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216,443 | a437001b405130e645dd783133d838bc3764c6a7 | This is the first picture of the grandfather who poured beer over a crying toddler in a pub because he ‘just wanted the child to be quiet’. Danny Polak, 64, lost his temper when a 15-month-old boy’s tears disturbed his lunch in the Ernehale pub in Arnold, Nottinghamshire. He soaked the toddler in ale and then kicked the boy's mother, Rachel Atkin, in the backside when she went to confront him. Anger: Grandfather Danny Polak, 64, poured ale over a crying child because the boy disturbed his lunch . Mr Polak was fined £355 and ordered to pay £50 in compensation, and admitted two counts of assault, when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Monday . Today Mr Polak apologised for his actions but said he had been treated too harshly. ‘I’m sorry about it. I had gone out for lunch and the baby was crying for a good 15 minutes. I just wanted them to be quiet,’ the grandfather said. Miss Atkin, 25, had gone to the Ernehale with her son and sister-in-law, Rebecca White, on the afternoon of June 11 this year after a morning at a soft play centre. After they took seats at a table next . to Mr Polak and his wife, Miss Atkin went to order food at the bar, . leaving Miss White to look after the child. Assault: Danny Polak claims the child had been 'crying for 15 minutes' when he poured the beer over his head at the Ernehale pub . Catherine Picardo, prosecuting, said that the child: 'started to whine as though he was missing his mother.' 'The . defendant, with a half-full pint in his hand, approached the table and . poured it over the baby’s head, which caused him to scream.' Ms . Picardo told the court that, when confronted by Miss Atkin, Mr Polak . told the mother: 'You shouldn’t bring kids in a pub,’ to which Miss . Atkin responded by throwing her drink in his face, saying: 'See how you . like it.' The court heard that Miss Atkin then turned her back on Polak, who kicked her in the bottom and left the pub. After the ruling on case, Mr Polak defended himself saying he did not intend to pour the beverage over the child’s head. ‘There was very little drink in the glass and I didn’t aim at the baby. I feel I have been treated very harshly. It has made my wife poorly. ‘I’ve not been back to the pub since.’ Miss Picardo said: 'It is quite shocking behaviour as it involved a 15-month old child. 'It took place in a family pub where children are entitled to be.' Brawl: When the boy's mother Rebecca Atkin was alerted to Mr Polak's action she confronted him and threw her own drink in his face after which he kicked her in the backside . Maria Bines, defending, said: 'He was having a quite drink with his wife. He thought rather than go to the bar, the mother should have stayed to attend her son. 'He threw the beer in the general direction of the table where the females were sitting. 'He accepts that beer went over the baby and that his actions were reckless. 'He accepts he kicked her in the bottom. It wasn’t done in malice, it was just so he could have the last word. 'He accepts that what he did was wrong. He is not proud of what he has done, and accepts that it will have to be punished.' Mr Polak, of Sherwood, Nottingham, told . police that he had been angry because the noisy child had forced him and . his wife to abandon plans to have lunch at the pub, which they only did . once a month. Guilty: Mr Polak, 64, admitted two counts of assault when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court . Speaking shortly after the incident, Miss Atkin said: 'I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was so shocked. 'I just stood there for a second and then I ran up to his table and shouted at him. 'I could hear my son crying when I was at the bar and my friend said he’d been shouting about it before he poured the drink over my son. 'But it’s no excuse to pour a drink on him, it just made him cry even more. 'It’s just scary to think someone would do that to a baby that is crying.' After the case the boy’s father Tony White, 30, blasted the ‘very lenient’ sentence. He said: ‘It’s not enough. All my son was doing was crying and this happened to him. It is a very lenient sentence. ‘It has really affected my partner. She won’t go to another pub as she’s worried it could happen again. ‘It has really shaken her up. That’s why I expected the punishment would have been more severe.’ | Danny Polak, 64, lost his temper in Nottinghamshire pub and soaked a crying baby in beer .
He kicked the 15-month-old boy's mother when she confronted him .
Mr Polak was fined £355 after admitting two counts of assault . |
243,504 | c72ba0b06f69823858649903fd9f1d907bbf347f | (CNN) -- I keep thinking of those television ads from the Mexican tourism industry urging Americans to "Come visit Mexico." Visiting isn't difficult. For some Americans, it's leaving that's the problem. For years, U.S. officials have urged their Mexican counterparts to get tough on drug traffickers. The Americans even provided $1.4 billion through the Merida Initiative to help our friends south of the border accomplish that goal. Yet, the drama that unfolded in the state of Sonora for the last week can't be what U.S. officials had in mind. The idea was to help Mexico's police and military pursue violent criminals -- the sort who terrorize people by scattering human heads like party favors on the dance floors of nightclubs -- not to prey on Americans held for ransom by crooked cops looking for their next payday. And that seems to be what happened to Yanira Maldonado, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen who spent the last several days sitting in a women's prison in Nogales, Mexico, on what looks like bogus drug charges. Maldonado, a Mormon with seven children and two grandchildren, was released late Thursday when a judge concluded what was already evident to most of us -- that the Mexican authorities had no evidence to hold her. The family's nightmare is over. It began last week when the Mexican-born Yanira and her husband, Gary, boarded a bus to head back to the United States after attending her aunt's funeral in Mexico. That was their first mistake. Those of us who visit Mexico know you never get on a bus. It makes you easy pickings for bandits and bad cops, and sometimes you can't tell the difference. Bandits might take your money, and let you go on your way. Bad cops take your liberty, and hold it until someone back home sends enough money to let you go on your way. Either way, it's not personal. It's just a business transaction. But it's a cruel and ugly business. Anyway, back to the bus. It came up to a military checkpoint -- which might as well be a toll booth -- and everyone was taken off the bus as soldiers boarded it. "I was at the checkpoint, asked to get off bus," Yanira told CNN from prison. "They were checking for drugs and I don't know what else. They say they found something under the seat but I never saw anything. They didn't show me anything. It was amazing all what they did." The soldiers claim that they found a package containing 12.5 pounds (5.7 kilograms) of what appeared to be marijuana under Yanira's seat. And so they placed her under arrest, and handed the case over to the Mexican attorney general's office for prosecution. Maybe drugs were there before she ever sat down. Or maybe the soldiers put the drugs there. Or maybe there were no drugs at all. No one knows, because, conveniently, the only people on the bus were the soldiers. Gary Maldonado has said that he and his wife checked their bags, and boarded with no luggage. He says that when his wife was taken into custody, one of the soldiers told him matter-of-factly that it would cost him $5,000 to get her released. Later, according to family members, he was quoted the same price by civilian authorities -- $5,000 -- for her release, whether she was found guilty or not. That's how it works. Think of it as a processing fee. In Mexico, stories like this one -- which are all about money, and corruption, and how predatory some hungry people can be when they catch a glimpse of a piece of bread -- are as common as pinatas and margaritas. But that's not supposed to be the case anymore. I was in Mexico City in November on a mission sponsored by the American Jewish Committee. We met with top officials, including President Enrique Pena Nieto, and the message could not have been clearer. "With a booming economy, less crime in metropolitan areas, and the reins of power now back in the hands of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the country is open for business. This is the new Mexico." Sorry folks, it seems there are still unseemly remnants of the old Mexico, and they are threatening to undermine the makeover. The Maldonados probably aren't thinking about the relationship between the United States and Mexico at the moment. They're just glad to have a wife and mother home with her family. This ugly chapter, in their lives and in the U.S.-Mexico relationship, is finally closed. Incidentally, Mexico is still waiting on the last few hundred million dollars in drug fighting funds promised under the Merida Initiative. Congress should send the rest of the money. Minus $5,000. That should go to the Maldonado family. Think of it as a processing fee. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette. | Ruben Navarrette: U.S. mother jailed in Mexico on what looks like bogus drug charges .
He says funds to fight drugs in Mexico weren't meant to hold innocent people in jail .
Mexico is supposed to be beyond this kind of police and court corruption, he says .
He says Yanira Maldonado, mother of 7, is home with her family, nightmare over . |
215,456 | a2e414cb336109549bf46a1d45b215d916ef3c26 | (CNN) -- Like the neighbors of a new kid who just moved into the big fancy house down the block, many Latin American leaders are curious about President Obama. Latin America expert Otto Reich says the summit is an "opportunity, but also a risk for U.S. policy." The heads of 34 nations will get a chance to see him up close next month at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. What he says will be closely watched. "The spotlight will be entirely on Barack Obama," said Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. Hakim will be one of three people who will on Wednesday address the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the summit. Otto Reich, who served Presidents Reagan and both Bushes in a number of high-level Latin American posts, also will speak. Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, will be the third person. Reich has some advice for Obama: Be careful. "The summit is an opportunity, but also a risk for U.S. policy," Reich said. "Not all the neighbors there are good. Why do we recognize this reality when we lock our doors at night but don't recognize it in our foreign policy?" Reich said the United States must differentiate between its friends, primarily Colombia and Mexico, which are under attack from drug traffickers and organized crime, and hostile countries, particularly Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Cuba, which was expelled from the Organization of American States, is not allowed to attend the summit. "Obama can't look at this group of people and think he's among a group of friends," Reich said. "Let's not look at this as a community of 34 countries. They are very different people." Hakim said Obama must ask Latin American leaders to share the burden. "He shouldn't simply say what the United States is going to do," Hakim said. "He should say what he expects Latin America to do." Hakim pointed out several areas Obama needs to address. First, he said, "He must make clear he's trying to fix the U.S. economy." He said Obama also will have to deal with the one nation that won't be there -- Cuba. The United States broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and imposed an economic embargo in 1962. President Bush increased some restrictions in the past eight years. Obama has signaled that he's ready to start relaxing some of the prohibitions. "This is the issue of greatest symbolic importance," Hakim said. "It will be seen as a test of real U.S. readiness to change in the hemisphere. What he says about Cuba will make headlines." But Reich warns that the United States should extract some conditions from Cuba before making any allowances. "There's a way it can be done to advance the conditions of the people in Cuba," he said. "I don't approve of the unilateral way it's being done. The embargo is a negotiating tool. We should not negotiate with ourselves, and that's what we're doing." Hakim also said Obama must address "the pandemic of criminal violence" destroying many parts of Latin America. U.S. aid is focused primarily on Mexico and Colombia. "Is the United States going to go beyond Mexico and Colombia?" he asked. "Is the United States ready to rethink it's drug strategy, which has done so little?" A new approach to the drug war has received increased support and attention recently. The former presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil called last month for the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use and a change in tactics on the war on drugs. Ex-presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico, Cesar Gaviria of Colombia and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil made their announcement at a meeting in Brazil of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. "The problem is that current policies are based on prejudices and fears and not on results," Gaviria said at a news conference in which the commission's recommendations were presented. The 17-member panel worked on the report for a year. Gaviria said the time is right to start a debate on the subject, particularly with the pragmatic openings provided by Obama's election. The Fifth Summit of the Americas will be held in Port of Spain April 17-19. The periodic meetings bring together the 34 democratically elected heads of state and governments in the Western Hemisphere to discuss regional issues. The first summit was held in Miami, Florida, in December 1994. The most recent took place in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in November 2005. | Obama goes to Fifth Summit of the Americas next month .
