Kieran Corcoran . 'Dream job': Megan Cox, 22, had her position as an Emirates Airlines air hostess taken away in light of her medical history . A British woman had her dream job as an air hostess snatched away after her would-be employers realised she used to suffer from depression. Megan Cox, 22, was offered a post with Emirates Airlines last month, and was so set on her life in the skies that she immediately turned down other job opportunities. But this week she had the job offer snatched from her grasp in light of a medical form the company asked her to complete - which revealed that she used to have depression. Miss Cox, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2012, sent a message from her doctor explaining that she had recovered and that there was no reason to be concerned. However, the Dubai-based company withdrew the job offer regardless. Because air hostesses travel across the world for their job, it is not always clear whether they are covered by UK employment law. Miss Cox, of Bridgwater, Somerset, launched a protest page on Facebook called Emirates Against Depression, describing her situation. She wrote: 'In April I . was offered my dream job with Emirates after the incredibly tough open . day and final interview. 'One week after I was offered the job as a cabin crew member, I was given a . ridiculous medical... As . part of the medical, I needed to agree for Emirates to view all of my . medical history. Miss Cox said that filling out the medical form was the final stage in a costly application process that cost her more than £1,000 on fees, administration, travel vaccines and transport. She said: 'I spent over £1,000 during the recruitment process, on necessary . vaccinations, travel, transport and £50 for my doctor's medical . assessment. 'I have suffered twice with depression, once in 2009 and again in 2012, after horrific and traumatic events happened in my life. 'My doctor explained that I had recovered and was no longer on any medication and my depression was caused because of events, and was not a pre-existing condition. Megan said: 'I feel completely discriminated against. I was given every indication that I was going to get the job and to have it snatched away from me like this because of something in the past is so cruel. 'I didn't receive any further feedback about why I had been rejected by Emirates. I don't want anyone else to go through this situation. 'I am only human and I had medication to help me sleep and with my emotions, during a very difficult time in my life. 'Wanted to scream': Miss Cox wrote online of her shock at the withdrawn job, and said Emirates had lost out on the 'perfect' air hostess . 'I think it is terrible I have been discriminated against because of this and I want to help others look out for this'. However, Miss Cox later took Emirates to task for their rejection, which she said had only increased her determination. 'I read horror stories online about them rejecting . people. And today . I received one paragraph stating that my contract has been withdrawn . due to this reason. 'I was hysterical and . wanted to scream. It's heartbreaking losing your dream job. 'But good . riddance, Emirates. I'm a human being, who has been through hell and back . during certain times of my life. I've needed to take a few pills to . help me sleep and bring my mood up. 'Depression made me a stronger, . healthier person and opened my eyes to the world. It's given me life . experience that you couldn't comprehend... I would have been . the perfect air hostess. Turnaround: Dubai-based Emirates airlines withdrew their job offer after receiving the medical form . 'Fair': Dubai-based Emirates Airlines insisted its processes were fair . 'Emirates, . you've just lost one of your strongest, hard-working potential . employees who would have contributed to your company substantially... You will not bring me down. You've just made me even stronger.' Since the rejection Megan has taken up an admin job at Exeter . Hospital, and says she is better off not working for Emirates. She said: 'I'm not where I want to be, but now I know what . the company are like, I'm better off not working for them'. Depression is an illness which causes a person to feel . persistently sad for weeks or months at a time. It can also cause feelings of hopelessness, a loss of interest in life and physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite and libido, and aches and pains. Depression can vary in severity - in mild cases it may cause . a person to feel persistently low, while in its most severe form it can cause . people to feel suicidal and as though life if not worth living. The condition can affect up to one in six people, although some experts estimate it affects one in four at some . time in their life – and is thought to be more common in women. There is sometimes a trigger for depression - such as . bereavement - but it can also occur for no obvious reason. Treatment options include talking therapies and . anti-depressant medications. Depression sufferers can also benefit from eating healthily, . exercising and reducing alcohol consumption. Source: NHS Choices . Campaigners last night insisted that having a history of mental health is no reason to be rejected for a job. Marjorie Wallace, the head of mental health charity SANE, said: 'People can recover from depression as they do from any physical illness or injury, therefore it is wrong that they should be discriminated against and considered unfit to work. 'It is estimated that one in four people will experience an episode of depression or similar mental health condition, the vast majority of whom continue to work effectively'. And spokesman for the Time to Change mental health campaigner told The Independent: 'One in four people experience mental health problems in any year but this doesn’t mean they can’t work and do just as good a job as anyone else'. According to legal experts, withdrawing a job offer on the grounds of past depression can be illegal - provided the court judges the condition to be a 'disability'. Juliette Franklin, an employment solicitor at Slater & Gordon, told MailOnline: ‘In the UK employees who have suffered from health issues in the past . may be protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, if . those health issues meet the test of “disability” under the Act.’ However, Emirates is not a UK-based company and it is legally contentious whether staff such as air hostesses who work all over the world are covered by UK employment law. When confronted about Miss Cox's case, Emirates insisted that its processes were 'fair' but than being part of the cabin crew is a 'demanding' job. A spokesman said: 'Emirates has a clear and fair recruitment process and is an equal opportunity employer... All applications are reviewed closely... for this extremely demanding role. We are unable to comment on individual recruitment cases'. | Megan Cox, 22, was offered her dream job with Emirates Airlines in April .
The company asked for medical history, which showed depression in 2012 .
After receiving the medical results Emirates withdrew their job offer .
Fees for the medical, vaccinations and travel cost Miss Cox £1,000 .
Miss Cox, of Bridgwater, Somerset, has not been depressed for years .
In defiant online message to Emirates she said they had lost 'strong, hard-working' worker and that she would have been 'perfect' hostess .
The airline insists that it runs a 'clear and fair' recruitment process . |
27,894 | 4f0ea386700030279fa8f32dd9556da622669505 | By . Sarah Griffiths . For years scientists have debated whether an asteroid, climate change or a combination of catastrophes were responsible for the demise of dinosaurs. Now experts believe that the majority of the prehistoric creatures were wiped out by a perfect storm of ‘colossal bad luck’. Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that led to their extinction if it had come slightly earlier or later in history, they said. Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that led to their extinction (illu8strated) if it had come slightly earlier or later in history. Experts say that the creatures were killed by 'colossal bad luck' as they were already weakened by a changing climate and did not have time to adapt . But when the six-mile-wide (10km) asteroid hit what is now Mexico approximately 66 million years ago, dinosaurs were experiencing environmental upheaval, which left them vulnerable. The new study by an international team of palaeontologists led by the University of Edinburgh looked at an updated catalogue of dinosaur fossils, mostly from North America. They found that widespread volcanic activity, changing sea levels and varying temperatures had weakened the dinosaurs’ food chain when disaster struck. If the asteroid impact had come a few million years earlier, when the range of species was bigger and food chains more robust, they may have survived, according to the study, which was published in the journal Biological Reviews. When the six-mile-wide (10km) asteroid hit what is now Mexico approximately 66 million years ago (illustrated) dinosaurs were experiencing environmental upheaval such as changing temperatures and chains of volcanic activity, which left them vulnerable, according to the new study . Many scientists agree that a six-mile-wide (10km) asteroid that struck what is now Mexico 66 million years ago, led to the dying of the majority of dinosaurs. The new study says that if it had struck a few million years earlier or later, prehistoric creatures such as the T.Rex may have survived. Experts studied fossils to find that widespread volcanic activity, changing sea levels and varying temperatures had weakened the dinosaurs’ food chain when disaster struck. If the asteroid impact had come a few million years earlier, when the range of species was bigger and food chains more robust, they may have survived. Likewise, if it had come later in history when new species had been given the chance to evolve, they might have escaped extinction. But when the asteroid struck - causing tsunamis, earthquakes, wildfires, sudden temperature swings and other environmental changes - the already weakened dinosaur kingdom was wiped out one species after another. Likewise, if it had come later in history when new species had been given the chance to evolve, they might have escaped extinction. But when the asteroid struck - causing tsunamis, earthquakes, wildfires, sudden temperature swings and other environmental changes - the already weakened dinosaur kingdom was wiped out one species after another. The only dinosaurs to survive were those that could fly, which evolved to become the birds of today. Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geo Sciences, said: ‘The dinosaurs were victims of colossal bad luck. ‘Not only did a giant asteroid strike, but it happened at the worst possible time, when their ecosystems were vulnerable. ‘Our new findings help clarify one of the enduring mysteries of science.’ Dr Richard Butler, from the University of Birmingham, said there was nothing to suggest that dinosaurs were doomed to extinction when the asteroid hit. ‘Without that asteroid, the dinosaurs would probably still be here, and we very probably would not,’ he added. It is hoped that that ongoing studies in Spain and China will aid even better understanding of what occurred. | A study led by the University of Edinburgh says the dinosaurs may have survived if the asteroid struck several million years earlier or later .
Many experts agree that an asteroid strike that hit what is now Mexico, caused the demise of many dinosaur species 66 million years ago .
Creatures were already suffering environmental upheaval - with wide spread volcanic activity and changing temperatures - which left them vulnerable .
If the asteroid impact had come a few .
million years earlier, when the range of species was bigger and food .
chains more robust, they may have survived .
If it had come later in history when new species had been given the chance to evolve, they might have escaped extinction, the experts said . |
184,489 | 7af2ba12bab28f12c80f4a04a6e959027ccc3523 | The lack of Diego Costa handed Dominic Solanke the opportunity to make the bench for the first time in his Chelsea career. But what do we know about the 17-year-old? Sportsmail takes a look. Who is he? Solanke is one in a crop of bright youngsters coming through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and ought to make some sort of impact on the first team sooner rather than later. A pacey striker, his goals fired the Blues to an FA Youth Cup trophy last season and scored consecutive hat-tricks in the competition. Solanke actually only turned 17 a month ago but has already played for the club’s Under 21s and in the UEFA Youth League. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Solanke's brace + late winner as England beat Belgium U17s 2-1 . Chelsea youngsters Nathan Ake (left) and Dominic Solanke (right) arrive at Selhurst Park for the match . What’s he done before? He has been at the club since 2004 and Chelsea have paid close attention to his development, which has increased rapidly over the past year. He scored 18 goals while leading the line for the academy side last year and his sharpness in front of goal means Mourinho has no qualms in throwing the teenager into the first team squad. Why do I recognise his name? This might be why. ‘My conscience tells me that if, for example, [Lewis] Baker, [Izzy] Brown, and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself,’ said Mourinho in the summer. A real ringing endorsement, but with it comes a touch of added pressure. He has recently signed a three-year deal with the league leaders. Serious faith in his ability. Jose Mourinho said that if Solanke was not a senior England player in a few years he would blame himself . Is he English? Very much so. Solanke scored the winner for England’s Under 18s against Holland last month and - should he start playing games in the cup for Chelsea or go out on loan - can’t be far away from Gareth Southgate’s Under 21s. A word of warning, though. Solanke is eligible to play for Nigeria - his dad’s country of birth. Is he more a Drogba or Remy? Certainly more in the mould of Loic Remy in that he’s quick over five yards and can leave defenders for dead given the chance to run at them. But he is well-built for his age and appears to have the muscle needed to make a fist of senior football sooner rather than later. Solanke takes a shot while playing for the England Under 18 side against Italy last month . | Diego Costa missed the match against Crystal Palace due to injury .
Dominic Solanke was then promoted to the subs bench for the first time .
But who is Solanke, and why does Jose Mourinho rate him so highly? |
278,724 | f516cdbf4a17f1069dd51b44e3500d6e37eb131f | California health officials on Wednesday declared electronic cigarettes a health threat that should be strictly regulated like tobacco products, joining other states and health advocates across the U.S. in seeking tighter controls as 'vaping' grows in popularity. The California Department of Public Health report says e-cigarettes emit cancer-causing chemicals and get users hooked on nicotine but acknowledges that more research needs to be done to determine the immediate and long-term health effects. 'E-cigarettes are not as harmful as conventional cigarettes, but e-cigarettes are not harmless' said California Health Officer Ron Chapman. 'They are not safe.' Safer than tobacco? Paul Frohman smokes an electronic cigarette outside an office building in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday - the same day that California declared the method of nicotine delivery to be unsafe . New generations of young people will become nicotine addicts if the products remain largely unregulated, Chapman said. Last year, 17 percent of high school seniors reported using e-cigarettes, known as vaping, according to the report. 'Without action, it is likely that California's more than two decades of progress to prevent and reduce traditional tobacco use will erode as e-cigarettes re-normalize smoking behavior,' the report says. E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine into inhalable vapor without the tar and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. A cartridge of nicotine can cost anywhere from $5 to $20 dollars and can be reused. California banned the sale of e-cigarettes to minors in 2010, but the report raises concerns about the products appeal to children with flavors such as cotton candy and gummy bear. Reports of children under 5 with e-cigarette poisoning jumped from seven in 2012 to 154 last year. Cross country: Tyler Newman, 24, vapes during his managing shift at the e-cigarette shop Infinite Vapor in Madison, Wisconsin . The California report says e-cigarettes emit as many as 10 toxic chemicals, but advocates say there is no evidence those substances are released at dangerous levels. 'Despite the health officer's false claims, there is ample evidence that vaping helps smokers quit and is far less hazardous than smoking,' Gregory Conley, president of the e-cigarette advocacy group American Vaping Association, said in an email. 'Smokers deserve truthful and accurate information about the relative risks of different nicotine products, not hype and conjecture based on cherry-picked reports.' Health officials called for restrictions on the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes, protections against accidental ingestion of liquid nicotine and an education campaign on the dangers of using e-cigarettes. A state senator introduced legislation this week that would regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products and ban their use in public places such as hospitals, bars and schools. A similar bill was defeated last year over opposition from tobacco companies. Enthusiastic: Geoff Braithwaite, owner of Tasty Vapor, exhales vapor after using an electronic cigarette. California health officials on Wednesday declared electronic cigarettes a health threat that should be strictly regulated like tobacco products . Chapman, the health official, would not take a position on legislation, but said his department would be rolling out an e-cigarette awareness campaign with possible television and radio advertisements. E-cigarettes have become more visible as they grow in popularity and commercials for the products air in places where traditional cigarette ads have been banned. Businesses related to e-cigarettes, including vaping lounges, are rapidly popping up in cities across California. Geoff Braithwaite, co-owner of an Oakland store that sells liquid nicotine for e-cigarettes, said he understands the need to restrict vaping in public and prevent sales to minors. He says his customers are longtime smokers who should be able to get a nicotine buzz without the harshness of a regular cigarette. 'Nicotine has all this stigma attached solely to the medium we used to use,' Braithwaite said. 'When you try to outright ban e-cigarettes, you're lumping in the solution with the problem.' Other states, including Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas, already have issued advisories cautioning the use of e-cigarettes. Legislatures have been exploring restrictions on e-cigarette marketing, adding childproof packaging requirements and imposing taxes to discourage use. 'Health officials want to be proactive on this important public health issue,' said Lisa Waddell, who leads community health and prevention at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. 'The issue of real concern here is we really don't know everything that's in these products, and you are seeing the rise of use of these products in our children as well as our adults.' | 'E-cigarettes are not as harmful as conventional cigarettes, but e-cigarettes are not harmless' said California Health Officer Ron Chapman. 'They are not safe.' |
5,630 | 1006dc662feced5996c0140238894bb15685f310 | (CNN) -- From songs to poems to sayings on the side of coffee cups, everyone tries to define love in words. Liz Kelly donated her kidney to her fiance after he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. But often, it's the extraordinary actions we take in the name of love that really define it. Liz Kelly's fiance, Matt House, needed a kidney after he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. In order to get him to the top of the donor list, Kelly signed up to donate hers. At first, she never dreamed she would actually be a match, but it turned out she was. The Springfield, Massachusetts, couple (he's 31, she's 29) spoke with CNN's Nicole Lapin about whether Kelly thought fate played a hand in finding him a donor match. The following is an edited transcript of the interview: . Nicole Lapin: Liz, I didn't know about the donor process, until we started talking to you guys. The donor process works whereby a friend or a family member can donate a kidney to get Matt higher on the list, so you decided that you were going to do that. Why did you decide to do that? Watch Nicole Lapin's interview with Liz Kelly and Matt House » . Liz Kelly: It was pretty much a no-brainer, I think. His sister was actually going to donate at first. But she didn't work out for health reasons. It's obviously better to have, you know, a family member donate a kidney, too. But since that wasn't going to work out, his stepfather stepped in because they were the same blood type. And that ended up not working out either. He had some heart issues and some other health issues. So, I said, you know what, I'll just donate to the list. And that's what I was intending on doing. And then I found out that we were actually a match, and it was amazing. Lapin: It was amazing, I'm sure, to get that phone call, because you did it just so that you could get higher on the list. A lot of people on our Web site are fascinated by your story, guys. [A viewer] has a question for you right now, Liz: Have you ever had any surgeries before this one? If not, how did your prepare yourself for this? Kelly: No. This was my first surgery, so that definitely made me very nervous. That was the definitely scariest part for me, just not knowing what to expect. But, Matt has been through several surgeries before. So I know I had him in my corner. And I looked up a lot online. I found out a lot of great information online. So that's definitely how I prepared. Lapin: And [another viewer] has a question in for Matt, actually: Were you scared that perhaps your body might reject Liz's kidney or were you always confident that the surgery would be a success? Matt House: I think I was pretty confident with her being the same blood type or us matching is pretty phenomenal, so I didn't expect it to reject it anyway. Maybe after the surgery if I would have a little pain down there or something like that, I would get a little nervous and think that it was going to reject, that there's something wrong. But that would just pass. It was me just being a little overanxious, I guess, but not really, no. I was pretty confident everything would go well overall. We're both pretty healthy for the most part. And being the same blood type was just you know really great, so it worked out good. So, I wasn't really worried at all. Lapin: Fate, some may say? House: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Lapin: Yours is a lot bigger. You're a little girl, but you happen to have a kidney that is perfect for Matt. Do you think it was meant to be? Kelly: I do. I definitely do. People tell me that all the time. When they told us that we were a match, I was very surprised at first, but then I thought about it a little more. Of course we were a match. How could we not be a match? | Liz Kelly offered to donate kidney to move her ill fiance higher on donor list .
Matt House had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure .
House's family members were unable to donate because of health reasons .
After recuperation is over, the Massachusetts couple plans to marry by summer . |
176,215 | 7020625a51df3f61f2760c9c8e03f13f7f4ddf6a | By . Joe Bernstein . England boss Roy Hodgson has written to every Premier League manager asking them not to play his World Cup players in club friendlies at the end of the season. Hodgson is worried that players will have to play extra games instead of resting after a long Premier League season that ends on May 11. Liverpool, who are likely to have five players in Hodgson’s squad for Brazil, including captain Steven Gerrard, have set up a friendly against Shamrock Rovers in Dublin on May 14. Two days earlier, Tottenham’s first team, which includes three England hopefuls, face an all-star XI for Ledley King’s testimonial. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Hodgson on England's new batch of youngsters . Pen pal: England boss Roy Hodgson has written to clubs asking for players not to be picked for friendlies . Red leader: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is set to play in a friendly in Dublin on May 14 . Ensuring his players get rest is a crucial part of Hodgson’s World Cup planning, particularly with Theo Walcott and Jay Rodriguez already ruled out through injury and Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and Kyle Walker all experiencing problems recently. related] . Former England manager Fabio Capello, who oversaw a disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, blamed fatigue by claiming: ‘England are always tired because they play too many games.’ Thirsty work: Former Three Lions boss Fabio Capello claimed England were always tired at tournaments . Out of the runing: England has already lost hopefuls Theo Walcott and Jay Rodriguez (R) to injury . To avoid a similar problem, Hodgson decided to write a heartfelt letter on Thursday to all 20 top-flight managers and Premier League club secretaries, with chief executives copied in. In the letter, he outlined England’s itinerary leading up to their first World Cup game against Italy on June 14 and asked for his international players to be left out of fixtures between the end of the regular season and May 19 when the England meet up for their pre-World Cup training camp in Portugal. Chelsea players will be exempt from the camp if they reach the Champions League final in Lisbon on May 24, while Arsenal players will be involved in the FA Cup final on May 17. | Roy Hodgson has written to all Premier League clubs asking that England players are not picked for end of season friendlies .
Liverpool and Tottenham are two clubs with fixtures planned .
Fabio Capello has blamed England's poor show at tournaments on fatigue .
England hopefuls Theo Walcott and Jay Rodriguez are already ruled out . |
204,023 | 941d919e9cea8f2ec404ab0c2f9afa34bef77481 | It's been a whirlwind few days for Pippa Middleton, who was pictured leaving Wyoming after reportedly being hired by NBC's Today show. The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister was spotted at Jackson Hole airport in Wyoming after apparently inking a deal to be a correspondent for the popular NBC show. Pippa had been shopping for gifts and a teddy bear, possibly for her nephew Prince George, was peeking out of her bag. And she's off! Pippa Middleton leaves Wyoming after reportedly being hired by NBC's Today show and squeezing in a hoedown dance with locals surrounded by cameras on Wednesday evening. It is believed that she was filming a test piece for the Today show . The socialite and author looked comfortable and chic in jeans, a cosy cardigan and black boots. She accessorised with a chunky gold necklace and subtle rings. Pippa Middleton was spotted dashing in and out of the Big Apple this week for talks with Today show execs over a new correspondent's job for a reported $500,000 pay packet. Christmas gift? Pippa had been shopping for gifts and a teddy bear, possibly for her nephew Prince George, was peeking out of her bag . Still stylish: Despite the long flight ahead, the author looked comfortable and chic in jeans, a cosy cardigan and black boots . The Duchess of Cambridge's 31-year-old sister was seen wheeling her case to a waiting SUV at JFK around 5pm on Monday, dressed in a pristine Mackintosh with coordinating Loewe 'Amazona' purse which costs around $2,400. Less than 12 hours later, jet-setting Pippa was back at Kennedy to catch an outbound flight, dressed comfortably in a padded jacket, glasses and ankle boots. Pippa flew to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she was spotted at a hoedown dance with locals surrounded by cameras. It is believed that she was filming a test piece for the Today show. It's a real royal hoedown! Pippa Middleton was spotted in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week taking part in swing dancing while she was filmed by cameras in what appeared to be a test segment for NBC . Take your partners for a hoedown! Pippa tries her hand at dancing with a local at a bar in Jackson Hole, Wyoming as a cameraman films her in what was believed to be a test segment for NBC's Today show . 'She was moving fast' one local said on social media after Pippa surprised everyone by popping up (with a camera crew) in Jackson Hole . According to the Daily News, the freelance columnist is hoping for a deal 'upward of $500,000' to report on lifestyle and health issues for NBC. Pippa has been in talks with the 'peacock network' for a new job after she was interview by Matt Lauer this summer, Page Six first reported, then confirmed to MailOnline by sources. NBC News previously denied that a deal was in the works but the network has reportedly been in serious talks with Pippa for months about becoming a lifestyle and health correspondent. Excited locals in Jackson Hole, posted pictures all over social media of Miss Middleton this week, dressed in boots, skinny jeans and wearing a checked shirt. Pippa performed a routine which involved some twirling and sashaying with an elderly gent in a cowboy hat before going on to have a drink at the bar. Emily hash-tagged one video clip with 'pippamiddleton' before saying that she had told the 31-year-old she was happy she visited, and received a gracious smile as a reply. Another person at the bar, Wyomingsith, remarked that she was 'moving quickly' and had only stayed for around ten minutes. Pippa got stuck in on the dancefloor in Jackson Hole at a local hoedown as she spun round with some locals . Pippa was on mark with the local fashion stakes fitting in with her flannel shirt, denim and boots as she enjoyed a spirited dance . Pippa first piqued NBC's interest in June when her interview, where she chatted over tea about her sister and Prince George, brought in high ratings for the network. It is expected that Ms Middleton, a former party planner and cookbook author who has been writing occasional columns about sports and lifestyle, will continue to focus on these subjects in her new role. NBC has declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. It is highly unlikely that Prince William's sister-in-law would report on the Royal Family as the subject is deemed off-limits. She is not the first with Royal connections to cash in as Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, also had a gig at NBC in the 1980s. The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, also dabbled in TV in the 1990s, forming the production company, Ardent, in 1993. The company made a number of documentaries and dramas but was voluntarily liquidated in June 2009, with total assets amounting to $65. Test run: Pippa Middleton's interview with Today's Matt Lauer in June brought in big ratings . In 2012, it was reported that NBC would offer Pippa $600,000 to be a royal correspondent but this was denied by the network. During her interview with Matt Lauer in June, which marked Pippa's first-ever TV appearance, the glamorous socialite shed light on her relationship with her sister, who is a member of the British Royal Family through her marriage to Prince William. Pippa seems set to join 'peacock' network NBC following months of secret talks over the deal . Asked about her relationship with Kate, Pippa said she and her sister are still very close and enjoy doing 'sisterly things'. Miss Middleton famously stole the spotlight during the Royal Wedding in 2011 when she donned a curve-hugging white bridesmaid’s gown for the ceremony. Pippa's media career has suffered a few minor setbacks this past year. Her party-planning book, Celebrate, suffered disappointing sales, and in May it was announced that Middleton had been dropped as a columnist for The Daily Telegraph after just six months. She still writes for Vanity Fair and is associated with the supermarket Waitrose. Pippa is currently dating stockbroker Nico Jackson, 36, who in July took a new job at a hedge fund in Switzerland. However according earlier reports, the couple's relationship has gone stale, Nico told friends. Pippa was recently spotted enjoying lunch with millionaire hotel tycoon Andre Balazs at his A-list haunt the Chiltern Firehouse in Central London. Balazs, who is now reportedly dating pop starlet Kylie Minogue, is known for his web of celebrity connections and owns several U.S. hotels including the Chateau Marmont in LA and New York's The Standard. Freelancer: Pippa Middleton, pictured at a memorial service for journalist Sir David Frost at Westminster Abbey in March. She is reportedly in the works for a half-a-million dollar deal with NBC . Scene-stealer: Pippa became a viral sensation when she appeared at the Royal Wedding in 2011 dressed in a particularly flattering white bridesmaid's gown . | Pippa seen in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, carrying teddy .
Spotted country dancing in a bar surrounded by cameras on Wednesday .
The freelance columnist is hoping for a deal 'upward of $500,000' to report on lifestyle and health issues for NBC . |
146,915 | 49fe9f3c739e9c889c5faf5175bf028a700f771e | (CNN) -- For some it's Paris, for others Rome. For others it gets no more exotic than the local Indian restaurant. But where would you like to spend your honeymoon? Or where did you spend it? A recent survey from booking site Agoda.com revealed that 20% of 15,000 customers from around the world picked the Maldives as their "dream honeymoon location." The survey was limited to 20 pre-selected locations, mixing cities, countries and other locales, and interviewees couldn't add their own. We want to widen the choice to anywhere in the world and ask: where would you go for a once-in-a-lifetime, post-wedding holiday with your partner? Click here to go to our Facebook poll, add your destination and vote. Top honeymoon destinations according to Agoda.com . Maldives -- 20.3% . Greek Islands -- 7.8% . Paris -- 7.6% . Bali -- 7.1% . Hawaii -- 6.6% . Italy -- 6.5% . Caribbean Islands -- 5.7% . Tahiti -- 5.6% . New Zealand -- 5.2% . Istanbul -- 3.8% . Phuket -- 3.5% . Australia -- 3.4% . Prague -- 2.8% . Las Vegas -- 2.7% . New York -- 2.5% . Spain -- 2.5% . Cancun -- 2.4% . Rio de Janeiro -- 2.2% . Croatia -- 1.0% . Montreal -- 0.9% . | Maldives won a comprehensive victory in Agoda.com survey as top honeymoon destination .
Of 20 places offered for a honeymoon, Montreal was selected less than 1% of the time .
Where would you want to spend a honeymoon? Vote in our Facebook poll . |
247,601 | cc69a9e76286b9feb66b820983e3696417762059 | A TV beauty dating space sky diver Felix Baumgartner has been ordered to delete Facebook rants branding a celebrity magazine boss a 'notorious blackmailer.' Romanian screen star Mihaela Radulescu, 45, claimed Ciao magazine owner Radu Budeanu, 35, regularly blackmailed stars over sex and drug scandals. In one rant she said: 'This respectable Mr Budeanu, who calls himself a journalist, is specialised in blackmailing public people, and don't only think of stars, but of politicians in the election campaign.' Row: Romanian screen star Mihaela Radulescu (left), 45, has claimed a magazine owner is a 'notorious blackmailer'. She is dating the daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner (right), 45 . Mihaela Radulescu (left, on the set of Romania's Got Talent) said Ciao magazine owner Radu Budeanu, 35, regularly blackmailed stars over sex and drug scandals . And she claimed he had made most of his multi-million pound fortune from entrapping and extorting stars. Miheala - presenter of Romania's Got Talent - said: 'Don't think it's from that poor magazine that barely finds its way to the kiosk and it's public - but from the extra pictures and audio or video recordings that were kept in the bag of the paparazzi. 'A husband cheating on his wife, an illegal transaction recorded from a distance, a set-up.' Budeanu - who is suing the presenter for defamation - had asked a judge to order the TV star to delete all her Facebook posts about him in the first round of the libel case. The judge agreed and ordered the posts removed. But now Mihaela claims she is about to turn the tables on Budeanu. Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria exits his capsule as he begins his record-setting skydive over Roswell, New Mexico on October 14, 2012. Baumgartner broke a 52-year-old record by skydiving from 23 miles . She said: 'I've got a bunch of information to give about him to pay him back for the nonsense he writes about me.' Mihaela is currently dating sky diving daredevil Felix Baumgartner, 45, who set a world sky diving record in 2012 when he leapt from the stratosphere 128,100 feet (39,045 metres) above the Earth. Referring to her new relationship with Felix, she said this week: 'He's a sort of superman. I'm dating a hero.' She added: 'At the beginning, any love makes you blossom, makes you bloom, and I'm living this stage. It's a story that is just at it's beginning'. | Romania's Got Talent host Mihaela Radulescu posted furious accusations .
She is dating the daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner, 45 .
The publisher she accuses asked judge to order removal of posts . |
27,315 | 4d7693fe2086cf9844bcb2cb0de52bebef5cff82 | St Patrick's Day is upon us again. Time for the drinking world to pull on an unamusing leprechaun hat and order pints of the black stuff in a fake Irish accent. But why do we only celebrate the Emerald Isle's contribution to conviviality when there are other nations out there who love to wallow in drink just as much? In the interest of equality, we herewith embark on a global pub crawl to see who else we should invite to the party. Promise to drink responsibly and you can join us. 10. Australia . Australians are no longer the great drinkers they once were. Unlikely as it seems for a country where culture usually refers to something that grows in the folds of discarded sportswear, many Aussies have become refined in their tastes. Cheap lager is no longer cheap and, regardless, beer has been usurped by fancy wines. Still, they have a fine legacy. This is a country whose former prime minister, the legendary Bob Hawke, was once in the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 2.5 seconds. Old habits die hard though, so if you do go drinking with Australians, you must still abide by the rules of "the shout." This means once you've accepted a drink as part of a round, you're obliged to "shout" everyone else a beverage in return -- a costly business now that they're all on the wine. Classic drink: "Cardonay" or a "Sav" -- typically Austral-mangled wine varietals consumed either pre- or post-stubbie (of beer). Hangover cure: Cold, leftover pizza, pies, fry-ups, 3 a.m. souvlakis and even Vegemite and cheese sandwiches are all favorites. But sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 2.5 seconds will do the trick every time.* . *CNN does not recommend this. Nor will it clean up afterward. 9. Germany . Think of Germany and the chances are you're thinking of a flaxen-haired fraulein hauling vast steins of beer through crowds of moustachioed men in leather shorts to the sound of an oompah band. Or perhaps you think about Angela Merkel. Each to their own. Germans may not be Europe's biggest beer drinkers -- that honor goes to the Czechs -- but somehow they've cornered the market in celebrating its consumption. This is largely thanks to Oktoberfest, Bavaria's month-long answer to St. Patrick's Day. In reality, although Germans do have a taste for hops, barley, malt and water, most drink steadily in rather more mundane circumstances. This is because beer can be bought and consumed not just in bars, but in shops, gas stations, newspaper stands and on public transport. Often without the aid of lederhosen or the sound of parping brass. Classic drink: White wine spritzer. Nah, just kidding. It's beer. Hangover cure: Herring and raw onion. But you'll need more beer to fix your herring breath. 8. Uganda . Uganda leads its African neighbors for alcohol intake, largely thanks to a rampant trade in illegally made rotgut and a winning formula of booze made from bananas. High on the menu is a potent liquor called waragi, also known as war gin because it was once used to fortify troops. Though drinking too much inevitably leads to surrender. Classic drink: Ajono -- a semi-fermented beer drunk from communal pots using long straws. Hangover cure: Luwombo -- another winning formula: meat cooked in banana leaves. 7. South Korea . In South Korea, booze acts like a pressure valve, allowing people to vent frustrations. Booze also acts as a lubricant, oiling the wheels of business. And, of course, booze acts like booze, getting people drunk. South Korea's strict social protocols seem to dissolve in alcohol, with the most hierarchical of relationships turning to brotherhoods by the end of the night, or early morning. A good session involves rapidly soaking up as many "bombs" (mixtures using "golden ratios" of whiskey and beer) as possible and then speaking (or slurring) what's left of your mind, preferably to your boss. To aid this process, glasses are emptied and quickly filled. Later, inevitably, stomachs are filled and quickly emptied. Classic drink: Soju -- to fans, a spirit capable of saving souls. To critics, cheap, sweet vodka. Hangover cure: Haejangguk -- a spicy ox blood broth. Sounds like a hangover, tastes like a cure. Also on CNN: How to survive a Korean drinking session . 6. Moldova . This tiny former Soviet state has earned a reputation for boozing thanks to some World Health Organization stats that placed it top of the table (surely under the table?) for alcohol consumption. There's been a lot of grumbling about where these numbers came from, particularly as they indicate most people would be too sozzled to respond accurately to any survey. If they are drinking to excess, the Moldovans have a decent selection of homegrown wines to choose from. They also have their own versions of popular East European fruit brandies. These have the same effect as knocking yourself on the head with a hammer, but without the unnecessary expense of buying a hammer. Classic drink: Boza -- a sweet, malty fermentation only marginally less disgusting than pickle juice. Hangover cure: Pickle juice. 5. Ecuador . You know you're off to a bad start when the local liquor is known as "hangover in a bottle." The best-selling Zhamir is a cheap but brain-penetratingly potent juice made from sugar cane that will get even the hairs on your head drunk after a couple of sips. There is a drinking etiquette in Ecuador. You must wait until a toast is made until you take the first sip of your drink. After that, you're on your own, but it hardly matters since no one -- least of all you -- will remember anything about it. Classic drink: Cristal. Another headbanging local hooch, not the posh champagne. Hangover cure: In a country known for its coffee, obviously the best cure is oregano tea. 4. France . The French may sneer at the uncivilized drinking habits of their European neighbors, but they're usually sneering with a glass of French vin close at hand. In France, wine is consumed alongside every meal except breakfast. It's often more freely available, and cheaper, than water. Only French wines will do though. Despite regularly losing taste tests to New World rivals, the French remain steadfastly loyal to their own vineyards, almost to the point of denial. Supermarkets rarely sell alcohol that isn't French. They're happy to eat snails, but they won't touch Belgian beer. Classic drink: Chateauneuf-du-Pape -- bold, peppery and over-confident. In other words: French. Hangover cure: Onion soup. Sorry, French onion soup. 3. Russia . For better or worse, drinking is a way of life in Russia. Not something that's necessarily done for enjoyment, but something that's stoically endured. Like a Siberian winter, gloomy literature or a shirtless political leader. Classic drink: Vodka. Hangover cure: Vodka. 2. China . China's rapid economic expansion has seen it become a major consumer of oil, steel and other raw materials. With all that thirsty work, it must surely also have its eyes on the rest of the world's refreshments. In the meantime, apart from Shanghai billionaires splurging on US$10,000 bottles of Chateau Margaux, the Chinese mostly stick to fiery grain-based liquors. The Chinese love celebratory drinking. Weddings, birthdays and business deals are all good excuses. Drinking takes the form of a series of increasingly incomprehensible toasts. To the outsider, this might seem tortuous. Just wait until the karaoke starts. Classic drink: Baijiu -- a white spirit that can also be used to clean vomit from inside a taxi. Hangover cure: Congee -- a porridge-like soup that unfortunately resembles stuff that could have been cleaned out of a taxi. 1. Great Britain . While the Irish have one date to celebrate their country's abiding love of alcohol, the British have three: yesterday, today and tomorrow. The near-constant drinking in the UK revolves around the pub. After a few pints, sometimes the pub begins to revolve, too. Alcohol is used by many Brits to overcome their traditional reserve. And so pubs are the places where relationships begin and end, deals are struck, scores are settled and the whole theater of life plays out to its dramatic conclusion. A range of light snacks may also be available. Classic drink: Pint of bitter -- traditional ale that, contrary to popular belief, is rarely served warm. Hangover cure: Full English breakfast -- a greasy plate of fried meat that, contrary to health and safety regulations, is rarely served warm. Also on CNN: 10 tips for surviving London as a local . | Australia -- pretensions to sophistication, but pronounce Sauvignon "Sav"
Korea -- where late-night drinking sessions grease the wheels of industry .
Ecuador -- local tipple is called "hangover in a bottle"
Great Britain -- do not believe the promise of dinner. Going for a drink means exactly, and only, that . |
95,210 | 0657a43f4f343840601c76cab8d29912fd911e7f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:15 EST, 20 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:01 EST, 21 October 2013 . Her husband has never been afraid of voicing his concerns over the issues of the day. Now it appears that the Duchess of Cornwall may be following in Prince Charles’s footsteps by taking a more political approach to her role. Camilla held a private meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has been campaigning on payday loan firms. The Duchess of Cornwall met with Most Reverend Justin Welby at Clarence House, London, to discuss payday loan firms . The Duchess is a supporter of the idea of local credit unions, non-profit organisations that lend out members’ savings and encourage customers only to borrow amounts they can repay. The Archbishop, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, sees these institutions as the way to challenge the stranglehold of companies such as Wonga by offering a more ethical and less punishing alternative for people desperate for a loan. He was invited to Camilla’s London residence, Clarence House, on Friday for a meeting about his campaign against companies that charge exorbitant rates of interest on their loans. The Archbishop of Canterbury has been campaigning against payday loan companies such as Wonga . A spokesman for the Duchess said: ‘We are not in a position to confirm what was discussed in a private conservation between the Duchess and the Archbishop of Canterbury.’ Camilla, 66, joined the London Mutual Credit Union, in Peckham, London, in May. She said at the time that she wanted ‘to highlight the practical help that credit unions offer their communities in these difficult times’. | Duchess and Archbishop of Canterbury held private meeting at Clarence House .