Three analysts are speaking to Congress this week about summit .
One says Obama should recognize he's not surrounded by friends .
Another says he should address issue of Cuba, which will not be at summit . |
78,584 | deade7435d9bca2fb4c454479d339851964f73f3 | (CNN) -- Uganda says it has captured a top commander of the Lord's Resistance Army, the guerrilla movement notorious for its attacks on civilians and use of child soldiers. Ugandan commanders displayed Caesar Achellam to reporters after his capture in what they said was a weekend raid in the Central African Republic. The CAR is one of several African Union countries that has committed troops to hunt down LRA chieftain Joseph Kony, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. "This is a big fish," said Col. Felix Kulayigye, a Ugandan military spokesman. "For Caesar to be in our hands it is a big statement, as far as our efforts to end this rebellion." Achellam told reporters he hoped his capture would lead "my people remaining in the brush" to give up, "so that sooner maybe the war would come to an end." Radhika Coomaraswamy, U.N. special representative for Children and Armed Conflict, called on Ugandan authorities Monday to "not apply amnesty but instead, bring him (Achellam) to justice." "The arrest and subsequent prosecution of Achellam would send a strong message to the LRA leadership that they will be held accountable for their actions," Coomaraswamy said. Achellam was captured with his wife, child and a 12-year-old girl from the Central African Republic, according to the U.N. Achellam and his family are in Ugandan custody in South Sudan. The unidentified girl remains in the Central African Republic. It's unknown why she was with Achellam, the U.N. said. Kony led a failed uprising against the government of Uganda and was pushed out of Uganda in 2006. He has been moving around other countries in the region ever since. Abou Moussa, a special U.N. envoy for central Africa, told CNN in March that Kony may be in the Central African Republic with between 200 and 700 remaining troops. Kony is accused of using vicious tactics to recruit children to use them as soldiers and sex slaves and of slicing off ears, noses and limbs of his victims. There are reports of child soldiers brainwashed into killing their own parents. A celebrity-backed video that went viral earlier this year helped make Kony's alleged crimes more widely known. The half-hour documentary "KONY 2012" was viewed more than 89 million times on YouTube, but the video also spurred a flurry of questions about its producers' intentions, their transparency and whether the social-media frenzy was too little, too late. | NEW: Achellam was captured with his wife, child and a 12-year-old Central African girl .
Caesar Achellam was captured in the Central African Republic, Uganda says .
"This is a big fish," a Ugandan military spokesman says .
Achellam is a top lieutenant to wanted LRA chieftain Joseph Kony . |
254,792 | d5cf3ecbc12ba977b19bef472ac5f3889d27ead3 | (CNN) -- Since taking the helm of Yahoo after years in Google's upper echelon, Marissa Mayer has been at the center of plenty of talk not focused on turning around the once-mighty Web giant. As Silicon Valley's most prominent woman, her appearance, her motherhood and the way her policies will affect female employees have all, fairly or not, been the subject of spirited discussion. Now, a two-page photo spread in September's Vogue magazine has them talking again. In the photo, Mayer lies upside-down on a backyard lounge chair, wearing a blue Michael Kors dress. Her blond hair fans out at the foot of the chair, her Yves Saint Laurent stiletto heels point toward the top and she holds a tablet computer featuring a stylized image of her face. In the minds of some, that single image is enough to undo a 3,000-word article -- the first in-depth interview Mayer has granted since taking the reins at Yahoo -- that focuses on her successes and vision in a male-dominated tech world. "Nothing says, 'I'm a powerful woman' like a photo of you upside down on a weird couch," Stan Horaczek, an editor at Popular Photography, said on Twitter. "Nice work, Vogue." "Being equal means you can be (feminine) AND smart," wrote online business consultant Angie McKaig. "However, still wincing over Marissa Mayer all stretched out for Vogue." Some people focused less on the photo and main article than they did on what they deemed a questionable sidebar piece titled "What Would Marissa Mayer Wear?: A Workweek Guide to Office Dressing." "Marissa Mayer's ascent up the corporate ladder and to the top of the tech world are enough to make her the mentor every working woman wants," the piece reads. "But her uncanny ability to perfectly answer that age-old fashion question: What is work-appropriate? is equally worth emulating." It follows with a five-panel slideshow of outfits presumably inspired by Mayer. "Oy... " read the one-sound review of Slate economics reporter Matt Yglesias on Twitter. Mayer has made no secret of her love for design and fashion. The article, in which writer and Slate Group editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg calls her an "unusually stylish geek," is her second appearance in Vogue, following a 2009 feature when she was one of Google's top leaders. READ: How Marissa Mayer makes her own rules . Much of the online response on Monday, the first day other publications could run the image, remained focused on the article itself, with much of it praising Mayer and the steps she has taken to begin a turnaround at a once-faltering Yahoo. Others said the photo, like it or not, shouldn't take away from the overall look at Mayer's life and career. Anna Holmes, founder of women's website Jezebel, argued in a column for Time that "women who hold any position of authority get it coming and going" when it comes to their appearance. Ignore it? You lack self-respect. Focus on it? You're superficial. If anything, she writes, Mayer's photo and other recent debates "make me yearn for a time when female competence in one area is not undermined by enthusiasm for another -- in which women in positions of power are so commonplace that we do not feel compelled to divine motive or find symbolism in every remark they make, corporate policy they enact or fashion spread they pose for." In the article, in which Mayer reveals a fondness for even numbers, cashmere boleros, pineapple milkshakes and Candy Crush, she also provides insight into her first year at Yahoo's helm. Who works from home and how they do it . On her vision for Yahoo: "Close your eyes and listen to this list. E-mail, maps, weather, news, stock quotes, share photos, group communication, sport scores, games. You're listening to what people do on their mobile phones. And it sounds like a list of what Yahoo does." On buying blogging site Tumblr: "I've done now between three and four dozen acquisitions in my career ... and I've never seen this kind of lock-and-key fit between two companies. Our demographic is older. Theirs is the youngest on the Web." On her controversial move to end work-from-home at Yahoo: (In a conversation with Web investor and pioneer Esther Dyson) "Mayer elaborates, a little defensively, on her reasons for the change. She never meant it as any kind of larger statement about society, but simply as the right decision for Yahoo, where by various accounts working from home often meant hardly working. Teams are happier now that absent participants don't teleconference in for meetings. Messages on Yahoo's 'devel-random' e-mail list, the company's informal forum, have lately turned positive. And in perhaps the clearest sign of support, employees have, she tells Dyson, 'stopped leaking my e-mails' to the press." On getting ahead in Silicon Valley: "I didn't set out to be at the top of technology companies. I'm just geeky and shy and I like to code. ... It's not like I had a grand plan where I weighed all the pros and cons of what I wanted to do—it just sort of happened." | Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is the subject of a 3,000-word profile in Vogue .
She poses prone on a chaise lounge in a designer dress and heels .
Some find the image inappropriate for a CEO .
Defenders say women's interests shouldn't undermine their work . |
157,686 | 57e00271ebf2691c284fd6d538865b6272751111 | (CNN) -- As Secretary of State John Kerry pursues new peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, he and President Obama will need broad-based support in efforts for peace, which will come only through bridging the gulf between those who identify primarily with Israelis and those who identify primarily with Palestinians. As a rabbi and the director of a Jewish human rights organization, I have seen how that gulf inhibits all of us in our ability to support the peace process. A few cases in point: A pro-Palestinian activist was struggling to understand why the Jewish community reacts so strongly against calls to boycott and divest from Israel. After all, she told me, boycotts are an accepted nonviolent tactic for achieving a political goal. Didn't I know about the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa? Or the fight for the rights of migrant grape workers in California? What about the Montgomery bus boycott? But the word "boycott" carries terrible associations for Jews. I explained to her that it is linked in our minds to the boycotts of Jewish businesses in Nazi Germany, which presaged the deportations and murders. Then there's the history of blood libel, the false accusations of Jewish violence against Christians that often prompted boycotts and worse. The very word boycott triggers this communal post-traumatic stress, regardless of the intentions of those advocating for such tactics. Not long after, the director of a national Jewish organization complained to me that protests against the occupation, including calls for boycotts and divestment, seek to smear Israel's image and de-legitimize the country's right to exist. Although I don't support boycotts of Israel, I challenged him to consider that the worst damage to Israel's image and credibility might come from the occupation itself. The failure of the two sides to communicate has implications far beyond whether pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian advocates can get along. Within the United States, we have seen a breakdown in relationships between Jewish communities and other minority communities who have long been natural allies for an open, diverse and equitable America. The inability to break out of one-sided rhetoric also limits both sides' willingness to accept the painful concessions that will be necessary for peace. Those who sympathize primarily with the Palestinians must recognize that the trauma of the Holocaust and of thousands of years of anti-Semitism remains an open wound for the Jewish community. We will never "get over it." Acknowledging this trauma does not mean that criticism of Israeli policy is off limits. Instead, those protesting the occupation need to clamp down on any rhetoric that crosses the line into anti-Semitic stereotyping, that denies Jewish history and identity, or that dismisses the suffering and human rights of Israelis. There can be no space within the anti-occupation movement for negative portrayals of Jews, calls to wipe out Israel, or diatribes against "Zionists," a word that most Jews understand as a barely veiled reference to all of us. When Hamas militants shoot rockets at towns and villages in Israel, the Jewish community needs to hear condemnation from those who most often ally themselves with Palestinians. Those who sympathize primarily with Israel must similarly reject dehumanizing rhetoric about Palestinians or Muslims. It is vital to acknowledge the day-to-day suffering of Palestinians, who contend with the theft of private land, long and demeaning checkpoint lines, and violence from settlers and soldiers. Responding with disbelief to painful narratives, or countering with stories of Israel's scientific and medical achievements, paints the Jewish community as tone deaf to the suffering of others. When the Israeli government issues building permits for a new settlement, demolishes a Palestinian home, or levies only minor penalties on Jews who attack Palestinians and their property, mainstream Jewish leaders need to condemn these actions as unjust and destructive of the possibility for peace. Those on both sides who are unwilling to change their rhetoric should come clean about whether they are actually committed to peace. Those who tolerate language that demonizes Jews or who justify violence against Israeli civilians must ask themselves whether they are actually most interested in achieving a better future for Palestinians, or whether they are indulging in dangerous anti-Semitism. Those who dismiss Palestinian suffering or who rationalize violence against Palestinian civilians must ask themselves whether they are serious about a two-state solution, or whether they are simply looking for excuses to sustain the occupation indefinitely. Each side also needs to look forward instead of back. Jews must acknowledge that this moment is neither the Germany of the 1930s nor the Israel of the second intifada. The very prominence of boycotts, protests and appeals to the United Nations -- whether we approve of these tactics or not -- reflects a decision by the Palestinian majority to pursue nonviolent efforts to achieve a state. Those who take up the Palestinian cause must acknowledge that the state of Israel and its more than 6 million Jewish citizens are here to stay. Both sides need to stop arguing about whose fault it is that previous negotiations have failed. It's easier to attack and defend than to seek to understand the other side's legitimate needs and emotions. But there's no easy way around it. Creating a just and peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians requires doing it the hard way. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of . | Israeli-Palestinian peace talks need support that comes from understanding of both sides .
Jacobs: Palestinian sympathizers, know the Holocaust is an open wound .
Jacobs: Israeli sympathizers, stop dehumanizing Palestinians, accept their suffering .
Each side needs to look forward, stop arguing over who's to blame, she says . |
209,938 | 9be48164b499ef30ed2e595e855582ffc0976c26 | Washington (CNN) -- For months, voters have been in the dark about key details of Mitt Romney's tax plans. He specified $5 trillion in tax cuts, a 20% cut in income tax rates, a 40% cut in the corporate tax rate, repeal of the estate tax and alternative minimum tax and elimination of taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for households with incomes below $200,000. He did not want his changes to raise the deficit, but he was utterly mum on how to raise $5 trillion to offset the tax cuts. During the summer, two colleagues and I showed that if Romney did not want to add new taxes on savings and investments -- and raising savings and investments is the second of four main planks in Romney's overall economic package -- he could not finance his tax cuts without generating a net tax cut for households with income above $200,000. Politics: 5 things we learned from the presidential debate . Even if all the available tax expenditures were closed in the most progressive manner possible, it would not raise enough revenue among high-income households to offset the tax cuts they would receive. This was true even when we adjusted the revenue estimates to allow for the impact of potential economic growth, and even when we gave the campaign a trillion-dollar mulligan by ignoring the cost of the corporate tax cuts. As a result, we concluded that if Romney did not impose new taxes on savings and investments, the only way to finance his tax cut proposals and reach revenue neutrality was to raise taxes on households with income below $200,000. This was not a forecast of what Romney would actually do; it was simply a matter of arithmetic. But it highlighted the need for specifics; $5 trillion is not a trivial amount, even in Washington, and the prospect of middle-class tax increases sets off alarm bells. Earlier this week, Romney finally started the process of proposing ways to pay for his tax cut proposals. He broached the idea of putting a cap on each taxpayer's total amount of itemized deductions -- including mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable contributions. Although critical design features remain foggy, Romney has said the cap could range from $17,000 to $50,000, and it could vary with income. Several things are already clear. Opinion: Why you should vote for Romney . First, capping -- or even eliminating -- itemized deductions will not come close to paying for Romney's tax cuts. It would be a step toward financing, but much more will be needed. Nevertheless, as a piece of the revenue puzzle, a cap is an interesting and important idea and a welcome step forward. Members of Congress are quick to see the political advantages of a cap. Relative to curtailing specific deductions, a cap allows them to leave existing deductions in place but restrict the overall use of such deductions. In that sense, the cap is like the alternative minimum tax was intended to be -- a limit on the overall use of tax shelters, even if political leaders could not shut down each one. A cap on itemized deductions goes after one of the three areas of the income tax where the money is. The other two are the exclusion of health insurance premiums from taxation and saving and investment incentives like 401(k) plans, and the lower tax rates on capital gains and dividends and carried interest. A cap on a taxpayer's use of all of these subsidies -- as opposed to just itemized deductions -- could get at all three areas. Martin Feldstein of Harvard University and the Romney campaign and Maya MacGuineas of the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget have proposed a different style of cap that applies to more than just itemized deductions. While Romney's cap appears to apply to all itemized deductions, it may have a disproportionately negative effect on charitable contributions. After all, people have to pay their state and local taxes, and many people are already in the middle of a long-term commitment to pay down their mortgage. Opinion: Romney shakes up the race . For those households, there may be little room left under the cap to take deductions for charitable contributions. And, for all households, the cap would eliminate tax deductions for contributions larger than the cap, so large gifts to charities would automatically lose their tax-preferred status. So, a cap is not a panacea, but it could well be one part of a constructive solution. Likewise, his acknowledgment that his earlier, disparaging comments about the 47% of households that do not pay federal income taxes were misguided suggests a reconsideration of the role taxes play in those households. If the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Romney has finally taken the first step. But there is still much more work to be done. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William Gale. | William Gale: Mitt Romney's $5 trillion tax cut proposal didn't add up for months .
He says new idea of a cap on deductions is a first step toward a viable plan .
Gale says the cap wouldn't be nearly enough to pay for the tax cuts, but it would help .
He says that it could make taxpayers much less likely to give to charity . |
217,927 | a6250df007d3a51a2b5f89601c05bd9024f2a9c2 | Thierry Henry created both goals as New York Red Bulls beat D.C United 2-0 in their Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semi-final, first leg game on Sunday. The 37-year-old former France international, whose contract with the Red Bulls ends this season, showed plenty of his class playing in a withdrawn role on the left flank. It was a delightful back-heel from Henry that found Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 40th minute and the English striker made no mistake, firing in his 30th goal of the season. Thierry Henry applauds the New York Red Bulls fans as he leaves the field in the second half on Sunday . Henry impressed in a wide-left role, setting up the two goals in a 2-0 win for New York against DC United . Henry gives instructions to Ambroise Oyongo (right) as he comes off during the play-off match . D.C United, who finished top of the East in the regular season, went close on the hour when a dipping drive from Argentine Fabian Espindola flashed just over the bar. But that was one of the few real chances created by Ben Olsen's team who never got into top gear against a confident New York. D.C keeper Bill Hamid pulled off a fine double save in the 68th minute to deny Lloyd Sam and then Wright-Phillips as the Red Bulls piled on the pressure. Former France international Henry battles for the ball with DC United defender Chris Korb . Peguy Luyindula (right) is congratulated by Henry after scoring past Bill Hamid in the DC United goal . New York got their deserved second in the 74th minute when Henry lifted a ball over the top to his compatriot Peguy Luyindula and the veteran former Paris St Germain midfielder coolly slotted through the legs of the oncoming Hamid. Dax McCarty should have made it 3-0 but, left unmarked in the area, he flashed his free header wide. The second-leg at United's RFK Stadium will be played on Saturday. | New York Red Bulls beat DC United 2-0 in their Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semi-final first-leg match on Sunday .
Thierry Henry created both goals in the match from a wide-left role .
The 37-year-old former French international's contract ends this season .
Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 30th goal of the season . |
10,642 | 1e40b5a0503d0575c11611285490c6149298295c | Precision Guided Firearms (PGFs) that can automatically aim at targets? Terrifyingly, there’s an app for that. Known as TagTrackXact (TTX), Texas firm TrackingPoint’s software is used to enable an advanced array of weaponry. And in a new video, one YouTube user shows how TTX lets him hit a smartphone with a rifle from one kilometre (0.62 miles) away. Scroll down for video . TrackingPoint's TagTrackXact software enables a shooter to accurately fire at targets by 'painting' them in the distance before the software helps them align their gun. Others can even follow along with the action on an iOS app on an iPhone or an iPad (pictured) In the video YouTube user RatedRR is firing the XS1 .338 Lapua Magnum, which he says is the ‘largest-calibre Precision Guided Firearm available today.’ A laser rangefinder is used by the shooter looking through the scope to identify the target that he or she wants to hit. The . high-tech sight then takes into account humidity, wind and the typical . ballistic drop you'd expect from a bullet fired over such a distance. Once . the target has been selected, the scope provides cross-hairs which have . to be lined up with the pin that is dropped on the target. To ensure accuracy, the shooter can not even squeeze the trigger unless the cross-hairs and pin are alined. The rifle employs the aforementioned TTX targeting system, which boasts a range of up to 1.1 kilometres (0.68 miles). Using the system allows for accurate and precise shots of a distant target - even one as small as a smartphone. To shoot at something, the shooter first 'marks' it using a button near the trigger. Marking a target illuminates it with the tracking scope's built-in laser, and the target gains a red pin in the scope's display. The scope then provides cross-hairs that have to be lined up with the pin, with the shooter not able to pull the trigger unless the two are aligned. In the video YouTube user RatedRR fires several shots at an HTC One (stock image shown), highlighting the impressive level of accuracy of the gun. He mentions, though, that the central dot is quite big so at a distance of one kilometre (0.62 miles) it is hard to know which part of the phone he is shooting at . The US military has been testing out some of the Precision Guided Firearms (pictured) with a view to employing them in the field in the future. Back in January it was reported they acquired six $27,000 (£16,000) smart rifles from Texas-based TrackingPoint . The rifle also offers an iOS app that connects to the scope via a mobile Wi-Fi network and streams the scope's display to the app, allowing someone with an iPad or iPhone to act as a spotter and for videos to be uploaded to the Internet. This allows hunters to gain instant advice on their aim from experts using the Internet and more interestingly allows shooters to video anything they shoot on an expedition and upload it onto the web as proof. The makers of the rifle also claim that the gun is safer than a standard bolt action rifle. This is because a large number of injuries are caused by recoiling guns fired by nervous shooters with twitch fingers. TrackingPoint’s rifle increases the pull strength of the trigger until the target is aligned. In this way, the hunter is more likely to hit their target and accidental firings can be largely avoided. The smart rifles can shoot even if the target is moving as fast as 10 miles (16 kilometres) per hour. All of TrackingPoint’s firearms use the company’s TTX system – which tracks range, drop, magnus effect, spindrift, coriolis effect, direction, cant, inclination, pressure, temperature, humidity, muzzle velocity, barrel length and twist, lock time, ballistic coefficient and drag coefficient. | A new YouTube video shows off a Precision Guided Firearm (PGF)
User RatedRR shoots a smartphone with a smart rifle from 1km away .
The gun uses TrackingPoint's aiming software known as TagTrackXact .
This enables a shooter to 'paint' and hit a stationary or moving target .