Camilla is a supporter of local credit unions that lend out members' savings .
Most Reverend Justin Welby has been campaigning on payday loan firms . |
12,509 | 23769dd30b5b3395556dabbb554f31f377a5c93e | It's the stuff you might expect only to see on TV or in movies -- the upbeat kind with happy endings. Thankfully, that is just what happened in Burbank, California -- the Southern California city that's home to Warner Brothers and Walt Disney studios -- as a toddler fell from three stories up into a stranger's arms and onto a box spring mattress. "It feels like I watched a TV show, like it didn't happen to me," Konrad Lightner, who identified himself as the man who caught the child and fell with him, told CNN affiliate KABC. Sunday was moving day for Lightner and wife Jennifer, a typically exhausting if not momentous endeavor. Until, that is, they spied a youngster hanging out of a third-story window of an apartment building and called 911. According to Burbank fire Capt. Peter Hendrickson, calls for help came shortly after 5:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. ET), after witnesses saw the child crawling out of the window. Enter the box spring. It was placed under the window, and although Hendrickson did not name the Good Samaritans, the Lightners said it was their mattress and Konrad Lightner's arms that came to the rescue. The toddler fell only to be caught, and together the toddler and the catcher fell onto the box spring. Jennifer Lightner told KABC that the whole episode "didn't seem real until he was hanging from (a) chord, because there was no way he was going to get back." It was then, she added, that the couple threw down their box spring mattress. "It (was) now up to Konrad to catch him," Jennifer Lightner added. That's exactly what Konrad Lightner said he did, putting his arms around the falling child "and lower(ing) him real fast to the box spring." Photos taken a short time later and posted on MyBurbank.com showed a man -- clad in a T-shirt, shorts and no shoes -- cradling what appeared to be his child on the box spring. Another shows the same man carrying the child, surrounded by toys like Minnie Mouse and SpongeBob SquarePants dolls and as Jennifer Lightner holds the box spring upright. The youngster appeared to be dressed in footsie pajamas, with no signs of trauma or obvious injuries. The child was transported to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said Hendrickson of the Burbank fire department. Another photo shows a firefighter helping the Lightners carry away their box spring, and one pictures Konrad Lightner being thanked by a firefighter. Jennifer Lightner described the happening as "very surreal," all the more so considering the couple resumed the mundane task of moving not long after. "I'm not a hero," her husband told KABC. "I just walked by and just tried to help. Just something happened and were there. "We were lucky to be there." 5,000 kids a year hurt in falls from windows . | Witnesses see a child dangling from a third-story window in Burbank .
A box spring mattress is put under the window .
A stranger catches the youngster, falls back onto the mattress .
Man who says he caught the child: "It feels like I watched a TV show" |
152,528 | 511b2cfb858dc5e0b106c2b79cd443ded5c92046 | By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 13:11 EST, 24 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:18 EST, 25 April 2012 . The divorcee who is on course to become France’s next first lady today suggested she will be a far more modest one than Carla Bruni. Valerie Trierweiler, 47, is the partner of Francois Hollande, the Socialist who is runaway favourite to replace Nicolas Sarkozy as President in less than two weeks’ time. If Hollande does win – and the latest polls put him an astonishing ten points ahead of Sarkozy – Ms Treierweiler will become the first Premier Dame in French history to be unmarried. Speaking out: Valerie Trierweiler, pictured, is on course to become France's next first lady and has suggested that she will be a more modest one than Carla Bruni. Miss Trierweiler is pictured leaving Francois Hollade's campaign headquarters yesterday . In an interview in which she discusses her likely new role, Ms Trierweiler suggests that she would remain in the shadows, saying: ‘I will stay among those accompanying. I will bend to protocol. But it will be for me to find my place. ‘First Lady is not something I’ve ever dreamed of because I’ve never imagined finding myself in this position. I’m beginning to ask myself about it but only for a short while. What I’m scared of is losing my liberty.’ Miss Bruni, the former supermodel and pop singer, has taken centre stage since becoming Mr Sarkozy’s third wife following a whirlwind romance of just 80 days in 2008. She has become renowned for keeping a near-empty official diary, ignoring many official functions, and even living in her own Paris town house or Riviera villa rather than at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Pointedly, Ms Trierweiler does not mention Miss Bruni by name in her interview in the latest edition of Femme Actualle magazine. But she praises the way Mr Sarkozy’s former wife, Cecilia Attias, introduced her three children to life at the Elysee Palace soon after becoming first lady in 2007. Different: Valerie Trierweiler, left, has said she would remain in the shadows if she becomes France's first lady. Miss Bruni, right, has taken centre stage since becoming Mr Sarkozy's third wife . Referring to her own three sons from a previous marriage, Ms Trierweiler said: ‘Cecilia entered the Elysee with a her recomposed family, I think that’s right if her children are in agreement. ‘As far as we’re concerned we haven’t spoken about it yet. It’s up to them to decide, but I’ve got the feeling that they won’t want to.’ Miss Bruni, a one time champagne Socialist with a string of celebrity lovers including Mick Jagger behind her, has often been accused of marrying Mr Sarkozy simply because he was the President. But Ms Trierweiler, a magazine journalist, said of Mr Hollande: ‘When I’m by his side I’m simply his woman, with everything that implies, just like any woman in love. I tell him what I think, I advise him, but I particularly avoid discussing politics. United: Socialist presidential candidate Francois Hollande, centre, visits a factory today. If he wins the presidential election, his partner Ms Trierweiler suggests that she would remain in the shadows . Ambitious: Francois Hollande, is pictured at an election campaign rally today. He is the runaway favourite to replace Nicolas Sarkozy as President in less than two weeks' time . ‘I didn’t shy away from getting involved. I’ve always loved politics, meetings and the Left. And I adore listening to Francois. Of course, clapping the man I love while remaining a journalist was a problem for me. 'But not any longer. I raise my hands and clap him like a footballers’ wife! ‘I would like the French to think of me as the woman I really am, someone who is disinterested and simple. I am not with Francois because he became a candidate for the presidency, I love him for what he is, not for what he could be. ‘Francois trusts me completely, except when I Tweet! Some people would like to see me react less on social network, but everybody respects my freedom. I have character and nobody can restrain me.’ Mr Hollande, who has never been married, started seeing Ms Trierweiler following the collapse of his relationship to fellow Socialist Segolene Royal, with whom he has four grown-up children. Under pressure: This combination of pictures shows France's incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy today. Miss Bruni has taken centre stage since becoming Mr Sarkozy's third wife following a whirlwind romance of just 80 days in 2008 . As far as her personal life with Mr Hollande is concerned, Ms Trierweiler says he is always leaving doors open, but who does the housework, shopping and ‘cooking – with lots of butter!’ Hollande won the first, 10 candidate round of the election by 28.6 per cent to 27.2 per cent for Sarkozy, and the two will now be involved in a head-to-head on Sunday week. An Ifop opinion poll published today showed Hollande on 55 per cent of the vote, 10 points ahead of Sarkozy. The President is, in turn, trying to win over six million people who voted for the far right National Front on Sunday and could hold the key to the second round. Split: Johnny Hallyday, pictured, arguably the most popular singer in France, has refused to back Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential run-off . Nicolas Sarkozy’s week just got worse - his biggest celebrity supporter has refused to back him in the presidential run-off. News . that Johnny Hallyday, arguably the most popular singer in France, has . withdrawn his support will come as a huge blow to the head of state. Sarkozy . famously invited Hallyday to a lavish lunch on the Champs Elysee . following his election in 2007, promising the Elvis impersonator big tax . breaks. There is even a famous video of Sarkozy performing a karaoke . version of Hallyday’s song Gabrielle on TV. Hallyday, now 68, is . massively popular among millions of French people. In an interview with Republican Lorraine, Hallyday said he had . enjoyed a dinner with Sarkozy’s Socialist rival, Francois Hollande, and . found him ‘charming’. Asked if he would back Sarkozy, as he did in . 2007, Hallyday said: ‘I’ve no intention of giving my opinion on . anything. ‘I don’t think it’s the role of an artist to speak out. 'I have . to admit I’ve done that in the past and I was wrong.’ | Valerie Trierweiler suggests she will be a modest first lady but admits she claps Francois Hollande 'like a footballers’ wife'
Latest polls put Hollande ten points ahead of Nicolas Sarkozy .
France's most popular singer withdraws his support for current president . |
17,214 | 30c88a03caa2aa5dc6ac1a250becda878e2ffab1 | If at first you don't succeed, discuss. A day after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a "religious freedom" bill that critics say would have allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians, a supporter of the bill said that community appeared to need no special protection, thank you very much. "Where are the examples of gays being discriminated against?" Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, asked CNN's Chris Cuomo, in an interview on "New Day" that became a spirited discussion of marriage. "If they're so discriminated against, how come they make more money than straight people, on average?" In fact, at least one survey has shown that gays and lesbians tend to earn more, save more, owe less and better prepare for retirement. Cuomo reversed the question to ask why people of faith would need special protection. He noted that proponents of the law had been unable to cite a single example of a business in Arizona that was forced to do something that would have violated the religious beliefs of its owner. "You didn't need the law," Cuomo said. Referring to a court case that required a photo service in New Mexico to document a same-sex wedding ceremony, the anchor asked how the Catholic photographer could have found that job to be a substantial burden to his faith. Donohue contended it was. "I think, if people say, 'Listen, I don't want to sanction polygamy or gay marriage or anything other than traditional marriage,' I think we need to respect that," he said. "And if you don't like it, you can shop around. It's not hard for gays to find somebody to take a picture of them." People of faith, he said, feel that their rights "are being whittled away in the name of gay rights." "You need love" Donohue then moved on from the Arizona law to take aim at same-sex marriage in general. "It basically says that there is no profound difference, socially speaking, between a man and woman -- the only union that can create a family." Cuomo noted that some people marry not to have children but because they seek life-long companionship and commitment. "You don't have to be married to propagate," he noted. "And you don't have to have kids to be married." Why should heterosexual marriage be considered any different than gay marriage, he asked. Citing his education as a sociologist, Donohue had a ready answer: because heterosexual marriage is in the best interest of society. "Kids do best in an intact family," he said. "The evidence is overwhelming: you need a father and a mother." "You need love," responded Cuomo. "And you need people to care for you -- gay or straight." That rationale -- that love is all that's needed as a condition for marriage -- could lead to a brother and sister tying the knot, Donohue said. "That's where we're going with this thing -- polygamists, also." Donohue said gays and lesbians have individual rights, but contended that "the institution of marriage is best set when we have kids raised by a father and a mother." He then went a step further: "Maybe Tom, Dick and Harry want to get married. What are you going to say about that?" Donohue acknowledged that he could offer no evidence that children of gay or lesbian couples have outcomes any different from those of heterosexual parents, but said that was because the research had not been completed. "Why would we want a social experiment with an institution that has served us well for over 2,000 years?" he asked. "The gold standard is a father and a mother creating a family. That's what was ordained by nature, and nature's God." Not true, said Cuomo, noting that the putative gold standard has been tarnished by a divorce rate of about 50%, broken homes and latchkey kids. And nature ordaining marriage? Most mammals do not couple for life, he noted. Donohue clung to his assertion. "Have you noticed anatomically there's a goodness of fit between a man and a woman?" he asked. Cuomo stood fast. "Nobody's arguing that this is how you procreate, but marriage is about love and commitment and the right to it is about equality -- and you know that." Donohue: Marriage based on duty and commitment . "Marriage is about family -- it's not about love," Donohue said. "Two sisters can love each other." "Marriage is not about love?" an incredulous Cuomo asked. "Are you married?" Donohue, who has been widely reported to be a divorced father of two adult children, did not address that question, but moved on. "Marriage has always been based, historically, on duty and on commitment," he said. "The duty, the commitment grow out of love," responded Cuomo. "If they love each other, that's great," said Donohue. "It can't be the condition -- otherwise, you can sanction all kinds of things." The two men then returned to the topic that started their discussion. "In Arizona, there was no legal force making business owners do business with gay people if they don't want to," Cuomo said. "So the law, fundamentally, was unnecessary. The governor said it; that's why she vetoed it. The bigger proposition is why do you want to discriminate against gays?" Donohue said he did not want to discriminate against gays as individuals, only as part of married couples. "But that's the same thing," said Cuomo. "Because their right as an individual is to marry. You do not own marriage. It was not developed by Christians. It is a civil institution, secular. If they are equal, they have equal rights." Donohue ceded no ground, saying he had plenty of allies. "I have Christianity, I have Judaism, I have the Muslims, I have Mormons, I have most of the world who regard this idea as being bizarre that two men should get married." Cuomo then drew a distinction between the Arizona law and Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, who has refused to judge gays. "He's saying forgive and he's saying include. That's not what that law was about, and that's not what you're saying." "I do believe that people ought to love gays as we would straights," Donahue said. "I'm all in favor of that, and discrimination against gays is wrong." "I'm making a distinction between individuals," Donahue added. "You're bleeding the individual into the institution. I think, sociologically, that's not correct." | "Have you noticed, anatomically, there's a goodness of fit between a man and a woman?" asks Donohue .
"You need people to care for you -- gay or straight," says Cuomo .
"Marriage is about family -- it's not about love," says the Catholic League leader . |
222,268 | abb97846c3d61ee1b6647d24886e6bc5f0968d71 | Films such as Maleficent and The Lego Movie may be made to be watched in 3D on a cinema screen, but a French agency claims that such films could damage children’s eyesight. ANSES, France's national health and safety agency, has called for a ban on stereoscopic technology such as 3D films and games for children under the age of six, while it recommends that children below the age of 13 should only use the technology occasionally. However, one vision expert claims there is little evidence to back up a ban, as only short-term discomfort has been recorded in children and adults watching 3D films. The French health and safety executive, ANSES, has called for ban on stereoscopic technology such as 3D films (a still from Disney's Maleficent which was shown in 3D is pictured) and games for children under the age of six, while it recommends that children below the age of 13 should only watch the occasionally . ANSES, the country's National Health Security Agency for Food, Environment and Work, published a research paper claiming that a ban should be considered because of ‘the possible [negative] effect of 3D viewing on the developing visual system.’ The human vision system changes ‘significantly’ during infancy, including parts of the brain that perceive depth, associated with 3D films, according to an article by Martin Banks, Professor of vision science at the University of California at Berkeley, published in New Scientist. Children under the age of six should not be exposed to 3D technologies. Children under the age of 13 should only use 3D technologies in moderation and both they and their parents should be vigilant concerning any resulting symptoms. People prone to certain visual disorders (disorders of accommodation and vergence for example) and problems with balance should limit their exposure to these technologies. Changes occur until the teenage years and the visual experiences a child receives, affects the development of binocular circuits, which are needed for depth perception. ‘These observations mean that there should be careful monitoring of how the new technology affects young children,’ he warned. He writes that two properties of binocular vision - vergence and accommodation – which can come into conflict when watching 3D films to produce a feeling of discomfort, seem to be troubling the French experts. In everyday life, our eyes move from one object to another. When the eyes are focused on an object, vergence is ‘acute’ and the viewer sees a single object, not two. ANSES’ research paper says a ban should be considered because of ‘the possible [negative] effect of 3D viewing on the developing visual system,' whereas a vision expert claims that there is no evidence to suggest long-term damage from watching 3D films (illustrated with a stock picture) To get a single, sharp image, the eyes are focused to produce a clear image on the retina, while an image is focused by changing the curvature of the lens within each eye, which is known as ‘accommodation’. Usually, both properties of binocular vision are operating on one object placed a certain distance away from the eye, but in 3D films, the image appears in front or behind the screen. The difference in distance means that there can be a conflict, which makes images appear blurry to some people. This blurriness has been proven to cause some people discomfort. However, Professor Banks says there is no existing evidence to prove that adverse effects from watching 3D films cause permanent damage to humans’ eyesight. ‘On that basis.it seems rash to recommend these age-related bans and restrictions,’ he said. He acknowledges that there are always health risks with the widespread roll out of new technology, but there is ‘no smoking gun to suggest harm is being caused,’ adding that a ban on 3D films for children seems ‘unnecessarily harsh’. | Paris-based ANSES has called for ban on 3D technology for children .
A vision expert claims there is little evidence to back up a ban .
This is because on short-term effects of 3D technology have been seen .
Films can cause discomfort because of a 'conflict' of binocular vision . |
201,265 | 90953aa3e6536788d009a2556953962e1684ebb5 | By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 05:53 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:53 EST, 25 June 2013 . A former hotel manager with a ‘Jekyll and Hyde personality’ strangled his mother after researching the meaning of the word ‘garrotte’ on Wikipedia, a court heard today. Paul Stones, 38, allegedly killed accounts clerk Marian Stones, 58, as she lay in bed during a weekly argument after they repeatedly rowed about her calling him a ‘failure’ and ‘not a proper dad’. The divorced father of one moved in with his mother at her home in Sharples, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, after his relationship crumbled and he lost his job following a drink driving conviction. Investigation: Police at the scene in Sharples, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, in June 2012 where former hotel manager Paul Stones allegedly strangled his mother Marian . But Stones drank white wine and following another row knelt on Mrs Stones and strangled her as she lay in her bed, Manchester Crown Court was told. The next day he allegedly walked into a police station to tell officers he had killed his mother and gave them the house keys. Mrs Stones was found dead in bed, lying on her back under the duvet. Stones - who had been on anti-depressants - told police in a statement: ‘Your main relationship is with your mum. When she is nice and treats you like an adult you feel like you are in the top position. He added: ‘But when she is not nice you feel like you are in the bottom position.’ Stones’s laptop was seized and it was found just three days earlier he had visited Wikipedia and searched for the definition of ‘garrotte’ and used the word in a post on Facebook, the court heard. John Shorrock QC, prosecuting, said: ‘He said he had been sat watching TV with his mother but said his memories were hazy that evening. ‘He said that he was aware he had argued with his mother but was unable to recall the topic. He states that his mother would argue and she knew what buttons to press. ‘He stated that he recalls being in his mother’s bedroom knelt on top of her holding her down with his hands around her neck. He was asked why and said “I still don’t know”. At the scene: Stones drank white wine and following another row knelt on Mrs Stones and strangled her as she lay in her bed, Manchester Crown Court was told . ‘He did say he realised he did it with his own hands and was having to live with it for the rest of his life and “I want to be punished for it”. The computer had been used to search the word “garrotte”. ‘At about the same time he used this word to post something on Facebook. It is an odd word, “garrotte”. Why was the defendant interested in that word?’ 'He stated that he recalls being in his mother's bedroom knelt on top of her holding her down with his hands around her neck. He was asked why and said "I still don’t know"' John Shorrock QC, prosecuting . The court heard that Mrs Stones had brought up her son single-handedly after divorcing from her husband in 1977 when he was aged two. In adult life he was said to have anger management issues with ex-wife Emma Hindsley describing him as having a ‘Jekyll and Hyde personality’. Mr Shorrock added: ‘She said he would be kind and charming and the loveliest man and other times someone she was scared and frightened of - a man who could lose his temper in drink, kicking doors and pulling wallpaper off.’ The marriage crumbled in 2005 when he allegedly kicked and punched Miss Hindsley during a row when she was in bed. He started a relationship with another woman Claire Nichols and they had a baby daughter in 2008, but the romance ended when he assaulted her too, it was claimed. He also lost his job after drink driving and moved in with his mother, the court heard. Probe: Stones's laptop was seized and it was found just three days earlier he had visited Wikipedia and searched for the definition of 'garrotte' and used the word in a post on Facebook, the court heard . Mrs Stones made a 999 call in 2010 reporting that her son had punched her in the face after returning home drunk, the jury was told. She told the operator she was ‘really scared’ but allegedly did not make a complaint for fear it would jeopardise her relationship with her granddaughter. Mr Shorrock said: ‘The defendant is a man who has a drink problem. When in drink he becomes aggressive and loses his temper and as a result three people closest to him during that period have been assaulted.’ 'I thought I ought to say something. I said I did it - I strangled my mother. I realised what I had done and went to the police. I am totally remorseful and regret what I have done' Paul Stones . Jurors heard that Mrs Stones could have died from a number of possibilities - including from the use a broad, soft ligature or fabric, a forearm being pressed against the throat, a chokehold or by manual strangulation through a thick fabric like a duvet. There were also injuries to her nose and eyelid and bruises to her upper arms consistent with restraint. In police interview, Stones told officers in a statement: ‘I thought I ought to say something. I said I did it - I strangled my mother. I realised what I had done and went to the police. ‘I am totally remorseful and regret what I have done. I confirm I have financial difficulty. My mother was fully aware and helping me with the letter from creditors. I have made all my creditors aware of my intention to become bankrupt.' In meeting with a psychiatrist, Stones said: ‘She would call me a failure and not a proper dad, she knew how to hurt me but it was water off a duck’s back.’ Stones denies murder. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Paul Stones 'killed accounts clerk Marian Stones, 58, as she lay in bed'
Rowed about her calling him a 'failure' and 'not a proper dad', court told .
He moved in with her in Greater Manchester after relationship crumbled . |
99,898 | 0cb85d8ccc05306985ff4579f806df7bf9b2ff4f | (CNN) -- European football's summer months are dominated by back-page headlines of glamorous transfers involving the game's most prestigious players, with Arsenal's Robin van Persie the most notable example this last few weeks as he ponders whether to stay with the London club after saying he will not renew his contract. But at the bottom of the football pyramid -- a world that receives little attention from the global media -- there are many deals that involve young players who are just starting their careers, the clubs that have trained them, and those that are interested in signing them in the hope that they might be the next Lionel Messi. The story of Messi's early years in Argentina and his signing by Barcelona has been retold countless times. Of how, diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, the kid who would become the world's best player went to Spain after Barcelona offered to pay his medical bills. What is less well known is that Barcelona did not immediately pay his former club Newell's Old Boys the training compensation fee that the Argentine team was due. Can PSG's big bucks buy world domination? Newell's Old Boys did claim $42,867 in reparation, but had to go all the way to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber to get the payment. It takes time and money for clubs to develop players, but the rewards can be enormous given the voracious appetite of ambitious teams looking for new talent. But this talent trawl leaves casualties and an academic study in 2009 estimated as many as 20,000 African boys are living in the streets of Europe after failing to secure contracts with European clubs following their trials. Under rules established by football's international governing body FIFA, those clubs seeking that new talent agree to pay the team that nurtured the youngster a "training compensation" fee. FIFA has a cash formula that is designed to compensate the "training club" for the years spent developing players up to the age of 23, when they sign their first professional contract. However, sports agent Paulo Teixeira says some European teams do not always play ball in agreeing these compensation fees. Teixeira, who has worked as a player agent and once represented former Brazil international Roberto Carlos, has taken to posting about training compensation on Facebook., pointing to the way social media was used during the Arab Spring as a motivation in raising publicity over the issue. "It's a matter of culture," Teixeira writes on Facebook, recounting what he says he was told by an executive of a European team ahead of the Champions League final in Munich back in May. "European clubs are ready to pay millions on transfer fees, but when it comes to settling training compensation to African or South Americans clubs, it becomes a problem. "Clubs know that they will have to pay once the cases reach FIFA, but until then they buy time." The Brazilian agent is football's equivalent of a bounty hunter, taking a hefty commission from the teams he represents in cases he takes before FIFA to claim training compensation from larger clubs. Teixeira details his disputes with a number of those European clubs on Facebook, claiming they failed to pay the true cost of training a player to the development club, based on FIFA's formula. Unhappy about these Facebook postings, at least two of those clubs -- Italy's AC Milan and Anderlecht of Belgium -- have complained to FIFA about what they claim is "defamation and calumny". "FIFA can confirm that AC Milan and Anderlecht have lodged complaints against the agent Paulo Teixeira and that FIFA has opened a case," FIFA told CNN. "However, as the investigations are currently ongoing we cannot comment or speculate at this stage." But as well referencing the Arab Spring, Teixeira quotes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression" -- as justification for his campaign. In one of the cases Teixeira posts about, he claims AC Milan owes Botafogo FC of Ribeirao Preto compensation involving its training of the player Sergio Ceregatti. He says the claim is based on the calculation that Ceregatti was with the Brazilian club for four years before moving to Italy. Ceregatti initially joined Ancona and then signed for Milan, with Botafogo not compensated for those formative years of training as per FIFA's rules. "At this stage, I just can tell you that the player gave three different declarations (one of them signed by his father, when Ceregatti was still a minor) about the duration of his registration to Botafogo -- nine months; 24 months; 48 months circa," said Leandro Cantamessa, the lawyer acting for AC Milan. "AC Milan immediately paid on May 2011 the amount requested by Teixeira pursuant to the first player's declaration and moreover in conformity with Botafogo's records, as collected by Brazilian Federation (CBF) in the so-called sport passport, duly attached to the first Teixeira claim. "The last declaration has been released by Ceregatti in Brazil, in January 2012, after his escape from Italy and from contractual obligations with AC Milan." Texeira tells a very different story, insisting he has full the support of Ceregatti, who recently returned to Brazil after signing with Vasco da Gama, and that the Brazilian footballer confirms he had been at Botafogo for four years since the age of 12 from 2004. The gambling game: Soccer's battle with betting . "The claim is for Botafogo and has nothing to do with Ceregatti," added Teixeira, after CNN asked to interview the player. As for Anderlecht, general manager Hermann van Holsbeeck refused to comment on Teixeira's $122,822 compensation claim on behalf of DR Congo club CS Aigles Verts relating to one of their players, but added: "We have introduced a file against Teixeira by FIFA. We will defend our position at the court." Teixeira works closely with the Brazilian National Amateur League manager Jose Tobaldini, who keeps track of 140,000 players on a computer database and believes hundreds of young players literally "disappear" from their clubs -- lured away by agents and scouts. "I know they've all gone to Europe, most of them have the possibility of acquiring dual citizenship," says Tobaldini. Teixeira claims on Facebook that "a generation of dozens of young Brazilian and African players were literally taken away from their original clubs by dubious agents and brought to Italy under the so-called primo tesseramento (first contract)." Often smaller clubs in Brazil and Africa do not have the financial resources to find out what has happened to their players after they have left, presumably for Europe -- which means they are often left without compensation. That is where Teixeira steps in. After a player has turned professional, Teixeira -- with the help of Tobaldini -- tracks down the development club to see if there are compensation issues and then begins the administrative process of demanding what he says is the correct sum to be paid by the European clubs. "In the beginning I was approaching the clubs, but now more and more I am approached by clubs," said Teixeira. "All due to the internet, as you can imagine. Some African agents have sent me messages saying I've become an icon." In an arrangement that is reminiscent of the kind of fees "uplift" that successful personal injury lawyers use to get paid if and when a dispute is resolved, Teixeria would receive a 20% commission of the amount of the claim. So in the cases he lists on Facebook, the potential compensation amount is close to $2.4 million, which would net Teixeira approximately $480,000 if he is successful. "Big clubs are always challenging the conformity of training compensation with EU law," said Argentine lawyer Ariel Reck, who also has experience with of this area and it is a view supported by British lawyer Guy Thomas. "The Jean-Marc Bosman case may have increased player power," said Thomas, referring to the landmark judgment allowing players to move for free at the end of their contract, "but ongoing uncertainty over the best way to calculate compensation still allows clubs the chance to push back or delay payment." Blog: Time to get tough on racism in football . Reck admits these cases are a gravy train for agents and lawyers. "This is also a business for sports lawyers, I have to confess. Not only South American but also big European firms (mostly Spanish due to language issues) offer clubs the services to claim and collect such compensations. Fees can be as high as 30% of the amount," he said. Gravy train or not, this issue may also be an administrative headache for FIFA, which says it receives 3,500 complaints a year -- though not all of these relate to training compensation cases. "FIFA's normal procedure says that a case should be opened within three to five weeks after the claim is lodged," said lawyer Fernando Lamar, who works with Teixeira. "FIFA says that an ordinary case would take six to 12 months to be solved. However, we have cases in progress for almost two years and we're not halfway through. "You cannot imagine the time and energy spent trying to reach a FIFA officer to have information about the claims. It is almost a lost battle; the most common responses we get are, 'We are overloaded,' 'We have no time.' " In a statement to CNN, FIFA said: "Cases are normally opened within a couple of weeks following the receipt of the relevant complaint. "As to the duration of a specific procedure, we need to emphasize that many factors influence the advancement of the investigation phase and the decision-making process: the cooperation of the parties, the complexity of the matter, the extent of the documentation provided, the availability of the deciding body -- just to name a few. "Consequently, we are really not in a position to comment on an estimated timescale ." In a recent edition of the Sports Law Bulletin, a doctoral researcher at England's University of Westminster came up with an idea to help protect the treatment of minors in football. "A possible solution to prevent such circumstances could be introduction of a form of authorization for trials via the transfer matching system, albeit trials cannot be deemed as a transfer, " wrote Serhat Yilmaz, referring to FIFA's governing body electronic method of conducting transfers. So as the lawyers, agents and administrators argue, does Tobaldini have any advice for parents considering letting their offspring move to European clubs? "First you should build the athlete up, maintain his focus on school and look for an agent -- properly accredited -- with the goal of taking care of his professional career." | Agent seeks compensation for clubs who lose young players to bigger teams .
Paulo Teixeira says some European sides do not always play ball in agreeing fees .
Two European clubs have complained to FIFA about Brazilian agent's claims .
Teixeira typically gets 20% of any compensation payment that is made . |
257,200 | d8df13fdcb0d13de16a8e74cbf621280da12bb3a | Former HSBC boss Lord Green has quit as chairman of a financial services industry body amid claims the multi-national bank enabled tax dodging while he was in charge. The Tory peer stepped down from his role as chairman of TheCityUK's advisory council with immediate effect, it has been announced. He took the decision days after it was revealed HSBC's Swiss office had thousands of 'black' accounts between 2005 and 2007, which were used to stash millions and avoid tax. Quit: Lord Green has stepped down as chairman of TheCityUK amid claims HSBC enabled tax dodging while he was boss . Sir Gerry Grimstone, chairman of the organisation's board, said: 'Stephen Green is a man of great personal integrity who has given huge service to his country and the City. 'He doesn't want to damage the effectiveness of TheCityUK in promoting good governance and doing the right thing so has decided to step aside from chairing our Advisory Council. 'This is entirely his own decision.' Sir Gerry will take on Lord Green's role, alongside his current position. Lord Green, who was chairman of HSBC between 2006 and 2010, has been under increasing pressure to explain behaviour at the bank's Swiss arm since it was revealed earlier this week. He is expected to be called before a Treasury Select Committee later this year, where he will be questioned about what he knew while in charge at HSBC. Information leaked to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in 2010 identified 7,000 British clients, 1,100 of whom had not paid their taxes. The timing means the agency received a copy of the list of clients with millions stashed away in Switzerland before Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint was brought in to government in January 2011. But it transpires HMRC was only asked to vet his personal tax arrangements before his appointment. Facilitating: It is alleged the bank had thousands of 'black' accounts hidden in Switzerland, hiding millions from the taxman . Downing Street initially said that neither Lord Green, who stepped down as a minister in 2013, nor any other member of the government, had 'any knowledge that HSBC may have been involved in wrongdoing' until it was reported in newspapers and by the BBC in recent days. But the comments were at odds with claims by Treasury minister David Gauke, who told the Commons on Monday that information about HSBC had been 'in the public domain since 2007'. Downing Street later said it had 'no record' that HMRC told ministers about apparent HSBC involvement in 'wrong-doing relating to its Swiss banking arm'. Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, told the Treasury select committee that HMRC had not passed on details of the allegations before they appeared in the media. HMRC chief executive Mrs Homer said the data was given to the tax authority under conditions which stopped it from sharing the information. Anger over the situation was made worse by the fact that while some £135million in tax and penalties has since been recovered, only one prosecution has been brought. | Tory peer has quit as chairman of TheCityUK's Advisory Council .
Decision comes amid claims of tax-dodging facilitated by HSBC .
Lord Green was in charge of the multi-national bank from 2006 to 2010 .
It is alleged the 'black' accounts were used between 2005 and 2007 .
In 2010, HMRC was handed a list of 1,100 accounts which paid no tax .
But Lord Green was still appointed to government role in 2011 . |
250,212 | cfd1f6ba20461357305ca7d151903eb6c0890b88 | Should FIFA ban Luis Suarez after latest bite storm? Is there any way back? At what point is enough is enough and football begins to turn its back on Luis Suarez? As news began to sink about this latest, remarkable controversy to engulf Suarez, the calls for him to be banished from the game for an indefinite period were long and loud. Three strikes and you are out, so the theory goes. ‘I do not want to see one of the best players in the world banned from this tournament but you cannot have that example,’ former England manager Glenn Hoddle said on ITV. ‘You do that in a street somewhere and you are going to prison.’ Scroll down for videos... The tooth hurts! Luis Suarez appeared to bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup . Crying foul! Giorgio Chiellini reacts after allegedly being bitten by Luis Suarez during Uruguay's 1-0 victory . Exhibit A: Giorgino Chiellini pulls down his shirt to show teeth marks to the referee . Cover up? Luis Suarez holds his face after the incident suggesting he collided with Giorgio Chiellini . FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings, to which Uruguay and Suarez have until 9pm UK time on Wednesday to provide evidence. A statement on FIFA's website said: 'FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of art. 48 and/or art. 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil match Italy-Uruguay played on 24 June 2014. 'The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide with their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant until 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time. 'According to art. 77 lit. a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention. 'Furthermore, according to art. 96 of the FDC, any type of proof may be produced (par. 1), in particular are admissible, reports from referees, declarations from the parties and witnesses, material evidence, audio or video recordings (par. 3).' Click here for the full story . There is no defending Suarez. Biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal in November 2010 could have been considered an aberration but to repeating the transgression on Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea (April 2013) and now Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini highlights an underlying behavioural problem. Suarez, for some reason, doesn’t learn but what he may now discover in the wake of this absurd moment in Natal is that the trust managers and team-mates have for him begins to slowly dwindle away. How can you rely on someone that has the ability to let you down? From now on, that question will lurk in the back of everyone’s mind. He might be a genius, one of the most spell-binding players in the world when at the peak of his powers, but that habit of going wildly off the rails is going to be his legacy. What happens with him now will make for intriguing viewing. A move to Barcelona has been mooted and the signs that have been coming from Spain in the last few days was that a bid to prise him away from Anfield was looming. But will . this controversy force Barcelona to abort? They pride themselves on the . motto ‘mes que une club’ (more than a club) but will they go him for him . now? Given the turmoil they have experienced in the past year over the . deal to sign Neymar, do they need to bring more trouble to their door? Previous: Luis Suarez received a seven game ban for biting PSV's Ottman Bakkal while playing for Ajax, 2010 . Ouch! Ottman Bakkal shows the bite marks to a PSV teammate after the incident . Controversy: Luis Suarez is captured biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013 . Bite night! Defender explains what happened to the referee before Luis Suarez received a 10-game ban . There will, inevitably, be ramifications for Liverpool too. Should he stay on Merseyside, he will be the subject of intense scrutiny, critics will be waiting for him to step out of line and ask how they can continue to offer support when he has besmirched their reputation. Yet ask Brendan Rodgers or any of his team-mates and they will all tell you the same thing about him around the training ground: he is quite and humble, never any trouble. He comes in, relishes his work then goes home to dote on his family. They don’t see the monster that others do. Red leader: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (R) has always supported Luis Suarez . Family guy: Off the pitch, Luis Suarez is renowned for being a doting father . They see a world class player and that is why, regardless of the shock and horror of this bite on Chiellini, he won’t fail to have a career at the highest level. ‘I’m staggered but it won’t affect him,’ said former England captain Alan Shearer on Match of the Day. ‘There will always be someone who is prepared to take a gamble on him.’ Yet there will always be that anxiety with Luis Suarez that a moment of madness is never far away. | Luis .
Suarez appeared to bite Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's decisive 1-0 .
victory over Italy in their final Group D game at the World Cup .
Liverpool striker has previously been charged with biting TWO opponents .
Suarez received 10-game ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013 .
The former Ajax striker was also handed a seven-game ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Ottman Bakkal in November 2010 .
FIFA are awaiting official match report before making decision .
Alan Shearer claims 'there will always be someone who is prepared to gamble on him' |
121,776 | 296948d530c307d372049d29ee127a6d97460d16 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:46 EST, 25 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:01 EST, 25 July 2012 . A judge says he'll likely approve a request from the 18-year-old son of Mary and Robert Kennedy Jr. to be named administrator of his mother's estate. Conor Kennedy's lawyer said Wednesday in Surrogate's Court in White Plains, N.Y. that his client turned 18 on Tuesday, qualifying him to administer the estate of Mary Kennedy, who hanged herself in May. A lawyer for Robert Kennedy raised no objection. The judge said he expects to grant Conor Kennedy's application. Request: Conor Kennedy, pictured celebrating July 4th in Massachusetts, is asking to be named administrator of his mother's estate . Earlier days: The late Mary Kennedy, left, pictured with Conor at a 2009 fundraising dinner; she hanged herself in May . Mary Kennedy's sister, Martha Richardson, also was in court but did not go before the judge. She said she hadn't decided whether she objects to Conor Kennedy's application. Meanwhile, Mary Kennedy's divorce lawyers dropped their application that a public administrator be appointed. They had objected to the possibility of Robert Kennedy being named administrator. The 52-year-old mother of four hanged herself on May 16 in a barn by the couple's home in New York's Westchester County amid bitter divorce proceedings in which Robert Kennedy won temporary custody of their four children, ages 11 to 18. She was first buried on May 19 near her husband's aunt and uncle, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver. Seven weeks later, Mary Kennedy was reburied in a Cape Cod, Massachusetts cemetery, 700 feet from her original grave near other Kennedy family members. Mourning: Conor, back and centre, seen at his mother Mary's funeral with his siblings and other mourners . Tragic end: Mary Kennedy hanged herself on May 16 amid bitter divorce proceedings in which Robert Kennedy, right, won temporary custody of their four children . Since Robert Kennedy filed for divorce two years ago, Mary Kennedy's battle against drug and alcohol addiction included an arrest for driving while intoxicated. An autopsy report showed she had antidepressants in her system when she died. In a court affidavit linked to their divorce, Robert Kennedy claimed his wife beat him, threatened suicide in front of her children, ran over the family dog and drank until she passed out. The Richardson family said his account was filled with lies. They lost a court fight to bury her at a location of their choosing. Mary Kennedy's relatives did not attend the funeral Robert Kennedy organized in Bedford, New York, the Westchester County town where they lived. After her burial, the Richardsons organized a private tribute to her in Manhattan. According to lawyers, RFK Jr. stopped covering his wife’s legal bills in the months before her suicide. Filed documents said that Mary owed as much as $300,000 in legal fees, so it is unclear how much her estate is worth. Court records also show how Mary’s credit was ‘severely restricted,’ and how the mother-of-four had restricted access to cash. | Conor Kennedy requesting to be named administrator on late mother's estate, having just turned 18 .