The software can help people more easily become expert marksmen . |
8,931 | 193142f33705764e2617e4ca2519d0c4921e20f1 | By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 03:44 EST, 5 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:06 EST, 6 November 2012 . Investigated: There are now 300 child abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile . Jimmy's Savile's youngest victim was just eight years old, it has emerged after she came forward to sue the late DJ's £4.3million estate. She says he molested her at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, while she was recovering after an operation in 1986. Her shocking revelation comes as a man also scarred by the paedophile's legacy admitted he is haunted by the possibility he may be Savile's love child. The sick BBC star, who has now been exposed as one of the UK's most prolific abusers, had a fling with Mr Biven's mother when she was a teenager. Liz Dux, from law firm Slater & Gordon, said of the eight-year-old victim: 'This was a little girl who went in for treatment and came out an abuse victim. She should have been protected.' Savile was free to roam Stoke . Mandeville in Buckinghamshire as he pleased, using his position as a . charitable donor to sexually abuse sick children. He . kept toys donated for children in his private flat in the hospital . grounds, and was accused of attacking vulnerable young children on the . wards - with nurses advising them to 'pretend to be asleep' when he was . visiting. Solicitors have confirmed that they are planning to take legal action on behalf of 43 alleged victims, including a man and woman who were nine when they were attacked by Savile at the BBC. Slater & Gordon, which is acting for 36 people who were aged from eight to 23 when they were abused, has sent letters before action to the BBC, Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor hospitals, and the executors of Savile’s estate. Another law firm, Pannone, is acting on behalf of seven alleged victims and has sent letters of claim to Savile’s estate. One claim has also been made against the BBC. There are currently 29 current and . former BBC staff under investigation for alleged sexual . misconduct - three times the number originally thought. Police are investigating 300 child abuse allegations against the DJ, who died in Leeds aged 84 a year ago. Builder Craig Bivens, 52, revealed in The Sun today how he is worried the BBC star could have fathered him during a five-month affair with his mother, Liz Boothe. Scroll down for video . Savile with a patient in a therapeutic bath in the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital . Abuse: Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury where Savile was allegedly free to prey upon young patients . 'I don't want to be the boy of a kiddie fiddler,' he said. 'I don't want to be his son.' Ms . Boothe, now 70, found she was pregnant after a relationship with Savile . when she was 18 and he was managing the Mecca Locarno dancehall in . Leeds. The former model and singer now believes she was cherry-picked for Savile by a bouncer. She and the bouncer went out for a drink and he stole a photo of her from her bag to show to his boss. She . was then taken to Savile's office at the Mecca and told by the DJ: . 'Right, you don't see him any more. I want to take you out.' In honour: Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville next to a placard to commemorate his 'hard work' for the hospital . 'Mean': Savile kept toys donated for sick children in his private flat at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, pictured . Saville pictured with his then PA, Janet Cope, at Stoke Mandeville hospital . Ms Boothe added: 'It was always wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Being quick was the only good thing about him. 'Let's . be honest, I only went out with someone looking like he did because of . the people I could meet... the most famous was Cliff Richard.' Ms . Boothe, who is 'disgusted' to think that such a sick figure could be . the father of her child, described Savile as 'mean and arrogant.' A Tory councillor has called for Jimmy Savile’s corpse to be exhumed and cremated after complaints from people who have loved ones buried nearby in the cemetery. Colin Haddington spoke out as his civic colleagues voted unanimously to strike Savile’s name from Scarborough Council’s roll of honour and posthumously revoke his freedom of the Borough once the police investigation is over. Council leaders said there was no point in investigating the idea of an exhumation of the reviled entertainer because the decision on his final resting place is a matter for his family and the church authorities rather than the town hall. Savile is currently entombed in concrete in the resort’s Woodlands Cemetery, where he was buried at a 45 degree angle a year ago so he could 'see the sea'. His £4,000 triple headstone - with the final epitaph 'It was good while it lasted' - was removed and broken up for landfill at the request of the family. Councillor Haddington said: 'I have been contacted by one of my constituents whose granddaughter is buried close to Savile. 'This has caused her enormous concern and the family a great deal of distress. My constituent has asked me to put her family at ease - if the body could be exhumed, taken a short distance to the crematorium, and cremated. 'I would ask the council leader if he would in conjunction with the legal department look into this to see if it is possible.' Council leader Tom Fox described Savile’s behaviour as 'grotesque and obscene' but argued that it was not the council’s place to decide what happened to Savile’s remains, which was a matter for the family. He said: 'There was media speculation that the family may consider an exhumation. The family then said it was not part of their considerations. 'But it did prompt the council to consider how an exhumation could be done. 'Savile is interred in consecrated ground. If he is exhumed and put in another consecrated area the church diocese will need to give permission and consent given to where he goes. 'The grave owner then needs to give permission and the local authority is then last in line to give its permission.' Similar consent would be needed even if Savile was reinterred in non-consecrated ground, he added. There are also the options of cremation and disposing of the remains at sea. She . said: 'He'd take me to restaurants with his entourage and stuff his . face with fast food. But he'd say to the waitresses, "A coffee for the . lady." I spent most of the time with him starving.' She . did see a darker side to his lifestyle, however, and claims Savile . regularly met with police and gangsters and even ordered an arson attack . on heavyweight boxer Bruce Woodcock. 'He wasn't a nice person,' she added - although she said she never knew of any paedophilia. After she broke up with Savile, she was called to his office, where he asked if she was really pregnant and if the baby was his. She did not want it to be, she said, so she told him that it was not. He replied: 'Thank god for that.' Father-of-two Mr Biven, who looks remarkably like Savile, now has to live with the knowledge that a predatory paedophile could be his father. Mr Biven has only blank space on his birth certificate where his father's name should be, but he and his mother never want to know the truth. 'It's best left,' said Ms Boothe. 'I'm sure there are loads who had babies by Sav.' Savile’s name is to be wiped from Scarborough’s list of Freemen of the Borough as a gesture of support to his 300 alleged victims, who he is said to have abused over six decades. The disgraced BBC star was awarded the accolade in 2005 to celebrate his links with the North Yorkshire resort, where he owned a second home and was buried overlooking the sea a year ago. Councillor Tom Fox, who proposed the motion, said: 'This council wishes to send its heartfelt support to, and acknowledge the courage of, those who have come forward having suffered horrendous abuse at the hands of the alleged serial predatory sexual offender Sir Jimmy Savile.' The Savile scandal began when ITV broadcast new sex abuse allegations in a documentary about the late presenter on October 3, sparking a mammoth police inquiry. Intense scrutiny of the BBC followed, after the corporation dropped a Newsnight report into the presenter’s actions last year after his death. Comedian Freddie Starr and former pop star Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, have also been questioned by officers investigating the abuse scandal. Doctors at Leeds Infirmary as well as Stoke Mandeville at the time are accused of collaborating in Savile's rape of children. Others claim they were abused by Savile while pupils at Duncroft Approved School in Surrey during the 1970s. Savile's estate has been frozen in response to the allegations. NatWest Bank, which is acting as his executor and trustee, said the distribution of his assets had been put on hold in anticipation of legal action from his alleged victims. Savile was also a regular visitor to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital and befriended Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, now 66. Britain’s top expert on serial killers said police should probe whether the pair developed a friendship before Sutcliffe was caught. | Woman says she was abused while in hospital recovering from operation .
Craig Biven's mother had an affair with Savile when she was a teenager .
He is haunted by idea that his his father was a paedophile .
Liz Boothe, now 70, says 'Sav' was 'mean and arrogant' and did not let her eat when they went to restaurants .
She claims he met up with gangsters and police in shady underworld .
The late DJ is accused of 300 child abuse offences .
Solicitors have confirmed they are planning to take legal action on behalf of 43 alleged victims .
They have sent legal letters to the BBC, .
Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor hospitals, and .
the executors of Savile’s estate .
One claim has also been made against the BBC, where there are 29 are under investigation for alleged misconduct .
Savile’s name wiped from Scarborough's Roll of Honour .
Tory councillor calls for his remains to be exhumed and cremated . |
75,981 | d77d1960fc5b66cee7c500811b4b9bfb36acdf44 | Arsene Wenger has revealed that he is 'scared' Aaron Ramsey will miss Arsenal's busy Christmas schedule through injury. Ramsey suffered a slight hamstring strain during the 4-1 Champions League win against Galatasaray. Despite the Welsh midfielder claiming he was taken off as a 'precaution' during the clash, Wenger now expects the 23-year-old to be back in late December at the earliest. Arsene Wenger expects Aaron Ramsey to miss the majority of Arsenal's December fixtures . Aaron Ramsey scored twice against Galatasaray before being substituted at half-time . Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Wenger said: 'I am scared he (Ramsey) will miss the Christmas period. 'He should be back at the end of December, [or] beginning of January.' Wenger also revealed winger Theo Walcott will be assessed on Saturday ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday. Walcott has been back in training after the groin problem he suffered while on international duty with England. Wenger added: 'Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott will be assessed tomorrow (Saturday). Laurent Koscielny is still out.' Theo Walcott could be close to making his return for Arsenal and will be assessed on Saturday . Training has being intensified for Walcott as he nears full fitness ahead of the crucial Liverpool match . Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring his second goal during Arsenal's 4-1 win against Newcastle last weekend . Sport analysts Bloomberg Sports believe a Liverpool win over Arsenal is the most likely outcome . | Aaron Ramsey set to miss Arsenal's busy Christmas period with hamstring strain, confirms Arsene Wenger .
Ramsey was substituted as a precaution during Arsenal's 4-1 Champions League win against Galatasaray .
Wenger hopes Ramsey will return to action at the 'end of December .
Arsenal face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday (kick-off 4pm) |
143,275 | 454ba6724dbebc50ce9d295ebacddb048ad71dca | (CNN) -- Paris Saint-Germain completed the signing of Brazilian international defender Alex from Chelsea Friday on a two-and-a-half-year deal. The 29-year-old is re-united with PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti, who was in charge at Chelsea when they won the English Premier League and FA Cup double in 2010. He had fallen out of favor under Andre Villas-Boas and was also a target for fellow EPL side Queens Park Rangers, but chose the Parisian giants. "I knew about PSG's immense stature and that made me want to come," Alex told the club's official website. "For the past two months I've wanted to leave Chelsea and we finally opened talks with PSG. Everything went very well." Alex has won 18 Brazil caps and was in their squad which claimed the 2007 Copa America, but he will be battling five other players, including club captain Mamadou Sakho, for places in central defense. "I know him very well. He's a fantastic man and a fantastic player. He's a good investment for the team," said Ancelotti. Ancelotti, who took charge in December, also revealed that the Qatari-backed club had ruled out an immediate move for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. The Italian said they had been in discussions with Tevez and his connections but talks had broken down. "We discussed a move with the player but there is ultimately no agreement," Ancelotti told the club website, but left the door open for a future deal. Meanwhile, Tevez's advisor Kia Joorabchian told British radio station TalkSport that it was likely the striker would stay at City until the summer. "We've been in negotiations with three big clubs but I don't think they have reached the figures Manchester City want," Joorabchian claimed. Joorabchian also said he believed his player could end up at PSG next season. "PSG want to build a long-term project and I think Carlos is six months too early for them. But there is a big chance he will go there in the summer," he added. | Paris Saint-Germain complete signing of Brazil defender Alex from Chelsea .
Alex re-united with former Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti .
Ancelotti rules out January move for Manchester City's Carlos Tevez .
Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian claims his player will eventually join PSG . |
3,778 | 0aeac929f869f839f49c8a5491ef1380b543d534 | "I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them, but never the potatoes that went with them," wrote Nora Ephron in Heartburn. If only most of us were so philosophical about the way we eat when we're in the throes of a powerful emotion. Unfortunately, after we celebrate our promotion with champagne and cupcakes or drown our romantic woes in a bowl of spaghetti, we tend to feel remorseful. "I indulged myself," we might confess, in a hushed tone, to a friend the next day. (Even our choice of word—indulge—is loaded, as it implies we are engaging in a vaguely illicit behavior.) But is this self-flagellation really necessary? Some experts say no. "It's healthy to emotionally eat once in a while—to eat for comfort, to celebrate, or just because," says Jean Fain, a psychotherapist affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the author of "The Self-Compassion Diet." "Sure, you could go for a walk or head to the gym, but sometimes an ice cream sundae is just the thing." Of course, no one is suggesting that it's a good idea to routinely pull a Liz Lemon on a gallon of rocky road. Frequent, heavy emotional eating can be a serious issue. However, doing it occasionally might not be all bad. Both your body and psyche are hardwired to make connections between how you feel and what's on your plate. It's the way you handle—and regulate—your eating that makes the difference between a pleasurable endeavor and a real health concern. Real Simple: Debunking health myths . Your physical cravings, demystifiedYour body is no dummy. There's a reason it yearns for a bowl of crunchy-top macaroni and cheese or a sliver of warm apple pie. "Foods that are laden with carbohydrates, sugar, or fat simply taste delicious," says Heather Hausenblas, Ph.D., an associate professor of exercise psychology at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. But surprise! Flavor is only part of the reason you crave these foods. Your brain chemistry actually changes when you bite into a bagel or a Twizzler. "Carbohydrates set off a series of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to a boost in brain serotonin," says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., the former director of the Research Program in Women's Health at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clinical Research Center. The higher the levels of serotonin, the more content you feel (at least temporarily). No wonder cutting out carbs can make you grumpy: A 2009 study from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, in Adelaide, Australia, found that low-carbohydrate dieters registered the lowest moods. The same goes for fatty foods. In a 2011 study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, subjects were fed through a stomach tube with either a solution of fatty acids or saline. Both groups then listened to music proven to evoke a negative or neutral emotion. Those given the fat were less sad, and brain scans showed dampened activity in areas associated with sadness. The researchers believe this shows that fatty acids can induce a signal from your gut to your brain, which may influence emotions. There are times when we are more physically vulnerable to these triggers—for example, during periods of stress. "Chronic stress creates elevated levels of the hormone cortisol," says Jeffrey Morrison, M.D., a family practitioner in New York City and the author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind ($26, amazon.com). Your body thinks you're going through a famine, he explains, which can increase your cravings. Exhaustion is a contributing factor, too. In a 2012 study, Columbia University and St. Luke's--Roosevelt Hospital Center researchers found that when subjects were sleep-deprived, seeing pictures of unhealthy foods activated reward centers in their brains. Those centers were less active when the participants were fully rested. Increased reward-center activity may make a person more likely to eat. (See, that's why you scarfed those doughnut holes while pulling an all-nighter for work.) Real Simple: 24 Nutritious (and tasty) snacks . The quest for comfortBiology isn't the only reason we eat emotionally. Think back: Since day one, when we were fed in a mother's or father's arms, we have associated food with comfort, says Michelle May, M.D., the founder of the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program, in Phoenix, and the author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat ($20, amazon.com). As a child, you probably got the food-as-soother message in countless other ways, too: Remember the lollipop the doctor always handed out after a visit? The teacher who rewarded A students with ice cream? By adulthood that association becomes ingrained in our minds, says Craig Johnson, Ph.D., a psychologist specializing in eating disorders and the chief clinical officer of the Eating Recovery Center, in Denver: "Children's brains sometimes aren't developed enough to use words to deal with complex feelings, so they may use food to self-regulate emotions." That's even more likely if your parents modeled that behavior. In a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers brought together mother-preschooler pairs. They asked the moms to rate their own emotional-eating habits. Then they devised an activity during which snacks would be offered to the children. The preschoolers whose moms reported regulating their feelings with food ate more snacks than did the other children. We're also more likely to indulge (there's that word again) when we're trying to bond with others. A 2001 study from Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, showed that people consume more in a group than they do alone, regardless of hunger levels. Eating socially "may help you feel like you're strengthening relationships," says Jennifer Taitz, a clinical psychologist in New York City and the author of End Emotional Eating ($18, amazon.com). Why? In that moment, united by a mutual desire to, say, conquer a piece of peanut butter pie, "everyone feels connected to one another." Real Simple: 25 easy instant energy boosters . When it's a problemIf you're unsure whether your emotional eating has gone too far, ask yourself these questions. • Do you frequently eat when you feel emotional but not particularly hungry?"When a desire or a craving comes from something other than hunger, eating can't satisfy it," says May. "If you are eating but don't physically need the food, you'll never feel satisfied." In fact, research published in the journal Obesity in 2007 found that dieters who ate according to internal emotional cues, such as loneliness, instead of physical or external cues lost less weight over time and were more likely to gain it back. • Instead of confronting a problem, do you hit the refrigerator?Psychologists say that numbing yourself with food rather than dealing with your feelings can increase stress, which in turn can raise your blood pressure and weaken your immune system. • Do you punish yourself after having a treat?Guilt can lead to uncontrolled eating, says Georgia Kostas, a Dallas-based registered dietitian and the author of The Cooper Clinic Solution to the Diet Revolution ($35, amazon.com): "If you feel bad about eating a scoop of ice cream, excess guilt may lead you to eat the whole carton. Now you've destroyed any pleasure you had hoped to derive from the ice cream." • Finally, do you regularly overeat those carby, fatty foods?(You know—the ones you crave the most.) Here's how to know: "Make good food choices about 90 percent of the time," says Kostas, "and reserve the other 10 percent for 'fun calories.' " If your comfort-food intake often exceeds that percentage, consider cutting back. Real Simple: Low-calorie snacks for every craving . Need more incentive? Recent research indicates that eating a lot of fatty foods can end up negatively affecting your mood over time. In a 2012 study from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, researchers fed mice diets with different amounts of fat. After 12 weeks, the mice that were fed a higher-fat diet showed more signs of depression and anxiety. The takeaway: Although you initially may feel euphoric from eating fatty foods, the more you do it, the worse you feel. The recipe for true happiness just might be healthy, balanced meals, followed now and then by dessert—and as the ever wise Nora Ephron advised, no regrets. Food for thoughtWant to avoid excessive emotional eating? Try one of these exercises. Record your emotions. "For a few days, before you eat, force yourself to write down what you're feeling and thinking at that exact moment," says exercise psychologist Heather Hausenblas. "Seeing your emotions on paper helps you understand what's happening inside and recognize times when you're more likely to eat out of something other than hunger." It really works: A 2008 study from the University of Kentucky, in Lexington, found that people choose lower-calorie foods when they are aware of their feelings. Real Simple: Understanding unfamiliar nutritional terms . Show a little self-compassion. The next time you eat in response to a strong emotion, don't lament your lack of willpower. Research shows that treating yourself gently may help you stave off future bouts of emotional eating. In 2007 researchers at Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, asked female subjects to taste-test doughnuts. Half weren't given any special instruction. The other half were given a lesson in self-compassion beforehand. The tester said, "I hope you won't be too hard on yourself. Everyone in the study eats this stuff." The result: Those who received the "Be kind to yourself" mandate ultimately ate fewer sweets. Get an assistant. Or, at the very least, ask your spouse or kids to help around the house a bit more. According to a 2012 study from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, in Oulu, Finland, feeling burned-out can easily lead to emotional eating. Researchers found that women who were overwhelmed on the job were significantly more likely to use food as a source of comfort and relief than were those who were not. Antidote: Delegate some of your to-do list. Or, hey, ditch a few of the items on it altogether. | Celebratory or comforting meals can often make people feel remorse for indulging themselves .
"Foods that are laden with carbohydrates, sugar, or fat simply taste delicious," says Heather Hausenblas, Ph.D.
If you punish yourself after eating, your emotional eating may have gone too far . |
61,183 | adc850badf11e760d9fc59ba741763f7189a8d5a | (Health.com) -- Men in their 70s and 80s may be more likely than women of the same age to develop the memory loss and cognitive problems that often herald Alzheimer's disease, a new study has found. In the study, which appears in the journal Neurology, Mayo Clinic researchers examined 1,450 elderly people in Minnesota every 15 months for an average of three and a half years. During that time, 7.2% of the men and 5.7% of the women developed the mental-function problems known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with or without any accompanying memory loss. The findings surprised the researchers because previous studies have suggested that more women than men ultimately go on to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of full-blown dementia. The fact that men appear to have higher rates of MCI but lower rates of dementia may hold important clues for preventing or delaying cognitive decline, the researchers suggest. Health.com: 25 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease . The lead author of the study, Rosebud Roberts, a professor of epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, says that women with MCI may progress to dementia faster than men, causing them to be under-counted during the MCI phase. But sex-related differences in physiology and brain function may also play a role. MCI isn't necessarily a permanent condition. Roughly one-third of the study participants who received an MCI diagnosis following a battery of tests and interviews subsequently improved to the point that they no longer met the diagnostic criteria at a later checkup. This so-called reversion to normal, which has been seen in other studies, may indicate that in some cases the brain actually repairs some of the damage it incurs -- and this may be where sex differences come into play, says Kenneth Rockwood, M.D., a professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Health.com: 7 ways to protect your memory . Physical activity, for instance, is believed to benefit men differently than women, says Rockwood, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study but was not involved in the new research. In women, exercise appears to be more likely to prolong life, he says, while in men it's more likely to improve brain function. "We might be seeing the cognitive benefits of exercise in men" in the study findings, Rockwood says. "Women who exercise also get some cognitive benefit, but they appear to get a greater survival benefit." The findings suggest also that men may be more vulnerable than women to certain risk factors for MCI, says Rhonna Shatz, D.O., director of behavioral neurology at the Henry Ford Health System, in Detroit. Health.com: Memory, mental function begin slipping as early as age 45 . High blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and other known -- and treatable -- risk factors for MCI and dementia tend to be more common in men, which may explain the higher rate of MCI, Shatz says. "What [the study] tells us is that, particularly in men, there are probably a whole set of factors that we have to consider as particular to their gender or lifestyle, or both, that are impacting them a lot earlier," Shatz says. "We need to take a step back and ask if we are really doing the job we need to control the things we know are modifiable." Although Roberts and her colleagues didn't investigate risk factors such as high blood pressure, they did take into account other factors that have been shown to affect MCI risk, such as age, educational attainment, and marital status. (People with more education and people who were married had lower rates of MCI than the other study participants -- a pattern that has been observed in previous studies.) Health.com: Staying healthy from head to toe may help ward off dementia . Incorporating these factors into the data helped the researchers rule out the possibility that sex disparities in MCI and dementia rates are due merely to the fact that women tend to live longer, and are therefore more likely than men to live long enough to develop dementia. More research will be needed to confirm the findings, however. Although the new study was thorough and well designed, Shatz says, the definition of MCI remains open to interpretation. A particular doctor or nurse may be more likely to arrive at an MCI diagnosis than another health professional looking at the same patient, which makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions about the prevalence of the condition. "We don't have good standard markers of what MCI is," Shatz says. Copyright Health Magazine 2011 . | During study 7.2% of men and 5.7% of women developed mild cognitive impairment .
Men appear to have higher rates of MCI but lower rates of dementia .