Mary Kennedy's divorce lawyers have objected to the possibility of her estranged husband, RFK Jr, being named administrator .
Judge said today he's likely to approve Conor's request . |
87,583 | f885fe7c6c193ab95fb6855a083daaf5836af76c | By . Kerry Mcqueeney . PUBLISHED: . 04:12 EST, 16 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:15 EST, 16 May 2012 . Accused: Retired LAPD detective Dan DeJarnette . A retired detective from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been arrested in Hawaii over the death of his wife six years ago. Dan DeJarnette pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder during his arraignment yesterday, according to a Hawaii County prosecutor. DeJarnette was taken into custody on Monday evening after being arrested at his home on Hawaii's Big Island in connection with his wife Yu's death, the Los Angeles Times reports. The former detective said, at the time of his wife's death in 2006, that he had woken and found her lying on a lava embankment about 20 feet from the couple's home. She had suffered a severe head injury and was pronounced dead at hospital. DeJarnette was booked at the time for investigation of murder but was later released due to a of lack of evidence. The arrest comes after the authorities reopened the case in January. DeJarnette joined the LAPD in 1982, the Los Angeles Times reported, working as a homicide detective and investigating rape cases. After retiring from the police force in 2003, he moved to Hawaii's Big Island. Retirement: The former detective moved to Hawaii's Big Island (pictured) after leaving the LAPD in 2003 . | Former LAPD detective arrested on Hawaii's Big Island .
He is accused of the second-degree murder of wife Yu .
She was found with a severe head injury in 2006 . |
36,645 | 67d7c396d788162aa35e89d520a652c0062e5b2a | By . Steve Punt . Last updated at 3:07 AM on 30th December 2011 . Adam Werritty: Best Mate of Bloke in Important Job? 1. What operation did Ed Miliband undergo in August? a. Surgical separation from his brother’s shadow. b. Charisma by-pass. c. He had his adenoids out. d. Operation Blame Osborne For Everything. 2. What job description was on Adam Werritty’s business card? a. Official Contributor to the Nation’s Amusement. b. Chief Embarrassment to Her Majesty’s Government. c. Best Mate of Bloke in Important Job. d. Special Adviser to Dr Liam Fox. 3. Who or what apparently travelled from Geneva to Central Italy in 0.0024 seconds? a. Jeremy Clarkson in his dreams. b. F1 champ Sebastian Vettel on a day off. c. Some neutrinos (through solid rock). d. Doctor Who inter-railing. 4. Who or what were the Riot Wombles? a. Volunteers with brooms who swept up glass-strewn London streets. b. Looters dressed in Uncle Bulgaria outfits spotted in Wimbledon. c. The Clapham Police, for leaving the rioters ‘wombling free’ for an hour. d. Looters who claimed to be ‘making good use of the things that we find’. 5. Where was Colonel Gaddafi finally found? a. In a drainage pipe. b. In his underground lair, feeding his sharks. c. In Venezuela, just like William Hague said. d. In a queue at Heathrow, hoping there were no checks that day. A riot womble makes good use of something he's found . 6. What won the Oscar for Best Picture? a. Alvin And The Chipmunks: This Time It’s Personal. b. Something depressing starring Kate Winslet. c. Anything where a famous actor played someone with a disability. d. The King’s Speech. 7. What is a Technocrat? a. A popular children’s TV character. b. An upper-class person who bangs on endlessly about their iPad. c. Someone who understands finance enough to run a country unelected. d. A techno DJ with delusions of grandeur. 8. What might you see in Richmond Park? a. Rioters looting the cafe in the park’s old lodge. b. Susan Boyle jogging. c. BBC filming a new low-budget David Attenborough series, Life In West London. d. A herd of stampeding deer followed by a middle-aged man shouting: ‘Fenton! Fenton!’ 9. What officially came to an end on July 8? a. Credible plots in hit ITV drama Downton Abbey. b. Headlines reading ‘Emma Watson Looked Simply Wizard!’ after the last Harry Potter film premiere. Carlos Tevez keeps the bench warm at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium . c. The post-election period where everything can be blamed on the previous government. d. The Space Shuttle programme. 10. What did Manchester City star Carlos Tevez refuse to do this season? a. Warm-up as a substitute. b. Turn up for training. c. Stop making himself appear the greediest egomaniac in football. d. All three of the above. 11. What is a ‘no-fly zone?’ a. Heathrow after an inch of snow. b. Europe when French air-traffic control have anything to do with it. c. An airspace controlled by Nato. d. A kitchen if operating correct health and safety procedures . 12. What was notable about Navy Seal Team Six? a. It won the award for Most Gratuitously Violent Computer Game of the Year. b. It united Sylvester Stallone and Steven Seagal in a rip-roaring adventure. c. They were the unit told to turn off the lights as they were last out of Iraq. d. They terminated Osama Bin Laden. 13. Where did Thomas Van Straubenzee and James ‘Badger’ Meade perform a double-act? a. When the Britain’s Got Talent auditions visited the Cotswolds. b. At the royal wedding reception. c. At the Conservative Conference Annual Ball. d. They are the real names of the TV children’s favourites, the Chuckle Brothers. 14. Where did Azerbaijan beat Italy? a. In the Euro 2012 football qualifiers. b. In the Euro debt league. c. In the ‘number of elected Prime Ministers’ competition. d. In the Eurovision Song Contest. Steamy: Rihanna . 15. What did Northern Ireland farmer Alan Graham spot in his field in September? a. EU officials measuring his turnips. b. Colonel Gaddafi. c. Jamie Oliver sniffing his sprouts. d. Rihanna, above, undressing. 16. ‘We were born and raised in a summer haze, bound by the surprise of our glory days.’ What does this mean? a. That hit singer Adele likes other people’s song titles. b. That Adele doesn’t say ‘born and brought up’, despite being British. c. That Adele knows how to sell 4.8 million albums. d. Doesn’t matter what it means — it’s the voice, yeh? Who should be shot, according to Jeremy Clarkson? 17. Who killed Nanna Birk Larsen? a. Don’t tell me! Don’t tell me! I got the box set of The Killing for Christmas. b. She was strangled with a patterned wool jumper. c. The shifty one, you know, who worked for the father. d. I have no idea what you’re on about! 18. Who, according to Clarkson, right, should be ‘shot in front of their families’? a. Skoda drivers. b. Cyclists. c. Public-sector strikers. d. People who quote his jokes out of context. 19. Who or what were Harmattan, Ellamy and Odyssey Dawn? a. Top three children’s names in Notting Hill this year. b. Code-names for French, British and U.S. operations in Libya. c. Three failed girlbands from The X Factor. d. Sarah Palin’s pet Rottweilers. 20. What is the world’s newest country, officially declared a nation-state on July 9, 2011? a. The Federal Eurozonian Not-That-Democratic Republic. b. South Sudan. c. South Croydon. d. Roman Abramovich’s back garden (for tax purposes). 21. What was the theme of the night at the Altitude bar, New Zealand, when the England Rugby squad visited? a. Half-price Drinks for International Sportsmen. b. Punch-a-Paparazzo Hour. Scampi: Tasty, yes. But what is it? c. The ‘Mad Midget Weekender’ Dwarf-Throwing Competition. d. Come Dressed As Your Favourite Royal. 22. What fish-based query made the Top Ten Britons’ most-searched questions on Google? a. Is cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants based on a real-life sponge? b. Does Bloater Paste make you fat? c. What is scampi? d. Is bunga-bunga a fish? 23. What reason was NOT given to explain Cheryl Cole’s sacking from the U.S. X Factor? a. They couldn’t understand her Geordie accent. b. She ended every sentence with ‘because you’re worth it!’ c. She didn’t get on with Paula Abdul. d. She was too quiet. 24. Where would you find Higgs Boson? a. In Pirates Of The Caribbean 5: The Dead Horse Flogged. b. He’s Chairman of the Young Conservatives. c. On the main stage at the Cambridge Folk Festival. d. In a big tunnel under Switzerland, possibly. 25. Where in Europe did state employees supposedly receive bonuses for warming up vehicles, washing their hands and ‘working with photocopiers?’ a. Greece. b. Greece. c. Greece. d. Italy. Only joking — Greece. 26. £100 million was set aside in the Budget for repairing what? a. Nick Clegg’s reputation. b. Buckingham Palace. c. Croydon. d. Holes in the road. 27. Which of these was NOT blamed for the stagnant economy? a. Bad weather. b. Royal Wedding. c. Good weather. d. Society. 28. According to the British Ambassador, why did the SAS land a covert team in a field in Libya in the middle of the night? a. ‘To find out if there was a hotel, and if everything was working.’ Guy Fawkes mask: Ironic, but why? b. To take out Gaddafi single-handed. c. To avoid airport charges, on the advice of Ryanair. d. As part of ‘Embarrass William Hague Week’. 29. What happened to Andy Murray at Wimbledon? a. He got to the semi-finals and then lost to Rafa Nadal — as apparently required in his contract. b. Blew up in first round. c. Walked out in a sulk. d. Caught himself smiling in a mirror and collapsed in shock . 30. Who was revealed to carry a £10,000 armour-plated umbrella for security reasons? a. The Head of the Met Office. b. Nick Clegg, when visiting students on campus. c. President Nicolas Sarkozy. d. Hugh Grant, for jabbing photographers with. 31. What is ironic about the anti-capitalist Guy Fawkes masks sported by protesters at St Paul’s and elsewhere? a. They’re sponsored by Goldman Sachs. b. Royalties for each one sold go to the corporate behemoth Warner Bros Inc. c. It’s actually Derren Brown. d. Under new public order laws, wearers can be hanged, drawn and quartered. | From Ed Milibands Adenoids to Rihanna's lingerie, Radio 4's Now Show host STEVE PUNT challenges you to take 2011's most irreverent quiz . |
130,861 | 353c83c5a718d91d12b70b3eb03dd216a2aec949 | Two tries in three minutes while Leonardo Ghiraldini was in the sin-bin saved Ireland before they beat Italy 26-3 at the start of their RBS 6 Nations title defence. Conor Murray and Tommy O'Donnell sneaked scores while hooker Ghiraldini was off the field, after Ireland had laboured with scant return in a tryless first hour. Sean O'Brien suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up, so the luckless Leinster flanker's wait for his first Test action since November 2013 goes on. Ireland scrum half Conor Murray burrows over for his side's opening try following a powerful maul from the pack . Ireland flanker Tommy O'Donnell, who was called up late to the starting line-up following Sean O'Brien's hamstring injury, crosses late on . Ireland centre Jared Payne is stopped in his tracks by Italy's Luca Morisi (left) and Kelly Haimona . Italy XV: Masi; Sarto, Campagnaro, Morisi, McLean; Haimona, Gori; Aguero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Furno, Biagi, Zanni, Minto, Parisse . Replacements: Manici, De Marchi, Chistolini, Fuser, Barbini, Palazzani, Allan, Venditti . Penalties: Haimona (1) Ireland XV: R Kearney, Bowe, Payne, Henshaw, Zebo, Keatley, Murray, McGrath, Best, Ross, Toner, O'Connell, O'Mahony, O'Donnell, Murphy. Replacements: S Cronin, J Cronin, Moore, Henderson, Diack, Boss, Madigan, Jones . Tries: Murray, O'Donnell . Conversions: Keatley (1), Madigan (1) Penalties: Keatley (3) The 27-year-old will now be an automatic doubt for Ireland's second-round clash with France in Dublin next weekend. O'Brien has only just recovered from 14 months battling two consecutive shoulder reconstructions, and the 30-cap loose-forward cut a disconsolate and broody figure on Ireland's bench. Ireland's management were just as stern-faced despite victory, because the visitors never found any control or fluency at the Stadio Olimpico. Italy lost all five Six Nations matches last year, and Ireland thumped the Azzurri 46-7 in Dublin: there would be no repeat this time. Ian Keatley landed four penalties and a conversion but failed to seize his chance to prove he deserves more time in Ireland's 10 shirt. The Munster fly-half was unable to boss his backline, all too often standing all too deep in attack: fit-again Johnny Sexton will doubtless return against France next weekend after 12 weeks missing with concussion. Ireland may live to regret not racking up a bigger score against the lowly Italians, who tend to crack as tournaments progress. Should this year's Six Nations come down to points difference, just as last year, the Irish may rue not pushing the envelope somewhat once this game broke up. All the fizzing electricity from England's tournament opening 21-16 win over Wales in Cardiff turned to dismal static in a humdrum first-half in Rome. Robbie Henshaw, making his Six Nations debut for Ireland, makes some early inroads into the Italian defence in Rome . Where Wales sparkled and England shone, Ireland could only glower in the gloom of uninspired, guileless first-half attacking play. Italy proved the architects of their own discomfort right from the off, Matias Aguero penalised for slipping his bind at the scrum. George Biagi's cheap knock-on gifted Ireland field position, and a pointless midfield offside allowed Keatley to open the scoring from the tee. Jack McGrath atoned for conceding a scrum penalty by winning a fine choke-tackle turnover, in tandem with Peter O'Mahony. Keatley endured a mixed opening, slotting his penalty calmly, but throwing a loose pass and also being charged down by Michele Campagnaro. Azzurri scrum half Edoardo Gori loses the ball under pressure from opposite number Murray (left) Keatley doubled his and Ireland's tally after Luke McLean wandered offside to retrieve Andrea Masi's knock-on. Ireland drove close from a lineout maul, but Tommy Bowe could not tap Murray's deft chip back inside with enough space for the scrum-half to wriggle home. The visitors had to settle instead for Keatley's third penalty of the afternoon. Italy then set camp in Ireland's 22 but after one driving maul Kelly Haimona opted to strike at goal. The New Zealand-born fly-half landed the goal to cut Italy's deficit to six points at the break. Ireland started the second half searching for some kind of fuel injection, but still their attack misfired. Italy captain Sergio Parisse drives forward as Ireland full back Rob Kearney tries to halt the No 8's progress . Keatley produced a neat half-break on the blindside, only to force an attempted last pass: Campagnaro knocked on trying to intercept, allowing Ireland a quick wipe of the brow. Keatley almost cut the line again in Italy's 22, but Sergio Parisse produced a fine ruck steal to ease the pressure. Jared Payne raced close after Simon Zebo's neat wide pass, but Robbie Henshaw knocked on trying to sneak through. Payne and Henshaw noticeably picked up the pace after the break, but again Ireland turned to Keatley's boot to extend their lead to 12-3. Ireland dispensed with posting penalties instead chasing the jugular just past the hour, punting to the corner for an attacking lineout. Ireland fly half Ian Keatley fires over an early penalty during a sloppy first half at the Stadio Olimpico . Keatley produced a neat half-break on the blindside, only to force an attempted last pass: Campagnaro knocked on trying to intercept, allowing Ireland a quick wipe of the brow. Keatley almost cut the line again in Italy's 22, but Sergio Parisse produced a fine ruck steal to ease the pressure. Jared Payne raced close after Simon Zebo's neat wide pass, but Robbie Henshaw knocked on trying to sneak through. Payne and Henshaw noticeably picked up the pace after the break, but again Ireland turned to Keatley's boot to extend their lead to 12-3. Ireland dispensed with posting penalties instead chasing the jugular just past the hour, punting to the corner for an attacking lineout. Italy winger Luke McLean (left) competes for a high ball with Ireland and Ulster three-quarter Tommy Bowe . Ghiraldini spoiled Ireland's maul from an offside position and was duly sin-binned for his troubles. Ireland went straight for the lineout once more, and finally broke the try deadlock. Murray wriggled home after the pack drove to the whitewash, with Keatley converting for a 19-3 lead. No sooner had Ireland scored than boss Joe Schmidt brought off Keatley, Paul O'Connell and Peter O'Mahoney, no doubt with one eye on next weekend's France clash. Ireland dominate possession and territory but cannot break the stubborn Italian defence in the opening 60 minutes as Kearney makes a charge . Ireland lock Devin Toner makes a strong charge into the Azzurri defence as hooker Rory Best arrives in support . Tommy O'Donnell then raced through Italy's porous midfield to rubber-stamp Ireland's victory. Ian Madigan slotted the conversion to gloss the scoreline, but Ireland were unable to maintain that momentum once Italy were restored to full complement. Italy's rally forced Ireland to defend with zeal and composure at the death when Schmidt's men would sooner have been attempting to boost their points-difference tally. Andrea Manici's sloppy spilled ball dented Italy's momentum, before Haimona had a try ruled out for the slightest of knock-ons from Parisse. | Ian Keatley kicks 14 points on his Six Nations debut .
Ireland flanker Sean O'Brien was a late withdrawal after the backrower tweaked his hamstring in the warm-up .
Conor Murray powered over for Ireland's opening try in the 64th minute .
Tommy O'Donnell raced away for Ireland's second soon after . |
152,445 | 510313876ecf581b4c322f7b2445f0926f049d90 | (CNN) -- An alleged commander for the Taliban and affiliated Haqqani network appeared in a U.S. court Tuesday to face a host of charges -- from supporting terrorism to attempted murder of an American citizen -- tied to a 2009 attack in Afghanistan. Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin was in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, on Tuesday, less than a month after his indictment and on the same day that the charging document against him was released. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday, according to the Department of Justice. According to the indictment, Hamidullin is a Russian citizen who once served in that nation's military as an officer and tank commander. He has been a follower of Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, since 2001. By 2009, the document alleges, Hamidullin was fighting for the Taliban and the Haqqani network, an organization the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist network. He allegedly coordinated an attack on Camp Leyza, an Afghan Border Police compound in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, in November of that year. Directing a large arsenal of weapons -- including machine guns, grenades, a portable rocket, an anti-aircraft gun and a recoilless rifle, the latter two of which were aimed to fire upon U.S. military aircraft should they arrive on site -- Hamidullin led the attack and then personally fired on U.S. and Afghan forces with a machine gun, the indictment states. The document did not state the result of the attack, but said "a large number of insurgents were killed." The Justice Department stated that the U.S. military took Hamidullin into custody then. The Russian citizen, now about 55 years old, was turned over to the FBI on Monday. Charges he faces include conspiring to provide and providing material support for terrorists, conspiring and attempting to destroy a U.S. aircraft, as well as conspiring and attempting to kill a U.S. government employee -- in this case, members of the U.S. military. Under federal law, a person doesn't have to have committed a crime in the United States for charges to be filed against them in U.S. courts. That's because laws for things like supporting terrorists or trying to kill U.S. citizens or employees apply outside of American soil. In fact, many people have been brought back to the United States to be tried for attacks committed overseas. Still, it's rare for such charges to come out of the ongoing hostilities in Afghanistan. "This is very unusual," said Yale Law School Professor Eugene Fidell. CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report. | A federal grand jury indicted Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin for 2009 attack on an Afghan base .
Hamidullin is a Russian citizen who allegedly fought for the Taliban and Haqqani network .
He faces 12 charges, including terror support and attempted murder of a U.S. citizen .
"This is very unusual," a legal expert says of the case . |
154,210 | 534d354627c8cda847518b30789afe4c1e4d5c5e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Updated: . 02:43 EST, 7 November 2011 . A handful of states - led by those that enjoy bountiful energy reserves such as West Virginia, Wyoming and North Dakota - have found themselves in enviable positions and oases of optimism at a time of tepid economic recovery. In an otherwise barren landscape of budget cuts and government layoffs, the questions that sent Alaska lawmakers into special session this year had nothing to do with austerity measures or disagreements over cuts to state agencies or programs. They just couldn't agree on what to do with all that extra money. The resource-rich state took in nearly $1.9billion more than expected last fiscal year thanks largely to high oil prices and ended the fiscal year with an estimated $260million surplus, an amount equal to nearly four per cent of its general fund. Meanwhile, a few other states, including Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia, have combined slight increases in tax revenue with tight spending controls to produce more modest surpluses. Resource rich: An oil pipeline pictured in Alaska, where some of the $1.9billion in revenue last fiscal year is attributed to rising oil prices . In West Virginia, the surplus is going . toward reserves, pension programs and debt. Wyoming put much of the . extra money into savings after years of investing heavily in roads and . schools. And in North Dakota, which is . experiencing an energy boom similar to the one Wyoming went through . several years ago, investments included an extra $370million for road . repair and construction, especially in the oil-producing western part of . the state. Some $340million will go to schools over the next two years . to help reduce property taxes, while $22million will go toward a . disaster relief fund for a state that has been inundated with floods in . recent years. At the same time they are saving and . investing, North Dakota and West Virginia are reducing their corporate . income tax rates, a move that could make them even more attractive to . certain businesses. Unemployment in many of the states . running surpluses has been well below the national jobless rate of 9.1 . per cent. North Dakota's rate, for example, was 3.5 per cent in . September. Alaska labour department economist . Neal Fried said: 'I don't think you can say we're out of the woods. We . were never in the woods.' Data: Maps from the National Association of State Budget Officers show states' changing balance levels between 2008 and 2012 . A yearlong review of fiscal and . economic data in all 50 states by The Associated Press found 15 states . with budget surpluses as they headed into the current fiscal year. They . ranged from Mississippi, where the $6.6million surplus represented less . than one percent of general fund spending, to Wyoming, where the . $437million surplus was equivalent to 28 percent of the state's general . fund. Massachusetts has benefited from . stronger-than-anticipated revenue from capital gains taxes to build a . surplus of just more than one per cent of its general fund budget. It used . nearly three-quarters of the $460 million surplus to replenish the . state's reserve fund, while directing other surplus money to cities and . towns recovering from deadly tornadoes in June, state courts and to . provide modest raises to social service workers. Most states have not been so fortunate. They continue to feel the effects of a . recession that has led to steep declines in state and local tax . revenue, with 23 states having to make budget cuts during the last . fiscal year, according to the National Association of State Budget . Officers. In Washington state, for example, the . Legislature is preparing for a special session to address a $2billion, . mid-year deficit. The state's Democratic governor has proposed . eliminating the state's health care program for the poor and a medical . program for disabled adults. Lower than expected tax revenue in . California means that state is likely headed for deeper cuts to social . services and higher education. Ups and downs: A graph released by the National Association of State Budget Officers shows cuts made after the budget passed between 1990 and fiscal 2011 . Even in Alaska, officials are . grappling with how to reverse a decades-long trend of declining oil . production and face a future of reduced federal aid as Congress seeks to . clamp down on spending, rising Medicaid costs and $11billion in . unfunded pension liabilities. Governor Sean Parnell acknowledged this in . making record cuts to an infrastructure spending bill passed by . lawmakers last spring. Yet even with those reductions, the . state wound up with a $2.8billion public works package, the same as the . year before — a spending level Parnell deemed 'healthy'. Among the state's priorities is . investing in new roads, schools and energy projects that could help make . the delivery of heat, electricity and fuel more reliable and . affordable. Alaska also is putting $66million . toward pursuing what would be the largest dam built in the U.S. in . decades. Officials say the $4.5billion, 700ft high Susitna River dam . would help meet Alaska's goal of getting half its electricity from . renewable energy sources by 2025, plus help meet the energy demands of . the state's most populous region. The state also plans to spend money on . transportation projects and upgrades to school buildings, including . contributing about one-third the cost of a $109million arena at the . University of Alaska Anchorage. At the same time, Alaska is building the . nation's largest rainy day fund at $14billion, an amount that is . roughly double the state's entire general fund. Energy producing: A railroad leading towards America's largest geothermal power plant in Wyodak, Wyoming . An enviable state: An electrician burrows down to adjust a group of plastic pipes as part of a $64million expansion and renovation project at the North Dakota State Penitentiary. The state is also in the black . The governor and legislative leaders also have set aside $400million that could serve as an endowment for college scholarships. Juneau resident Teddy Castillo said . such a program would be a huge help to her family. One daughter will . graduate high school next year and another is a high school freshman. 'I think it's just awesome to have that opportunity available for them,' Mr Castillo said. In West Virginia, the worldwide demand . for coal and a conservative approach to government spending have kept . the state's finances in the black. Instead of expanding programs, . lawmakers and governors have devoted about $1billion that was left . unspent between 2004 and 2008 toward public pension programs and other . debts. Most of that money eased a shortfall in the main retirement fund . for teachers. But one consequence of the state's . tight-fisted approach has been government on the cheap: West Virginia . ranks low for teacher and public employee wages despite several rounds . of pay raises and has among the most restrictive eligibility . requirements for Medicaid. Perry Bryant, executive director of . West Virginians For Affordable Health Care, said: 'If you're a mom with . two children and you earn more than $6,500 a year, you're not eligible. If you're childless, you don't qualify even if you're penniless.' In Wyoming, which gets most of its . money from taxes on gas, coal and oil production, investments this year . included $45million in additional highway money and $15million to try to . attract large computing centers to the state. The state also has a . scholarship fund for high school students, similar to what Alaska is . establishing. Republican state Senator Phil Nicholas . doesn't take Wyoming's energy wealth for granted. He remembers seeing . how the state went from facing a $500million shortfall in the late 1990s . to being flush with cash thanks to the energy boom that started about . ten years ago. While energy production generates more tax revenue, it also can lead to higher ozone levels and other negative consequences. Mr Nicholas, who is chairman of the . Senate Appropriations Committee, added: 'Recognizing that price, though, . Wyoming and our communities are significantly dressed up, if you will.' He said every town in the state has nicer schools, better parks and other amenities than existed before. 'You'd be hard-pressed to go to any community in this state that has not benefited significantly,' he said. | Alaska took in nearly $1.9billion more than expected last fiscal year .
$260million surplus attributed to high oil prices .
Mississippi comes in with more modest $6.6million surplus .
Massachusetts, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia also in the black . |
26,759 | 4bf97f13dda2f362b1dd6dfbff7a0a3d6943526c | Blundering French transport chiefs have wasted millions on underground escalators that are 10cm too wide. The news of the ineffective escatlors comes just months after buying trains that are too wide for the platforms . Now 30 of the escalator stairs on the Paris Metro will have to be replaced at a cost of six million euros. They were installed in 2005/2006 but have been subject to frequent breakdowns ever since. Blundering French transport chiefs have waste millions on a new underground escalators that are 10cm too wide just months after buying trains that are too wide for the platforms . 'The steps of the recent models are one metre wide instead of 90cm,' explained David Courteille, who is in charge of electromechanical engineering for RATP, reported Le Figaro. The escalator was designed to be 10cm wider to accommodate more users, but this has prevented them from working properly and they consistently break down to the chagrin of commuters. The constant repairs cost RATP tens of thousands of euros each year so the operator has decided to cut its losses and will begin replacing the faulty escalators over the next year. According to Le Figaro the Paris transport company has opened up legal proceedings against suppliers CNIM (Constructions industrielles de la Méditerranée) with the aim of forcing the company to stump up part of the costs. France is already facing a multi-million pound bill after ordering 2000 new trains which are 3cm (0.11 inches) too wide for many of its platforms . But today RATP chiefs denied Mr Courteille's claim and insisted claims the regular breakdowns are due to the fact parts of the machinery are too fragile. France is already facing a multi-million pound bill after ordering 2000 new trains which are 3cm (0.11 inches) too wide for many of its platforms. The incredible mistake means that 1300 stations will have to be upgraded so as to accommodate the trains. Rail operations ordered the new trains for the country's regional network – one which traditionally has a reputation for being one of the best in the world. But they are too wide to travel through the nation's stations, a report in the investigative weekly, Le Canard Enchaine, reveals. Repair work has so far been carried out on 300 of the platforms that need adjusting, and hundreds more are on a waiting list. On average, the trains are 3cms too wide. RFF, the organisation responsible for rail tracks in France, has set aside the equivalent of more than £45m to deal with the mistake, but the figure is likely to be well above £100m once it is finished. | 30 of the recently installed escalator stairs on the Paris Metro to be replaced .
It is estimated it will cost six million euros to replace them .
They were installed in 2005/2006 but have been subject to breakdowns .
Engineer said it was because they are 10cm too wide . |
223,331 | ad1efda0ae9b2e87f40776d623ad41ddc234ed9c | As well as having it’s name behind one of European football’s biggest clubs Manchester City, Abu Dhabi now looks set to have its name in front of one of the world’s most emblematic stadiums – the Santiago Bernabeu. The Arab Emirate that has bankrolled Manchester City entered into a financial partnership with Real Madrid last November and for around £15million a year over a reported 20-year period they have won the naming rights for the club’s stadium according to Diario AS. Coca-Cola and Microsoft had both shown an interest in having their name on the Bernabeu but the race looks to have been won by the Spanish energy company Cepsa which in turn is owned by the IPIC (International Petroleum Investment Company) which is owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium is set to be renamed Abu Dhabi Bernabeu . The Bernabeu was opened in 1947 and is one of the most iconic venues in world football . Name: Santiago Bernabeu . Capacity: 81,044 . Built: 1944-47 . Opened: 1947 . First match: Real Madrid 3-1 OS Belenenses . The stadium was named after former Real chairman Santiago Bernabeu Yeste. Madrid-based Cepsa is Spain's fourth largest industrial group in terms of turnover, while IPIC, formed in 1984, has invested in 18 leading companies within the energy and related sectors across the globe. In November of last year when the three-year tie-up between IPIC and Real announced by Madrid, president Florentino Perez was caught on camera saying the stadium will be called ‘IPIC or Cespa, whatever they want’. According to the AS report the sponsors have settled for ‘Abu Dhabi Bernabeu’. The stadium was named after former Real chairman Santiago Bernabeu Yeste . The renaming will not take place until the stadium is remodelled. Planning permission for the £375m project is currently stalled because of a European Commission enquiry into possible illegal state aid. Real Madrid are currently finalising financing for the redevelopement and the somewhat unpopular sale of the stadium’s name is seen as one way to raise funds towards that end. It was revealed last week that Real are the world's richest club in terms of revenue, raking in a staggering £459.5m in 2013-14 and the renaming of the stadium to earn extra cash is certain to anger supporters of this traditional club. The stadium has a capacity of 81,044 and is the second largest home ground of a top-flight club in Europe . The iconic venue was opened in 1947 and named after the club's former chairman Santiago Bernabeu Yeste and has hosted four European Cup finals and the 1982 World Cup final. The £300m Abu Dhabi investment will be the club's most lucrative deal in its history and, as well as helping fund the redevelopment of the famous old ground, will give Real the best chance of staying ahead of La Liga rivals Barcelona. It was revealed this week that the Catalan giants are reviewing their £123.4m with Qatar Sports Investments which expires next year and is almost certain to increase. | Real Madrid agreed to sell naming rights to Abu Dhabi for £15m a year .
Coca-Cola and Microsoft both showed interest in having name on stadium .
According to AS the sponsors have settled on Abu Dhabi Bernabeu .
The change won't happen until the stadium is remodelled . |
112,889 | 1daaa7100500c41d8ecc93c9cfd28b8007498458 | By . Alexandra Klausner . PUBLISHED: . 23:33 EST, 5 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:51 EST, 6 January 2014 . Luis Pantoja, 25, was charged with the brutal rape of a 15-year-old girl . A man arrested last summer for sexual assault has been charged with the savage rape of a 15-year-old girl as she was on her way to school in Belmont Cragin, Chicago. Luis Pantoja, 25, who goes by the name 'silent' was arrested Friday for the brutal attack on December 17 at the 2400 block of North Long Avenue. Police were able to match Pantoja's DNA to a condom wrapper found near where the girl was attacked at around 5:25 am. Pantoja was arrested at his home at the 5500 block of West Wrightwood Avenue and is being charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated criminal assault, aggravated battery, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He was held without bail, reported the Chicago Tribune. Pantoja aka 'Silent' is hearing impaired and therefore needed a sign language interpreter for the hearing. Police seized an Arminius blue-steel,seven-shot handgun from Pantoja's home. However whether or not he had the gun during the attack is unclear, said Sally Daly, a spokesperson for the Cook's County state attorney's office. The 15-year-old victim was discovered in a residents backyard at around 8 a.m. laying in a puddle of blood. She was shoeless and her pants had been forcibly removed. The Chicago Sun Times reports that they initially thought the attack occurred at 6 a.m. but they later found out she was attacked 35 minutes earlier, leading officers to Pantoja as the perpetrator. Pantoja has a criminal record dating back to 2005. He has charges for drugs, theft, and disorderly conduct . In August he was charged with criminal assault exactly three months to the day of the attack on December. 17. He was held on $200,000 bail but his case was later dismissed due to lack of probable cause. The 2400 block of North Long View Avenue where the girl was attacked on her way to school . The Chicago Sun Times reports that it was Pantoja's conviction in 2008 for failure to report an accident that may have been the key to his most recent arrest. The 2008 crime in addition to his previous crimes led to a six year stay in prison that required him to hand over DNA to the federal database. The police were able to match his DNA from the scene of the crime to the DNA in their system. The victim of Pantoja's brutal attack remains at Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. Last week she improved enough to be able to communicate with police officers. 'Everybody knows she was in really bad shape. She’s doing better. Her and her family are taking it day-by-day, but we can only keep her in our thoughts and hope she improves,' Area North Cmdr. Gary Yamashiroya told reporters Sunday afternoon, adding: 'But she is doing better.' Pantoja lives just blocks from where the attack occurred. | Luis Pantoja, 25, was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl after his DNA was linked to a condom near the scene .
His DNA was in the federal database because he served 6 years of jail time for various crimes .
He was released from jail in August for a similar assault exactly three months to the day before the attack on December 17 .
The victim is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital . |
71,904 | cbd6483f943a5d04b34835ee510e5f4be88120b2 | A small group of masked protesters stormed Hong Kong's government headquarters in the early hours of Wednesday, using metal barricades and hurling concrete slabs to smash through a glass door. Other protesters charged police lines, leading to police to respond with pepper spray and batons. In a statement, the government denounced the acts of the protesters, referring to them repeatedly as "violent radicals." It said six people were arrested, and vowed "further arrests would be made." The break-in was an uncharacteristically aggressive action by protesters in a movement that has frequently been praised for its politeness. In the previous seven weeks of demonstrations, not a single window of any building had been broken. Pro-democracy legislator Fernando Cheung, who tried to physically stop the protesters, said it was a "major setback for the movement." "I threw myself in front of them, I told them this would only hurt the movement, that this whole campaign is about demanding genuine democracy which has nothing to do with breaking into Legislative Council," he told CNN. "I understand they wanted to scale up the action, but they didn't understand that that would only destroy the campaign." Occupy Central for Love and Peace, the group that originated the idea for occupying downtown Hong Kong, now nicknamed the "Umbrella Movement" said it "strongly condemned" the attack on the complex. "We urge participants of the Umbrella Movement to remember our original intention, to persist in non-violent resistance," it said in an emailed statement. Student leaders, who didn't take part in the incident, blamed poor communication between protesters. "The act last night didn't coordinate well... even the occupiers disagree with the act," Hong Kong Federation of Students leader Alex Chow told CNN. Some members of Hong Kong's popular online forums, frustrated by the protracted stalemate, put out calls for protesters to storm the government building late Tuesday night. The incident came after a section of the main protest site was cleared Tuesday morning following a court injunction that allowed bailiffs to remove barricades outside one office tower. Hong Kong's Legislative Council said it would reschedule its meetings and canceled public tours for the day. READ MORE: Who's who in the protests? | Hong Kong government condemns "violent acts by radical protesters"
Protesters smash through a glass door in the Legislative Council complex .
Hong Kong police arrested six for criminal damage and assaulting a police officer .
Pro-democracy legislator calls it a "major setback for the movement" |
90,076 | ffcbb4742e7df96316bda9385d8ec14078aa5b3f | By . Chloe Lambert . PUBLISHED: . 17:34 EST, 17 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:12 EST, 18 June 2013 . Double-edged sword: Stress sets off eczema, so it is doubly cruel that Bronagh works in an industry that demands perfect looks . Stripping off for an intimate scene in a TV show that will be watched by millions would be nerve-racking for any actress. But for Bronagh Waugh, star of the recent BBC drama The Fall, showing some skin was nothing less than 'mortifying' - because she suffers from severe eczema all over her body. 'It was a nightmare because I felt so self-conscious, and we were outside, so my hay fever was set off, too,' says Bronagh. 'But we just laughed about it and I'm so pleased I did it now.' Thanks to expert make-up both on and off screen, you'd never guess that Bronagh suffers with eczema, a condition causing patches of itchy, red, dry and cracked skin. But the 30-year-old actress, best known for starring in soap opera Hollyoaks, has had it all her life. 'When I was born I came out covered in eczema,' she says. 'My mum and dad had it, but theirs was less serious. 'My earliest memories are of having long baths in emollient and wearing mittens all the time to stop me scratching. The itchiness drove me crazy. I still scratch myself in my sleep, sometimes so much that it bleeds.' Throughout her teens, Bronagh was highly self-conscious about her eczema, and despite laughing about it good-naturedly at school, she would weep to her mother at night. So she sometimes finds it hard to believe she grew up to be an actress, confident enough to bare all for the cameras. One in five children and one in 12 adults lives with eczema, a condition triggered by inflammation, says Dr Tabi Leslie, a leading dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation. 'There are various forms, but the most common is atopic eczema, which is inherited through genes that carry eczema, hay fever and asthma. So it may be that one or both parents have one of these conditions but they produce a child with eczema.' The condition is caused when the immune system over-reacts to harmless allergens, setting up a process of inflammation which causes the distinctive red, itchy patches of skin, often on the insides of elbows and knees. Experts agree that eczema is probably caused by a combination of an inherited predisposition and environmental triggers. Worryingly, the number of cases in the UK has increased dramatically. 'Eczema has become hugely prevalent - there's been about a threefold rise in the past 40 years,' says Margaret Cox, chief executive of the National Eczema Society. 'Genes don't change that fast so we suspect the culprit is modern living - we wash a lot more than we used to and use more products, and we central heat our homes and air condition our buildings. Soap and temperature variations seem to be common triggers.' Indeed, when Bronagh's family moved to Thailand when she was 11, after her mother got a job there, her eczema all but disappeared as she wasn't living in such a changeable climate. But it returned when she came back to the UK at 16. Worrying: The number of cases of eczema in the UK has increased dramatically . 'Unfortunately, it was around then I really started getting into acting and dancing and I felt so self-conscious wearing leotards. 'I remember being in a play where there was lots of holding hands, and no one wanted to touch me. The boys would say they didn't want to lift me. I felt like an ogre. I was so embarrassed.' Stigma is a huge issue for eczema sufferers, says Margaret Cox, who has the condition herself. 'We hear of people going to the shops and people refusing to serve them.' Bronagh knew she was entering an industry where looks mean everything - and cruelly, stress can exacerbate eczema, so she often suffered flare-ups just before acting jobs and auditions. 'I remember going to see a GP when I was 21. I'd had a terrible break-out and had a big audition coming up. She said: “I think you should think about changing your job.” 'I was so upset as I wasn't getting much acting work at the time. It was definitely my lowest point and I did think: “What am I doing?” But luckily my mum was great and told me not to listen to her.' The turning point came in 2008 when, at the age of 25, Bronagh was offered the part of Cheryl Brady in Channel 4's Hollyoaks. 'That helped massively,' she says. Bronagh sat down with the head of make-up and explained her condition, including the products and ingredients she used and avoided. 'I've used emollients and steroid creams all my life; they do help, but I try to use the steroids sparingly because they have the side-effect of thinning your skin. My hands already look older than my years.' All eczema sufferers are advised to minimise the amount of product they put on their skin - besides their treatments. But Bronagh has to be especially careful because, like a third of people with eczema, she also has food allergies, including an allergy to nuts. Food allergies are disproportionately high among eczema sufferers because the conditions share the mechanism of an exaggerated immune response, says dermatologist Dr Leslie. 'The new thinking is if eczema occurs before a baby is six months old they are likely to have a food allergy, whereas if it starts later the risk goes down.' Bronagh not only has to watch what she eats, she also has to check the labels of every product she puts on her skin. 'Only two years ago I was recommended a face cream, which was supposed to be good for eczema. I put it all over my face and my skin felt like it was on fire. That's nuts: Bronagh, like a third of people with eczema, has a food allergy - to nuts . 'I couldn't breathe and my lips swelled up like sausages - my top lip was touching my nose and my bottom lip was touching my chin. My boyfriend Googled the face cream straight away and found that it contained peanut oil.' Bronagh had gone into anaphylactic shock, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction where the release of histamine can cause dangerous swelling in the airways. Her boyfriend took her straight to A&E where she was treated with antihistamine and adrenaline. Thankfully, with the experts at Hollyoaks, Bronagh has developed a regimen both to treat her eczema and, where needed, conceal it. She says: 'The problem is, so much of what's out there for eczema is medical, but the fact is young people, and especially girls, want a cover-up, too. Doctors tell you just to let the skin breathe, but when you're 15 and going to school it's not that simple.' Bronagh feels confident enough to talk publicly about her eczema for the first time. 'Lots of actors and models have it, but no one wants to talk about it because they feel they need to keep up this perfect ideal. 'I want to get rid of the stigma because I remember what it was like to be a teenager with eczema. 'People think it's contagious and it's gross. The more people understand what eczema is, the less of a big deal it is.' After years of trial and error, Bronagh has got living with eczema down to a fine art. Here are her tips: . Bronagh supports the British Skin Foundation. For more information visit britishskinfoundation.org.uk and eczema.org . | Eczema occurs when the immune system overreacts to harmless allergens .
This results in red, itchy patches of skin, often on knees and elbows .
Food allergies are disproportionately high among eczema sufferers .
So people like Bronagh have to watch what they eat AND put on their skin . |
272,416 | ecda566dfa918ee8d60b6e87a6a91b74dc703daa | Product criticism: Alan Titchmarsh pictured in a publicity photograph for his Waitrose gardening line . For many of us, Alan Titchmarsh is the go-to gardening expert, a font of knowledge about making things grow. But when it comes to making compost, it seems he is not quite the master we might assume. Consumer magazine Which? Gardening has condemned his commercial Peat-Free Multi Purpose Compost - part of a gardening line recently launched by Waitrose - as a product to stay away from. In a review of 25 composts, Which? gave Mr Titchmarsh’s £3.50 30-litre bag a ‘Don’t Buy’ label. Experts gave his compost poor scores for seed sowing and raising young plants. They said tomatoes, pansies, basil plants and pelargoniums all did badly in trials. Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening, said on Twitter that the reviews revealed a ‘shocking difference between a Best Buy compost and a Don’t Buy’. Mr Titchmarsh, 65, who made his name as a television presented in the 1980s on the long-running BBC Nationwide, last night rejected the criticism. In a statement sent by his agent, he said: ‘The results obtained by Which? magazine do not accord with my own experiences at home which prove this compost to be the best peat-free mix I have ever used. ‘That’s why I was - and am - happy to it my name to it. Perhaps other gardeners are best advised to try it and make their own judgements.’ Badly rated: In a review of 25 composts, Which? gave Mr Titchmarsh’s £3.50 30-litre bag (pictured) a ‘Don’t Buy’ label. Experts gave his compost poor scores for seed sowing and raising young plants . Waitrose, which launched a gardening range fronted by Mr Titchmarsh in Spring 2013, also disputed the scores. A spokesman for the supermarket said: ‘We were very disappointed to read the review as it doesn’t reflect what we see in our own and independent stringent quality control testing or the positive feedback we receive from our customers. ‘We work with a leading compost manufacturer and pride ourselves on providing consistently outstanding composts and we’ll investigate these results further.’ Gardeners are divided about the strengths and weaknesses of peat-free compost. Waitrose, which launched a gardening range fronted by Mr Titchmarsh in Spring 2013, disputed the scores . Environmentalists insist we stop using any peat in our gardens, because digging it up for commercial use is destroying the moors where it comes from. While many experts say peat-free compost is just as good as traditional peat mixes, others say decomposed bark and green waste is too coarse to germinate seeds well. The BBC was criticised in 2013 for allowing Mr Titchmarsh to present Chelsea Flower Show coverage while being the face of Waitrose, a sponsor at the event. He was dropped the next year, in favour of Monty Don. Mr Titchmarsh said later: ‘Yes, I suppose I was hurt, because I know people enjoy you doing it as much as I loved doing it.’ | Which? Gardening condemns £3.50 Peat-Free Multi Purpose Compost .
Experts give it poor scores for seed sowing and raising young plants .
Tomatoes, pansies, basil plants and pelargoniums all do badly in trials .
But Titchmarsh insists results 'do not accord with my own experiences' |
71,590 | cae4324f8ce16842a0f5a9531094eca35fe82cd7 | By . David Kent . Samir Nasri has flown back to the UK to join up with Manchester City for pre-season training, after spending a stress-free summer with girlfriend Anara Atanes. The 27-year-old playmaker was left out of Didier Deschamps' France squad and it should be City that reap the rewards with Nasri at his freshest ahead of what is likely to be another tough campaign battling on four fronts at home and in Europe. And Nasri looked pleased to be back when he flew into Heathrow on Tuesday. Jetting in: Nasri flew into Heathrow on Tuesday from Los Angeles after spending his summer break in the US . Happy to be back: Nasri smiled after landing, as he prepares to start pre-season training with City . This is the end: Nasri enjoys the last of his summer break before returning for pre season training with City . The midfielder's girlfriend posted a number of pictures of the pair while they were on holiday, with Nasri looking nice and relaxed in all of them. And Pellegrini will surely be excited at the prospect of having one of last season's City stars back in tip-top condition after a strenuous summer for most of his squad out in Brazil. Nasri is expected to return to training on Monday alongside City's other holidaying stars including Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo. VIDEO Nasri close to contract extension . Happy days: Nasri and Atanes pose for a photo during their summer break together . Delighted: Atanes and Nasri pose with the Premier League title after City's win against West Ham . | Nasri flew from Los Angeles to Heathrow on Tuesday and will report for training with Manuel Pellegrini's squad on Monday .
His girlfriend posted a series of snaps of herself with Nasri during their stress-free summer break .
Frenchman had the summer off after not being selected for the World Cup . |
256,311 | d7c4842dc82a66bf0e27047c964db144df32f699 | A Georgia mother killed her three children and then took her own life in an apparent murder-suicide at their home about 15 miles outside of Atlanta. Georgia. Kisha Holmes, 35, of Austell was found dead yesterday morning alongside her nine-month-old daughter, four-year-old son and ten-year-old son. The names of the children have not been released. A maintenance worker discovered the bodies in the family's apartment in the Walton Crossing housing community when he arrived to repair a clothes dryer. Kisha Holmes, 35, and her three children were found dead at their apartment in the Walton Crossing housing community in Austell, Georgia (pictured) Security personnel guarded the main entrance to the Walton Crossing apartments after Holmes was found dead alongside her nine-month-old daughter, four-year-old son and ten-year-old son . Cobb County police believe Holmes 'first took the lives of her three children and then her own'. The exact causes of death have not been released and it is unclear how long ago the killings occurred. The Cobb County Medical Examiner is conducting autopsies on the four bodies. Walton Crossing alerted residents that a family had died in one of the apartments in the complex by handing out letters to residents. 'I woke up today and I heard all this craziness going on,' resident Xavier Villalba told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'But no one heard anything. It made me angry. 'There were four sentences, but no details on what happened.' The Walton Crossing complex offers 'affordable apartments' for both 'families and working professionals' Guards were stationed at the Walton Crossing apartments after Holmes and her three children were found dead. The complex alerted residents that a family had died by passing out letters . 'I have three daughters myself, so I could never imagine harming my children or how it could get that bad,' neighbor Roland Milton told WXIA. 'I just pray for the family.' This is the second time since September that an apparent murder investigation has been carried out at the complex, although the first case, a shooting, is not believed to be related. Walton Crossing offers 'affordable apartments' for both 'families and working professionals', according to the complex's website. | Kisha Holmes was found dead yesterday morning at her home in Austell .
Her children were also found dead at the Walton Crossing complex .
Police say she 'took the lives of her three children and then her own'
They are unsure exactly when the deaths occurred . |
259,195 | db84f49149ed79ac348726e5f34540ed6e31830a | The 2015 tennis season unofficially kicks off in Abu Dhabi on New Year's Day with Andy Murray one of six players taking part in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The Brit takes his place in a star-studded line-up including world No 1 Novak Djokovic, 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka. Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Nicolas Almagro complete the bill of players participating in the exhibition tournament, after they replaced French pair Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils. (From left to right) Feliciano Lopez, Stanislas Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Nicolas Almagro pose during a photocall at the Beach Rotana in Abu Dhabi ahead of the tournament . The players serve tennis balls ahead of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on . Rafael Nadal meets young fans on Thursday ahead of the tournament later that day . Nadal and Wawrinka are flanked by security as they are watches by tourists . Ahead of the tournament, which was founded in 2009, the players posed for photographs and met with supporters at the Beach Rotana Hotel. Murray takes on Lopez in the opening match on Thursday before Wawrinka comes up against Almargo later the same day. The competition is in knock out format and the top two ranked players Djokovic and Nadal get a bye straight into the semi-finals, which will be played on Friday ahead of the final on January 3. Murray, who won the tournament in 2009, takes part in practice session on Wednesday . Murray opens the tournament on Thursday as he takes on Lopez looking to advance to the semi-final . Nadal warms up for the tournament with a practice session on Wednesday . Murray will be keen to put a difficult year behind him and play himself into form ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the season. After this low-key tournament, Murray represents GB with Heather Watson at the Hopman Cup in Perth, and then it is straight into the Australian Open, an event where he has an admirably consistent record. | Mubadala World Tennis Championship starts in Abu Dhabi on Thursday .
Andy Murray lines up against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal .
Six-man tournament begins on New Year's Day and finishes on Saturday . |
165,931 | 6291fba18a1432c3603586f56eabab4569efceb7 | By . Simon Jones . Manchester United are considering a fresh move for Thomas Vermaelen. The Arsenal defender is out of contract at the end of next season and keen to move on to revive his career. David Moyes was weighing up a move for the Belgium international earlier this year but changed his mind. Struggled: Thomas Vermaelen only made 14 Premier League appearances for Arsenal last season . National service: Vermaelen is currently with the Belgium squad at the World Cup in Brazil . Vermaelen has suffered at Arsenal after a dip in form last year allowed Per Mertesacker to establish himself alongside Laurent Koscielny. The 28-year-old is still club captain at Arsenal but only made 14 league appearances last season for Arsene Wenger's side. United want an experienced centre back and a younger one with the idea the experienced one has knowledge of the Premier League. Dynamic duo: Koscielny (left) and Mertesacker are Arsenal's first choice centre backs . Incoming United boss Louis van Gaal knows Vermaelen from his time playing for Ajax and believes he may be worth recruiting in a cut-price deal. Vermaelen has had interest from Italy - notably Fiorentina - but the chance to play for United would be too good to turn down. Vermaelen is currently with the Belgium squad at the World Cup so any deal is likely to be completed later in the summer. | Vermaelen has been overlooked by Arsene Wenger in favour of Per Mertesacker and Lauren Koscielny .
Louis van Gaal knows Vermaelen from his time in Holland with Ajax .
Defender's contract expires at end of next season . |
84,893 | f0d18f3c983efba43b3362dca2be95ab95f1b89f | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Suspected Taliban militants blew up a bridge early Tuesday in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, suspending NATO supply lines. A Pakistani policeman sits near a police check post in the tribal area of Khyber Agency on February 12, 2008. The blast occurred about 6 a.m. Tuesday in the Khata Kushta area of Jamrod in the Khyber Agency in Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The bridge connected Landi Kotal and Jamrod. Transport has been suspended, and authorities are assessing damages. Engineers also are on location and work is under way to open a temporary route. Details were unclear on the size of the blast, but most of the iron bridge was destroyed, local officials said. No deaths or injuries were immediately reported. Authorities are looking for alternate supply routes for NATO supply trucks and traffic going from Pakistan to Afghanistan, because the route is the main one between the two countries. All vehicles must cross the bridge when going from Peshawar toward the crossing point into Afghanistan. This is the first time militants have targeted a bridge or roadway in efforts to disrupt NATO supplies, a local official said. Previously, militants have targeted truck depots where supply convoys wait to cross into Afghanistan or have attacked trucks on their way through Pakistan and into the Khyber Agency. On Monday, at least 35 suspected militants were killed as part of ongoing operations in the Swat Valley, the Pakistan military confirmed to CNN. Government security forces engaged 70 to 80 suspected militants with artillery and attack helicopters about 11 p.m., after observing their movements in the Khwaza Khela District of the Swat Valley, the military said. Though only 35 militants were confirmed dead, many more were injured in the attack and the death toll was expected to rise, the military said. Also on Monday, a Taliban FM radio sermon announced that militants had killed 16 Pakistan army soldiers in the Swat Valley. Officials at the Swat media center said that report was false. | Suspected Taliban militants blown up a bridge in Pakistan's Khyber Agency region .
Khyber Agency is in border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan .
NATO supply lines suspended; No deaths or injuries were immediately reported .
At least 35 suspected militants killed as part of operations in the Swat Valley . |
49,925 | 8d2cb99ffc4cfa37121f073da0c4ce329543c1ac | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:57 EST, 14 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:46 EST, 14 September 2012 . Former Premier League footballer Gary Neville has been given the green light to build his controversial 'Teletubby' home - almost three years after plans were first unveiled. The Sky Sports pundit, who ditched earlier plans to power the 'carbon neutral' home with a wind turbine, was yesterday given permission to build the house in the heart of rural Lancashire by Bolton council’s planning committee. Councillor Andy Morgan, one of the committee members, said the application was innovative and that it was one of the only plans he had seen that was 'code 6' - the highest available score on a government energy rating system. Futuristic: An earlier artist's impression of Gary Neville's eco-home . Mr Morgan said: 'The turbine was the main issue for residents and it’s now gone. I believe the exceptional circumstances have been met because of code six and it is still an attractive and modern building. 'It’s not too obtrusive for residents and it’s a build which absolutely protects the environment. 'I think as a committee we should support this application.' Laa Laa Land: The innovative design is intended to have minimal impact on views of the Lancashire hills and has been likened to a Neolithic settlement . Proposals to include a 100-foot wind turbine were dropped by the former Manchester United player when developers came up with even 'greener' ways to power the house - which will be the first carbon-neutral house in Bolton and in the North West. It will include a ground source heat pump, sustainable rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic cells, which convert light into electricity. Mike Ralph, representing Neville, told the meeting: 'The first application generated over 100 objections, so before this new application we were careful to make sure with local residents, the plans take them into consideration. Home sweet home: Gary Neville can now look forward to building his eco-home after altering the design . 'There have been a few obstacles along the way, but the latest application only received two objections. 'There have been numerous people say to us they are grateful he has gone away and given a more thoughtful application. 'It will be smaller than before and will only take four to five months to build rather than the original 18 to 20 months.' The amount of land the five-bedroom home will take up has been also been reduced, because it will be built over two floors instead of just one storey. Much of the construction will take place off-site, reducing the time it will take to build the house and the potential noise and disturbance to neighbours. | Gary Neville's 'innovative' 5-bed eco-home designs given planning permission since abandoning wind turbine proposal .
Will be first carbon-neutral house in Bolton and the North West .
Includes ground source heat pump and rainwater harvesting . |
186,282 | 7d46e2c303aaef28b765993e6d9001f9b41d9ddf | The human body is being recreated in miniature by growing tiny working organs on a series of plastic chips connected to each other. Scientists, funded by the US Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health, are hoping to create a 'body on a chip' to mimic the way the human body works. They have already been able to grow fingertip sized lungs, guts and livers on the chips. Scroll down for video . Scientists at Harvard University's Wyss Institute are developing a gut on a chip like the one pictured above . They claim the technology can be used to help test new medical treatments and countermeasures for chemical weapons. A computer memory stick-sized chip is created from a flexible polymer so that it has microscopic channels. The techniques used to make them are the same as those used to create microchips. A porous flexible membrane is placed inside one of the channels and human cells from the airways are grown on top of it. On the opposite side cells from a human capillary blood vessel are grown. Nutrient rich fluid like human blood that can carry away oxygen is flowed down the channel on the same side as the blood vessel cells. The airway cells are left exposed to the air. This mimics the way the lungs work by allowing oxygen from the air to pass through the membrane lining the lungs where it is carried away by red blood cells in the capillaries. The whole structure can also stretch and relax just as the human lungs do when we breath. One group, based at Harvard University's Wyss Institute in Boston, is adapting 'bone marrow on a chip' to study the effects of radiation, for example. It is hoped that all of these organs can be connected together to mimic real biological systems or even the entire human body. These chip based organisms have been nicknamed 'Homo chippiens' by some working in the field. One project supported by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is aiming to link ten or more organs together. According to Dapra this could be used to study to develop countermeasures against biological and chemical attacks, along with new drugs and vaccines. It said: 'The resulting platform should increase the quality and potentially the number of novel therapies that move through the pipeline and into clinical care.' Another project funded by the National Centre for Advancing Translational Sciences in the US is also aiming to join four organ chips together. The three dimensional tissues are grown in layers inside plastic chips that are about the size of a computer memory stick. Each chip contains tiny channels that mimic the structure of the organ and are lined with human cells. Nutrients are supplied by blood that flows along the channels. Researchers at Harvard University have been able to create kidneys, gut, bone marrow and lungs on a chip using the technique. The lung on a chip, pictured above, attempts to mimic the chemistry and mechanical function of the organ . Darpa wants to combine organs grown on chips to produce a 'body on a chip', as shown in the graphic above . Dr Donald Ingber, a bioengineer at Harvard University's Wyss Institute who has been leading much of the work, said the idea was to mimic the chemical and mechanical function of the organs. He said: 'This is the idea of replacing animal studies for drug testing with little microengineered devices that are lined with human cells and reconstitute organ level functions.' By combining many of these together it could then become possible to study how organs work alongside one another to ensure that a drug that targets one organ does not harm another. He said: 'We could link the heart that beats to the lung that breathes.' The graphic above shows how lung cells are grown on a porous membrane with blood vessel cells grown underneath. Fluid like human blood is then flowed along one side of the channel and air along the other . Speaking to the journal Nature, he said that his team were also adapting their bone marrow on a chip to study radiation exposure. He added: 'It’s unethical to expose humans to the kind of radiation that you’d see in a disaster like Fukushima, but you need to be prepared.' The US Department of Defense has been keen to support this work as a way of verifying that its stockpiles of countermeasures against biological and chemical warfare agents do actually work. Many of them have not been tested in humans due to the ethical problems with exposing them to these deadly weapons. Microbiologist Joshua Powell, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, told a recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology that he has been conducing tests using anthrax on rabbit lung cells grown on a chip. According to Nature he said the US Department of Homeland Security want to use similar body on a chip technology to study anthrax in the human body. Next month the US Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce plans for an $18-million programme to link ‘livers on chips’ with chips that simulate fetal membranes, mammary glands and developing limbs. The aim is to study how environmental contaminants such as dioxin and bisphenol A alter metabolism in those organs once they have been processed by the liver. | Scientists hope to connect organ chips together to mimic a human body .
They have created working lungs, gut, liver and bone marrow on the chips .
The technology can be used to test medical treatments without animals .
The bone marrow on a chip is to be used to study the effects of radiation .
The US Department of Defense wants to join 10 organ chips together . |
96,735 | 08801ff16bc650e53d4f1a842e7bef30ab1b9093 | Harold Ramis, the actor, writer and director whose films include "Stripes," "Ghostbusters," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This," has died. He was 69. His death was caused by complications related to autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a condition Ramis battled for four years, according to United Talent Agency, which represented Ramis for many years. His disease is called 'painful' and 'debilitating' Ramis died Monday morning in his Chicago-area home, the agency said. For more than 40 years, Ramis was a leading figure in comedy. A veteran of the Second City troupe in his hometown of Chicago, he was a writer for "SCTV" and wrote or co-wrote the scripts for "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978), "Caddyshack" (1980), "Stripes" (1981), "Ghostbusters" (1984), "Groundhog Day" (1993) and "Analyze This" (1999). The films often featured members of his generation of comedy talents -- veterans of the National Lampoon's recordings, "Saturday Night Live" and "Second City TV" -- most notably Ramis' old comedy colleague and fellow Chicagoan Bill Murray. "Harold Ramis and I together did 'The National Lampoon Show' off-Broadway, 'Meatballs,' 'Stripes,' 'Caddyshack,' 'Ghostbusters' and 'Groundhog Day.' He earned his keep on this planet," said Murray in a statement. "God bless him." Ramis' directing credits include "Caddyshack," "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983), "Groundhog Day," "Analyze This" and -- in a change from his usual comedies -- the dark 2005 film "The Ice Harvest." He occasionally acted as well, most notably playing Murray's friend in "Stripes," Dr. Egon Spengler in "Ghostbusters" and a doctor in "As Good as It Gets" (1997). "Ghostbusters" star Dan Aykroyd wrote on Facebook, "Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis. May he now get the answers he was always seeking." Steve Carell, who worked with Ramis on "The Office," tweeted, "Harold Ramis. Funny, gracious, kind hearted. A joy to have known you." Ramis directed several episodes of that TV series. Ramis' films were some of the most influential -- and highest-grossing -- comedies of recent decades. "Animal House" remains a model for knockabout laughs and gross-out moments. "Caddyshack" is eminently quotable. "Ghostbusters" was the second-biggest box office hit of 1984, just behind "Beverly Hills Cop." But though the movies were full of silly moments, Ramis often tried to tap into larger themes. Perhaps most successful was "Groundhog Day" in which Bill Murray's cynical weatherman is forced to relive the same day over and over again until he finally comes to terms with his life. The film has been used as the subject of philosophical and religious discussions. That intellectual bent didn't always go over well with studio bosses, Ramis observed. In an interview with the Onion A.V. Club, he mentioned the studio for his 2009 film "Year One" was uncertain how to pitch it. "When the studio said, 'Well, what is the movie about?' I said, 'The movie tracks the psycho-social development of civilization.' And they said, 'Uh, that's not going to be too good on a poster.' " Ramis was also a mentor to several current comedy writers and directors, the Chicago Tribune noted in its obituary. Judd Apatow, a fan, cast him as Seth Rogen's father in "Knocked Up." Jake Kasdan put him in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (which was co-produced and co-written by Apatow). Did you ever meet Ramis? Share your memories . Ramis was usually a good-natured presence, playing understanding characters -- often doctors, of one sort or another. It was true to his personality, the late Second City founder Bernie Sahlins told the Chicago Tribune in 1999. "He's the least changed by success of anyone I know in terms of sense of humor, of humility, sense of self," Sahlins told the paper. "He's the same Harold he was 30 years ago. He's had enormous success relatively, but none of it has gone to his head in any way." Indeed, Ramis always seemed to find a way to laugh. Asked by The New York Times about the existential questions raised by "Groundhog Day" -- and competing interpretations of the film's meaning -- he mentioned that he didn't practice any religion himself. ''Although I am wearing meditation beads on my wrist,'' he noted. ''But that's because I'm on a Buddhist diet. They're supposed to remind me not to eat, but actually just get in the way when I'm cutting my steak.'' Ramis is survived by his wife, Erica Mann Ramis, three children and two grandchildren. People we've lost in 2014 . | Harold Ramis, a noted comedy figure for more than four decades, dies at 69 .
Ramis played Dr. Egon Spengler in "Ghostbusters" and also wrote the script .
Chicago-born performer and writer was mentor to many comedians and writers . |
25,085 | 47118cadccd1bb8c3fa915b25e05cc04d573491e | It is the episode of Fawlty Towers best remembered for the line ‘Don’t mention the war’ and John Cleese’s silly walk when impersonating Hitler. The references have proved controversial before, but when The Germans was repeated on BBC2 on Sunday evening it wasn’t our European neighbours that the corporation was worried about offending. Instead, the episode was edited to omit racist language – only for some viewers to then complain that the BBC was ‘airbrushing history’. Scroll down to see the clips . 'Don't mention the war': John Cleese as Basil Fawlty giving an Adolf Hitler impression to German guests, with Polly in the background played by Connie Booth . The Germans episode of Fawlty Towers was voted number 11 in Channel 4¿s One Hundred Greatest TV Moments in 1999 . In one scene one of the hotel’s permanent residents, Major Gowen, uses derogatory terms to describe black people. It was included in the episode’s first airing in October 1975, but this time around the major’s words were edited out. The scene involves Basil Fawlty and the major, played by actor Ballard Berkeley, exchanging their normal pleasantries before the conversation moves on to Basil’s wife Sybil and women in general. The major tells Fawlty about the time he took a woman to see India play cricket at the Oval. He then says: ‘The strange thing was, throughout the morning she kept referring to the Indians as niggers. “No, no, no,” I said, “the niggers are the West Indians. These people are wogs”.’ Several years ago there were concerns that the episode would never be shown again because of the offensive words. However, recent editions of The Complete Fawlty Towers DVD, distributed by BBC Worldwide, have not been edited and included the segment that was cut by the BBC on Sunday. Some fans took to the BBC’s Points Of View message board yesterday to say they ‘despaired’ at the ‘unnecessary’ editing. One . wrote: ‘You can’t airbrush history away and I doubt if anyone but the . terminally thin-skinned could be offended by the major, a character . we’re clearly supposed to laugh at rather than with.’ Ballard Berkeley as the Major Gowen, who makes the offensive remark. Viewers said that the 'bigoted character' was meant to be laughed at - not with . Another posted: ‘The point is that the major is a racist old bigot, incongruous with modern society – even in the Seventies. The audience isn’t supposed to agree with him, they’re supposed to laugh at him. The whole episode is about xenophobia in various forms – it’s social satire. I instinctively dislike the airbrushing of history.’ A third viewer wrote: ‘So how sad BBC you have finally succumbed and lost the guts to transmit the episode of Fawlty Towers “The Germans” in its original form. The major’s speech of his experience of going out with a woman to the Oval is one of the funniest things ever. ‘You edited it because it includes the W-word and the N-word. Let’s face it, the whole episode and much of Fawlty Towers is racist by today’s standards and misogynistic, but above all it is hilarious. ‘We are all grown up, you know. We, the vast majority of us, can laugh at this without being racists. ‘It’s about time you grew up BBC, and trusted your audience. We know what is acceptable and what is not and what is funny and why, and the fact it is of a time which is now long past. We understand context, the major is a figure of fun, he doesn’t whip up hatred.’ Fawlty Towers was written by and starred Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth. The Germans was the sixth episode of the 12 that were made and was voted number 11 in Channel 4’s One Hundred Greatest TV Moments in 1999. The series has continued to entertain families since being made in the 1970s and was in 2000 voted by industry professionals to be the best British series of all time. A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are very proud of Fawlty Towers and its contribution to British television comedy. ‘But public attitudes have changed significantly since it was made and it was decided to make some minor changes, with the consent of John Cleese’s management, to allow the episode to transmit to a family audience at 7.30pm on BBC2.’ CENSORED Cleeses's 'Hitler Walk' was previously deemed one of greatest moments of TV . | Viewers complain that only the 'terminally thin-skinned' could be offended by the character .
BBC said it was edited to suit a family audience to reflect changing attitudes . |
265,657 | e40e634150fcba867959d636daec8fab9eeff677 | British jihadists fighting in Syria for the Islamic State have posted sickening online messages joking about the beheading of James Foley. Two friends from Cardiff, who appeared in a chilling recruitment video for the terror group in June, have continued to post vile comments, defying attempts to censor them. Last week Reyaad Khan, 20, mocked the horrific murder on Twitter, saying: ‘The brother that executed James Foley should be the new Batman.’ Scroll down for video . Sick: Reyaad Khan (left) and Nasser Muthana (right) have posted sickening online messages joking about the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley. The pair appeared in a chilling recruitment video for ISIS in June . He also glorified a recent raid by IS on the Al-Tabqa air base in Syria, which led to the cold-blooded execution of more than 200 soldiers belonging to the Assad regime, tweeting ‘Heavy clashes in tabqa, fireworks on the agenda tonight!’ His friend Nasser Muthana, also 20 and from Cardiff, has posted a video showing a building at the air base being detonated by a bomb he claims to have devised. Khan – like many British jihadis – is a frequent user of Twitter with almost 1,500 followers. His previous account appears to have been closed down, but he had a new one within days. His first tweet was: ‘New account lol spread the word “these terrorists keep coming back”. ’ Execution: Khan praised Mr Foley’s executioner and suggested he has been part of a group carrying out a beheading, saying 'Took 4 of us to do it'. Above, Mr Foley is seen in a sickening video that captured his murder . He also praised Mr Foley’s executioner, and suggests he has been part of a group carrying out a beheading: ‘Crazy man. Brothers like 6’4 and hench [strong] lol took 4 of us to do it.’ Muthana boasted that IS was trading the Yazidi women captured by IS militants earlier this month for £1,200 each. He also bragged about having his own concubines. Khan, Muthana and his brother Aseel, 17, all left Cardiff last year to join IS. | Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana continue to post vile online comments .
The pair appeared in a chilling recruitment video for Islamic State in June .
Last week, 20-year-old Khan mocked the murder of James Foley on Twitter .
Wrote: 'The brother that executed James Foley should be the new Batman'
Khan, Muthana and his brother Aseel, 17, all left Cardiff last year to join ISIS . |
184,629 | 7b2356d082107112922a6a0a15234505ad803063 | Doctors ordered Miley Cyrus to stay in a Kansas City hospital a second day after she suffered "a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics," the singer tweeted Wednesday. "Im so sorry but somethings are outta my control," Cyrus said in a tweet apparently sent from her hospital bed Wednesday. Cyrus, 21, told fans she would have to cancel her "Bangerz" tour concert at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis set for Wednesday night. "I can't get a hold of my team because it is so early so I want to be the one to tell my fans especially the ones trekking to get there(tbc)" one tweet said. Cyrus also tweeted what appeared to be a reaction to reports that her hospitalization was related to something other than her recent bout with the flu. "humans can b so selfish. if any1 thinks id rather b layin n a hospital bed than doing what i love on stage theyre f--kin LAME. Miserable" Her Tuesday night concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, was canceled when she was hospitalized that afternoon, according to a statement from the arena. "Cyrus has been hospitalized for a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics and has been placed on medical rest by her doctors," the statement said. "She will not be able to perform as scheduled." The singer was not too ill to tweet from her Kansas City hospital bed, though. "Kansas I promise Im as (heartbroken) as you are. I wanted so badly 2 b there 2night. Not being with yall makes me feel s--ttier than I already do," she wrote in a Twitter message to fans Tuesday afternoon. "Mr. Octopussy & some amazing Drs are taking good care of me," Cyrus wrote in tweet that included a photo of her in a hospital bed wearing a gown. She was holding a green octopus toy in front of her face. Cyrus fell ill with the flu earlier this month, causing the cancellation of a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miley: Post-Disney, post-Liam and stronger than ever . Miley's miserable day . Is Miley the new Madonna? | Cyrus tweets:"Im so sorry but somethings are outta my control"
Anyone who doubts her illness is "LAME," Cyrus tweets .
The singer is "placed on medical rest by her doctors," a statement says .
Cyrus fell ill with the flu earlier this month . |
155,575 | 551962bd8566baf1a5deea6f1e67eadd4fad0919 | By . Amy Oliver . PUBLISHED: . 07:21 EST, 25 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:25 EST, 25 July 2012 . A bungling underage drinker was barred from entering a pub after producing a fake ID card belonging to - Rodney Trotter of Peckham. Door staff became suspicious when the plonker showed them a driving licence bearing the name of the Only Fools And Horses character and his address - 23 Nelson Mandela House. It also featured a photograph of Rodney actor Nicholas Lyndhurst and date of birth 26 February 1960. The drunken youngster turned up at the pub in Newquay on Saturday night and claimed to be 24 when the age on the Rodney ID would have made him 52. Cosmic: The underage drinker tried to enter a pub in Newquay with a fake driving licence belonging to one Rodney Charlton Trotter . A manager of the Newquay Arms, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was there when he turned up. 'He was a bit drunk, he handed over the ID and I looked at it and then scanned it to double check it was fake and then I noticed the picture. 'It had Rodney Trotter’s picture and I said to him "so this is you?" and he just said "yeah yeah yeah". 'Then I asked him his date of birth and he said it. Then I told him it didn’t match the one that was on the ID. 'I made the doormen UV the ID just to wind him up really and they started giggling and playing along with him.' Not having it: Door staff at the Newquay Arms in Newquay, Cornwall, were even more bemused when the drunk youngster got his date of birth wrong . The fake ID - which can be bought online as a novelty item for £2.99 - was signed off with the name 'Cosmic'. The pub manager added: 'We kept asking if it was him and what his date of birth was, we even asked his star sign before asking him about his signature, which was ‘Cosmic’. 'I haven’t ever seen a celebrity ID trying to be used before, but the worst case we have had was probably when a white man tried to use his friend's ID, who was clearly African American and said he had "been on holiday".' The card was confiscated and police were called but the man left the scene by the time officers arrived. Local police Inspector Ian Drummond-Smith said the fake ID could have landed him in jail. He said: 'Lucky for him he’d left before police arrived, as possessing a forged driving licence can attract two years’ imprisonment. The real Rodney: Nicholas Lyndhurst, left, and Sir David Jason, right, starred in the long running BBC series Only Fools and Horses . 'We have seized 13 forged IDs so far this season but even we saw the funny side of this one. I don’t think it would ever have worked.' Newquay is plagued by underage drinkers and ID scanners have been brought in to tighten up door entrance policies. Inspector Drummond-Smith said: 'So far this season we have returned 42 driving licenses or passports to the DVLA or Passport Office. 'If you lend someone your ID, the door staff will retain it and we will send it back. Passports remain the property of HM Government and if misused will always be returned. 'This caused a major problem for a woman last week who is due to fly out on holiday in three weeks’ time. 'People should never lend out their passport and I would ask them to think very hard about the consequences.' | Underage drinker got date of birth wrong and claimed to be 24 when ID made him 52 . |
208,393 | 99cd67318b3f90311feca7c4ba89c280eb3ac1f1 | Animal rights activists in Canada say a dog walker should be charged with animal cruelty after six dogs died inside her truck on a hot day. Originally, the dog walker told the pets' owners that they had been stolen on May 13, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement released Monday. But she later admitted they'd died in her care, the SPCA said. The SPCA, which is leading the investigation into the alleged mistreatment of the dogs, will recommend that authorities pursue animal cruelty charges, said Marcie Moriarty, the organization's chief prevention and enforcement officer. For days, the search in Langley, British Columbia, for the missing dogs -- Buddy, Teemo, Oscar, Mia, Salty and Molly -- drew attention online and in media reports as owners asked the public for help tracking them down and tried to raise money for the cause. The dog walker at first told police that they'd gone missing after she left them in the vehicle while she was inside a bathroom at the dog park, Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported. She later confessed to private investigators that they'd died in her vehicle. The dog walker admitted she was inside a business for about 45 minutes and left the dogs inside her vehicle, said Alesha MacLellan, a spokeswoman for Petsearchers Canada, a detective agency brought in by owners to help find missing animals. "The dog walker said she panicked and disposed of the dogs, then made up story about them being stolen," MacLellan said. "After she disposed of the dogs, she drove to a park, where she was supposed to have taken the dogs originally, and said the dogs were stolen from the park." All six dogs perished from heatstroke, the agency said. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed the dogs' deaths last week and said that they were still investigating, adding that no charges had yet been filed. Prosecutors will have the final say on whether to charge the dog walker, Moriarty said. On a Facebook page and fund-raising site dedicated to the dogs, owners said they were planning to hold memorials for their pets. "These dogs were our worlds and now we are all devastated and heartbroken. I am not sure if we will ever truly mend from this," wrote Jenn Myers Ortner, whose black and white Boston terrier Buddy was among the dogs who perished. "The tears just won't stop." | The SPCA says it will recommend animal cruelty charges against a dog walker .
Six dogs died in the dog walker's care; originally, she said they'd been stolen .