Lead author says sex-related differences in physiology and brain function may play a role . |
89,760 | feef16c906f4915bb0affca77f9487b449a474b1 | (CNN) -- Despite most humans' land-centric view, Earth is an ocean planet. The global ocean covers more than two-thirds of our planet's surface and makes life as we know it possible: it produces half of the oxygen we breathe, helps regulate our climate and provides the single largest habitat for life on Earth. Yet, with nearly 2 miles or 3,000 meters of water covering more than half the surface of our planet, much of this vast realm remains unexplored and unexamined. But not unconsidered. Indeed, our progress is not limited by scientists' and engineers' imaginations, but rather by the rate and cost of development of technologies suitable to pursue the cause. Advances in satellite technology provide us with global coverage in the study of Earth's atmosphere. But in the case of the ocean, that approach quite literally only grazes the surface. What happens in the vast, deep ocean, out of sight and beyond the reach of sunlight and satellites? Here's one example why we should care: in 1977, diving in the human occupied vehicle Alvin, scientists investigating a volcanic ridge 2500 m (1.5 miles) below sea-level found something totally unexpected -- lush ecosystems thriving at hydrothermal vents fueled by chemical energy released from the Earth's interior. This discovery, made just three years after new technology first enabled Alvin to reach these depths, changed our understanding of how life can function here on Earth, and opened entirely new fields of research. We now know that the hot-springs that sustain these "vent" ecosystems occur in every ocean basin and are host to hundreds of previously unknown animal species. In the past 30 years, those new species have been discovered at a rate of about one every two weeks -- and we still have more than 75% of this 55,000-kilometer (>34,000-mile) volcanic ridge system to explore. These same sites also host large metal deposits, which could become essential mineral resources for us in the future and some of these same systems may even reveal how life first originated -- on Earth and beyond. Given all the discoveries that we have made from an up-close investigation of these ocean ridges, we can't help but wonder what we might find at the far end of the same plate tectonic cycle where seafloor is drawn back into the Earth's interior at deep-ocean trenches. To date, only three humans have ever ventured to these deepest parts of the ocean -- the 1960 dive of Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh in the Bathyscaphe Trieste went unmatched until James Cameron's dive in his Deepsea Challenger last year. These were pioneering dives that took great courage. But to truly explore ocean trenches, scientists need to study them methodically which requires routine access to emerging technologies such as the Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle Nereus, which dove to the Challenger Deep in 2009, to the Cayman Trough in 2010 and will return there this summer, and to the Pacific in 2014. If our study of trenches progresses at the same rate as our past exploration of ocean ridges, however, another 30 years may pass before we've explored even one-fifth of them. And it's not just the trenches that need to be explored but the vast ocean volumes themselves. Despite a decade of internationally-coordinated global investigation through the Census of Marine Life, for example, Earth's largest ocean basin, the South Pacific, also remains its least understood. We believe the deep Pacific, for now, remains relatively untouched by the atmospheric pollutants (bomb-test radionuclides, chlorofluorocarbons) that are already penetrating deep into the Atlantic. But how to characterize its pristine state before it is too late? Put simply, we need to innovate beyond the conventional ways of doing our work. In addition to direct human exploration of the seafloor, we need to mobilize a new generation of collaborative self-powering robots that can explore the oceans, top to bottom, while maintaining communication to shore-based scientists at all times. These robotic systems must be programmed with enough decision-making autonomy to know when to diverge from a mission to follow something important and unexpected that they have encountered, and to know when to alert a scientist on shore to solicit input on what they should do next. The development of these kinds of vehicles and systems is already underway, through partnerships between leading robotics laboratories and deep ocean engineers, in efforts such as the new Center for Marine Robotics at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, but we need to turbo charge that effort. As the technology expands and improves, we will also need to find new, more effective ways for humans and robotic systems to interact over the vast and remote distances involved. The technologies we need for this comprehensive exploration and understanding are within our grasp. And we'll need the knowledge that results to cope with the many challenges we face—climate change, food and resource depletion, pollution. Understanding our Earth's oceans has never been more crucial: they aren't just a defining feature of our planet; they're our life support system. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chris German. | Oceans make life on Earth possible providing oxygen and regulating our climate .
Much of our oceans remain unexplored but new technology is advancing knowledge .
Machines like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's "Alvin" explore deep ocean .
Woods Hole's Center for Marine Robotics pioneering new underwater vessels . |
207,610 | 98d2c4c2e818610dc16bd46295d09d893180d368 | By . Paul Thompson . PUBLISHED: . 11:53 EST, 10 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:44 EST, 11 October 2012 . Into orbit: Music legend Sarah Brightman confirmed she will be a space tourist . Sarah Brightman once sang about losing her heart to a starship trooper. Now she’s paying more than £30million to become one herself – or at least as near as it’s possible for an earthly tourist to get. The former wife of composer Andrew Lloyd Weber has confirmed she will be travelling to the International Space Station with the Russian Space Agency. Reports in the US said she had . ‘bumped’ an astronaut off the next flight after outbidding Nasa to . secure her seat as the next space tourist. The 52-year-old singer refused to say . how much she paid for her place aboard the Soyuz spacecraft, but said . she was getting sponsorship. A US TV station said she had paid $51million (around £31.8million) – the highest sum ever offered for a ticket. Miss Brightman will begin training . for the mission in 2014 after a 12-month world tour and will lift off . later that year for two weeks orbiting Earth. She said: ‘I am more excited about this than I have been about anything I have done. ‘Most of my life I have felt an . incredible desire to take the journey to space that I have now begun. This is beyond my wildest dreams.' She has already undergone physical . and psychological tests in Moscow to prove she is fit enough for the . challenge. ‘I was prodded and poked and a lot of blood was taken,’ she . said. Scroll down for video . On a space mission: British soprano Brightman, pictured centre, with the Russian Space agency Head of Human Space Flight Programs Aleksei Krasnov, left, and Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson . One test involved being put in a . centrifuge replicating the gravitational force she will face on . returning to Earth. She was also obliged to sit on ‘a rotating chair . that makes you sick’. Miss Brightman, who is estimated to . have a personal fortune of £30million, revealed her family had . reservations about her becoming a cosmonaut. Starlight express: Sarah Brightman, pictured at a press conference today, has paid to fly on a Russian Soyuz rocket, pictured lifting off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2008, to the International Space Station . Star trekking: Sarah Brightman is now training for the visit to the International Space Station in 2014 . [caption . She said: ‘I had to think about it . very carefully and take my family into consideration. When I told my . mother, it was very sweet. She shivered, but I told her the Soyuz has a . very good record and then she was fine.’ The singer will complete her training in an intensive five-week period before blasting off. With Nasa’s space shuttles now . retired, Russian Soyuz spacecraft are the only vessels currently capable . of carrying people to the International Space Station. As a result, . open seats available for tourists have been scarce in recent years. The most recent tourist on a Soyuz . was Canadian Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who paid around . £21.8million for his trip in 2009. Brightman, whose 1978 single I Lost . My Heart To A Starship Trooper reached number six in the UK charts, said . seeing fuzzy TV images of the first ‘bouncing’ human steps on the moon . in 1969 when she was eight years old inspired her to dream about . travelling to space. ‘It was something miraculous. For me, . it was an epiphany,’ she said. ‘It seemed so unrealistic and crazy at . the time but I suddenly saw that it was possible.’ The singer made her name playing . Christine in The Phantom Of The Opera, with the part written for her by . Lloyd Webber, who she married in 1984. She has enjoyed a successful solo . career since her divorce in 1990. Press conference: Sarah Brightman said it was a lifelong dream to visit the International Space Station . Fit and healthy: Brightman, the world's biggest selling Soprano and UNESCO Artist for Peace, will spend two weeks orbiting the earth in 2014 . | The singer reportedly paid more than £30m for a .
trip to the International Space Station .
U.S. media claims she 'bumped' an astronaut off the flight after outbidding NASA to secure her seat . |
91,338 | 017a4046bd8f5772a9b6d2d68532c316d07de4f9 | Washington (CNN) -- A lawyer for Benghazi suspect Ahmed Salin Faraj Abu Khatallah entered a plea of not guilty Monday to all charges related to the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic complex in Libya. But the federal judge in Washington delayed the setting of a trial date as prosecutors address concerns about classified material that will be involved in the case. The government's attorney declined to say whether Khatallah will be the only defendant. Khatallah was brought to District Court in a motorcade under heavy security that included a police helicopter circling overhead and U.S. marshals with M4 carbines patrolling the court perimeter. Inside the courthouse, a bomb-sniffing dog explored the courtroom before the hearing began. Khatallah, a slender man with long gray hair and a shaggy gray beard, was led in by a team of four plainclothes security officers, three of whom stood directly behind him during the proceeding. He wore dark green overalls with "Alexandria Inmate" stenciled on the back, but he was not restrained by handcuffs or leg chains. An interpreter provided Khatallah with a narrative. Khatallah stood for his lawyer to enter his plea of not guilty but did not speak. During the short hearing, prosecutors said they needed more time to work with a variety of government agencies in obtaining classified materials that defense attorneys can use in the case. A defense attorney told the judge that prosecutors have been slow to produce even a bare minimum of documents that could allow her to make progress. "We have to start getting the basis on which he's being charged," said defense attorney Michelle Peterson, complaining it's been five months since Khatallah was first named. A federal grand jury handed up an 18-count indictment October 14 that replaces a single count initially filed June 26. The indictment alleges he was the ringleader of the attack, leading 20 others to attack the diplomatic complex. Among the charges was murder for the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three American security officers. Khatallah remained free for more than a year after the attacks, doing interviews with CNN and other media, prompting criticism of the Obama administration over how long it was taking to arrest the alleged attackers. He was arrested in a military raid in Libya in June and charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., mere yards away from Capitol buildings where he has become the center of political controversy. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper asked prosecutor Michael DiLorenzo to characterize the state of document production required for the defense. He responded by saying there are "thousands of thousands of pages" and hundreds of hours of video, both consisting of a mix between classified and unclassified material. DiLorenzo said the government will request a closed hearing to discuss how to handle the classified material already in hand and anticipated from other government agencies. Peterson told the judge it is misleading for prosecutors to list a large quantity that she has received so far, since she believes much of it is less meaningful than it could be. "They're still redacting names that are publicly available," she said, asserting that the defense shouldn't have to spend its time piecing together a puzzle of who said what. Prosecutors did not directly answer the judge's question as to when they will be ready to propose a trial date, and the defense counsel said her team needs more time to review the additional charges recently filed. Cooper then continued the case to Tuesday, December 9 at 10 a.m. | Ahmed Salin Faraj Abu Khatallah faces 18 charges including murder .
He was arrested in a military raid in Libya in June .
His defense attorney says prosecutors have not provided many documents .