Police are investigating the dogs' deaths; devastated owners say they're heartbroken . |
1,197 | 03624e0f73b20592d74adcd8b447350b137f29d6 | A 17-year-old girl who was obsessed with the Columbine High School massacre wrote about 'picking off' her classmates 'one by one' and blowing up the cafeteria, police have said. Administrators at Radnor High School in Pennsylvania alerted police after learning the senior had allegedly been scrawling the terrifying plans in her notebooks. The girl wrote about killing a teacher and other students before injuring herself, said Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo, as he shared the journal excerpts on Monday. 'I could be the first female shooter,' the student, who has not been named because she is a juvenile, wrote in her journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. 'I'm homicidal, and I'm fine with that.' Scroll down for video . Terrifying: Police shared pages out of a teenager's notebook that allegedly detail how she wanted to attack the school in a Columbine massacre-like attack. She is now undergoing psychiatric evaluation . Sick: The journal described how she wanted to 'pierce kids around me' and 'flood the halls with corpses' Colarulo said that the teenager was obsessed with serial killers and read a lot about torture, ABC6 reported. Her journal excerpts detailed her alleged plan of attack on the school. 'I want to trap them, pick them off one by one,' she wrote. 'Blow up the cafeteria, shoot everyone in classrooms. 'Imagine the power, the bullets leaving the gun with a loud bang, piercing kids around me, the way they collapse, their blood splattering the floor... the screams.' Another page was filled with large capital letters reading: 'I am fire, I am flames. I exude danger, you should fear me, I am dangerous, you better believe me, you have no idea what I can do.' Concern: Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo said the girl's locker and home had been searched and no weapons had been found. He said she is 'getting the help she needs' 'Obsessed': She also wrote a letter to the parents of one of the Columbine shooters, Dylan Klebold, saying she had read his journal and 'I connected very strongly with your son emotionally' 'I could be the first female shooter... I'm homicidal, and I'm fine with that' 'I am about to get very violent... So close to exploding' 'I want to trap them, pick them off one by one. Blow up the cafeteria, maybe. Shoot everyone in classrooms, but how do I trap people. Leave survivors? Or nah? I kinda want to' 'Imagine the power, the bullets leaving the gun with a loud bang, piercing kids around me, the way they collapse, their blood splattering the floor... the screams' 'I am fire, I am flames. I exude danger, you should fear me, I am dangerous, you better believe me, you have no idea what I can do' Other pages showed letters she had written to the parents of one of the Columbine killers, Dylan Klebold. Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18, killed a teacher and 12 students before taking their lives during the shooting in Littleton, Colorado in April 1999. They also injured 21 people. In the letter, the girl wrote that she had read his journal and 'connected very strongly with your son emotionally'. 'We would be remiss if we didn't take these threats seriously,' Colarulo said at the press conference. 'There are always warning signs. If you want to go back and reference the Columbine incident, there were numerous warning signs that went ignored, that went unnoticed and nobody took the proper action and made the report.' He added that students were not in any danger. After receiving the call from the school, police searched the student's home and her school locker and no weapons were found. Scene: The girl was a senior at Radnor High School, pictured, but students are not in danger, police said . Columbine killers: She was 'obsessed' with Eric Harris, left, and Dylan Klebold who shot dead 13 in 1999 . The girl has a history of treatment for 'psychological issues' and is undergoing psychiatric evaluation but will remain in custody, he said. Her parents are cooperating with police. 'She is getting the help she needs,' he said. Debbie Singer, a parent of a junior at Radnor High, said that students were terrified about returning to school. 'It's very said and it's sad for the girl,' Singer said. 'The rumor was this was going to happen at the pep rally.' See below for video . | The unidentified girl is undergoing psychiatric evaluation and will be charged as a juvenile with making terroristic threats .
Police were called to Radnor High School in Pennsylvania after administrators received reports that she was writing about an attack .
'I could be the first female shooter,' she wrote. 'I want to pick them off one by one. Imagine the power - the bullets piercing kids around me'
She also wrote letters to the parents of the Columbine shooters .
Police searched her home and her locker and found no weapons . |
62,597 | b1daa77ba5f010caa678857302752c33b3cb05ab | (CNN) -- Afghan opium kills 100,000 people every year worldwide -- more than any other drug -- and the opiate heroin kills five times as many people in NATO countries each year than the eight-year total of NATO troops killed in Afghan combat, the United Nations said Wednesday. An Afghan police officer digs up a field of opium poppies in April. About 15 million people around the world use heroin, opium or morphine, fueling a $65 billion market for the drug and also fueling terrorism and insurgencies: The Taliban raised $450 million to $600 million over the past four years by "taxing" opium farmers and traffickers, Antonio Maria Costa, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said in a report. Not all the money is going into the pockets of rebels or drug dealers; some Afghan officials are making money off the trade as well, he said. "The Afghan drug economy generates several hundred million dollars per year into evil hands: some with black turbans, some with white collars," Costa said. The latter reference is "to officials in the Afghan administration, federal government of Kabul or the provinces or the army or the police," Costa told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. Watch Costa talk about the problems » . And the problem is spreading, he added. Drug money is funding insurgencies in Central Asia, which has huge energy reserves, Costa said. "The Silk Route, turned into a heroin route, is carving out a path of death and violence through one of the world's most strategic yet volatile regions," he said. Authorities are seizing too little heroin, intercepting only about 20 percent of opiate traffic around the world, according to the U.N. report, "Addiction, Crime and Insurgency: the Transnational Threat of Afghan Opium." It comes on the heels of a U.N. warning last month that two years' worth of opium is effectively "missing," probably stockpiled by the Taliban and criminal gangs. More than 12,000 tons of opium, which can be consumed as a narcotic itself or turned into heroin, is unaccounted for, the United Nations estimated in September. It is not clear who has it or why, but the United Nations speculates that criminals could be holding it as a hedge against falling prices or that insurgents or terrorists could be stockpiling it to fund attacks. The latest report claims to be the first systematic attempt to track where Afghan opium ends up. See how Afghan heroin reaches Europe and the West » . Europe and Russia together consume just under half of the heroin coming out of Afghanistan, the United Nations concluded, and Iran is by far the single largest consumer of Afghan opium. Afghanistan is also probably supplying an increasing share of the heroin in China -- perhaps as much as a quarter, the report said. Afghanistan is by far the world's largest producer of opium, although Laos, Myanmar and Latin America produce small quantities, it said. The United Nations found that Afghanistan may be supplying more heroin to the United States and Canada than had been suspected. The two North American countries consume more than twice as much heroin as Latin America produces. That means either that more Afghan heroin is making its way to North America than had been known or that Mexico and Columbia are producing more than was realized, the United Nations said. The report confirmed an estimate that $400 million in drug profits goes to the Taliban, Costa said. The Taliban "are deeply involved" in processing, in protecting farmers and in exporting, he said. The solution "is very clear," he said. "We need a much greater effort and commitment by governments to prevent drug addiction, to take care of drug addicts ... to reduce demand." But the popular will for change needs to increase, he said, noting that the Security Council in 2006 and 2007 passed resolutions inviting member states to give the names of drug traffickers to authorities so that their ability to travel can be curtailed and their assets seized. "So far, much to my dismay, not a single name was provided to the Security Council," he said. The report offered little new in the way of possible solutions, said Ethan Nadelmann, founding executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which promotes alternatives to the war on drugs. "It's very good at describing a problem," he said. "But it truly is devoid of any kind of pragmatic solution, and it essentially suggests that the answer is to keep doing more of what's failed us in the past." So long as there is a global demand for opium, there will be a supply, he said. "If Afghanistan were suddenly wiped out as a producer of opium -- by bad weather or a blight or eradication efforts -- other parts of the world would simply emerge as new producers, "creating all sorts of new problems," he said. And Afghanistan itself would not be helped either, he said. "You would see in Afghanistan millions of people probably flocking to the cities unable to make a living and probably turning more to the Taliban than they are now," he said. He listed three possible options. The first, global legalization and control, "is not happening, not any time soon," he said. The second option is to increase drug treatment for addicts who want it and to provide legal access to the drug, as Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Spain and Canada have done, he said. "In all of these places, there are small, growing programs of heroin maintenance that allow addicts to obtain pharmaceutical-grade heroin from legal sources rather than from the black market," he said. But Nadelmann added that more people died of opiate overdose last year involving pharmaceutical opiates than died from illegal heroin. A third possibility, he said, would be to view Afghanistan as essentially a red-light zone of global opium production and to think about the solution as a vice-control challenge, "which means acknowledge that Afghanistan is going to continue to be the world's supplier of illegal opium for the foreseeable future and then focus on manipulating and regulating the market participants, even though it is still illegal." He added, "That, I think, is in some respects the de facto strategy, even though it cannot be stated openly, for political reasons." | Afghan heroin trade funds terrorism, insurgencies, U.N. report says .
12,000 tons of opium missing, probably stockpiled by Taliban, gangs, U.N. says .
Afghanistan is world's largest producer of opium, from which heroin is made .
Iran is by far largest consumer of Afghan heroin, U.N. report says . |
57,558 | a324ee6dbca5ce16cee863415d9adf1f1cb96c58 | (CNN) -- At Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert's Wednesday wedding, the bride wore red. Strapless red, to be exact. The former "Little House on the Prairie" actress tied the knot with "thirtysomething's" Busfield in a private ceremony, Gilbert's rep told CNN. The couple held the joyous occasion at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. According to People, Gilbert, 48, and Busfield, 55, got engaged over the holidays. Another source whispered to E! News that Busfield and Gilbert have known each other "for quite some time, as their paths have crossed off-and-on over the past 20 years." This is the third marriage for both newlyweds. Busfield has three children from prior relationships, whereas Gilbert's a mom of two. CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report. | Melissa Gilbert married Timothy Busfield Wednesday .
The couple had a private ceremony at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara .
Gilbert and Busfield reportedly got engaged over the holidays .
This is the third marriage for both . |
105,426 | 13f099e5f54ba913eca46b0f8955e42fc730f5ad | By . Ray Massey . PUBLISHED: . 14:23 EST, 3 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:33 EST, 3 October 2013 . One of Britain’s most controversial and worst-performing rail firms has been granted a 23-month extension to its franchise by the Government. Passengers have been promised improvements after the Government said First Great Western – dubbed ‘Worst Late Western’ by critics’ over poor punctuality and chronic overcrowding - will carry on running line until September 2015 before bidding starts for a new long-term franchise. Critics said the extension was ‘a scandal’ and smacked of ‘rewards for failure on a massive scale.’ Controversial: The operator dubbed 'Worst Late Western' has been granted a franchise extension . The Great Western main line runs from London's Paddington station out to the Cotswolds, South Wales and south-west England. But Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: ‘First Great Western are being rewarded for failure on a massive scale. They have increased walk-on fares by 210 per cent since privatisation, three times faster than the rate of inflation. ‘They are also the first rail firm to provoke a strike by passengers in the entire history of the railways, in protest at overcrowding in the Bristol region.’ RMT transport union leader Bob Crow said: ‘This is another twist of the rail franchising racket with a company running one of the worst-performing services in the country given a free run to milk this vital inter-city line for all it is worth for another two years. ‘We are demanding to know . just how much First extracted from the Government in last-ditch talks . where they had bullied themselves into a monopoly provider position. ‘It . is a scandal that the publicly-run option was never considered for this . franchise even though it would have saved the taxpayer a fortune.’ Fierce criticism: TSSA rail union leader Manuel Cortes (left) said the deal had 'rewarded failure', while RMT transport union chief Bob Crow (right) described the franchising system as a 'racket' But ministers and rail bosses insisted there would be improvements’ including greater wi-fi coverage and additional sleep carriages. In August furious First Great Western passengers vented their rage after enduring ‘third world cattle truck ’ conditions’ and a 12 hour nightmare journey when an overcrowded and ageing train belonging to First Great Western suffered brake-failure. They accused the firm of ’incompetence’ after nearly 500 passengers were left stranded, thirsty and hungry for almost six hours near Pewsey, Wiltshire, on the 30-year-old broken down train from Penzance to London Paddington. Passengers described the fiasco as ‘horrific’ and a ‘chaotic disaster’ and said they were ‘treated like cattle’. Those seeking to slake their thirst were outraged to be charged for hot drinks, said witnesses. In July a damning new Government league-table of cattle-class services, identified a First Great Western service as officially the most overcrowded service in England and Wales. It showed that in Spring 2012, the 07.44 First Great Western service from Henley in Berkshire into Paddington in West London carried 415 tightly-packed passengers in three carriages designed to carry 225 people in Standard Class. That meant there were 190 passengers ‘in excess of capacity’ and that the train was 84 per cent overcrowded. This was worse than the previous check in Spring 2011 when the same service was 80 per cent overcrowded. Overall, First Great Western also had the highest level of passengers ‘in excess of capacity’ of any London and south east England operator in 2012 at 7.1 per cent across both peaks. On track: Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the deal proved the new arrangement worked . Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the franchise extention was further proof that the Government's new franchising schedule is on track: ‘The Great Western franchise provides a vital service for thousands of passengers every day and under this deal they will see real benefits. ‘This agreement will provide additional sleeper carriages between London and Cornwall securing the future of a key service once under threat.’ Mr McLoughlin added: ‘We have also secured a commitment to deliver greater wi-fi coverage to improve the experience of long-distance journeys for passengers. ‘But I am also determined that we see further improvements during the lifetime of this contract; more standard class and fewer first class seats on key services and the delivery of more electric trains for the Thames Valley.’ First Great Western (FGW) is the rail-arm of transport giant First Group, whose initially successful bid to run the West Coast Mainline was then overturned following a challenge by Sir Richard Branson. First Group’s chief executive Tim O’Toole also heads the Government’s ‘Rail Delivery Group’ set up by ministers to IMPROVE services. Mr O'Toole said: ‘Today's agreement is good news for FGW passengers, taxpayers and our shareholders as it provides continuity and consistency, building on the improvements our experienced team has already made over the last franchise period. 'We have seen significant improvements in customer satisfaction and punctuality, and working with the Department for Transport we have delivered additional capacity on the busiest morning peak trains. ‘We will work closely with stakeholders and partners along the route to explore further ways to support our local communities.’ Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: ‘We know that, for most passengers, the key thing is that trains keep running, turn up on time, and that they are able to get a seat. ’It is important that this short-term extension is used to prepare and deliver a better, more passenger-focused franchise where the passenger voice has been heard and taken into account.’ | 'Failing' train operator award extension until September 2015 .
RMT boss Bob Crow has branded the announcement a 'scandal'
The rail operator has increased walk-on fares by as much as 210 per cent .
In August 500 passengers were stranded for six hours during a break down .
Transport secretary says the deal is 'further proof' franchising is on track . |
276,551 | f2498b44d97150672ba371d612c41ae7fb1e1625 | By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 12:07 EST, 23 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:19 EST, 23 June 2012 . Four activists were arrested today after scaling the gates of Buckingham Palace and chaining themselves to the railings. Three men and one woman from the Climate Siren group locked themselves to the south centre gate just after 2pm, holding megaphones and wearing T-shirts that read: 'Climate emergency. 10% annual emission cuts'. Two held a banner carrying a quote from the Prince of Wales reading: 'The doomsday clock of climate change is ticking ever faster towards midnight. We are simply not reacting quickly enough.' Royal demand: Crowds gather as protesters chain themselves to the south centre gate to highlight the failure to reach international agreements on tackling global warming following the end of the Rio+20 conference . Guess where I am, Mum? A protester chained to the gates with a banner makes a call on his mobile phone . The four were removed by police using a cherry-picker more than four hours later as officers brought the protest to an end. They were detained at various central London police stations on suspicion of breaching Royal Parks regulations. Other activists wearing T-shirts and carrying banners with the same message were also on the scene. The group said they were calling on the Queen to follow her son's example in speaking out about 'the escalating threat of catastrophic climate change'. Inspiration: The demonstrators displayed a quote by Prince Charles on the subject of climate change . The protest came the day after the Rio+20 global conference on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, came to a close. The group described their actions as 'an act of civil disobedience designed to demand urgent, concerted and meaningful action to tackle the unprecedented national and global emergency presented by the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate and timed for the day after the end of the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil.' They said they were protesting over 'the failure of the conference to achieve any meaningful results'. In an open letter to the Queen posted on their website, Climate Siren said they wanted to see an 'upscaling of our national effort to confront the emergency'. 'Civil disobedience': Police guarded the gates of the Palace while the activists demanded change . They said they had chosen the Palace as their location to emphasise that the issue was of 'critical importance for our national destiny' as well as for the future of the entire global community. The letter read: 'We are calling for our nation to take strenuous, positive action both to fulfil our responsibilities as a major emitter of greenhouse gases, now and historically, and to show courage and resolution in taking a lead on the issue. 'We echo the sentiments of your son and heir, HRH the Prince of Wales... 'But we are going further because such sentiments are in danger of becoming mere platitudes if not accompanied by concrete proposals for action.' Red letter day: Armed with T-shirts, banners and megaphones, 'Climate siren' locked themselves to the gate just after 2pm . They told the Queen she was from a generation that can remember 'another great national struggle' and wrote: 'We believe that our national security is at stake now, no less than it was during the dark days of the last Great War, albeit in a very different way. 'As you celebrate this year's Jubilee you must find it impossible not to view with consternation the dark clouds that once again are gathering to threaten the future of this island, with which your name has been so closely associated these last 60 years. 'These are the dark clouds of what looks increasingly likely to be a much greater global tragedy than the last World War. 'It is time to act - with boldness, resolution and determination - not the kind of half-hearted half-measures that we have seen up to now. Kings for a day: The aim of the protest was to highlight the failure of the conference to reach international agreements on reducing global warming . 'It is time that you and all public figures with influence followed the example of your son by speaking up loudly, clearly, and unceasingly, about the escalating threat of catastrophic climate change.' A hundred or so bystanders stood and watched the protest. Activist Siobhan Grimes, 24, from Bethnal Green in east London, who was among those at the scene, said: 'Our politicians aren't doing enough. We're hoping to inspire people to wake up to the consequences of catastrophic climate change.' A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'At approximately 2.05pm on Saturday June 23, four protesters - three men and one woman - climbed the centre gate and south centre gate at Buckingham Palace and secured themselves to the railings with chains. 'Police attended and by around 6.35pm all the protesters had been removed and arrested under SOCPA (the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act) and for breaching section 4 of the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997. 'They have been taken to various central London police stations where they remain in custody.' Charles issued his warning that action on climate change was not being taken quickly enough in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels in February 2008. | Carried banners with quote from Prince of Wales and said the Queen should follow her son's example .
Protest comes after end of Rio+20 conference .
Three men and one woman arrested and detained at London police stations . |
123,681 | 2be8602d7ba2f6ff78ae0269a2a08901c850310a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . An Alabama woman shot and killed a young man when he tried to break into her home, saying his car had broke down. Mikel Steven Smith, 18, was reportedly armed with a knife when he tried to break into a home located in the Booth community, close to Prattville, WSFA reports. 'He knocked on the door and tried to gain entrance by saying he needed help that he was broke down,' Autauga County Chief Deputy Joe Sedinger told the station. Scroll down for video . The woman was knocked to the floor as Smith tried to force his way inside, sheriff's records reportedly show. 'The lady went to the door with her gun in her hand, because it was after midnight,' Sedinger told The Montgomery Advertiser. Authorities have not released the address where the attempted break-in reportedly took place but did say it occurred in the 1600 block of the Booth community in Prattville . Sedinger told the station that the female homeowner feared for both her safety and for that of her 22-year-old niece when she fired multiple shots at Smith. Smith's body was found about 30 feet away from the home, and he was pronounced dead shortly after 12:30am, WSFA adds. The woman is unlikely to face charges, Sedinger said. James Bryan Vance, pictured, was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery in connection with the attempted break-in and is currently held on $15,000 bond . 'Everything in our investigation shows this lady was inside her home when the man forced his way in through a door,' he told The Montgomery Advertiser. He added, 'Once the investigation is completed it will be presented to a future session of the grand jury for review.' 'It’s her right to protect her home and family and that’s what our investigation shows she did.' Investigators believe another person was involved in the attempted break-in. James Bryan Vance, 32, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree robbery in connection to the case. He is currently held on a $15,000 bond. Sedinger told WSFA that the suspects are not related and that there does not seem to be a connection between the intruder and the homeowner. WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL. | Mikel Steven Smith, 18, was reportedly armed with a knife when he tried to break into a Pratville, Alabama home .
Smith knocked on the door and tried to get inside saying he needed help and that his car broke down .
Female homeowner was knocked to floor as Smith tried to force his way inside .
Fearing for her safety and her 22-year-old niece who was also in the home, the woman fired multiple shots and is unlikely to be prosecuted . |
276,384 | f21a6c7d420d11206a4587d62ad9ed3e95063e98 | Anthony Weiner was running almost an hour late for his final campaign appearance of the weekend, two days before he faces all-but-certain political doom in Tuesday's Democratic primary for New York mayor. There was a "child care mixup" at home, an aide said. Weiner had to peel off the campaign trail and hustle back to his Park Avenue residence to pick up his 20-month-old son, Jordan. Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, has been absent from his side for weeks. But a small band of Weiner volunteers waited patiently for their candidate near the entrance to Pier 1 in Manhattan's Riverside Park, distributing campaign fliers to a largely disinterested crowd of families soaking in some late summer sun at the Westside County Fair. As they lingered, an otherwise normal-looking middle-aged man approached each of the volunteers and angrily thrust a finger in their faces. One by one, he scolded them with a nonsensical reprimand: "Sexting for mayor!" he yelled. "Sexting for mayor!" By the time Weiner arrived, the man was gone, and the former congressman avoided yet another public confrontation over the lewd online chats that torpedoed his once-promising mayoral bid. These scenes have become an almost daily routine for Weiner since he admitted in July that his naughty online behavior had continued well after he resigned from Congress in 2011, when he copped to exchanging racy pictures and lurid messages with women he had met on the Internet. Weiner today is more of a public curiosity than a serious candidate, despite being the best pure political talent in a Democratic field bereft of charisma and the kind of outsized personalities to which New York voters have become accustomed. After once leading the mayor's race, he is now in a distant fourth place. If no candidate captures more than 40% of the vote in Tuesday's primary -- and front-runner Bill de Blasio just might -- the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election. Combative Weiner still says he can win . Weiner will not be one of them, despite what he tells reporters. "I'm convinced that I'm going be the next mayor of this city," Weiner said Sunday during an interview on NBC's "Meet The Press," an appearance that seemed wildly discordant with his diminished stature in New York, where the press is mostly ignoring him (unless he clashes with a loud-mouthed voter). Weiner challenges man who rebuked him for being 'married to an Arab' Scant media coverage but plenty of attention . At appearance after appearance during his final weekend of campaigning, a frantic schedule that featured 13 public events and trio of "tele-town halls," Weiner attracted scant media attention. There were just two members of the press at a Weiner event Saturday in which he presented his "closing arguments" for a fairer tax system to a group of Spanish-speaking voters from Washington Heights, with the assistance of a translator. The next day, outside a YMCA in the Upper West Side where Weiner was pitching his affordable housing plan, a local news producer who had been detailed to the candidate said he was often the sole journalist at his events. After Weiner concluded his news conference, he asked whether any of the three reporters present had any questions about the topics at hand: public housing, rent regulations, mix-used zoning. There were none, so he took a question about de Blasio. But wherever he showed up during his admirably hectic final push -- on street corners, at community fairs, even at a cricket field in the far reaches of Queens -- Weiner would invariably draw a crowd of onlookers, most of them polite and nearly all of them reaching for their smartphones to document the moment. He is the human manifestation of click bait. While Weiner chatted with a voter on the corner of 105th and Amsterdam about expansion plans for NYU and Columbia University, an open-topped New York tour bus pulled up to a nearby stoplight. A heavyset man on the top deck of the bus spotted the candidate on the sidewalk -- from a 40-yard distance, no less -- and started flailing his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs: "Weiner! Weiner! Weiner!" Weiner paused and waved back. "Welcome to New York! Stay as long as you want! Spend lots of money!" In the closing days of the race, Weiner seems to be living in a sweet spot between shamelessness and fortitude, soldiering on in the face of mockery and barely any hope of winning. If he cracks double digits on Tuesday, it will be a surprise. Voters can't quite seem to figure out why he didn't quit the race weeks ago. Craig Meisner, a Democrat from Riverdale who runs a nonprofit, came upon one of Weiner's "closing argument" events Saturday while walking through Isham Park in upper Manhattan. Like hundreds of New Yorkers before and after him, he looked on curiously, snapped a picture and promptly posted it to Twitter. "It makes no sense to me at all," Meisner said of Weiner's campaign. "I am assuming he's running so that for his next step, his next office, he can say he's cleansed himself. You go through the process, you get vilified to whatever degree, and then you can run again for something else." What could have been . Where some see desperation, others wonder what could have been. "Anthony Weiner is the best political performer in this field and is progressive and tough enough in his policies and rhetoric that he'd be at or near the top of this race were it not for his scandals," said one veteran of New York City politics who, because of friends working in rival campaigns, did not want to be named saying something nice about the man who called himself Carlos Danger. Weiner's brazenness, energy and full-blown New Yorkitude offer a stark contrast to the cautious and consultant-driven personas of his Democratic opponents. At a Harlem forum hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday, Weiner held forth on the topic of civil rights, referring to members of the African-American audience as "my brothers and sisters." When Weiner mistakenly referred to Sharpton as "Rev. Jackson," he had the crowd in stitches with his quick recovery: "Thank you! Good night!" Even the front-running de Blasio couldn't match Weiner's effortless wit and ability to read a crowd. The next morning, Weiner called into Hot 97, the venerable New York hip-hop radio station. Asked to name his favorite rappers, Weiner quickly won over the DJs. "I'm a big fan of Luda; I like Nas," he answered. "But I'm little more a of dance hall reggae guy than a hip-hop guy." Much laughter ensued. None of this is to say that Weiner, freed from the burden of expectations, is feeling loose and breezy as his campaign winds down. Arriving at staged press events where there might only be one reporter waiting for him, Weiner can wear a pained look on his face, his jaw clenched tightly as he prepares to go through the motions of his outlining his policy positions even though they have no hope of making the papers. "Lucky ducky artichucky," he muttered to himself as he prepared to speak to a single NY1 camera at his YMCA event. One reporter described his demeanor lately as "sheepish," which is how Weiner looked when he arrived an hour late to Riverside Park holding the hand of his son, Jordan, who was wearing the world's tiniest fedora. "See the hat? He's bringing sexy back," Weiner said. As with everywhere he goes, observers hung back as Weiner walked along the Hudson River waterfront, looking on curiously and snapping pictures. Mothers and fathers pushing strollers looked annoyed as Weiner's entourage clogged the walkway. "You've got to be kidding me," one woman exclaimed. The appearance was billed as a "retail" event, but Weiner shook few hands, instead tending to his child and walking along the Hudson River waterfront for the benefit of the cameras. The fact that Weiner is now being trailed at all times by filmmaker Josh Kriegman, a former producer for the MTV reality series "MADE," only adds to the sense that his campaign, in its final days, is as much performance art as pursuit of office. Weiner is asked how he steels himself for this perplexing ritual every morning before he leaves his apartment. "This is the only campaign I know how to run," he explains, pointing to the dozens of news ideas he has floated during the campaign. "Every single I day I get up and I think, I am going to run the campaign New Yorkers want. This is where I am comfortable. This is what I like doing, and this has always worked for me. So I am not going to stop." | Weiner makes his "closing arguments" in mayoral campaign that he once led .
In closing days of race, Weiner seems to be living between shamelessness and fortitude .
His New Yorkitude offers stark contrast to consultant-driven personas of his opponents . |
202,296 | 91e84b162eb1f77e35c99a16b149a3787bb82107 | By . Associated Press . In the days and weeks since early May when his elderly parents were killed, Keith Dermond has been as puzzled as anyone else. Russell and Shirley Dermond had been married 62 years. Both in their late 80s, they fell prey to unspeakable violence in Georgia - savagery as the Putnam County sheriff has called it -- and whoever inflicted it seems to have left nary a trace. 'It just eats at you that somebody could do this and possibly get away with it. ... We don't even know the motive at this point,' their son Keith Dermond said by phone on Wednesday. Russell and Shirley Dermond, both in their late 80s, were found brutally murdered in their Georgia lake side home in May. Mr Dermond had been decapitated. Their killer has not been found . 'It's very hard to catch somebody when you don't even know their motive, and you don't know whether they would do it again.' Dermond, 55, who lives in north Florida, said his family is still sorting through his parents' belongings. 'It's really tough,' he said. As the investigation into the couple's death reached its three-month mark, Sheriff Howard Sills said the case still weighs on him. Sills said he rose at 4am the other day to make note of an investigative angle that came to him in the night. 'Myself and one detective continue to work on this every day,' the sheriff said. Investigators this week polygraphed someone who came forward with information that could prove fruitful, 'to see if they were truthful,' Sills said. On the sheriff's desk on Wednesday were 4,000-plus pages of documents related to the Dermond couple's finances. Russell Dermond, 88, had retired from corporate life -- much of it with clockmaking companies -- in the late 1980s to run a chain of Atlanta-area Hardee's restaurants. About 15 years ago, he and his wife, Shirley, 87, moved to Lake Oconee to live out their years in a golf-course community in a waterfront home. Sometime during the first weekend in May, they were killed. Russell Dermond was decapitated. Neighbors concerned they hadn't seen him found his body on May 6 in the garage of the Dermond's Carolyn Drive residence. The 3,200-square-foot, $1 million home sits in a tree-shrouded cul-de-sac in the Great Waters subdivision, a dozen or so miles northeast of Eatonton. Shirley Dermond's body didn't turn up until May 16. Fishermen found it in the lake, about five miles away by water. Autopsies showed that she and her husband died of head wounds, but exactly how they were killed is anyone's guess. Russell Dermond's decapitated body was found at the couple's $1million lake-front home on May 6 . One theory investigators are working on is that the killers reached the Dermonds' Georgia home via the 19,000-acre lake . The FBI and some Georgia sheriff's investigators have helped in the probe, poring over the case file. Sills recently called on the expertise of two detectives from the Jacksonville, Florida, sheriff's office's cold-case squad. Sills roomed with Jacksonville Sheriff John H. Rutherford when the two attended the FBI Academy. The Florida detectives spent a day and a half in Eatonton examining crime-scene photographs and other materials, Sills said. From the beginning of the investigation, authorities acknowledged that cracking the case might prove difficult. No one reported hearing any commotion. The Dermonds likely were dead three days before Russell Dermond's body was found. Video cameras at the guard house at the entrance to the subdivision weren't working. And it is possible the killer came by boat. The 19,000-acre lake offered countless entry and escape routes. While investigators for days scoured the Dermond house and areas around it for evidence, whatever they collected has yet to render a linchpin clue. And in the months since the killings, despite $55,000 in reward money, the flow of tips has all but dried up. Friends went to check on the elderly couple's home in May because they had failed to turn up for a Kentucky Derby party . Even the kooks have quit calling. 'Reluctantly, or regretfully I guess is the better word,' Sills said, 'I have to admit that things have slowed considerably. We are not getting any new calls. The reward is not seeming to initiate any information. ... We're not even getting the psychics.' Keith Dermond said he and his family -- the elder Dermonds had two other children, a younger son and daughter -- appreciate the locals who contributed to the reward fund. 'It shows how much they were loved around the community,' he said. 'We're just hoping that maybe that'll trigger something ... that somebody will come forward and spill the beans.' On Wednesday, he was unaware of any imminent developments in the case. 'Not that we're losing hope, but it gets tougher and tougher to believe that something's gonna happen here,' he said. 'I wouldn't say it's a cold case, but it's not looking too optimistic at this point. I'm sure the police and whatnot ... it's just driving them crazy.' Keith Dermond said he is confident Sills and other investigators are up to the task. 'We've heard from people around in the area that he certainly is somebody that is tenacious and won't give up. We're hoping that's true,' he said. 'It's a very infamous case at this point so, yeah, I'm sure as far as his own reputation and everything else, they're doing everything they can to get it done.' He added that crime shows on television, the 'CSI' types, make the unsolved killing of his mother and father all the more frustrating. 'The techniques they have of uncovering evidence and stuff like that,' Keith Dermond said, 'it's almost hard to believe that somebody could be that good a criminal that they didn't leave behind anything.' | Russell and Shirley Dermond, who had been married 62 years, were found savagely murdered at their Georgia lakefront home .
Mr Dermond had been decapitated and Mrs Dermond's body was found in the lake with head wounds .
The couple had moved to Lake Oconee to live out their years in a golf-course community in a waterfront home .
Video cameras at the guard house at the entrance to the neighborhood were not working and it is possible the killer came by boat .
However authorities are still puzzled by the gruesome deaths . |
234,159 | bb2459f680bd9ac4487e73b210a0f9f915177f24 | London, England (CNN) -- Who are the greatest feminist film characters? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? G.I. Jane? Catwoman? What about an astrophysicist? If it was up to Academy Award-winning actor Natalie Portman, our feminine heroines wouldn't be limited to ass-kicking wonder women. They could even be -- wait for it -- nerdy scientists. The 32-year-old star of Hollywood blockbuster "Thor: The Dark World," hopes her role as astrophysicist love interest Jane Foster will encourage a new generation of young women to enter the sciences -- much like "Star Wars'" Princess Leia is believed to have done over three decades ago. WATCH: Marvel and Portman make science cool . "It's really cool that Marvel -- the comic company behind the Thor series -- is working on what they call STEM: science, technology, engineering and math," Portman told CNN in an interview in London, ahead of the premiere this week. "Women are underrepresented in those fields so they are trying to encourage girls to study them more, because obviously there's no reason why they shouldn't be." "And that's really exciting because that's exactly what you want with these kinds of movies. They're big and they're fun and if you can have a little bit of impact on a young girl seeing them and saying 'wait, that's possible too,' then that would be really cool." While the original "Thor" comic book portrayed the superhero's sweetheart, Jane Foster, as a nurse, the character has been reinvented as a scientist for the big screen. Could Portman become the new role model for female scientists, much like Jodie Foster as astrophysicist Ellie Arroway in 1997 film "Contact", or Sigourney Weaver as zoologist Dian Fossey in 1988 drama "Gorillas in the Mist", or even sci-fi hero Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" series? She certainly hopes so. For Portman, feminist characters aren't necessarily the ones who keep up with the boys -- they come in all shapes and sizes. "The fallacy in Hollywood is that if you're making a 'feminist' story, the woman kicks ass and wins," she told Elle UK in the magazine's November 2013 issue. "That's not feminist, that's macho. A movie about a weak, vulnerable woman can be feminist if it shows a real person that we can empathize with." Featuring Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as Thor, the crown prince of Asgard, the second installment of the film tells the story of an otherworldly superhero who has been exiled from his homeland to Earth. "At the beginning of Thor 2, Jane Foster is really focused on her scientific inquiries. Thor has been missing in action for a couple years, hasn't called, hasn't written," explains Portman. "She's seen him on TV in New York and he hasn't made contact so she's pretty angry at him. But she's just trying to move on with her life and that's where we find her," added the mother-of-one, who reportedly watched "Physics for Dummies", to prepare for the role. French feeling . Born in Jerusalem, the only child of her American film agent mother and Israeli fertility specialist father, Portman moved to the U.S. at three years old, eventually settling in New York. As a youngster she attended theater camp and entered science fairs, until at age 11 she scored her big break as a gun-toting orphan in English-speaking French film "Leon: The Professional". Decades before Chloe Moretz appeared as a 13-year-old hitgirl in 2010 action film "Kick-Ass", Portman was targeting her own bad guys in the 1994 thriller which launched her career. Almost 20 years later, Portman, who won an Academy Award in 2011 for her portrayal of a disturbed ballerina in Darren Aronofsky film "Black Swan", may again be returning to French cinema. It was on the "Black Swan" set that she undertook a year of training with future husband, French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The pair now have a two-year-old son, Aleph. "Well I hope I'll be able to work in French cinema, that will depend on what people will hire me for," said the actor who speaks French, Hebrew, and German. "I think I'd probably need to work on my French a little, but I'd be happy to try. A little Jean Seberg kind of accented French," she added, referring to the 1960s American-born screen siren. Women in cinema . Portman, who in 2008 served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury, added that she would like to see more female filmmakers and pointed to directors Sarah Polley, Lena Dunham and Sofia Coppola as inspirations. "You still really see that the majority of American filmmakers and writers are predominantly male. Which is great, I want men to keep making movies, but I'd love for there to be more female voices as well. And of course it influences the kind of material you read because the stories that a male perspective has, the way women figure into it, is very different," she said. "You get a lot of girlfriends and muses and shrews. And every once in a while there's a magic moment where there's a really interesting perspective. My hope would be that they widen the access to women, and women are more inspired and encouraged to take on those kinds of roles." Portman, who has a degree in psychology from Harvard University, also pointed to the defined gender roles on set: "You don't see female directors of photography, you don't see female technical crew members. Usually they're more on the hair and makeup, and wardrobe side. "And it's more common to have all of the grips and gaffers and electric and camera, to be entirely male, which is just interesting." If Portman has her way though, there won't just be more females on film sets -- but in science laboratories as well. | Natalie Portman says new role in 'Thor: The Dark World' could encourage female scientists .
Academy Award winner and mother-of-one may turn to French cinema .
Israeli-born American wants more female directors, fan of Lena Dunham, Sofia Coppola . |
146,809 | 49d9bffe29e21282bc8df3415243cdb4af07542c | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Steve McPherson quit his job as ABC Entertainment president this week amid "gossip and innuendo" that "goes with the territory," his lawyer said Thursday. The network confirmed McPherson's resignation, but would not comment on what McPherson attorney Tom Hoberman described as the "rumors of internal situations" at ABC. McPherson held the post for six years and had another year on his contract. "Upon Steve McPherson returning to work from his vacation on Monday, he made a voluntary decision to resign and ABC accepted his resignation," Hoberman said in a written statement. The statement only hinted at what led to his decision to suddenly depart just days before the network was set to present its fall primetime lineup to television critics. "It is not uncommon for high level executives to be the subject of gossip and innuendo," Hoberman said. "That would include rumors of internal situations which can easily be misinterpreted or misrepresented. Seems like it goes with the territory, and there is nothing further to discuss." McPherson said he has "a new entrepreneurial venture in the spirits business" lined up as well as "involvement in a new media company." ABC said it would announce a replacement for McPherson "shortly." | Lawyer: Resignation came amid "rumors of internal situations"
McPherson quit the day he returned from vacation .
ABC will announce a new president "shortly" |
211,851 | 9e561c9967b72c44058a8eca092f9b815d374115 | By . Simon Tomlinson . PUBLISHED: . 10:01 EST, 22 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:27 EST, 22 March 2012 . The father of former England captain David Beckham has launched a lawsuit over the phone-hacking scandal. Ted Beckham has joined a string of public figures suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) and private investigator Glen Mulcaire over allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World. He has issued a claim form in his full name of David Edward Alan Beckham at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Taking action: David Beckham pictured in 1998 with his mother Sandra and father Ted, who has filed a lawsuit against News Group Newspapers over allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World . Proceedings started: Ted Beckham has issued a claim form in his full name of David Edward Alan Beckham at the Royal Courts of Justice (above) His legal battle relates to News International subsidiary NGN, publishers of the defunct News of the World, which closed last year, but the exact details of his claim weren't made available. His son David, 36, played for Manchester United and Real Madrid before moving to LA Galaxy in the US. He has also returend to Europe for two loan spells with AC Milan. Other notable individuals suing are Cherie Blair, Jamie Theakston, cleared murder suspect Colin Stagg and Jeff Brazier. News International has already settled dozens of claims, including legal proceedings brought by actor Jude Law and singer Charlotte Church. Also suing: Cherie Blair and Jamie Theakston are among the latest group of high-profile figures taking action against Rupert Murdoch's company . Many cases are yet to be heard and it is expected that several hundred more noted individuals may bring claims against the newspaper publishers. Last month, Miss Church, 26, accepted £600,000 damages from NGN after hearing in the High Court how phone-hacking directly led to 33 articles appearing about her and her family in the News of the World. A number of other celebrities, including Steve Coogan, Paul Gascoigne and Alastair Campbell have also settled cases, with the bill for Rupert Murdoch's company now running into millions. Mr Coogan received £40,000 after the High Court heard Mr Mulcaire posed as him to get confidential information from Vodafone between 2003 and 2006. Big pay-outs: Singer Charlotte Church won £600,000 in damages from NGN, while ex-England footballer Paul Gascoigne settled for £68,000 earlier this year . Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell received undisclosed ‘substantial damages’, while Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes won £45,000. Mr Gascoigne was handed £68,000 because of the ‘mental harm and distress’ caused by the paper's subterfuge. The former England footballer was so convinced that the information published about him had come from his closest friends that he suffered a breakdown. A total of 22 people, including former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, have been arrested in Operation Weeting, the Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking. | Ted Beckham files lawsuit against News Group Newspapers . |
223,081 | acca66bbdb14187349923d1418563f633181cb7c | (CNN) -- Abelardo Joya's life and livelihood vanished in a matter of seconds. When a fumigation plane flew over his farm in September 2010, mistakenly targeting his crops with coca eradication chemicals, his small cacao, yucca and plantain plants didn't stand a chance. Brown and crisp, they can no longer produce food. Joya, his four children and his pregnant wife, Olga, fled to a city slum more than eight hours away and prayed they would be able to return to lush green land someday. They are among Colombia's more than 3 million desplazados, or displaced population. The founders of Give Us Names, a nonprofit organization trying to turn an international spotlight on the plight of displaced farmers in Colombia, want to make sure Joya's voice is heard. "We're an organization that believes in story telling as a means to bridge the gap between the United States and the developing world," Give Us Names co-director and editor Dan Roge said. Headquartered in Atlanta, Give Us Names released its first documentary, "Leaving La Floresta," in September. It tells Joya's story in an effort to end displacement in Colombia caused by illicit crop fumigations. These aerial fumigations are heavily funded as a part of Plan Colombia, a complex $7.5 billion program started in 1999 during the Clinton administration. Plan Colombia supports the nation's efforts against the drug trade by investing in various military and anti-drug operations. "The aerial eradication program run by the government of Colombia has been extraordinarily successful," said James Story, director of the Narcotic Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. He said coca cultivation in the South American country has decreased about 40% and cocaine production has dropped 60% since Plan Colombia's inception. He also said homicides are down by 50%, and terrorism and kidnappings are down more than 90%. Displacement in Colombia is extraordinarily complex, Story explained. He lists poverty, floods, land titling issues, violence over land, coca cultivation, and terrorism as a result of drug trafficking and child recruitment among the main drivers forcing people from their homes. "When you take displacement out of the rather scientific and sterile ways we tend to talk about it, what you're really talking about is human beings that are being pulled away from their trades," Roge said. "Things they know how to do, things that give them value ... and that is a deeply human and tragic issue of dignity." According to a 2010 United Nations report, Colombia has the world's highest rate of internal displacement. "We kept researching the top humanitarian crises in the world, and Colombia kept coming up again and again on the top of that list," documentary co-director Caleb Collier explained. Give Us Names spent months traveling, researching and filming in Colombia. "We knew we wanted to get specific, to find a story to tell. We had searched for someone who would open their lives to us and tell us about the issue of displacement." Give Us Names met Joya through a partner organization several months before his legal crops were fumigated. Their relationship helped narrow the organization's focus to displacement caused by fumigation. The documentary reports that Joya's neighbor's coca crop — plants whose leaves are processed to make cocaine — remained untouched by the herbicide. "If your neighbor is growing coca, every attempt possible is made only to spray the coca itself," Story said. "There is some drift that happens. It's very minimal, within 150 meters." Story added that a complete system in place in Colombia allows people to file formal complaints through their municipal government. If the claims are verified by vigorous review, the farmers get economic redress for any legal crops that have been damaged by the spray program. Story said few of these receive compensation for a variety of reasons, such as late filing, mixed legal and illegal crops, or lack of evidence of spray. According to documents from the anti-narcotics division of Colombia's Policía Nacional, in 2004, only one complaint out of 874 received payment. In 2009, 4,442 complaints were filed. Redress was paid to 107 of those. There are few statistics detailing what percentage of displacement is caused by fumigations. CODHES, a Colombian human rights nonprofit organization, estimates that 60% to 70% of displaced people from the Guaviare region in 2007 and 2008 were linked to erroneous fumigations. "Trying to get at the exact number of people who've been displaced because of spray event is very difficult," Story said. He placed a loose estimate at less than one-quarter of 1%. Out of the nearly 3.5 million desplazados, that's fewer than 9,000 people. Story also said USAID has invested $2.5 million in areas like La Floresta, where it works with 5,000 displaced people. "Certainly, our program has spent over $1.2 million focused on providing economic redress for those people who've been affected wrongly by the spray program," he said. "It's a very rare and unfortunate thing that happens. Each individual case is a tragedy in itself." "Leaving La Floresta" also explores alternative solutions. Give Us Names partners with other organizations to place displaced farmers in co-operative-style communities. "We want something better for Abelardo," Collier said. "And because we want something better for Abelardo, we're gonna work to make sure it happens. So we're storytellers, but we're characters within that story at the same time." Give Us Names insists it isn't criticizing the Colombian government. "We're not attacking them at all," Collier said. "We're saying on our side as U.S. citizens, we see that our policy's not going the way it should be. So let's talk with the Colombian government, the U.S. government, with different NGOs on the ground, and see what are the best ways to move forward." Acción Social, the government entity that assists displaced people, said it does not consider these types of displaced farmers among its statistics. CNN's Andrés Gay and Wes Little contributed to this report. | A new documentary shows the plight of displaced farmers in Colombia .
Some are dispaced because of aerial fumigations intended for illicit crops, group says .
The U.N. says Colombia has the world's highest rate of internal displacement . |
196,194 | 89e94eb653c4f481b80ca424dd3a60827f538a76 | (CNN) A developer who spent three years helping create Google+ has written a brutal blog post declaring the tech giant's social network a failure. In a lengthy, at times profane breakdown on blogging platform Medium, Chris Messina, the man credited as inventor of the hashtag, writes that Google missed a chance to make the service a one-stop home for its users' online identities and, instead, created a less-popular Facebook copycat. "Lately, I just feel like Google+ is confused and adrift at sea," Messina wrote. "It's so far behind, how can it possibly catch up?" The November 28 post was a follow-up to a tweet in which he had mistakenly called out a bug on Google+ that was actually caused by an external app. Even as he corrected himself, he called out Google for the network's missed opportunity. "I f---ed up," Messina wrote. "So has Google." Messina left Google over a year ago to join a startup. Before that, he had worked on the short-lived Google Buzz social product, then Google+. He wrote that while it was being developed under the code name "Emerald Sea," Google+ was internally being called "Google Me." The idea at the time, he said, was to make the site a sort of home base for users, where they would decide which information they'd like to share about themselves and with whom they'd like to share it. "It was like Google was saying, 'We're going to be your trusted partner in cyberspace, and we'll help you surface the right information to the people you choose, at the right time'," Messina wrote. "It was a functional search-oriented value proposition, rather than a social networking one. "Thus, for me, when I searched for my mom's phone number on Google, I actually find it -- because it would be on her profile and she would have shared it with me. Suddenly a query like 'mom phone number' would work." Instead, he wrote, Google+ became "a kind of Facebook-lite." "Why did the world need another Facebook, unless to benefit Google by making their ad targeting more effective?" Messina wrote. Google did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment for this article. Messina wrote that innovation appears to be slowing for the Web tool. In a chart, he said Google+ and Hangouts, its well-liked video chat tool, have been updated with six apps each in 2014, compared with 15 for YouTube and 16 for Chrome, both of which are also Google properties, and 19 for Facebook, 29 for Instagram and 33 for Twitter. Aside from his personal interest, Messina said he's disappointed because Facebook, with its more than 1.3 billion users, needs competition. "The future of digital identity should not be determined by one company (namely, Facebook)," he said. "I still believe that competition in this space is better for consumers, for startups, and for the industry. And Google still remains one of the few companies (besides Apple, perhaps) that stands a chance to take on Facebook in this arena -- but Google+, as I see it, has lost its way." | Former Google+ developer says the social tool has failed .
Hashtag inventor Chris Messina left Google over a year ago .
He says G+ could have been about identity, became "Facebook lite" |
228,891 | b45f8e1021d6215fa22a328e42f89c3aa8ba57ec | By . Christopher Leake . PUBLISHED: . 17:06 EST, 24 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:26 EST, 25 March 2012 . A pilot who saved the lives of 30 British soldiers by flying his helicopter one-handed has been awarded one of the RAF’s highest honours. Flight Lieutenant Dan Cullen’s Chinook was flying at 115mph just 50ft above the ground when his co-pilot – who had been shot by the Taliban – lost consciousness and slumped forward on to his controls. As the helicopter plummeted to the ground, Flt Lieut Cullen, who is nicknamed 'Dan Dare' by his comrades, pulled his co-pilot upright with one hand while fighting to regain control of the aircraft with the other. Courage: Flight Lieutenant Dan Cullen, who saved the lives of 30 British soldiers by flying his helicopter one-handed, has been honoured by the RAF . For his skill and courage he has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross – the RAF’s second-highest award. The drama began when Flt Lieut Cullen, a veteran of five tours of Afghanistan, was sent to pick up troops who had been clearing a Taliban bomb factory in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. As the soldiers sprinted to his Chinook, Taliban insurgents opened fire. Flt Lieut Cullen, 31, of 18(B) Squadron based at RAF Odiham, Hampshire, heard a bang and felt a bullet pass inches behind him. Another shot punched a hole in the cockpit window and wounded his co-pilot. He said: ‘I looked round and saw a hole in the window, then saw my co-pilot had been shot in the foot. The next 30 seconds were the longest of my life as I fought every natural instinct to take off.’ Holding his nerve under enemy fire, Flt Lieut Cullen waited until every soldier was safely on board. But shortly after taking off, his co-pilot lost consciousness. He slumped forward over the dual controls, causing the Chinook to suddenly plummet towards the ground. Flt Lieut Cullen reacted instantly, forcing his stricken colleague back into his seat with his left hand, while controlling the Chinook with his right. The drama began when Flt Lieut Cullen was sent in a Chinook helicopter to pick up troops who had been clearing a Taliban bomb factory in Helmand province (file picture) Eventually, the injured co-pilot was revived sufficiently to be pulled into the rear where he was treated by other crewmen in the dramatic rescue in April last year. DFC recipients are said to have carried out ‘acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy’. The citation for Flt Lieut Cullen, who is married to Emma, 29, states: ‘Throughout this incident Cullen maintained a sublime level of composure that was an inspiration to his crew. His personal courage, strong leadership, exceptional flying skills and rapid intervention were directly responsible for the safe recovery of the troops.’ The award was one of 131 operational honours handed out last week for the period from April 1 to September 31, 2011, for actions during Operation Herrick 14 in Afghanistan. They include the Queen’s Gallantry Medal given to an explosives specialist who spent eight hours in a narrow, pitch-black tunnel defusing a massive Taliban bomb in Helmand last August. The space was so tight that Captain James Fidell, 28, from York, could not wear body armour as he deactivated the 110lb device by hand in sweltering heat. | Flight Lieutenant Dan Cullen, 31, has received the Distinguished Flying Cross . |
164,001 | 6014faccc2ad4d2d36196822177e421e31946697 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Funny guys: No the CIA does not know whether Tupac, pictured, is alive or where he is, so stop asking, it revealed in a tweet on Monday . No the CIA does not know whether Tupac is alive or where he is, so stop asking. To mark its one month anniversary of joining Twitter Monday, the spy agency gave another display of its new-found humor by answering some of the more pressing questions its 668,000 followers have asked in the past 30 days. No these weren't about al Qaeda, or intelligence about iPhone bombs, the CIA dished the dirt on rappers, passwords and whether you could score a job at the sort-after Virginia headquarters. 'No we don't know where Tupac is,' one of a stream of Twitter posts read Monday. Another read: 'No, we don't know your password, so we can't send it to you. #sorrynotsorry' The CIA then apologized for not following back Ellen DeGeneres, but added to the talkshow star, 'If you visit us maybe we can take a selfie?' Another revealed that 'YES. We're hiring' for those keen to join the ranks. The CIA entered the Twittersphere last month in the tongue-in-cheek fashion that it has clearly upheld. Such an approach to public relations is rare for government departments or agencies, particularly the covert CIA. The spy agency's first foray took the social network by storm as it poked fun at its secrecy. 'We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet,' the CIA tweeted. The tweet was retweeted more than 300,000 times. The CIA also launched its official Facebook page, which is more akin to the sober outlets of other government agencies. Q&A: To mark its one month anniversary of joining Twitter Monday, the spy agency gave another display of its new-found humor by answering some of the more pressing questions its 668,000 followers have asked in the past 30 days . Sorry: The CIA then apologized for not following back Ellen DeGeneres, but added to the talkshow star, 'If you visit us maybe we can take a selfie?' Come join us: Another revealed that 'YES. We're hiring' for those keen to join the ranks. Joining the social media world was intended to make the agency more accessible to the public. On July Fourth, it had another interesting tweet. The spy agency helped solved what was a strange series of mysterious UFO sightings in Europe around the 1950s. At the time Norwegians documented what they believed were alien spacecrafts soaring across the sky. But thanks to one tweet, the CIA have explained exactly what was happening. 'Do you remember the reports of unusual activity in the sky in the 50's? That was us,' the Tweet said. Attached . to the tweet was a government writeup about the sightings, showing that . they were actually test flights of U2 reconnaissance planes. Makes sense: There were a series of UFO sightings in Norway in the 1950s. But with one post on Twitter, the CIA have explained them, saying they were merely testings of U-2 reconnaissance planes, such as the one pictured . The CIA tweets an explaination for some UFO sightings in the 1950s, complete with an official document . The planes flew above 60,000 feet, which wasn't thought possible at the time, so commercial pilots who saw something so far above them couldn't explain it. The effect was more pronounced at different times of the day and night, and if the U2 planes caught the rays of the sun, people on the ground were able to see silvery glints of light. The explanation was kept classified for decades to keep the spy programme a secret from the Soviets during the Cold War, according to the BBC. It is yet another tweet that caused a social media from the CIA since they joined Twitter. | To mark its one month anniversary of joining Twitter Monday, the spy agency gave another display of its new-found humor by answering five pressing questions it's been asked .
The CIA dished the dirt on rappers, passwords and whether you could score a job at the sought-after Virginia headquarters .
It also apologized for not following back Ellen DeGeneres but offered to have a selfie with her .
The once covert agency joined Twitter last month and have quickly become a 'must follow' |
19,768 | 3821b752c48e07d55400478ffecb120599ab96f7 | (CNN) -- Millions of Americans have been shocked by the devastation caused by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Having toured the area, it's impossible to put the scope of the damage in words. Not just homes but entire neighborhoods are gone. Americans also may have been surprised to hear about a disagreement in Washington about delivering disaster aid to victims. The good news is this disagreement doesn't exist. No one in Washington is opposing delivering aid to victims. In fact, there is no aid bill for Oklahoma to even debate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has $11.6 billion available in the fund for assistance to victims in all federally declared disasters, and this is likely more than sufficient to help victims in Oklahoma. As the ranking member of the Senate committee that oversees FEMA, I'm confident Oklahoma will receive the assistance it needs. The bad news is some in the media have persisted in reporting on this nonexistent funding fight -- although it might happen in the future if FEMA runs out of money. My view is that focusing on funding questions now is premature and insensitive. Although I've never been shy about telling reporters and my constituents where I stand on tough questions, focusing on a fight that isn't happening is crass and irresponsible journalism. Instead of reporting the facts about disaster spending, many news outlets have used the tragedy to talk about "dilemmas," "binds" and "divisions" among Republicans. At this point, these stories are only figments in the imaginations of a few journalists and editors who are having a difficult time keeping their opinions to themselves. Case in point is Wednesday's Washington Post story, where I learned about my alleged dilemma on tornado aid. But The Post buried the real news in the 15th paragraph, which reads: . "At this point, all these questions are theoretical. There is no Oklahoma disaster relief bill. There may never be one. ... At the moment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a large stockpile of funds to pay for disaster response; members of Congress estimated it at $11.6 billion." The article goes on to say that most legislators agree that the fund is adequate to handle the Oklahoma disaster, and it quotes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as saying "Right now, we don't need the money." In other words, the real news is no Oklahoma disaster relief bill exists and, as Reid says, "we don't need the money." Still, I have no objection to stating unequivocally that if FEMA runs out of money, I will encourage my colleagues to pay for any new assistance for Oklahoma, or anywhere else by reducing lower-priority spending rather than borrowing new money. Let me explain why this principle is important. Under congressional budget rules, if disaster funds are exhausted, Congress can pass an "emergency supplemental spending" bill that does not count against that year's budget caps. In other words, Congress can simply borrow new money without setting priorities or making hard choices about where to cut the budget elsewhere. At a time when we're losing $200 billion a year because of waste and duplication, not setting priorities doesn't make sense in any circumstance. Why respond to one disaster by creating another one for taxpayers? Some have suggested it is hypocritical for me to support disaster aid in my state after opposing the Sandy emergency aid bill for the Northeast. But my position has been the same for my entire service in Congress, starting when I pushed for offsets to the Oklahoma City bombing supplemental bill in 1995. My position has never been to oppose all forms of disaster aid. My position has been to oppose politicians who use disasters to spend money that has nothing to do with helping victims of disasters. The hard truth is both parties have abused the emergency spending process in Congress for many years. For instance, when the Gulf Coast was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many in Washington were appalled by my suggestion that times of tragedy and disaster are precisely the times for politicians to tighten their belts and make hard choices. One of the sacrifices I proposed was to divert funds from a $223 million bridge in Alaska -- known as the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- to a bridge over Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. My colleagues fumed: How dare I force such choices? My response was -- and is: How dare we not force such choices? The Superstorm Sandy package, unfortunately, is another recent example. I supported a scaled-down $25 billion version of disaster aid for Sandy, but I strongly opposed a $50 billion package that was an all-you-can-eat buffet for politicians and politically connected contractors. Much of the larger Sandy package had little to do with helping victims of the disaster. More than $5 billion was directed to the Army Corps of Engineers -- more than the Corps' annual budget. Even NASA was in on the game. NASA said its damage from the storm was minimal, but Congress wanted to give it $15 million anyway. The most revealing aspect was more than 70% of the $50 billion would not be spent for two years, which meant it was an economic stimulus package, not a disaster aid bill. I don't believe anyone in the Senate wants or anticipates a Sandy- or Katrina-like fight about emergency spending offsets for Oklahoma. Still, if any politicians in Washington hope to use Oklahoma's tragedy as vehicle for pork, don't bother. State Rep. Mark McBride from Moore, Oklahoma, put it best this week on MSNBC: "We don't want anything. We don't want anything extra. We just want to rebuild our city. And whatever they can do for us they can cough up, and whatever they don't, we`ll make it up. That`s the way we roll here." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sen. Tom Coburn. | Sen. Tom Coburn: Despite reports, nobody in Congress is debating Oklahoma disaster aid .
Coburn: FEMA has $11.6 billion for assistance, more than enough to help tornado victims .
But if FEMA fund runs out, Coburn will stick by policy to deny aid without cuts elsewhere .
Coburn: I opposed Sandy aid package because it was an "all-you-can-eat buffet" |
238,652 | c0ec1c2c7f2e99cc5b6e0592b93c9f6ce12d45f9 | By . Corey Charlton . Angelina Corpuz was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid community work for her 'appalling' behaviour . A nursing home employee has admitted to 'snapping' and spitting at an 85-year-old dementia sufferer she was supposed to be caring for. Angelina Corpuz, 59, assaulted the elderly man, who suffered from dementia and had severe mobility and communication issues, while she was working nights at his nursing home. Corpuz and another care assistant were taking him to his room when he became frustrated and began spitting at them. She eventually 'snapped' after coming 'to the end of her tether' and spat back at the frail father. Her concerned colleague alerted bosses at Wilton Manor Nursing Home, in Southampton, and she was sacked from her job. Corpuz admitted spitting at the man at Southampton Crown Court. She insisted she didn't mean for any saliva to land on the elderly man and claims she only retaliated to show him that he shouldn't spit. But in her victim impact statement read to court, the victim's daughter, who does not want to be named, said: 'I can't help wondering if the assault contributed to his death.' After the case, she added: 'My dad was a lovely, caring man who lived for his family. 'We kept him at home for so long with mum but there came a point where he needed proper care and we put our trust in the staff at the nursing home, and on that night that trust was betrayed. 'You are literally handing over the life of someone you love into someone else's hands and that is one of the most difficult decisions. 'I can't begin to imagine what my dad went through on that evening, he must have been terrified. 'It was a gross act of inhumanity that has disgusted and appalled me.' Judge Derwin Hope said that Corpuz had 'recklessly assaulted' the victim, who had been in the home for eight months, but accepted that it 'arose from the strain' of her job. He added: 'It was a terrible way to treat anyone, particularly one so vulnerable and who relied upon you to treat him with care and decency, as did his family.' Corpuz, who now works as a cleaner, was sentenced to complete 120 hours of unpaid community work. She was ordered to pay 200 pounds costs and a 60 pound victim surcharge. A spokesperson for the nursing home said: 'Everyone at the home was shocked by Angelina Corpuz's behaviour last year. 'None of us can understand how an experienced and fully trained care assistant could behave this way. Corpuz was working at Wilton Manor Nursing Home, pictured, in Southampton, when the assault took place . 'Our people used our whistle-blowing system to raise concerns about this individual's behaviour and we acted immediately by suspending this person and calling in the police. 'The actions of this individual last year do not reflect the home or the committed people who work here. 'Our residents' welfare is always our number one priority.' | Elderly man suffering from severe dementia spat at by nursing home carer .
Victim's daughter said she was 'disgusted and appalled' by woman's actions .
Angelina Corpuz, 59, was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid community work . |
122,128 | 29dfcd82babad7f8b17d8a05e664bf73e07c98d9 | The Frenchman murdered alongside three members of a British-Iraqi family in the Alps had been involved in a 'bitter dispute' over a million pounds plus inheritance, it emerged today. Sylvain Mollier, 45, was the lone cyclist whose dead body was found lying next to a BMW saloon close to Lake Annecy, in eastern France, on September 5th. He was shot seven times, while the other victims were shot twice: Said Al-Hilli, a 50-year-old engineer from Claygate, Surrey, was killed inside the car with his wife Ikbal, 47, and her mother, Suhaila, 74. Murder scene: Investigators examine the car in which Said Al-Hilli was killed along with with his wife Iqbal, 47, and her mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, 74 . Now it has emerged that Mr Mollier was involved in family arguments caused by having a baby with a wealthy heiress sixteen years his junior. Claire Schutz, the 29-year-old who shared a home with Mr Mollier, gave birth to Louis, their first child together, in June. Just a few months before she gave birth, Claire was given a hugely lucrative business by her parents, making her a millionaire. Court documents from October 2011 confirm the handover of the Schutz-Morange Pharmacy, in Grignon, near Annecy, which is valued at a minimum £1.1million. The couple had been living together for around a year by this time and Claire would have been pregnant with Louis, yet she describes herself as a 'a spinster not signed up to a civil partnership'. Despite this, Mr Mollier started to receive large amounts of cash from Claire — a development which did not go down well with her side of the family. Just . before his death, Mr Mollier had also won the legal right to take three . years off from the factory where he worked to look after Louis, and his . two teenage sons from his first marriage. The Schutz family have been receiving advice from controversial politician Pierre Morange, left. Saad Al-Hilli, 50, right, was shot twice by the gunman, but cyclist Sylvain Mollier was shot seven times . Mollier was riding a new £4,000 racing bike on the day he was murdered. Ironically, Mollier was following a cycling route suggested to him by Thierry Schutz when he was killed, although police sources say he had deviated from that route into the forest lay-by. 'Sylvain's relationship with Claire was of growing concern to her side of the family and especially her parents,' said a senior figure on the Grignon local council, where Thierry Schutz served as a councillor for two years. 'Sylvain came from a down-to-earth family . but had growing claims on Claire's fortune. This was something Claire's . family was not happy about. 'They were particularly concerned . about Sylvain's spending. There was a bitter dispute over what was going . on and this got worse when Sylvain took three years off to effectively . live off Claire's money.' Speaking . about the handover of the pharmacy, Mollier's brother Christophe told . The Sunday Times: 'Sylvain had been through a difficult divorce and had a . lot of financial commitments so naturally was very happy with the . development. However, there were serious frictions between the Molliers . and Claire Schutz's family.' Claire Schutz, 29, who lived with Mr Mollier, gave birth to Louis, their first child together, just four months before the Frenchman was killed near Lake Annecy, pictured . The Schutz family, who now refuse to speak about the murders, have been receiving advice from Pierre Morange, the brother of Genevieve Morange. A political ally of Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, he is the MP and town mayor for Chambourcy, near Paris. Morange found himself drawn into another high-profile murder case five years ago when Christian Marichal, the chief of police in Chambourcy, was found stabbed to death at his home. The murder came shortly after both men had been accused of corruption, allegations they both denied. A year later, Morange, who said he feared for his life after Marichal's murder, was granted a special permit to carry a handgun. Mr Morange declined to comment on the latest killings. Eric Maillaud, the prosecutor leading the investigation, confirmed he was aware of the tensions between the families, but added 'they were not something I particularly wanted to make public. The family is entitled to their private life.' The Al-Hillis' two daughters survived the attack — the youngest, Zeena, 4, by hiding beneath her mother's body; the eldest, Zainab, 7, despite injuries from being shot in the shoulder and 'pistol whipped'. | Sylvain Mollier was shot a total of seven times; other victims were shot twice .
The cyclist, 45, had just had a baby with wealthy heiress, 29 .
He was riding a new £4,000 racing bike on the day he was murdered . |
101,701 | 0f15b8cd7bd6a54f2c03a8f0978849eeba9705ee | Davos, Switzerland (CNN) -- LeWeb founder Loic Le Meur is looking to "digital hippies" as a potential theme for his next conference. The French entrepreneur runs the biggest tech gathering in Europe and he's cautious to firm up a tagline too early. But when CNN caught up with him at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which he has attended for 11 years, he revealed what's on his mind. Why Davos matters in social media age . Le Meur is seeing a trend of entrepreneurs who reject money, fame and power -- they just want to be happy. They are digital hippies. Taking inspiration from events such as Nevada's art and music festival "Burning Man," which he attended for the first time in 2012, Le Meur told CNN digital hippies are: "Vegan, they don't drink alcohol, they want to know where their food comes from, they are trying to go slow when we are going fast." He referenced Apple's Steve Jobs and Virgin's Richard Branson as examples of those who began business as digital hippies. Digital hippies are creating a sharing economy -- one that includes creations like Wikipedia, Airbnb and Lyft -- without a focus on exchanging cash. At Burning Man, Le Meur "took $500 and came back with $500." The event, packed full of successful entrepreneurs, changed how he saw the world, Le Meur said. "It is a little crazy." Trump: Europe is open for business . Le Meur said the theme may be a bit risky, and he's a "little scared" it will scare his sponsors. Although "Peace, Tech and Love" seems a good tag, he added. Digital hippies are not the only trend on his radar. The return of hardware is another. In the world of apps, hardware can be unattractive for investors. But Le Meur points to the ability of hardware creations to entirely disrupt supply chains. "We build websites, then apps, and now we are back to hardware," Le Meur said. 3-D printing, for example, could revolutionize the way we buy products. "You need a knife and fork? You can print it. A glass? You can print it." Davos, a gathering of the world's elite, could not be further from the idea of digital hippies, but it serves an important role, Le Meur says. "It is the only place you can meet so many stakeholders. Instead of reading or watching the news you are in the news," he says. "I take out of it a lot of innovation, a lot of ideas, that you can use. But I don't come here with a specific goal. I come here very curious and try to learn." | LeWeb founder Loic Le Meur is looking to "digital hippies" as a potential theme for his next conference .
Le Meur is seeing a trend of entrepreneurs who reject money, fame and power .
Digital hippies are not the only trend on his radar. The return of hardware is another .
Le Meur is a Davos veteran and says the forum is valuable for building relationships . |
37,898 | 6b4497824290f1a45d077cf638cc003b0ee87f3e | (CNN) -- Ever since the 2003 invasion of Iraq exposed deep-rooted religious and ethnic divisions, analysts have suggested giving up on the colonial-era borders of modern Iraq and dividing the country. Jihadists have felt the opposite, that the region should be united into a new caliphate -- indeed that is precisely what the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) declared this week. Both are wrong. The lines drawn by the British and French colonial powers in 1916 became, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the borders of new Arab states. Over the years, these lines splitting the Levant into Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq have been enormously contentious, to the extent that it is often argued the region might be better without them. Either removing these lines altogether and returning to the world of the early 20th century, or drawing them smaller and tighter still. Certainly the idea of closer union among the Arab countries has been tried, in various forms, over the decades since the close of the Second World War. But what should work in theory hasn't worked in practice -- the most ambitious attempt, the United Arab Republic, practically destroyed liberal, secular politics for a generation. Conversely, the lines in the sand of Sykes-Picot, which should not have worked in practice, have held, broadly, for decades. That doesn't mean they are perfect. But at a time of immense upheaval in the Middle East, they may be better than the alternative. The end of the caliphate necessitated a new search for political organization in the region. But if the joining together of all the Arab lands in a new caliphate is not a realistic answer to the real political questions of the Middle East, nor is the oft-proposed division of Iraq into smaller statelets. Dividing Iraq . Ever since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the division of Iraq into three parts -- roughly, a Kurdish north, a Sunni middle and a Shia south -- has been proposed earnestly, often by people with barely any knowledge of the region, its peoples and societies. The casualness with which the suggestion of such an immense change is made mirrors the callous approach taken by the colonial surveyors who first drew these borders, seeking to change the lives of nations with the stroke of a pen. As recently as 2006, the U.S. vice-president Joseph Biden argued that Iraq should be partitioned, and even the German foreign minister, two weeks ago, in a tone that suggests he was simply exasperated with the complexity of the situation, said it might be difficult to prevent Iraq splitting apart. Such a project, however, faces immense technical as well as human challenges, which are rarely addressed. Any division of Iraq has to take into account people, politics and economics. In the most often suggested scenario, the northern Kurdish region would take the oil-fields around Kirkuk in the north, the Shia state would take the capital Baghdad and the main port in the southern city of Basra, leaving a Sunni rump state in the west, denuded of resources with which to survive. Moreover, the new smaller Shia state in the south would come under Iran's influence, extending Tehran's reach into a state that would now border Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The idea that this division would solve anything is a dangerous fantasy. As things stand today, an attempt to divide Iraq would not occur calmly but would be a furious scramble for the country's resources, as well as a rush by Iraq's neighbors for influence over the three new states in their midst. It would not solve the problem. Rather it would entrench the failures of politicians, writing failed policies across the lines of a map. Mass migration . Moreover, drawing new borders along religious lines would mean a mass movement of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people. An estimated one million Iraqis are already on the move within Iraq, internally displaced from their homes. Any attempt to divide Iraq into different countries would mean many more. To ask or force so many to move, even from, say, Baghdad to Basra, would mean uprooting them from jobs, friends and families. It would need a strategy to ensure that there are sufficient jobs waiting, that there are schools for the children to attend, that there are apartments and houses for people to live in. Mass migration cannot be accomplished safely by speeches alone. Even with the most extensive planning, the results would likely be chaotic. As Feisal Istrabadi, former deputy Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations, pointed out two weeks ago: "If Iraq falls apart, it will not fall apart into three neat pieces. What you're much more likely to see is a Somalia in Iraq." Iraqis are simply too mixed together. Even today, more than a decade after the invasion of Iraq, the same mistakes of understanding are made. One is to imagine a neat division of Sunnis, Shia and Kurds, mixing up ethnic and religious categories. The Kurds, after all, are mainly Sunni Muslims and both Sunni and Shia Muslims and Christians are Arabs. Add to that mix the other minorities of Iraq, the Yezidis, the Armenians, the Circassians. In a divided Iraq, where would they go? If the answer is that they could stay as minorities in the areas they currently live, why couldn't that formulation equally apply to Sunnis in Shia areas and Shia in Sunni areas? Another is to imagine that such neat distinctions continue in real life. In fact, until the Iraq war unleashed political forces that fanned the flames of sectarianism, the idea of division along sect or religion was broadly unknown in Iraq. Baghdad, like most of the big cities, was religiously mixed. 'Iraqis must make decision' It wasn't a utopia -- it was, after all, ruled by Saddam's iron fist -- but to imagine that life, for decades, was merely a bubbling cauldron of resentment waiting to explode is to do a great disservice to Iraqi society, defining it solely by its divisions, as if the lines of religion or ethnicity could never be surmounted. In fact, they were, both individually -- Sunnis and Shias married each other, as did Christians and Muslims -- and city-wide. Divisions in Iraq were, as in most countries of the world, more about economics than race or religion. None of that means that partitioning Iraq should not be considered. But it has to come with the understanding that it is Iraqis themselves who must make the decision and that rearranging what were lines in the sand is a serious business, because the new borders will have to be drawn across the bodies of real people. It is always easier to speak of division than to speak of good policy. But that is what is needed now. The colonial-era divisions were a mess. But seeking to change them now, at this moment, is a recipe for a generation of war. For better or worse, the Middle East is stuck with the lines drawn by Sykes-Picot. | Iraq's borders were mapped out by the British and French colonial powers during WWI .
Faisal Al Yafai writes that the borders -- though contentious and flawed -- have broadly held .
Plans for an Arab caliphate or dividing Iraq into statelets are not realistic, he says .
Seeking to change them now is a recipe for a generation of war, Al Yafai writes . |
157,760 | 57fea422e4d6b938f0ed92d4fdf6861b9ca1f529 | The temperatures in London still signal winter but Victoria Beckham is hailing the beginning of spring. The fashion designer has commissioned a new art installation for the front of her 36 Dover Street clothes store to signal the start of SS15 season. Last season, Victoria worked with Shirazeh Houshiary on a Christmas tree at the shop, this time she collaborated with acclaimed set designer Andy Hillman on a floral design. Scroll down for video . Victoria Beckham has installed a giant pink foxglove in her London shop that was designed by Andy Hillman. He also created vinyl foxglove pictures for the store's front window . The designer created a giant foxglove, complete with pollinating bees, to sit at the bottom of the main staircase in the store. The sculpture has been suspended from the ceiling to make it look like it is growing up from the stark concrete floor. Andy also designed a vinyl foxglove floral to cover the glass window at the front of the shop, which continues out onto the stairs that lead up to the door. Victoria's upside down Christmas tree installation created a mass of public attention when it was built at the store for the festive season. The foxglove installation is designed to coincide with the beginning of the SS15 fashion season . The large sculpture comes complete with giant fake pollinating bees . It was similar to the tree that Shirazeh Houshiary created for the Tate in 1993, which Victoria referenced when thinking of Christmas decorations for the store last autumn. Victoria, 40, opened her Dover Street boutique in September, the first standalone store for her high-fashion brand which has been winning critical acclaim since it launched in 2008. The store houses handbags, sunglasses and the Victoria Victoria Beckham collection on the ground level and her main collection upstairs. Victoria Beckham poses for the camera in her Dover Street store . In an exclusive tour of the Dover Street space back in September, the designer told MailOnline why she shunned traditional features such as a till and a window display in favour of a more contemporary space. ‘It’s the first time people can see the brand through my eyes,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want a traditional shop window, just a plain window, and a huge concrete sliding door.’ On the subject of tills, she added: ‘We’re not going to have any ugly tills anywhere. Payment is with an iPad, so we can go to the customer on whatever floor she’s on.’ Last season, Victoria worked with Shirazeh Houshiary on a Christmas tree at the shop . | Victoria Beckham has installed a giant pink foxglove in her London shop .
The star commissioned the piece from set designer Andy Hillman .