A prosecutor cites a large volume of materials . |
78,817 | df545de106b55195d5bd9716038d88e22c24a6ce | A mother with HIV is pregnant with her second baby since diagnosis – despite the risk of passing the virus to her child or husband. Amanda Mammadova said ‘it wouldn’t be the end of the world’ if her baby is born with the illness, adding: ‘Having HIV wouldn’t affect my child’s life.’ The 34-year-old personal trainer was diagnosed with the virus in 2010 – just three months after meeting her husband, Turkish native Ali, 29. She contracted the virus from an ex-partner who unknowingly had the disease, and although she feared her new boyfriend would call off their relationship, he vowed to support her. They married eight months later. Amanda Mammadova, who is HIV positive, is pregnant with her second child after she and her husband Ali chose to try and conceive naturally, having done so with their daughter Saabria . Mrs Mammadova, from Milton Keynes, already has a 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship but her husband agreed to risk getting HIV so they could have a baby together. The couple naturally conceived their now 21-month-old daughter, Saabria, who was born HIV-free. Despite having unprotected sex, her husband did not contract the virus either. They decided to try for a second baby – and are now expecting their new arrival in June. If an HIV-positive mother takes the appropriate anti-viral drugs during pregnancy and labour and does not breast-feed, the risk of transmitting the virus to her child is around 1 per cent. Mrs Mammadova 's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is low, meaning the risk of transmission during sex is low. The couple's daughter Saabria was born HIV negative and Mr Mammadova has regular tests . Mr Mammadova is waiting for a test to establish if he has contracted the virus while the couple were trying for their second child, who is due in June . And for Mrs Mammadova, this risk is further reduced given that she is an ‘elite controller’ – meaning her immune system is ultra-effective at controlling the virus. Such patients are said to have a very low risk of passing on HIV to partners during sex or during pregnancy to an unborn child. Both mother and baby will also be given a course of anti-HIV treatment upon birth, which will help reduce the risks of transmission. But Mrs Mammadova admitted that there is still a chance the virus could be passed on to her husband or child. If either were to contract the virus, they would have virtually the same life-expectancy as someone without it – but they would have to spend the rest of their lives on daily medication, with regular GP check-ups. If their immune system is badly compromised – through developing another illness, for example – it could develop into AIDS, the later stage of the illness, where life expectancy is on average three years. Mrs Mammadova said that while she would rather her child was born without the virus, she added: ‘I wouldn’t be devastated if my child had HIV. It isn’t a death sentence any more. It wouldn’t hold them back and they would go on to achieve everything they wanted. When Mrs Mammadova is 20 weeks' pregnant she will begin to take anti-retroviral drugs to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to her unborn baby. The drugs reduce the risk to less than 0.5 per cent, experts say . Mrs Mammadova said she tried to persuade her husband to opt for insemination but he refused and was adamant he wanted them to conceive naturally like a normal couple despite the low risk of transmission . ‘It hasn’t ruined my life – in fact, it has got better since my diagnosis. Having HIV isn’t the end of the world, it’s something that you live with. It doesn’t define who you are.’ Mrs Mammadova said her husband is tested for HIV every six months. ‘Ali has always supported me and is willing to get HIV in order for us to be a normal couple,’ she added. ‘He reassured me he wasn’t bothered whether he contracted HIV or not as I was his wife ... he wanted us to conceive naturally. ‘I had always wanted a family but when I was first diagnosed I thought my chances had been destroyed. ‘I also have an older daughter and I was worried I wouldn’t see her grow up but doctors … gave me hope for the future. ‘I want other people to understand the importance of getting checked. Diagnosing HIV in the early stages saves lives. ‘I hope my story shows people that the disease doesn’t need to hold you back.’ Daisy Ellis, acting policy director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV awareness charity, said: ‘The strength of our antenatal screening programme means the UK has one of the lowest rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission in the world. ‘If a woman with HIV wants to start a family, the NHS will take every measure possible to stop the virus being passed on.’ HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system - the body's defence against diseases. Figures published this week revealed the number of people infected with the virus in the UK has reach an all-time high. Nearly 110,000 are living with the condition, but around a quarter are unaware they have it. Recent research has found that between 70 and 90 per cent of people may experience symptoms of infection a few days after they have been infected. A fever, rash and severe sore throat should always be considered a potential indicator of HIV. The symptoms usually disappear within two to three weeks. A person described as living with HIV means they have HIV in their body. New figures published this week revealed the number of people infected with HIV, pictured under the microscope in purple and green, in the UK has reached an all-time high, with 111,000 living with the condition, but around a quarter unaware they have it . A person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases, which it would normally cope with. There is currently no cure for HIV. But those with the virus receiving treatment can live a healthy, active life. If the virus is diagnosed late, treatment may be less effective in preventing AIDs. Those who are diagnosed early and respond to treatment can be healthy, work, and have relationships like anyone else. HIV treatment was transformed in 1996 with the introduction of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). It means a person diagnosed in time and who adheres to their medication can, in the vast majority of cases, manage their health condition and look forward to a near normal life expectancy. ART can cause some side-effects including fatigue, depression and diarrhoea, though they are increasingly well-managed. How is HIV passed on? The virus can be passed on through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk. HIV is most commonly passed on during: . Can women living with HIV still have a baby? HIV can be passed from mother to child, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce the possibility of the child contracting HIV to less than one per cent. They include the mother taking anti-retroviral drugs while pregnant, delivering the baby via Caesarean section and not breastfeeding the baby. Source: National Aids Trust . | Amanda Mammadova was diagnosed with HIV in 2010 - three months after meeting her now husband Ali, 29 .
The virus was passed on unknowingly by her ex-partner .
They married eight months later and decided they wanted to try for a baby .
34-year-old said she tried to persuade her husband to opt for insemination .
But he wanted the couple to conceive naturally, despite the risk .
Mrs Mammadova's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is very low .
It means there is a very low risk of passing the virus through sex .
She doesn't need anti retro-viral medication yet, but has regular check-ups .
She is pregnant with the couple's second baby - who is due in June .
Their daughter Saabria is HIV negative as is Mr Mammadova .
At 20 weeks' pregnant Mrs Mammadova will start to take anti retro-viral medication to help reduce the chance of passing the virus to her baby . |
7,860 | 163fe6c428b259e0d793e8c85d7a28a23cd3215c | The whistleblower who caught an MP playing Candy Crush Saga during a Commons meeting will face no punishment, a Parliamentary watchdog revealed today. A leaked photo showed Tory Nigel Mills playing the game on his taxpayer-funded iPad when he was supposed to be listening to evidence on pensions and insurance. But instead of investigating the MP, who remains on the Work and Pensions Committee, Commons officials launched a probe into who leaked the photo. Scroll down for video . No punishment: The whistleblower who leaked this photo of Tory MP Nigel Mills playing Candy Crush Saga on his iPad will not be punished, Commons authorities have confirmed, after a 'mole-hunt' to find the culprit . Could one of these be the Candy Crush whistleblower? Footage showed these two people were alternately sitting behind the MP - although it is possible the incident was filmed by someone hidden from view . That sparked criticism over the decision to pursue the 'mole' rather than Mr Mills himself. Footage of the meeting, held last Monday, showed a male and a female sound technician sitting behind Mr Mills who both appeared to be using mobile phones. However, it was not clear if one of them was responsible for filming him or whether another person off-camera captured his gaming on film. A Commons spokesman insisted the investigation was 'standard procedure' because it is against Parliamentary rules to film inside Westminster without permission. Those who break the rules can be barred from the Parliamentary estate, which includes MPs' offices and meeting rooms. Today, just a day after the probe was launched, it was confirmed the whistleblower will face no further action. Distracted: The MP for Amber Valley in Derbyshire was spotted closely studying his iPad and swiping the screen with his finger as he attempted to complete levels of popular app the Candy Crush Saga . Apology: Mr Mills vowed he would not play the game - popular even with David Cameron - in meetings again . A House of Commons spokesman said: 'It is standard procedure that any breach of the filming and photography rules brought to the attention of the House is investigated. 'The Serjeant at Arms has concluded the investigation into this breach and has issued a reminder of the current rules; no further action will be taken.' The Serjeant at Arms, a post which dates to the 1400s, has scope to impose low-level punishments while 'serious breaches' are reported to the Commons Administration Committee. The spokesman could not confirm whether the whistleblower was actually tracked down or whether the 'reminder' was a general one. Mr Mills, who is defending a majority of just 536 in Amber Valley, initially told The Sun he would 'try' not to be distracted by the game again. He later issued a full apology, saying: 'I apologise unreservedly for my behaviour at the committee meeting and realise it fell short of what is expected of a Member of Parliament. Addictive: Candy Crush is incredibly popular - with more than 700 million games played on mobile devices . ‘I guarantee it will not happen again. 'It is a fantastic privilege to represent Amber Valley and I hope constituents will continue to support my campaigns.' Gail Dolman, a Labour councillor in his constituency, said: ‘I think it’s disgusting. He’s an MP and I find it very worrying.’ More than a billion people every day play the 'addictive' game Candy Crush Saga, in which players have to line up at least three sweets of the same colour in a row on a constantly-shifting grid. David Cameron – himself a self-confessed games addict – defended Mr Mills. ‘I know him well, he fights very hard in his constituency for people in Derbyshire, he works very hard in Parliament,’ the Prime Minister said. ‘I’m sure he will be embarrassed and he will work even harder in the future.’ Mr Cameron previously admitted to being addicted to mobile games Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds. Asked what level the PM had reached on Candy Crush, his spokesman said: ‘On that line of questioning, Game Over.’ | Tory Nigel Mills caught playing on tax-funded iPad in pensions meeting .
So Parliamentary watchdog investigated - to find out who leaked photo .
Mole hunt now called off and whistleblower will face no punishment .
Mr Mills apologised but keeps his seat and position on DWP committee . |
269,476 | e90d736f7f5e32ff845a898036c529518cce0c6b | (CNN) -- Valentino Rossi's hopes of retaining his MotoGP title were shattered on Saturday when the nine-time world champion motorcyclist suffered a horrific crash in a practice session for his home race in Italy. The 31-year-old could be out for months after fracturing a shin bone in his leg when he was thrown from his Yamaha in the second session ahead of qualifying at Mugello. He had an operation on Saturday afternoon, the official MotoGP Web site reported, after being flown to Careggi Hospital in Florence and then moved to the orthopedic trauma center. "It's an injury more serious than we thought, because it's an exposed fracture with the bone protruding from the skin," Doctor Claudio Macchiagodena of the sport's traveling medics Clinica Mobile told motogp.com. "We have reduced the fracture, which fortunately has not affected any blood vessels or nerves. It is serious." Doctor Roberto Buzzi, who performed the operation, said Rossi would be ruled out for at least two months. The rider, known as "The Doctor" among other nicknames, could miss eight races, starting with Sunday's Italian Grand Prix -- which he has won nine times. "The surgery had good results," Buzzi told motogp.com. "The alignment was good and the bone is now stable. "The wound remains open, as is usual in these cases, and it will be stitched in the next few days with another short surgery. We are confident that Valentino will be able to leave the hospital in a week to 10 days, able to put weight on the leg with the aid of crutches. "It is difficult to say how long the post surgery rehabilitation will take. But I think that we can reasonably think of six weeks of partial weight-bearing with crutches, after which Valentino needs to be re-evaluated." Rossi has not missed a race since his debut in the 125cc class in Malaysia in 1996, but his record run of 230 successive GP starts will now end. He is second overall in the world championship standings this season, nine points behind Jorge Lorenzo of Spain, who will start Sunday's race second on the grid behind compatriot Dani Pedrosa. Australia's former world champion Casey Stoner qualified third ahead of Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden, whose veteran fellow American Colin Edwards was fifth on a Monster Yamaha Tech 3. Pedrosa is fourth overall, 30 points behind Lorenzo, as he seeks his first win of 2010. Lorenzo is seeking his third successive victory in what is the fourth race of the season. "I want to say how sad I am for Valentino. I know how bad it is to be injured, especially at your home race, and it looks very painful for him," the 23 year-old told motogp.com. "I hope he recovers quickly because the championship will not be the same without him." | MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi to have operation after fracturing his leg .