The artwork was created to coincide with the Spring/Summer 2015 season . |
18,335 | 33dc1310c35bc9c0521db18c6ceccc157c53f230 | With her rosy cheeks, bronzed skin, gorgeous defined brows and expertly applied eye make-up, the Duchess of Cambridge never fails to look flawless. And despite a legion of 'copy-Kates' best efforts to discover what gives her that famous glow, the Duchess of Cambridge’s beauty essentials have been kept under wraps. Until now. FEMAIL can reveal exactly what's inside Kate's make-up bag and the brains behind her favourite products share their tips for getting the royal's look at home. Scroll down for video . Flawless: The Duchess of Cambridge has been showcasing an unrivalled glow on her Royal tour and now FEMAIL can reveal exactly how she gets the look . Kate, 32, is said to be keeping her skin in tip-top condition on her tour of Australia and New Zealand with the help of her favourite Lancome Hydra Zen face cream and Advanced Genifique serum. The new mother was reportedly sent the products, which she is said to have been a firm fan of for years, in mid-March. The £39.50 face cream claims to moisturise and soothe skin for long-lasting hydration, perfect for those long, sunny days on tour and for getting over the drying effects of a long-haul flight. Enriched with naturally-derived plant extracts, it promises to relieve skin from environmental skin aggravation and, if used every morning, it will apparently help create a radiant, glowing complexion. Get the glow: Kate is said to use Lancome Hydra Zen face cream, £39.50, and Advanced Genifique serum, £59, which claim to help beat wrinkles and even skin tone . Royal seal of approval: Kate is said to be a long-standing fan of the brand's Hypnose Mascara and Artliner, which she wore at her wedding and apparently recently stocked up on in Peter Jones . The £59 . serum is said to help restore youthfulness, with supposed benefits including smoothing fine lines and deep wrinkles, boosting radiance and increasing elasticity. As for her make-up, Kate is said to be a long-standing fan of the brand's Hypnose Mascara and Artliner, which she also wore at her wedding. The Duchess reportedly snapped up a fresh supply of the products from a beauty adviser in Peter Jones a couple of months ago, ahead of the tour. Get the royal look: Kate loves a statement eye, which she is said to achieve with the Lancome products, while she turns to Bobbi Brown for foundations and lip glosses . The £20 Artliner is akin to a felt tip and thanks to its fast-drying benefits, promises never to smudge - ideal for Kate's long days on tour and countless photo opportunities. Speaking about Kate's beauty look, and how you can achieve it at home, Shehla Shaikh, Lancome Head of Elite Team, said: 'The Duchess of Cambridge's look is classic and elegant with a daytime smoky eye, which compliments her bright wardrobe during the tour. 'Starting with fresh matte skin, the eyes are smudged softly with a charcoal shadow to add softness. Bee beauty: Kate has also previously been reported to love the organic Heaven bee venom facial she was given by skin care guru Deborah Mitchell, as recommended by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall . 'Then the top and bottom lash line are defined with a liquid liner (this could be achieved by Lancome Artliner) and several coats of black mascara (this could be achieved by Lancome Hypnose mascara). 'Freshness is added with a rose pink blush on the apple of the cheeks and matching lips to balance the whole look.' Kate has also previously been reported to love the organic bee . venom facial she was given by skin care guru Deborah Mitchell, as recommended by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla . has long been a fan of beauty therapist Deborah Mitchell, who treats . her regularly with the facial, hailed as a ‘non-surgical . facelift’ - the organic alternative to Botox. Other make-up bag essentials come courtesy of Bobbi Brown, who revealed that Kate is a big fan. The beauty brand, which is fronted by Katie Holmes, released a statement after the Royal Wedding saying that one of their make-up artists 'provided make-up artistry assistance to members of the bridal party'. The former Kate Middleton apparently loves their Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation, Sheer Colour Lip Gloss, and Creamy Matte Lip Colour. They also helped her achieve her statement brows and the secret of Kate's face-framing look is a £15.50 eyebrow shadow powder. The Duchess may look like she was born with dark, defined brows, but in fact she was taught how to use clever products to boost them, as her own natural brows are fairer and slightly patchy. Before and after: The Duchess (pictured, right, this week, may look like she was born with dark, defined brows, but in fact she was taught how to boost them with Bobbi Brown products, as her own natural brows are fairer and slightly patchy (as seen, left, in 2007) Kate is a frequent visitor to the Bobbi Brown counter at the . Peter Jones store in London’s Sloane Square. It is understood that . staff taught her to apply a deep brown shadow, designed for the brows, in a shade called 'Saddle' with a slanted make-up brush to 'fill-in' her brows. The products seem to be working their magic; the Duchess of Cambridge looked flawless as she and husband William, along with baby Prince George flew into Australia's capital Canberra on Sunday following an action packed day at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Touch down: The Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge with baby son Prince George arrive in Canberra last night in preparation for the next leg of the Royal Visit to Australia . Lancome Hydra Zen face cream, £39.50Lancome Advanced Genifique serum, £59Lancome Hypnose Mascara, £22Lancome Artliner, £20Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation, £30Bobbi Brown Sheer Colour Lip Gloss, £18Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Colour, £19Bobbi Brown Dark Brow Kit, £35 . Total: £242.50 . | Kate loves Lancome Hydra Zen face cream and Advanced Genifique serum .
Also uses Lancome mascara and eyeliner .
Favours Bobbi Brown foundation and lip gloss .
Landed in Canberra, Australia last night on next leg of Royal tour . |
28,597 | 511e74c3d771021f18fbec080e27850ced86acb7 | If you’ve completed Angry Birds, crushed all the candy, and your life is missing a must-play app, Trivia Crack might be the answer. The fun trivia game pits you against other players across 22 countries with questions covering a range of topics including science, geography, history, art and entertainment. It has more than 100 million players, and the developer said it adds an extra 800,000 a day. Scroll down for video . Trivia Crack is available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Players connect, using Facebook or email, and can compete against a friend or random opponent. Once a match is set, the first player is shown a wheel (left), which they spin to decide which category they'll play first. Each player is then shown a timed questions (right) Trivia Crack launched in Argentina in 2013 and is developed by Etermax. The English-speaking version launched last summer, and now the app is available in the UK. After its downloaded, players connect, using either Facebook or email, and can start competing against a friend or random opponent. Once a match is set, the first player is shown a wheel, nicknamed Willy, which they spin to decide which category they'll play first. The categories include science, entertainment, art, geography, sports and history. Each category has a corresponding character and all answers are timed. The first person who collects all six characters wins the game. As a player answer questions, they are rewarded with characters in each category. British questions include: ‘Which magazine greeted the birth of Prince George with the front page headline, ‘WOMAN HAS BABY?’; ‘Which footballer is known for the phrase ‘Why always me’?’ and ‘Who would Cheryl Cole want to be reborn as?’ The app is available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. After its downloaded, players connect, using either Facebook or email, and can compete against a friend or random opponent. This requires an internet connection. Once a match is set, the first player will be shown a wheel, nicknamed Willy, which they spin to decide which category they'll play first. The categories include science, entertainment, art, geography, sports and history. Each category has a corresponding character and all answers are timed. The first person who collects all six characters wins the game. To date, more than 200,000 questions have been suggested, and 2,000 new questions are added to the game each day. The categories include science, entertainment, art, geography, sports and history. Each category has a corresponding character (left) and the first person who collects all six characters wins the game. Each player also has a profile (right) that shows how many games they've won, and which categories are their strongest . Each player also has a profile that shows how many games they've won, and lost, and which categories are their strongest. Players can additionally add friends and chat to other users. ‘Since adapting Trivia Crack for English-speaking audiences in mid-2014, we have quickly discovered that there is high demand from hardcore and casual app gamers alike for a fun, insightful trivia game in countries outside of Latin America,’ said Maximo Cavazzani from Etermax. Trivia Crack launched in Argentina in 2013 and is developed by Etermax. The English-speaking version launched last summer, and now the app is available in the UK (example questions are pictured) | The free game is available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone .
Players answers questions in categories including art, science and history .
Categories are chosen by a spinning wheel on the app’s screen .
As a player answers questions, they are rewarded with characters .
More than 2,000 new questions are added to the app each day . |
197,622 | 8bc8c2ca6712f8f149b61308d910f1537e5918f5 | Ever wondered if you're akin to the rest of the fans who support your team? Well thanks to a survey from YouGov you can discover if you like the same food, hobbies as well as a lot more. Based on a sample size of 390 fans, below Sportsmail have picked out 12 of the most eye-catching responses from Aston Villa supporters. Aston Villa fans like to exercise, love Holly Willoughby and eat custard according to a YouGov survey . What are their favourite foods? According to the figures Aston Villa fans top three dishes are Yuk Sung, custard as well as cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. What are their favourite hobbies? Exercising, playing an instrument and writing fiction are the favourite things Villa supporters like to do when they're away from Villa Park. What pet are they most likely to own? The pet they are most likely to own is a dog. What are their political views? Aston Villa fans are right-wing. Personality-wise what are they like? On the whole Aston Villa fans describe themselves as calming, well-balanced and easy-going but on occasion can be quick-tempered, tetchy and nasty. What car are they most likely to drive? Aston Villa's fans are most likely to be seen driving around in a Citroen. What are their top five favourite movies? Aston Villa's array of favourite films are Collateral, Chinatown, The Man who would be King, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and A Clockwork Orange. What are their top five favourite TV shows? Entertainment shows dominate the television screens in the households of Villa supporters with Celebrity Juice, Absolutely Fabulous and The Simpsons making the top five shows watched alongside Soccer AM and 1990's drama Bugs. What are their top five favourite music artists? Aston Villa fans tend to have an appreciation of music from yesteryear with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Television, The Fall and Focus featuring alongside electronic band Ladytron. Who are their top five favourite celebrities? Holly Willoughby, Lucy Lawless, Lisa Riley, Ed Helms and David Dickinson make the top five list. Who are the top five people they follow on Twitter? Business magnate Rupert Murdoch is the only person to make this list with the HM Treasury, Breaking News, The Poke and BBC's TV show The Apprentice completing it. What newspapers and magazines do they prefer to read? Aston Villa fans have a varying choice of reading material they like to choose from preferring to read The Sun as well as Times Higher Education. | Results based on a survey from YouGov who asked 390 Aston Villa fans .
Exercising, playing an instrument and writing fiction are favourite hobbies .
Yesteryear bands such as Television and The Fall are favourite artists . |
48,826 | 89d7f8088281924ad3b9ad552bc8dd3365391440 | This is the moment a £120,000-a-week Premier League footballer received an unexpected delivery from above. Manchester United midfielder Ashley Young was ranting at his team’s sloppy defence during their 2-1 defeat to Swansea City yesterday afternoon when bird excrement appeared to land in his mouth. In images captured by BT Sport that quickly spread on Twitter, the bird’s delivery landed right on the inside of the 29-year-old England international's lower lip from quite some distance away. Scroll down for video . Laser aim: As Ashley Young rants at the shaky Manchester United defence, the bird excrement can be seen flying towards his open mouth . Hitting the target: England international Young continues to shout as the 'delivery' lands on his tongue . Among those to spot the incident were Match of the Day presenter and former England footballer Gary Lineker, 53, who retweeted a Vine clip called ‘Bird s*** on Ashley Young’s mouth’. Journalist Rob Dawson said: 'Ashley Young was at fault for a goal, appears to have had bird muck fired in his mouth and has now hurt his shoulder. Not a good day.' Account Pablo Dominguez added: 'The bird pooping in Ashley Young's mouth was definitely today's highlight.' And US cartoonist Rob Torneo said: 'So a bird just pooped in Ashley Young's mouth. Who says soccer is boring?' Special delivery: Ashley Young (left) was targeted by a very accurate bird during Manchester United's 2-1 home defeat by Swansea City on the opening afternoon of the Barclays Premier League season . Frustration: Young (left) cut an annoyed figure as lacklustre United slipped to defeat in Van Gaal's first game . New United boss Louis van Gaal's first Premier League game in charge of his team ended in a 2-1 defeat to Swansea, with his side looking well short of title material. Gylfi Sigurdsson, back at Swansea after signing from Tottenham Hotspur, fired in the 72nd minute winner to stun the hosts who had drawn level through Wayne Rooney shortly after halftime. After an encouraging pre-season there was a renewed air of confidence around Old Trafford as fans looked for a winning start from Dutchman Van Gaal and his much heralded 3-5-2 formation. But by half-time the mood had changed with United trailing and the formation abandoned after 45 minutes of slow and shapeless football. United looked little improved on the team that finished seventh last season, although the absence of striker Robin van Persie and several others through injury clearly hampered them. Bad start: The loss to Swansea was not the result Louis Van Gaal envisaged in his first match in charge . Winner: Gylfi Sigurdsson settled the game in Swansea's favour as United's defence crumbled . | Ashley Young was ranting at Manchester United's poor defence yesterday .
What appeared to be bird excrement landed in his mouth during match .
Young played 90 minutes as United slipped to 2-1 loss against Swansea .
The clip was captured by BT Sport and soon went viral on Twitter . |
64,218 | b65c77eb2462331a8a368f7ab29910685369335e | By . Beci Wood . Aggressive, ill and noisy passengers have been named as train travellers' biggest bug-bears, according to a new survey. A study of Australian commuters found a whopping 41 per cent of people were infuriated by pushy people while coughing or sneezing ranked just one per cent behind. And next time you . think your journey home is a good time take to mouth off on the phone, think again. Aggressive passengers: Train travellers moaned about those who push to get to their seats or barge angrily through the doors . Loud music: A large proportion of people surveyed moaned about people who play music at high volumes . 1. Aggressive passengers - 41%2. Ill passengers - 40%3. People on the phone - 38%4. Loud music - 35%5. Not wearing deodorant - 30%6. Noisy phone games: 20%7. Standing too close - 18%8. Using multiple seats - 17%9. Chatty passengers - 6%10. People squeezing past to sit down - 6%11. People who sit in seats facing me: 6%12. Making eye contact: 2%13. Feet/bags on seats: 1%14. People who don’t offer seat to elderly/pregnant women: 1%15. Overcrowding: 1% . Listening to . loud music and not wearing deodorant rounded off the top five annoyances in the . poll by customer satisfaction specialists Canstar Blue. Passengers who unnecessarily get . too close to others or those who take up multiple seats while using a computer or reading a newspaper . also rank highly. Interestingly only one third of those . surveyed moaned about frequent delays and cancellations. And only a small proportion cited cleanliness as a irritation on their journey. Passengers who strike up a conversation with a stranger were also provoked anger with nine per cent surveyed. A few unhappy travellers even said they hated it when people squeezed past them to get to a seat or seating in the seats opposite them. While just one per cent shamed people who don't offer their seats to elderly or pregnant passengers or overcrowding within the carriages. But what's more surprising is what bug-bears didn't feature in the results. Drunk and . disorderly passengers or those who ate smelly food didn't get get a mention! Surprise omission: Passengers who drink and eat on trains didn't get a mention in the survey's results . Train travel: Australian passengers have been quizzed about their biggest travelling bug-bears . | A whopping 41% of people find pushy passengers the worst .
Coughing and sneezing ranks second in poll of Australian commuters .
38% said loud phone conversations made their blood boil .
But drunk passengers and stinky food didn't get a mention in the survey . |
102,286 | 0fd3a209c873fb5229ea4d752f486645002c03f9 | By . Jessica Jerreat . PUBLISHED: . 08:54 EST, 14 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:58 EST, 14 August 2013 . A bride who has been paralyzed from the waist down since the age of 17 has kept the vow she made when she first learned she was disabled, and walked down the aisle at her wedding at the weekend. While most brides would be fussing about the last minute details in the days before their wedding, for Stevie Beale, from Toledo, Ohio, her focus was solely on whether she would be able to make it down the aisle. Waiting for her at the other end was 32-year-old Jared VanAusdale, who she credits with bringing her 'back to life'. Scroll down for video . Big day: Stevie Beale walks down the aisle with her father . Fairytale ending: Stevie has her first dance with husband Jared VanAusdale . Steps to a new life: Stevie goes to a rehabilitation center three times a week to help her walk . 'I was trying not to bawl like a baby in . front of 300 people. Seeing her on the walker, reaching that . goal that she swore she was going to hit, is something I will never . forget,' her husband said. Ms Beale lost all feeling from her belly button down after being involved in a car crash when she was in her junior year at high school, according to NBC Today. The former softball player and gymnastics coach broke her back and severed her spinal cord after the car she was in crashed into a tree at 76mph, killing the driver, Charlie, who was Ms Beale's best friend. The accident, caused after the teenagers were chased by a driver after one of the passengers threw a plastic bottle at a car, left Ms Beale feeling her life was over before it had begun. Wreckage: Stevie snapped her spinal cord in a car crash when she was 17 . Depressed: The student says she felt like her life was over as she tried to come to terms with her paralysis . 'I thought I was doomed to my parents' house, to never have a boyfriend or never get married,' she said. 'I . thought I was going to sit at home and rot away.' However, Ms Beale's life took a step in the right direction when her parents put her in touch with a therapy . center in Detroit, Michigan that focused on spinal cord . recovery work. 'The first appointment I had there was amazing because for the first time in six months people were looking at me as Stevie. Not that girl in a chair or Stevie, who got in that car accident.' Support: Stevie says Jared helped bring her back to life as she struggled to come to terms with being disabled . Superhero: Jared encouraged his 24-year-old fiancee to keep working towards her goal of walking up the aisle . While she was there, Ms Beale met others who had similar injuries to her own, and who were living fulfilling lives. The 24-year-old starting making contact with people who had suffered similar experiences, which soon led her to her future husband. While she was visiting 16-year-old Bri Mullinger, who had lost a leg and her best friend after being hit by a train, Ms Beale was introduced to Mr VanAusdale, who was a family friend. The couple hit it off immediately and soon Mr VanAusdale revealed he was falling for her. Ms Beale was cautious at first, but finally decided to give their relationship a try, saying: 'I’m glad I did. I always tell him that he gave me the . ability to enjoy life again and makes me continue to want to work hard.' Celebration: Stevie and friends on her bachelorette party . Perfect day: Stevie and Jared on their wedding day in Toledo . Her husband said: 'She could’ve felt sorry for herself. Instead she grabbed that situation by the horns, . turned a negative into a positive and helped so many people along the . way.' He added: 'I never really saw her being in a chair . as a challenge just because if she was not in a chair, we would have . challenges in other aspects ... every couple goes through challenges.' After getting engaged while on vacation in Hawaii, the couple started to plan their wedding, which had a few special requirements, such as a tiled floor for her wheelchair. The couple settled on the Toledo railway station for their wedding, which Ms Beale said was 'exactly what I wanted'. From the start of their wedding planning, Mr VanAusdale encouraged his fiancee to attend physiotherapy sessions three times a week to help her achieve her goal, and helped her through the low points when she felt like giving up. 'It never really got easier, I just got better at it,' Ms Beale told ABC13, adding that the process of learning to walk again for her wedding was a low and painful one. Proud moment: Stevie with bridesmaid Ravin Davis on her wedding day . The moment she walked down the aisle was emotional for Ms Beale, her husband and her family. 'It was a day of pride for how hard . she’s worked to get down the aisle and to even emotionally prepare . herself for the rest of her life,' her mother, Sheryl, told NBC Today. 'I felt nothing but pride and joy.' Now she has achieved her ambition walk down the aisle, Ms Beale has her sights set on completing a master's in counseling so she can help teenagers who have experienced traumatic events. | Stevie Beale lost all feeling from waist down in car crash when she was 17 .
Husband gave 24-year-old Ohio student 'ability to enjoy life again' |
270,438 | ea455e7678ad60ee5c6a0c5794657ad36b12ad53 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 07:20 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:21 EST, 14 March 2014 . Alcopops, which fuelled binge drinking for a generation, are in terminal decline and could disappear within a few years, the government claims. Drinkers who were once drawn to sweet, garish drinks like Hooch, Two Dogs and WKD have switched to more sophisticated alternatives. But sales in alcopops which boomed in the 1990s and early 2000s have slumped by 78 per cent in the last decade, according to official figures. Scroll down for video . Alcopops are now in terminal decline and the market could disappear altogether, the government claims . The generation of 18-30-year-olds who . were first wooed by alcopops have grown up and moved on to wines and . real ales, while the next generation prefer premium tipples like spirit . beers and flavoured ciders. The . market in pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, dominated by alcopops, is now . said to be worth barely half the £1billion value seen in 2005. A total of 105,194 hectolitres of alcopops were sold in 2002, but last year it fell to just 22,942 HL. The slump has now prompted health minister Earl Howe to predict pubs and off licences will call time on the alcopops altogether. ‘Sales . of alcopops are in marked decline, to such an extent that the market . for these products looks like disappearing in the next few years,’ he . said. ‘It is always a concern if people are putting their health at risk by drinking too much alcohol or consuming too much sugar.' At their peak in 2002, alcopops accounted for 12 per cent of all the alcohol units consumed by women in the UK but by 2009 it had fallen to just 4 per cent . He had been challenged in the Lords by . Labour peer Lord Turnberg, who warned high-sugar alcopops ‘contain more . than 170 calories a bottle - about the same as a sweetened chocolate . milk drink - as well as the alcohol’. But . Earl Howe insisted: ‘One should not always assume that an alcopop is a . high-calorie drink. For example, ready-mixed gin and tonic is . technically an alcopop, but very often low-calorie tonic goes into it.’ Supermarkets . are coming under pressure to add calorie counts to their own brand . alcohol, in an attempt to encourage drinkers – particularly women – to . curb their drinking. The drop in alcopop sales is blamed I part on shifting social attitudes. According to the Office for National Statistics, women over 65 drink more often than their younger counterparts. A generation which become hooked on alcopops has grown up and moved on to more sophisticated alternatives . Some 14 per cent of seven female pensioners consume alcohol at least five days a week compared with just 2 per cent for those aged from 16 to 24. There has been a sharp decline in the role alcpopos play in the nation's drinking. At their peak in 2002, alcopops accounted for 12 per cent of all the alcohol units consumed by women in the UK. But by 2009 it had fallen to just 4 per cent. In 2012, just 2 per cent of drinkers said they drank alcopops on their heaviest drinking day of the last week, compared to 46 per cent who said wine and champagne, 22 per cent who downed spirits and 39 per cent who drank beer, lager and cider. Alcopops were most likely to have been drunk by 16-24 year old women (11 per cent) but this dropped to just 2 per cent of 25-44 year old women. Retail analyst Mintel said sales at off licences are down 12 per cent year-on-year. Chris . Wisson, senior drinks analyst at Mintel, said: ‘The long-term decline . of the alcopops market shows no sign of slowing just yet. ‘One . of the main initial causes for the downturn was the image problem as . alcopops were targeted as one of the drinks causing social issues such . as binge drinking. ‘The name 'alcopops' itself was a problem and has strong connotations with being an immature and unsophisticated drink.’ ‘The . strong popularity of newer categories such as spirit beers and . flavoured ciders with these younger drinkers partly owes to their . sweeter tastes,’ Mr Wisson added. ‘But . these drinks have also wisely focused on sophistication and a premium . image, making these often image-conscious consumers want to be seen . drinking them.’ 11 per cent of 16-24-year-old women said they drank alcopops on their heaviest day of drinking in the last week, according to the ONS . Emily Robinson, Director of Campaigns at Alcohol Concern said: 'We have always believed that alcopops of the 1990s was a cynical attempt to recruit younger drinkers; especially at a time when the industry saw that they weren’t getting the normal flow of drinkers coming through. 'Though the alcopop is no longer as dominant we can still see it’s lasting impact on the market today with drinks such as fruit flavoured ciders and ready mixed cocktails being brought in. 'It also shouldn’t be forgotten that the alcopop Hooch has recently made a comeback. 'Alcopops were also particularly marketed towards young women in particular, who are now drinking at historically high levels. 'Today wine and spirits make up 73 per cent of alcohol consumed each week by women and between 2002-2010 female alcohol-related hospital admissions amongst this age group increased by 76 per cent.' | Products which fuelled a generation of binge drinkers in terminal decline .
Health minister Earl Howe predicts the market will vanish altogether .
Generation which grew up on alcopops has grown up and moved on .
Killed off by rising popularity of spirit beers and flavoured ciders . |
20,072 | 38f84869bce637bce232c989c137c2b60c5f7492 | It already holds the record for the world’s fastest motorcycle but police have slammed the new Japanese street bike, saying it’s a ‘recipe for disaster’. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is expected to go on sale in Australia early next year for about $30,000 and will be available to anyone who holds a full motorcycle license. But Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill has raised concerns over the supercharged engine, which offers intense acceleration of a Formula One car and is capable of hitting 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. Scroll down for video . The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will go on sale in Australia early next year for about $30,000 . ‘Reports of a new high powered motorbike potentially being made available for sale in Australia are very concerning,’ Mr Hill told Daily Mail Australia. ‘Motorcycle riders are identified as one of our most vulnerable road users and speed is a major factor in about one third of all fatal collisions each year. ‘To put those two factors together is a recipe for disaster on our roads.' The Japanese street bike will be available to anyone who holds a full motorcycle license . With high-technology and advanced electronics, the engine and chassis performance provides extra degree of rider reassurance and support . Engine: Supercharged 998cc in-line four-cylinder . Power: 154.5kW at 11,000rpm (210 horsepower) Torque: 140Nm at 10,000rpm . Transmission: Six-speed . Weight: 238kg (ready to ride) Brakes: 330mm discs (front), 250mm (rear) 0 to 100km/h: Less than 2.5 seconds (estimated) Top Speed: 299km/h (electronically limited, race track version can reach 340km/h) Source: Kawasaki . Mr Hill said when a motorcyclist is involved in a collision, they are more likely to be seriously injured or killed than any other road user. ‘If you include high speed in that equation then the results are obvious. When a motorcyclist falls from a bike there are often no second chances,' he said. So far, there have been reports of 23 motorcyclists who have died in fatal crashes on Victoria's roads in 2014. ‘Although this figure is down on last year, it is still 23 too many,' Mr Hill said. ‘Motorcycle safety is a key component in many of our road safety campaigns and will continue to be a major focus in our bid to see zero road deaths in Victoria. ‘We will continue to target the biggest killers for riders – speed and dangerous behaviour. 'I urge all riders to slow down, travel at a safe speed and always ride with care because there’s no excuse for speeding.' With high-technology and advanced electronics, the engine and chassis performance provides extra degree of rider reassurance and support. The new system offers both enhanced sport riding performance and the peace of mind to negotiate slippery surfaces with confidence . Despite the high speed, the system used on the Ninja H2 offers a selection of settings to choose from, which enables riders to control different modes to suit weather conditions. Kawasaki says the new system offers both enhanced sport riding performance and the peace of mind to negotiate slippery surfaces with confidence. The bike only accommodates for the rider, with a solo seat provided and brakes bigger than the Holden Commodore V8, Kawasaki has admitted the Ninja H2 is not designed for everyone. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 has received a significant amount of interests from around the world. | The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will go on sale in Australia early next year .
The bike will sell for about $30,000 and will be available to anyone with a full motorcycle license .
But Victoria police have slammed the new street bike .
It features bigger brakes than the Holden Commodore V8 and a solo seat provided for the rider only . |
168,235 | 659908075cfa7d837e632dc91d143737e9427e5d | Priceless: Almost 500 years after he painted it, Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of noblewoman Isabella d'Este has been unearthed in a Swiss bank vault . For five centuries, it has been one of the art world’s greatest mysteries, with even its very existence in doubt. But now, almost 500 years after he painted it, a priceless Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece has been unearthed in a Swiss bank vault. In a story that seemed to come directly from the pages of a Dan Brown novel, the portrait of Italian noblewoman, Isabella d’Este, was discovered as part of a private collection in a Swiss bank. The Italian owners have decided to keep their identity a secret. The painting is a canvas and oil, finished rendering of a well-known pencil sketch of the same woman, the wife of the Marquess of Mantua and one of Renaissance Italy’s most influential women . The sketch, which was drawn in 1499, hangs in the Louvre, and is considered a forerunner to his most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. Isabella, who appears to share the world-famous subject's mysterious smile and rounded chin, wanted to be painted by the all the greatest artists of the day, which naturally included da Vinci. The preliminary sketch was greatly admired by the aristocratic lady’s friends so she asked him to finish the commission. But art historians had long been divided over whether the finished version of the commission existed. Da Vinci soon after begun one of his most compelling and large scale projects, The Battle of Anghiari, in Florence town hall. Then in 1503, he began the Mona Lisa. The painting is a canvas and oil, finished rendering of a well-known pencil sketch of d'Este (right). The sketch, which was drawn in 1499 and hangs in the Louvre, is considered a forerunner to da Vinci's (left) most famous painting, the Mona Lisa . Now experts believe that the striking portrait is indeed the work of the Italian genius. Professor Carlo Pedretti of the University of California, Los Angeles, the world’s leading expert in da Vinci told Italy’s Corriere della sera newspaper. 'There are no doubts that the portrait is the work of Leonardo. 'I can immediately recognise Da Vinci’s handiwork, particularly in the woman’s face.' Carbon dating has shown that there is a 95 per cent probability that the portrait was painted during the Renaissance period. And scientific tests have revealed that the primer used to treat the canvas is the same as that used by da Vinci . Further tests will make clear whether some of the lady’s accessories, including the gold crown, could have been painted by one of da Vinci’s assistants. | The oil portrait of Isabella d'Este had been missing for five centuries .
It was discovered in a family's bank vault in Switzerland .
It is a rendering of a well-known pencil sketch, which hangs in the Louvre .
'There is no doubt the portrait is the work of Leonardo,' says world expert . |
147,344 | 4a7ec3a425587c16bdf119697a0d9f1121ccf701 | By . Deni Kirkova . PUBLISHED: . 08:04 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:08 EST, 10 December 2013 . Screen stars from a bygone era always looked incredibly groomed and glamorous. But, as a recently unearthed 1937 video shows, set hair, a smooth complexion and a full face of perfect make-up took a lot of work. Hollywood actress Constance Bennett, 33, presents the five-minute clip which documents her time-consuming morning routine, which includes luxurious bubble bath, four creams, a face mask - and the help of a ladies' maid. Scroll down for video . 1937 video Daily Beauty Rituals, presented by Constance Bennett, was released by Turner Classic Movies . She invites viewers into her home and narrates each lavish stage of her regime. She rises at 7.30 - woken by her maid - and slips into a silk robe. She already appears to be in full make-up, with perfectly set hair. The actress and mother to a young son begins with a cleansing cream. She then applies a stimulating cream to her 'clean base' and leaves the potion on for a few minutes 'to start the stimulation process'. Constance says that this is . key when applying creams to the face, in the same way that a toothbrush . stimulates gums and hairbrush strengthens hair. She then applies a complexion mask for 'deep circulation', which she says one must leave on while in the bath - or while making breakfast, for those who bathed the night before. The following step in her lengthy . ritual is application of a 'glow base'. Next comes cream rouge, then powder for a mattifying effect - but she only applies a little as . she 'likes a sheen'. The final touch is lipstick. Constance is woken by her maid at 7.30 and slips into a silk robe to begin her morning ritual . Constance wakes with a face full of make-up including eyeshadow and lipstick . She says: 'Using a lipstick that stays on one's lips rather than what those lips touch is important.' In the video, Constance's maid is on call to wake her, run her bath and constantly remind her of the time. Constance pictured a short while after the video, with her then-new husband Gilbert Roland, in 1941 . Finally, she says: 'Remember, that to be beautiful and natural is the natural birthright of every woman.' The 1937 short film marks a change in the actress's career. Within a few years she was making fewer films and later started businesses marketing . womenswear and cosmetics. Still youthful, Constance died suddenly at the age of 60, shortly after finishing her 57th film. Her maid is on call to wake her, run her bath and constantly remind her of the time . Constance already looks extremely glamorous halfway through her routine . Constance leaves her special daily mask on for the duration of her bubble bath . | Hollywood actress Constance Bennett, 33, wakes in full make-up .
1937 clip shows her apply six products and take bubble bath .
Morning routine aided by private maid constantly on call . |
215,174 | a2905eae3eecf8c9bf702c1f880c02b4321b7386 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad indicated Monday he might consider a halt in fighting in the city of Aleppo to allow U.N. humanitarian aid into the beleaguered city, according to Syrian state-run SANA news agency. Aleppo is Syria's largest city, and rebels fighting the al-Assad regime still have a strong hold in parts of the city. Isis is also a threat in areas outside of Aleppo. Al-Assad met Monday in Damascus with U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura to discuss a U.N. proposal for a fighting "freeze," which was first presented to the U.N. Security Council last month. A U.N. statement called the meeting a "constructive" discussion. The plan "merits consideration," al-Assad said after the meeting, according to the Syrian state-run news agency SANA. Aleppo would only be the first local "freeze" in Syria under the U.N. plan. "The proposed 'freezes' as envisaged by the United Nations are intended first and foremost to lead to a de-escalation of violence, starting from specific areas with a national impact, and allow for return to some normalcy for the civilians caught in the conflict," the U.N Statement said. | Bashar al-Assad says a UN plan to "freeze" fighting in Aleppo "merits consideration"
UN plan calls for local "freeze" zones to allow humanitarian aid .
UN envoy calls talks with al-Assad "constructive"
Parts of Aleppo are still a stronghold for Syrian rebels . |
126,961 | 301d090d6fd4ccbb45f818c0bbaa85ab96a40185 | Deals: Lucy Adams, the BBC's Human Resources chief, approved all agreements over £75,000, including a £680,400 payment to former chief operating officer Caroline Thomson . BBC executives who authorised severance payments of £369million to their own staff may be investigated by the police, an MP warned last night. As corporation bosses insisted there was no need for a ‘witch-hunt’, pressure grew on those responsible for the debacle to face internal disciplinary action and to meet the full force of the law if any of the deals proved to be fraudulent. There were also calls for executives to ‘name and shame’ those who received excessive payments but have refused to return them. In a report published on Monday, the National Audit Office found payouts were made to 7,500 staff over eight years, including £61million to 401 senior managers. It said the corporation had paid staff more than they were entitled to in almost a quarter of the cases it reviewed, putting ‘public trust at risk’. Yesterday, it emerged that many of the payments were signed off by the BBC’s head of human resources, Lucy Adams. According to senior insiders she had a ‘blank cheque book’, allowing her to authorise a £680,400 farewell payment to former chief operating officer Caroline Thomson and a £949,000 payment to former deputy director-general Mark Byford. MPs on the influential Public Accounts Committee called for ‘full accountability’ yesterday, and castigated the ‘greedy and excessive payments’ paid by a ‘self-serving elite’ at the head of the BBC. It came as: . Mark Thompson: Personally approved some of the most controversial payments . LUCY ADAMS . BBC director of human resources. Appointed June 2009, salary £320,000.The BBC’s human resources chief, who is still in her post, approved all compromise agreements over £75,000. In September, she approved a £680,400 payment to former chief operating officer Caroline Thomson. MARK THOMPSONFormer director general. Left in September 2012, salary £670,000.He personally approved some of the most controversial payments in the report including £866,288 to an unnamed ‘departmental director’. LORD PATTEN . BBC Trust chairman. Appointed April 2011, salary £110,000. The former Tory Party chairman approved the controversial £470,300 pay-out to BBC director-general George Entwistle, double what he was entitled to. The Trust also approves the remuneration strategy for members of the BBC’s executive board. MARCUS AGIUS . Former BBC non-executive director. Left in November 2012, salary £47,000.The former chairman of Barclays resigned from the bank over the Libor interest rate fixing scandal. He chaired the BBC’s executive remuneration committee, which was responsible for signing off severance payments for executive directors. ZARIN PATEL . Chief financial officer. Appointed 1998 due to leave this Friday, salary £322,000.The outgoing finance chief of the BBC was jointly responsible for signing off, with HR chief Lucy Adams, severance payments exceeding £500,000. Criticism: New director general Tony Hall admitted the BBC had 'lost its way' with big money pay-offs for senior staff . Criticism: Tory MP Rob Wilson accused the BBC of being 'secretive and evasive' Writing to the NAO’s head, Amyas Morse, . Mr Wilson asked whether it had unearthed any evidence of fraud, . collusion in fraud, misuse of public funds, or other wrongdoing’. He said: ‘In the event that you . consider that criminal offences may have taken place, I would be . grateful if you would inform me whether the evidence is sufficient to . warrant a wider investigation as to the possibility of fraud, misuse of . public funds, or other wrongdoing in relation to severance payments at . the BBC in recent years.’ He added: ‘Based on the reply I . receive, I will consider whether there are grounds to refer this matter . to the police.’ But the BBC’s newly appointed director of news and . current affairs, James Harding, yesterday claimed licence fee payers did . not want the corporation to be ‘apologetic’. The former Times editor said: ‘The BBC . has rightly made its fair share of apologies over the past year. I, . both as a licence-fee payer and a future employee don’t want an . apologetic BBC, I want an ambitious BBC. You don’t want to be apologetic . about the BBC, you want to be ambitious about the BBC, that’s the . essential choice.’ Out: George Entwistle received £475,000 after just 54 days as Director General, double what his contract stipulated . The BBC's incompetent use of public . money was revealed after it emerged one ex-boss had given his vast . pay-off back 'out of principle'. Roly . Keating was handed £375,000 to leave as director of archive content, . despite his post not being made redundant and him having another job to . go to. He was awarded a 'termination payment' of £250,000 and six months’ pay in lieu of notice of £125,000. He . told BBC chiefs he was considering a new job as chief executive at the . British Library, a post he now holds with a salary of around £140,000. But . after learning the decision to award the money was described as . 'seriously deficient' by the National Audit Office, he has returned the . money. Mr Keating wrote a . letter to director-general Tony Hall and enclosed a cheque saying he . wanted to give it back 'as a matter of principle'. The . BBC agreed to pay the money 'on the grounds that it believed the . individual would not otherwise have accepted the job offer, which had a . lower salary', according to today’s report. In . his letter Mr Keating said of the compromise agreement: 'I entered into . and signed this agreement in the belief that the BBC had proposed it in . good faith and for good reasons, and that it had been properly . sanctioned and authorised.' The BBC’s director of strategy and . digital, James Purnell, is the only member of the corporation’s . executive committee to give an interview on severance payments since the . NAO report was published. Appearing on BBC2’s Newsnight on . Monday, the former Labour minister resisted calls to point the finger of . blame at individuals responsible for agreeing the payments. He said: ‘It was a collective . decision. On things like this you can have a witch-hunt or you can learn . from your mistakes and that is exactly what we are going to do.’ Pressed by presenter Jeremy Paxman, he . said one particularly contentious deal had been ‘signed off by a . combination of HR, finance and, er, they got it wrong’. He added: . ‘There’s no glossing over the fact they got it wrong. It was a mess.’ But yesterday, Tory MP Richard Bacon, . who sits on the public accounts committee, said: ‘What we have found is . that you need to find out exactly who is responsible. Unless and until . people are named you will not get accountability.’ He added: ‘At the top of the BBC there . is a self-serving elite who just look after themselves. These payments . were greedy and excessive.’ The NAO report revealed that the BBC . still plans to make 15 further severance payments of more than £150,000, . even though Lord Hall promised to scrap such deals in April. Mr Purnell . said it would be illegal to unpick them because those involved had been . sent letters setting out their severance terms. But the committee’s chairman, Labour . MP Margaret Hodge, urged Lord Hall to scrap the deals, saying: ‘He needs . to be very firm. He cannot back down on these payments.’ She promised her committee would probe . the issue further in a special hearing next Wednesday, which will hear . evidence from Lord Hall, human resources chief Miss Adams, BBC Trust . chairman Lord Patten and the Trust’s finance director, Anthony Fry. The NAO said yesterday that it had not . found any evidence of illegality during its investigation of senior . managers’ severance deals. A BBC spokesman said: ‘The NAO report . found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing and we strongly refute any . claims to the contrary.’ | National Audit Office revealed BBC broke its own rules with big payouts .
Tory MP Rob Wilson asks watchdog if criminal activity took place .
One in four staff received more than their contracts required .
George Entwistle received £475,000 after 54 days as Director General .
Tory MP Rob Wilson wrote to the NAO and BBC director-general Lord Hall asking for full disclosure of the names of those responsible. He promised to take evidence of fraud to the police.
Former director-general Mark Thompson, who personally signed off several of the biggest deals, revealed he will not fly from New York to give evidence before a special hearing of the Public Accounts Committee next week, citing a ‘diary commitment’.
The committee called for Lord Hall to scrap 15 planned severance payments of more than £150,000, although the BBC said it had no plans to ‘unpick’ them. |
6,912 | 139540d3d12afea5edce6e84e8739d55950827c1 | By . Mia De Graaf . Tragic: Liam Hardy, 14, had been hospitalised after a suicide attempt less than a week before he died, an inquest heard . A 14-year-old schoolboy who was about to become a father was found hanged days after being discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt. Liam Hardy was allowed to leave St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, after his first suicide bid - despite pleas from his mother for him to be sectioned, an inquest heard. Days later, he was readmitted when he tried to hang himself at home. Again, the teenager was released within hours. But that same week, Liam was found dead in his bedroom as his grandfather took him a cup of hot chocolate. He had just texted his girlfriend to say: 'It's no use, I'm giving up'. Despite . desperate attempts by Terry Hardy and paramedics to resuscitate the teenager, Liam never regained consciousness and died at St Georges’ Hospital, South London, nine days later. Giving evidence at an inquest into her son’s death, Janine Hardy wept as she claimed pleas to have her son taken into care as a precaution were ignored. She had caught Liam during his first attempt after school on November 15, 2012. Despite trying to calm him down, he persisted until police and ambulance crews arrived, treated him for a superficial injury and took him to St Helier. Even though he was seen by a doctor, a specialist nurse from the district Children and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) and his therapist, Liam was allowed to leave and go back to his pregnant girlfriend’s house, against his mother’s wishes. He was readmitted and discharged once more, before his grandfather found him on November 19, 2012. He died on November 27. Accompanied by her partner, Ms Hardy said: 'I gave her all Liam’s history about his self-harming, what was going on in the present situation, how he didn’t get on with [his therapist] Catelin, that he wasn’t taking help seriously, about the pregnancy. 'She said she would go and speak to Liam, she would go and speak to him alone. She was in there for about 10 minutes. We went back in to the room. There was the C.A.M.S nurse, myself and Dean. Devastated: Liam's mother, Janine Hardy, (pictured, left, outside Croydon Coroner's Court and, right, with her son) said she asked for him to be sectioned but her calls went ignored . 'She said that Liam was fine now, he didn’t intend to die, no he doesn’t want to die. I told her he intended to do this. 'She said that in her opinion it was fine for him to go back to his girlfriend’s house. 'I wasn’t happy with it, I asked why she was discharging him back to his girlfriend’s, why she isn’t keeping him in or sectioning him.' Liam, a pupil at Carshalton Boys Sports College who suffered from epilepsy, was expecting a child when he died . Liam, a pupil at Carshalton Boys . Sports College, had a history of psychological health issues including . epilepsy and had been assigned a therapist in May 2012. At . an earlier meeting with CAMHS in March, Ms Hardy had told how her son . was self-harming, had been found with red marks around his neck and that . 'he didn’t want to live'. She said she did not want her son to go into care at the time and was told 'there wasn’t any mental health issue there', although he was referred to Multi Systemic Therapy and eventually assigned to a therapist. However, Croydon Coroner’s Court heard how he struggled to interact with the therapist, who he was supposed to meet 'a couple of times a week'. Ms Hardy claimed her son felt he was not being taken seriously. After another altercation at their home in Worcester Park, Surrey, Liam was taken into custody after the police were called. Again, his mother asked for social services to section him after he self-harmed. However, he was allowed to leave the station before they had the chance to see him after being collected by his girlfriend’s father. Liam had been expecting a baby daughter with his girlfriend, who can not be named for legal reasons, who was seven months pregnant at the time of his death. In the stand today, his girlfriend told how she caught him choking himself in the weeks before he died, but he had promised her he wouldn’t do it again. However a letter found at his grandparents’ home said: 'I’m very sorry for everything and I’m nothing without [my girlfriend]'. A number of witnesses from local health agencies are due to give evidence. The inquest continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Liam Hardy died less than a week after he was discharged from hospital .
Mother took him to hospital after suicide bid, she asked them to section him .
He had been expecting baby with his girlfriend, who was 7 months pregnant . |
211,727 | 9e2dd88f9d7a90d11177cf11b0ed5a3261eae43d | (CNN)Two U.S. jets this week intercepted six Russian planes that neared U.S. airspace off Alaska and Canadian planes intercepted two Russian bombers that approached Canadian airspace, NORAD reported. A U.S. official told CNN's Barbara Starr that officials in Washington think the incidents were related to the visit by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who talked to Canadian officials Wednesday and President Barack Obama on Thursday. The United States promised Ukraine $46 million in nonlethal aid for its battle with pro-Russian militants. On Wednesday evening, two Alaskan-based F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian IL-78 refueling tankers, two Russian Mig-31 fighter jets and two Russian Bear long-range bombers, according to Capt. Jeff Davis of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). More than six hours later, early Thursday morning, two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets intercepted two Russian Bear long-range bombers in the Beaufort Sea, Davis said. Those Russian planes came within about 40 nautical miles of the Canadian coastline, he said. Though the planes did not enter sovereign territory, the statement said, they did enter the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone west of Alaska and the Canadian ADIZ, according to a statement. U.S. official: Spy plane flees Russian jet, radar . The ADIZ is a zone of airspace which extends about 200 miles from the coastline and is mainly within international airspace, according to the statement. The outer limits of the ADIZ go beyond U.S. sovereign air space. Dutch fighter jets intercept 2 Russian bombers in their airspace . State aircraft of sovereign nations are not required to file flight plans. NORAD said it has intercepted more than 50 Russian aircraft in the last five years. NORAD jets usually intercept one or two Russian planes, normally bombers. | U.S. official: Incident related to visit by Ukraine President .
NORAD says six Russian aircraft flew about 55 nautical miles from Alaska coastline .
Two Russian planes flew about 40 miles off Canadian coastline, NORAD says . |
89,409 | fdcc8e7ba094a5d37b020ddec6b988c515f9a4a2 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:24 EST, 6 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:21 EST, 6 September 2012 . A woman with eyes like 'fireballs' was locked up today after stabbing her boyfriend six times in a drink-fuelled frenzy. Caroline Humphries, 48, from Homerton, East London, was jailed for 16 years after she plunged a knife into Chris O’Connor’s side and back. He desperately tried to protect himself but he was left lying in a pool of blood in the unprovoked attack at her home, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. Humphries, who has been locked up . twice before after attacking her lovers, denied wounding Mr O'Connor . with intent. She claimed she acted in self-defence. Caroline Humphries, 48, pictured, from Homerton, East London, had eyes like 'fireballs' when she stabbed her boyfriend Chris O'Connor . Humphries was convicted by a jury on July 17. But she was cleared of two counts of causing actual bodily harm after two further alleged attacks on Mr O'Connor. Jailing Humphries, Judge Martyn Zeidman QC, said: ‘In drink, you are a very, very dangerous woman and there is absolutely no doubt you need to be put away in prison for a very long time.' ‘That’s to punish you, to protect others and to demonstrate that domestic violence is not acceptable.' ‘There is no distinction between it being a man on a woman or a woman on a man. All domestic violence has to be taken very seriously.' ‘Your wrongdoing falls into the most serious category of offending.' ‘This was a sustained attack upon your boyfriend with a knife in which you stabbed him a number of times.' ‘As he said in his statement, you were out of control and your eyes were like fireballs.' ‘You made such a big error of judgement in pleading not guilty to this offence.' ‘There is no substance whatsoever in your dishonest suggestion of self-defence.' ‘Hurt and injury are not limited to physical matters - just think what you have done to this man.' ‘He says he feels his life has changed for the worse and he has flashbacks. This has also exacerbated his drinking problem very severely.' ‘The most significant aggravating feature is you have previous convictions for violence that are in a worryingly similar context.’ Humphries has been jailed twice before for stabbing lovers, Snaresbrook Crown Court, pictured, heard . In 2004, Humphries was sent to jail for 30 months after stabbing her partner Paul Owen. A year later, she was sentenced to three years after puncturing her former lover Robert Irvin’s chest and slashing his face. Humphries was also charged with attempted murder in 1999 after she allegedly stabbed another lover three times in the neck, the court heard. But the charges were dropped after he claimed he had ‘fallen against a fence’. Judge Zeidman warned Humphries: ‘The risk of you offending is so high in relation to serious offences that you do qualify for an indeterminate sentence.' ‘But I have reached the conclusion that if the sentence is long enough, there will be a long period of licence that will be sufficient to protect the public on your release.' ‘There will be a sentence of 16 years in prison, it means you will serve eight years then be released on licence.' ‘But if you put a foot wrong, you will be straight back inside.’ 'If you ever do this again you are likely to receive a life sentence.’ | Caroline Humphries, 48, from Homerton, East London, jailed for 16 years after knifing Chris O'Connor .
Boyfriend was left lying helpless in a pool of blood in the unprovoked attack at her home .
It is her third sentence for stabbing a lover . |
60,264 | ab4246364caba17dc1c1812d4170a81b3d5fb80b | Barcelona, Spain (CNN) -- Not content with revolutionizing smart phones, mobile apps now appear to be in the driving seat of the auto industry as manufacturers increasingly surrender control of their vehicles to technology. Signs of the increasing dominance of the app came on Monday with Ford's decision to launch its newest B-Max compact at Mobile World Congress -- a phone industry gathering in Barcelona -- rather than a motor show. Read more: Powerful camera phone unveiled . Bill Ford, the U.S. auto giant's executive chairman, told CNN his company chose the event to debut its tech-filled car as a statement of its intention to work with app developers in shaping the vehicles of the future. The B-Max is the first car in Europe to feature SYNC, a voice-recognition system developed by Ford and already available in some U.S. cars. The system links audio, phone and GPS systems and will also call emergency services in the event of a crash. The increasing dependence of vehicles on computers has raised concerns that manufacturers are trading technology for safety, exposing drivers to hazardous distractions and malicious hackers. But Ford, the great grandson of Henry Ford, insisted SYNC would "allow drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel," and said his company was working with app makers to further improve security. "Today, often, drivers are looking down and we know that they're playing with their cell phone and texting and we want to stop all that," he told CNN. "We want them to be looking at the road with their hands on the wheel, and our tech is allowing them to do that, knowing they also want to be connected." Ford said his firm's current crop of hi-tech cars were capable of utilizing offboard "cloud computing" to expand their abilities, performing tasks like directing drivers to the nearest coffee shops, checking their health and keeping tabs on their daily diary. He acknowledged this raised the prospect of potential breaches that could put valuable personal data in the hands of criminals but said the technology was currently being rolled out on an "opt-in, opt-out" basis. The carmaker said the B-Max would eventually run its AppLink system, which will add control of smartphone apps to voice-operated commands. Among currently available apps are programs that read out Twitter updates and pick and choose radio stations. More functions will follow as it partners with app developers, the company said in a statement. "Ford aims to deliver voice-control compatibility with apps for a wide range of services, and is now actively seeking to partner with app developers on future opportunities," it said in a statement. Ford hopes the B-Max, which goes on sale in Europe later this year, will help expand its current 4 million U.S. SYNC users to 13 million worldwide by 2015. It says the car should appeal to drivers previously priced out of the hi-tech market. "The all-new B-MAX is going to be a game-changer in the European compact family vehicle segment. No other vehicle in its class offers such an attractive combination of style, versatility and technology," Ford Europe's chairman and CEO Stephen Odell said in a statement. "We think it will be among the most technologically advanced small cars you can buy at any price." Barry Neild contributed to this story from London. | Ford chooses to launch compact car at mobile phone event rather than a motor show .
B-Max features Ford's latest voice-activated technology .
Ford says it wants to work with app developers in shaping its future vehicles . |
276,188 | f1d53cd06e0c50d9ce51ba2ae74052fb4822fded | (CNN) -- Jay Lin is the embodiment of the American dream -- and what is increasingly a Chinese dream. Originally from Wenzhou in eastern China, he moved to New York City as a teenager. After earning degrees from Ivy League universities -- Cornell and Columbia -- he secured a comfortable job in a bucolic town in Connecticut. Now he is helping others in China follow his path, where the desire for elite U.S. education is alive and well. In the last decade, mainland Chinese have reshaped the international student body at U.S. colleges and universities, notably at Ivy League institutions. In the 2009-2010 academic year, China surpassed traditional "study abroad" heavyweights like Canada, India and South Korea, to lead international enrollment across U.S. higher education, according to the Institute of International Education. The U.S.-based institute's most recent figures reveal that mainland Chinese students increased 23% to more than 723,000 in the 2010-11 academic year. A rising generation of affluent students . While Chinese students traditionally went abroad when they failed to secure a place at a top-tier local university, the best students are now forgoing elite Chinese universities to study in the United States, according to Lin, now academic director of Ivy Labs Education, an admissions consultancy in Beijing. Many Chinese are seeking a higher quality of education that will train them to become independent and creative, he said, and they see the world's top-ranked universities are in the United States. China's economic reforms and "opening-up" that began in 1978 under Deng Xiaoping gave rise to the first major generation of students, who were generally reliant on scholarships to study in the United States, according to Chen Shuangye, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Department of Educational Administration and Policy. Coinciding with China's rapid economic growth, a distinctive second generation emerged in the mid-1990s comprising much more affluent students, Chen said. "There is a great increase in the phenomenon because (mainland Chinese) don't rely on scholarships anymore." Starting early at boarding schools . The factors driving mainland Chinese to study in the United States come into play much earlier, Lin said, noting an influx of foreign Chinese students into private U.S. secondary schools, starting around 2005. Chinese parents send their children to private U.S. high schools as a "strategic decision" to strengthen their candidacy for elite U.S. universities, Lin said. A growing number also want their children to lead happier lives rather than have them consumed by preparing for the "gaokao" in China -- the one-time, high-stakes national university entrance examination that is the sole determinant of admission. "The goal of education in mainland China is to prepare you to take the gaokao. Everything else is secondary. In China, you would put the gaokao in the center...whereas...in American education, you put the student in the center, and everything else serves the best interests of the student. It's not exclusively about (getting into) college." While U.S. boarding schools desire Chinese students both for their dollars and diversity, they walk a "very fine line...when it comes to recruiting Chinese students," said Lin, who assisted with admissions during his tenure teaching at Connecticut's Cheshire Academy. Boarding schools typically admit four to five students of any foreign nationality per grade level, with international students comprising up to 20% of the overall student body, Lin said. With about 100 students for each of the four grade levels, this means admitting a maximum of 20 mainland Chinese, or five percent of the student body. "A school could easily fill itself with all Chinese students, but no school's going to do that...It's a double-edged sword -- if you have too many Chinese, then the Chinese will stop coming to your school, and also, Americans will stop coming to your school." Driving international enrollment at U.S. universities . By virtue of their size, U.S. universities can accept a much higher number of Chinese students than boarding schools. Since 1999, China was the second leading place of origin for international students at Harvard, trailing only Canada. Its student numbers steadily increased to lead Harvard's international enrollment since the last academic year, with 686 students currently enrolled (nearly 16% of the international student body.) China similarly dominates international enrollment at other Ivy League schools, including Yale and Princeton. "International students are seen very favorably as whole, as a way to diversify and really become a global institution," said Rachel Rubin, a lecturer at Boston's Emmanuel College and a specialist in higher education admissions policy. "Also economically -- it's very advantageous for elite schools to admit international students because the bulk of them can pay full tuition," she added. As such, there is "a lot of favoritism" toward such students, as financial aid budgets have been cut over the last decade, she said. Limits to international enrollment at U.S. universities . But while mainland Chinese students dominate international enrollment, they comprise a small fraction of the overall student body. This is even more the case at the undergraduate level, as most international students are graduates. Harvard has "no quotas or limits for international students," according to Harvard spokesperson Kevin Galvin. "All students are considered in the same pool for all places in the incoming class, regardless of citizenship or the school they attend." Rubin said she has not come across evidence of undergraduate quotas for international students but found it was standard practice for top-ranked schools to assess them as a separate pool rather than with the entire pool of applicants. Some U.S. colleges and universities aim to recruit an undergraduate cohort with around 10% international students, according to Susan Joan Mauriello, founder of the Hong-Kong-based ApplyIvy consultancy, adding that the percentage depends on the strength of the applicant pool. Bringing U.S. education to China . As U.S. campuses cannot fully support the demand from China, Lin sees an opportunity in bringing international education to China, beginning at the secondary level. The trend can already be seen in U.S. universities establishing local degree-granting branches. Next September, New York University will welcome its first undergraduate cohort at its new Shanghai campus. "Instead of sending Chinese students to secondary schools in America or other foreign countries, we want to bring international curriculum into China so they don't need to travel outside the country," Lin said. He helps local high schools incorporate international systems, such as the International Baccalaureate and A-Levels, alongside Chinese curriculum. Students at these "Chinese versions of international schools" are typically Chinese nationals, who are restricted by government policy from attending full-fledged international schools, which cater to expatriates. "My dream is to see international schools in China accessible to Chinese citizens and other nationalities together in the same school," Lin said. "That's the future." | Mainland China has led international enrollment in U.S. higher education since 2009 .
Mainland Chinese students increased 23% to more than 723,000 at recent count .
Boarding schools, universities desire Chinese students for dollars and diversity .
International curriculum, university campuses setting up in China to meet demand locally . |
17,795 | 3268bbbb12b7dfc7265845a81c36dcb6b4e6305c | January is the most miserable month of the year. Christmas is over, we're recovering from a month of lavish eating, drinking and spending - and there is no end in sight to the cold, dark mornings. So Femail has teamed up with happiness experts Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker to provide a plan to keep the January blues away. Scroll down for video . British happiness experts Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker have a list of cheering daily activities for January . The two men, who have written the best-selling book The Art Of Being Brilliant, devised a month-long plan that includes one chore every day designed to bring happiness. The challenge is to do the exercises daily until they become happiness habits. Read on to learn how to beat the winter blues: . 1 January: Upgrade your knickers so every bit of underwear oozes confidence. Stop saving your special pants for a special occasion and wake up to the fact that life is the ultimate special occasion. 2 January: Do an act of kindness for someone else. This can be as simple as letting someone out in the traffic or buying flowers for the bus driver. 3 January: Catch somebody doing something well and tell them. For example, make a point of thanking someone who gives good customer service or thank your teenager for bringing the plates and cups down from their room. Your fanciest pants aren't just for special occasions. Breaking out your best underwear will boost confidence . 4 January: Practice the 10/5 principle, for instance, smile at everyone who comes within 10 feet of you and make eye contact and say ‘hi’ to everyone within five feet (except on the Tube. I tried it and nearly got arrested). 5 January: Say nice things about people behind their back. This is a double whammy because it gets back to them plus people think you’re a lovely person (which, of course, you are). 6 January: Write a list of ten things you really appreciate but take for granted. ‘Health’ and ‘relationships’ will almost certainly be on there. Stop taking them for granted! 7 January: Every morning, appreciate that you don’t have toothache and that your kidneys are working. Being able to get out of bed is the best thing ever. 8 January: Write a list of the top ten happiest moments of your life and you’ll realise that most of the things on the list are ‘experiences’ rather than ‘products’. Set your stall out to have more experiences. Write a list of the ten things you really appreciate but take for granted like 'health’ and ‘relationships’ 9 January: Think of someone who has really helped you, perhaps given you time or supported you. Write them a letter from the heart, that says how wonderful they are and what they mean to you. Read it to them (I dare you). 10 January: Instead of asking your partner/kids ‘how was your day?’ change the words and ask (with enthusiasm), ‘what was the highlight of your day?’ Then listen with genuine enthusiasm. 11 January: Walk tall and put a smile on your face (not an inane grin, you will scare people.) Your brain will immediately think you are happy and you’ll feel a whole lot better. 12 January: Change your aim. Stop setting your sights on ‘getting through the week’ or ‘surviving until my next holiday’. Raise your game. Set your aim to ‘enjoy the week’ or ‘to inspire people’. 13 January: Write down your top five personal strengths. Be aware of them and start seeing opportunities to play to them more often. 14 January: Reduce your moaning - as a Brit, it’s almost impossible to stop completely - and always remind yourself it's a First World problem. Reduce your moaning (as a Brit, it’s a national passtime) and remind yourself it's a First World problem . 15 January: When setbacks occur, ask yourself, where is this issue on a scale of one to ten (where ten is death). If it is death, you are allowed to feel down. Anything else, get over it. 16 January: Most people have an internal voice that is very critical. Challenge it. When your inner voice is telling you you’re an idiot, firmly disagree. Find a positive inner voice. Note, this conflict is best done in silence in your head. And if you have lots of inner voices, you need to see your GP. 17 January: Spend less time on electronic friends and more time with real flesh and blood ones. 18 January: Say ‘yes’ to things, all day. 19 January: Praise your children for effort rather than ability. So, for example, if they get a good grade in maths don’t say, ‘Genius, you are the next Einstein.’ Do say, ‘Brilliant! That shows what you can achieve with hard work.’ Spend less time on electronic friends and more time with the real flesh and blood people in your life . 20 January: Practice the four-minute rule; that is, be your best self for the first four minutes of arriving at work, being in a meeting or getting home. Your brilliance is infectious. 21 January: Lose the word ‘try’. Instead of setting a resolution of ‘I’m going to try and lose some weight’ or ‘I’m going to try and get a bit fitter’, go with ‘I’m going to lose some weight’ or ‘I’m going to get fitter’. Yoda was spot on when he said ‘Do or do not, there is no ‘try’. 22 January: Appreciate that your happiness is bigger than you. It has a ripple effect and infects people three degrees removed from you. 23 January: Read a bedtime story to your kids like it is the most exciting book in the world. 24 January: Reframe situations. For example, a leaking gutter means you have a house; paying tax means you have some income and your teenage son spending hours on his X-Box means he’s not wandering the streets. (But don’t overdo reframing otherwise you become Pollyanna; ‘Whoopee, grandma’s died, what a fabulous opportunity for a funeral and some lovely sandwiches’ is almost certainly a reframe too far). Read a bedtime story to your children as if it is the most exciting book in the world . 25 January: Rather than a New Year’s resolution, set yourself a HUGG (Huge Unbelievably Great Goal). This is something that is massive and that inspires you, for instance, to write your novel, to run a marathon or to be the best mum in the world. 26 January: Be genuinely interested in other people - ask loads of questions about them. In a bizarre twist of quantum psychology, people will find you insanely interesting. 27 January: Remember children spell ‘LOVE’, ‘T, I, M, E’ (* see point 23). 28 January: Make sure that you use more positive than negative language. The ratio needs to be about five positives for every negative, so catch people doing things well and tell them. 29 January: Notice the ‘beautiful ordinary’ - the small things that other people rush past. Appreciate that happiness is in the moment so notice sunrises, raindrops, smiles, flowers and smiling children. 30 January: When setbacks occur, rather than beating yourself up in your head, ask yourself, ‘what will I do differently next time?’ 31 January: Ask yourself, if there was a version of you sitting on a cloud, watching you go about your tasks today, what advice would the ‘cloud you’ give the ‘earthly you’? How would they say you should walk, talk, think and behave? Take that advice. · At the end of the day, spend five minutes writing down three things that have gone well, and why. · Commit to doing some exercise. Don’t kill yourself, 20 minutes a day is fine. It might feel like a chore at the time but it releases all sorts of lovely chemicals which will infuse you with a Ready Brek glow. · Listen (and I mean really listen) to people. Stop finishing their sentences. Tune in and show an interest . · Watch out for the 90/10 principle. This states that 10 per cent of your happiness depends on things that happen to you while a whopping 90 per cent depends on how you react to these events. Make a conscious choice to be positive. · If you have small children practice what The Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin calls ‘gazing lovingly’. This means downing tools at the end of the evening and standing at your children’s bedroom door, watching them sleep. The modern world dictates that you only ever do this with your own kids and there is an age limit of ten. After that, the general rule is that you NEVER go in your kids’ bedrooms, just in case). | British happiness experts Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker devised the plan .
They list activities for every day in January to help banish the winter blues .
Actions include spontaneous kindness and making list of your strengths . |
8,752 | 18a33bd15af9836c6c6024641cb912e8b9777149 | By . Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor . Gammon joints, parmesan and coffee may not sound like the kind of essentials that would drive the desperate to theft. But they are now among the items most frequently stolen from the high street – as middle Britain goes shoplifting to maintain its lifestyle. The problem of food theft is becoming so serious that many supermarkets are introducing electronic security tags to deter thieves from pinching products such as turkey and steak. Targets: Gammon joints and Nescafe Gold Blend coffee are among the items most frequently stolen from the high street - as middle Britain goes shoplifting to maintain its lifestyle . According to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer, the total cost of retail theft has hit £3.4billion, or £124.60 per household – which is passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. And the goods most likely to be stolen include gammon joints, frozen chicken breasts, beef joints, bacon, gourmet cheese such as brie or parmesan, Nescafe Gold Blend coffee and wines and spirits, particularly Glen’s Vodka. One Tesco store has even found it necessary to put manuka honey, which can sell for as much as £20 a jar, into large plastic security boxes to deter the sticky-fingered thieves of Cambridge. In the health and beauty section, razor . blades, mascara, lipsticks, perfume, skin care, sun protection, hair . straighteners, electric toothbrushes and sports nutrition are at the top . of the thief’s wish list. Popular: The goods mostly likely to be targeted also include parmesan cheese, left, Glen's vodka and wine . DIY and home improvement stores, meanwhile, are most likely to lose power tools, cables, batteries and door locks. The theft barometer report, compiled by analysts Euromonitor and funded by retail security firm Checkpoint Systems, said: ‘A key observation from the grocery retailers interviewed was an increase in food theft … including items such as fresh meat, owing to the weak economy.’ Russell Holland of Checkpoint Systems . said: ‘We know that, due to the recession, people are stealing out of . need for food, but you also have a Middle England group of people who . have not had a bonus or pay rise but still want to maintain their . lifestyle. ‘Really, there is no longer a typical person described as a shoplifter, they can come from all walks of life. You can see the profile of people involved by looking at the products that are being stolen.’ Marks & Spencer now routinely puts electronic security tags on its turkey crowns ahead of Christmas, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s have given store managers authority to tag the birds if their outlet is in a theft hot spot. The tags are designed to set off an alarm if a shopper tries to leave without paying. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research in Nottingham, said: ‘More people are stealing and they are stealing more.’ | Chicken breasts, beef joints and Glen's vodka also frequently targeted .
Many supermarkets are introducing electronic tags to deter thieves .
'More people are stealing and they are stealing more,' says expert . |
269,002 | e8794c8c83654d17f77d3d46d782dce5cf56c0a8 | (CNN) -- Freed hostages Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted arrived at a U.S. base in Sicily Thursday, a day after being rescued in a U.S. military raid in Somalia, a spokesman for the base said. The pair are now at Naval Air Station Sigonella, said the base's public affairs officer, Lt. Tim Page. U.S. special operations forces parachuted into Somalia from airplanes in the early hours of Wednesday morning, then advanced on foot to a compound where the two kidnapped international aid workers were being held and freed them, U.S. officials said. The nine gunmen holding the hostages were killed, the officials said. Kidnappers seized Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, on October 25 in the central Somali town of Galkayo after they visited humanitarian projects there, said the Danish Refugee Council, the agency for which they work. Neither was harmed, the aid group said. Buchanan was going through what the U.S. military called "Phase II" reintegration of former hostages, according to a senior defense official. In most cases, the former hostage will undergo "more complete medical exams and formal, structured debriefings," the official said. "An inherent and critical part of the reintegration process is the decompression period that has been established to maximize returnee health and welfare," the official said. "This process normally requires a minimum of 72 hours to be effective." CNN has learned Buchanan's father, John, will go to Sicily to see her. She is not in custody and can leave when she wants but, if she stays, when ready she will be returned to the United States, probably in a U.S. military aircraft. President Barack Obama phoned John Buchanan to tell him Jessica had been freed, Buchanan said, adding that the call had left him "flabbergasted." "He said, 'John, this is Barack Obama. I'm calling because I have great news for you. Your daughter has been rescued by our military,'" Buchanan said. Buchanan said the operation left him with an overwhelming sense of patriotism. "I'm extremely proud and glad to be an American," he said. "I didn't know this was going to transpire. I'm glad it did." He said Jessica was "doing well, under the circumstances." Somalia's transitional government welcomed the U.S. military operation Thursday. The rescue of the aid workers "is a great joy to the Somali government and to all Somalis as well as to all right thinking people everywhere," the government said in a statement. "Hitting them hard is the only language kidnappers of innocent people, pirates and terrorists understand, and every opportunity should be taken to wipe out this scourge from our country," the government said. The new United Nations envoy to Somalia -- the first permanent U.N. representative there in 17 years -- also expressed understanding about the military operation. "If negotiations fail, all means must be applied, including rescue operations," Augustine Mahiga said Thursday, even as he urged that lives be protected "on both sides." Thisted's sister and brother-in-law wept for joy when they heard he had been rescued, the brother-in-law, Svend Rask, told Denmark's TV2. "She was overjoyed when she told us what happened," Rask said, speaking of the daughter who gave them the news. Students at the school in Kenya where Buchanan used to teach also cried at the news, the dean of students there said. "Yesterday was an exciting day for us. There were tears of joy on campus," said Rob Beyer of Rosslyn Academy, a Christian international school in Nairobi. Beyer remembered Buchanan, who taught at the school from 2007 to 2009, as "adventurous and a bit of a risk taker" as well as "an incredible teacher, well loved." The Navy SEAL unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year in Pakistan participated in the rescue mission, a U.S. official said, without specifying whether any of the same individuals were on both assaults. The SEALs are part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team Six. The special operations forces took fire as they fought their way into the compound where the hostages were held, the official said, adding the troops believed the kidnappers were shooting. The official is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the rescue team included special operations troops from different branches of the military, but would not specify the branches. There were no known survivors among the kidnappers, he added. The American assault team did not suffer any casualties, the Pentagon said. The United States was in close contact with Denmark before, during and after the raid, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "The decision to go ahead with this rescue mission was made because there was information concerning the deteriorating health of Ms. Buchanan, as well as a window of opportunity to execute this mission." Obama, who had given the go-ahead at 9 p.m. Monday, was updated on its progress throughout Tuesday, Carney said. At the State of the Union address, before news broke of the rescue, Obama told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, "Leon, good job tonight. Good job tonight." The hostages were safe at that point, but the mission was not yet complete, as the American assault team had not departed Somalia, Little said. In a written statement, Obama thanked the special operations forces for their "extraordinary courage and capabilities." "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice," Obama said. "This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people." Capt. John Kirby, another Pentagon spokesman, said the abductors were ordinary criminals. "They were kidnappers. We don't have any indication that they were connected to any terrorist group or ideological group at that point," he said. "They were not Al-Shabaab," Little said, referring to the al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia that holds sway over parts of Somalia. The area where the hostages were seized is known as a hub for pirates, rather than an area of Islamic militant activity. A number of high-profile abductions of foreigners have occurred in Somalia and in Kenya, close to the largely lawless Somali border. Some of the kidnappings have been blamed on Al-Shabaab, while criminals seeking ransoms seem to have carried out others. The U.S. raid comes nearly three years after Navy snipers killed three pirates who had taken hostage the captain of the Maersk Alabama off Somalia. But the forceful U.S. responses may not do much to deter hostage-takers in largely lawless Somalia, one expert said, pointing out that piracy in particular is extremely lucrative. "The returns are so worth it that piracy will continue to be attractive to a lot of people," said Adjoa Anyimadu, a researcher for the Africa program at the London-based think tank Chatham House. "I don't think pirates necessarily have the knowledge to target U.S citizens in particular, but obviously U.S. and European citizens can command higher ransoms," she said. Somalia Report, a website that tracks piracy statistics, said over $150 million was paid out in ransoms in 2011. Successful pirate attacks on merchant vessels began to drop off in 2011 in face of improved shipping security -- including on board armed security detachments - and stronger action from the foreign navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said the number of attacks had risen but the success rate had plummeted to 12% in the first nine months of 2011. The aid workers were part of the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit, which aims to make civilians safe from landmines and unexploded ordnance. Buchanan has been employed as a regional education adviser with the mine clearance unit of DRC since May; Thisted, a community safety manager with the de-mining unit, has been working in Somaliland and Somalia since June 2009. CNN's Hada Messia, Kindah Shair, Zain Verjee, Elizabeth Mayo, Brian Walker, Becky Anderson and Tim Lister, and journalists Susanne Gargiulo, Lillian Leposo, Michael Logan and Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report. | Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted arrive at a Naval air station in Sicily .
They were rescued Wednesday by U.S. military forces in Somalia .
The Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden participated in the mission .
Kidnappers seized the aid workers in October . |
53,862 | 98be7fff1ff656bcd77f4d9f8630eb042878deaa | A vaccine found to be 100% effective in protecting monkeys from Ebola is to be rushed through human trials - after sitting unused on a lab shelf for ten years. The vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, even had had its results published in a respected journal, and health officials called them exciting. However, it then languished on a lab shelf after being licensed to a drug firm - until now. Scroll down for video . Soldiers in Texas carrying out training in using protective suits. A radical 100% effective vaccine has just beguin human trials at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland . When a person takes a vaccine, it prompts their immune system to start making antibodies. Antibodies work in our body by finding and then neutralizing foreign objects such as bacteria or viruses. The experimental vaccine is based on an animal virus called vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that is combined with a portion of the protein covering of the Ebola virus. The Ebola Virus . When administered, it induces an immune response against the Ebola virus. Animal studies suggest that the experimental Ebola vaccine is very effective in helping prevent illness. Those same studies have shown that the vaccine can help to prevent illness if it is taken immediately after exposure to the Ebola virus. Studies already done in primates found that it prevents infection when given before exposure and increases survival chances when given after exposure. The intellectual property rights for the vaccine belong to the Government of Canada, and NewLink, a private company that owns the licensing rights to the vaccine, has the responsibility to produce mass quantities and to bring the vaccine to clinical trials. 'On October 13, 2014, the Government of Canada announced the start of clinical trials for the vaccine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the United States,' the Canadian Health Agency said. 'These trials will provide critical information about the safety of the vaccine and appropriate dosage. 'Results from the clinical trial are expected in December 2014.' NewLink Genetics says at least five clinical trials involving the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, will soon be under way in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and in an unnamed African country which is not battling Ebola. The work stalled due to a lack on interest in Ebola, and because there were cases. 'There's never been a big market for Ebola vaccines,' Thomas W. Geisbert, an Ebola expert at the University of Texas and one of the developers of the vaccine, told the Boston Globe. 'So big pharma, who are they going to sell it to?' Geisbert said: 'It takes a crisis sometimes to get people talking. 'OK. We've got to do something here.' The vaccine was produced in Winnipeg by the Public Health Agency of Canada, and is the product of more than 10 years of scientific research by Public Health Agency of Canada scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory. The Canadian government patented it, and 800 to 1,000 vials of the vaccine were produced. In 2010, it licensed the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, to NewLink Genetics, in Ames, Iowa. The Canadian government donated the existing vials to the World Health Organization, and safety tests of the vaccine in healthy volunteers have already begun. 'The Public Health Agency of Canada is supplying the vaccine to the WHO in its role as the international coordinating body for the Ebola outbreak, so that the vaccine can be made available as an international resource,' officials said. The Ebola vaccine on which Geisbert collaborated is made from another virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, which causes a mouth disease in cattle but rarely infects people. It had already been used successfully in making other vaccines. The researchers altered VSV by removing one of its genes — rendering the virus harmless — and inserting a gene from Ebola. The transplanted gene forces VSV to sprout Ebola proteins on its surface. The proteins cannot cause illness, but they provoke an immune response that in monkeys, considered a good surrogate for humans, fought off the disease. 'The WHO, in consultation with partners, including the health authorities from the affected countries, will guide and facilitate how the vaccine should be distributed and used. 'The remaining vials of the vaccine will be kept in Canada for further research and compassionate use as required.' The Ebola vaccine on which Geisbert collaborated is made from another virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, which causes a mouth disease in cattle but rarely infects people. Here, the ebola virus is shown in closeup . The research is part of a rush of research to test drugs and vaccines is underway, with clinical trials starting for several candidates, including the vaccine produced nearly a decade ago. With no vaccines or proven drugs currently available, the stepped up efforts are a desperate measure to stop a disease that has defied traditional means of containing it. | Vaccine found to be 100% effective in protecting monkeys .
Known as VSV-EBOV health officials called results exciting .
Vaccine prevents infection when given before exposure and increases survival chances when given after exposure .
Clinical trials for the vaccine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland have now begun . |
172,927 | 6bcc25eddecebc75bc316bd3a11e09379999ed06 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 07:32 EST, 9 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:53 EST, 9 March 2014 . Held back: Graham Stuart said white working-class parents that their children are held back at school because the television is constantly on in their homes . A Conservative MP has told white working-class parents that their children are held back at school because the television is constantly on in their homes. Graham Stuart said that youngsters from poorer families are being overtaken in school by pupils from ethnic minorities because these children worked harder. The privately-educated MP for Beverley and Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire said parents should turn off their televisions, blaming a constant stream for stopping children from being able to concentrate on their homework. Mr Stuart is chairman of the Commons education committee, is currently investigating the 'underachievement' of white working-class children, and the reasons behind this - including the impact of their homes and families, and what can be done to improve their educational outcomes. The MP makes his own two children finish their homework before they are allowed to sit down in front of the TV. 'I am not trying to demonise people who leave the telly on if they do not know how damaging it is because no one tells them and [if] they do know know how important two hours' extra homework every fortnight is,' he said, according to the Sunday Times. Mr Stuart added that poor white . children are falling behind some pupils from ethnic minorities, and said . that being able to do homework without the distraction of the . television would help youngsters improve their grades. He . said that children from poor immigrant families, who live in 'dire' housing outperform some disadvantaged British children because they work harder. Improvement: Mr Stuart said that being able to do homework without the distraction of the television would help youngsters improve their grades . However, Mr Stuart's remarks, made as he took evidence as part of the education committee's investigation, were criticised by fellow committee member Labour MP Chris Williamson. The Labour MP for Derby North said that Mr Stuart's views on television demonstrated 'how cut off these privileged members of the Conservative party are'. He added that the children's struggles were down to a lack of opportunity. | Graham Stuart said white youngsters from poor families were being overtaken by children from ethnic minorities .
MP said TV stopped children from concentrating on their homework .
Education committee chairman was taking evidence on underachievement of white working-class children . |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.