Italian thrown off his bike during practice session ahead of home race in Mugello .
He will miss a race for the first time since his debut in the 125cc class in 1996 .
Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo qualifies second on grid behind Dani Pedrosa . |
104,699 | 1313fbc1602a00d4ae5121d8b4a3ded54d973e8c | By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 07:12 EST, 11 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:47 EST, 12 November 2013 . Fashion photographer Thomas Knights believes red-headed males have been bullied and stigmatised for their locks for too long. Now he's seeking to show that having ginger hair doesn't make you less sexy with a new exhibition called Red Hot. The photo display features attractive and muscular ginger-haired men with their tops off in an attempt to 're-brand' them as alpha males . and redefine stereotypes. Smouldering: Photographer Thomas Knights wants to show redheads can be sexy with his exhibition . Positive image: Knights wants to give redheads more heroic role models . One of his flame haired models is an Olympic hero - gold medal winning longer jumper Greg Rutherford. Naturally red-haired himself, Knights, . from London, said he was bullied growing up as a . result of his locks and said it's wrong it has become an 'acceptable form of racism'. Now he wants to change the way society views redheads. He said: 'The aim of the . exhibition is to create the image of a positive role model for ginger . men because there's a serious lack of them in the UK. In film and TV they're portrayed as weak characters. 'It's . just like any other form of prejudice - being anti-ginger is like one . of the last acceptable forms of racism left in our society. Olympic champion: Long jumper Greg Rutherford posed for the exhibition . Lack of demand: Most of the models were found through street casting as modelling agencies didn't have many ginger men on their books . Knight said: 'There is an institutionalised stigma prevalent in the UK especially' against those with ginger hair . 50 shades of red: That's the number of models Knights is aiming to have in his exhibition . 'Red haired men are never heroes or the leading man, never the alpha male, or portrayed as sexual. They seem to emasculate and desexualise guys with ginger hair. There is an institutionalised stigma prevalent in the UK especially.' A recent study by ancestry company Britain's DNA found that 20 million people in the British population carry the ginger gene. 'Children . pick up on what's different and it's been allowed to develop in our . country, then as adults we're are derogatory to people with red hair . without realising' But with no red-haired male role models to . look up to, Thomas grew up hating his hair. The fashion photographer, who has worked . for Vogue Italia and Marie Claire, discovered he wasn't alone in feeling inadequate because of his hair colour as he spent a year seeking men to feature in his exhibition. He found men in the U.S. are often teased for their red-hair too but that it's far worse in the UK, where people can be instinctively and unashamedly 'derogatory' to redheads. He said: 'During the course of putting this . show together, I've had some very positive feedback from Mums and Dads . and spouses from around the world showing real gratitude because there's . stigma in the U.S. too. Breaking stereotypes: Knights hopes his show will help people see redheads in a new light . Proud: The flame haired men were happy to show off their bodies for the photo shoot . Role models: The exhibition aims to show redheads can be heroic and strong . Time for change: Knights said he discovered some 'real horror stories' of men bullied for the colour of their locks . Rarely seen on the catwalk: It's currently quirky or exotic to have a ginger model in a show . 'They've got some real horror stories about the red haired men in their family being bullied. 'But . it's far worse in the UK - it's a hangover from the war with the Scots . about 500 years ago where negative attention was turned to their red . hair and now it's stuck. 'The . agencies were shocked realising none of their models had red hair and . nobody had ever wanted them before' 'Children . pick up on what's different and it's been allowed to develop in our . country, then as adults we're are derogatory to people with red hair . without realising. It's taboo or quirky or exotic to have a ginger model in a show.' His casting for his exhibition highlighted how few red-headed models there are. He had to do street casting because few modelling agencies had ginger men on their books. He explained: 'When looking for models, I called all . the agencies and none of them had any. One agency said they'd send me a . package of their red-headed boys, but ten minutes later called back . realising they didn't have any. Pin ups: The exhibition Red Hot will be on display in London, from 16 December . 'The . agencies were shocked realising none of their models had red hair and . nobody had ever wanted them before - I found most of my models street . casting.' He has pictured gathered 36 redheads so far and hopes to reach 50 by the time the exhibition opens in mid December. The exhibition Red Hot will be on display at The Gallery in Redchurch Street, London from 16 December 2013 . | Artist Thomas Knights said redheads have been bullied for too long .
New exhibition Red Hot shows they are attractive and sexy .
He wants to stop the mocking of red hair being 'acceptable form of racism'
Most models were found through street casting .
Agencies didn't have redheads on their books .
Knights said there aren't enough ginger role models for men . |
242,048 | c541a8c56bb6ed7be1dfc7b9647626271f5788b3 | (CNN) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah offered his resignation nearly three weeks after he accepted the job, two Palestinian government sources said Thursday. It's not clear whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will accept the resignation. Sources said Hamdallah made the because of interference by Abbas with the prime minister's duties. Abbas named Hamdallah, president of a West Bank university, as his new prime minister on June 2 and asked him to form a new Cabinet. Hamdallah replaced Salam Fayyad, who had led a caretaker government since Abbas accepted his resignation in April. Fayyad's decision to step down was viewed as a step toward the possible establishment of a unity government between the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas. Hamdallah is a British-educated linguist and longtime academic. He became president of An-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus in 1998 and was finalizing his departure from the post after he accepted the prime minister's job. | NEW: Sources say the prime minister is upset because of interference by Mahmoud Abbas .
It is not clear whether Rami Hamdallah's resignation will be accepted .
He was named prime minister June 2 by Abbas, the Palestinian authority president . |
75,393 | d5c2f79d8ab38fbbafaceef234ae7314adb2d756 | Accidentally brought your marijuana to the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport? Don't worry. Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo plans to install amnesty boxes at the airport, possibly as soon as next week, for people traveling out of state. "We'll have signs around the airport saying that although marijuana is legal in this state, it may be illegal in your final destination," DiSalvo told CNN. "This is an opportunity to dispose of your marijuana with no legal consequences." But don't try to fly with that marijuana, not even departing from the pot-happy states of Colorado and Washington. Both states allow adults 21 and older to have up to an ounce of marijuana, but those policies are at odds with federal law. Leave the brownies at home, too -- even in states where it's legal, it's not yet clear how marijuana-laced food is evaluated under those limits. The Transportation Security Administration seized 36 ounces of marijuana-laced food in a passenger's checked luggage at the Aspen airport earlier this month, and the federal agency referred the case to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, DiSalvo confirmed. (The edibles' amount of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, was much less than the weight of the food. The sheriff's office declined to press charges.) The story was first reported in the Aspen Daily News. Colorado's recreational marijuana stores make history . In fact, the TSA has called the sheriff several times over the past six months to report passengers carrying marijuana and related products, DiSalvo said. His office offers to dispose of the product before passengers depart the state. "Most everybody heeds our warnings," he said. The larger conflict is between state and federal law. While Colorado and Washington allow some marijuana use, federal law hasn't changed. And it's probably not a good idea to test the TSA or other federal agencies at the nation's airports. If they find a substance that violates federal law, they can refer possible violations to federal, state or local law enforcement in any state. Still, pot isn't exactly the TSA's top priority. Denver International Airport bans pot despite Colorado's new marijuana law . "TSA's focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers," TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein wrote in a statement. "TSA's screening procedures, which are governed by federal law, are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. As has always been the case, if during the security screening procedures an officer discovers an item that may violate the law, TSA refers the matter to law enforcement. Law enforcement officials will determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation." It can be hard to sort out the competing state and federal regulations, especially for the dazed and confused passenger. The Colorado Springs airport has already placed amnesty boxes for people to get rid of their marijuana before clearing security or getting on an airplane. The Denver International Airport decided not to play with pot, banning the substance entirely at the airport, a spokeswoman confirmed. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport doesn't ban legal amounts of marijuana at the airport. That's because Washington state law doesn't allow facilities to add any additional regulation, airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said. A word of caution to Super Bowl fans from Colorado and Washington: Don't try to take your marijuana to less pot-friendly states. We know your (possible) cannabis consumption won't get in the way of the game, but consider where the Super Bowl is being played. If your pot makes it to your destination, you could be dealing with the Port Authority of New York and police guarding Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey. How do you think will they react if your goods are discovered? "If they're possessing contraband in New York or New Jersey," Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo said, "the prevailing laws would apply." Recreational pot sales: Where the grass is much greener . | Colorado and Washington state airports are seeing passengers try to depart with pot .
The TSA has seized marijuana-laced products from checked baggage .
The Denver airport banned pot on its premises, but other Colorado airports have not .
The Seattle airport cannot ban pot on its premises, according to state law . |
183,178 | 7942b83993055a489813ce7ae24970a11e56a8c9 | Spanish police stopped every one of 10,000 vehicles leaving Gibraltar for the mainland yesterday, causing six-hour traffic jams in the latest escalation in the standoff over the Rock. Officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police were forced to impose diversions and create beachside holding areas as Spanish authorities 'choked' the border, causing massive tailbacks in 30C heat. It was the second day that border guards had blocked links to the mainland, in a move that seemed calculated to bring Gibraltar to a standstill. Scroll down for video . Border chaos: Hundreds of motorists stand in the sweltering heat. Officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police were forced to impose diversions and create beachside holding areas . Stuck: Spanish police stopped every one of 10,000 vehicles leaving Gibraltar for the mainland yesterday, causing six-hour traffic jams . Blockage: It was the second day that border guards had blocked links to the mainland, in a move that seemed calculated to bring Gibraltar to a standstill . The move follows a string of recent . incidents which have included Spanish police opening fire on a jet-skier . in British waters, incursions by Spanish police boats, and Spanish air . force jets roaring across the territory. In the extraordinary jet-ski incident last month, a boat from Spain’s Guardia Civil entered Gibraltan waters and took potshots at 32-year-old Dale Villa as he rode his watercraft close to a popular beach. Mr Villa was not wanted for any particular crime and was not thought to have strayed out of British waters into Spanish territory – although the line between the two is far from clear to people in the sea. Foreign Office minister David Lidington had condemned the shooting as ‘completely unacceptable’ and called on Spain to take action against those responsible. Most recently Spanish fishermen sparked a stand-off with the Royal Navy as they attempted to disrupt the creation of an artificial reef in the Bay of Gibraltar last week. The fishermen used . fast boats to weave in between British vessels involved in the . reef-laying operation in a bid to create large waves to disrupt the . work, the Sunday Express reported. Gibraltar's Santa Barbara beach: The move by Spanish border authorities followed anger over a British decision to lay an artificial reef in the Bay of Gibraltar, which was fiercely opposed by Spanish fishermen . Diplomatic crisis: Last month a boat from Spain's Guardia Civil entered Gibraltan waters and took potshots at 32-year-old British jet-skier Dale Villa as he rode his jet-ski close to a popular beach . Jet-skier: Dale Villa was not wanted for any particular crime and was not thought to have strayed out of British waters into Spanish territory last month . Intervention . by a Royal Navy patrol boat brought an end to the protests. A Gibraltar . government spokesman has accused Spain of launching the 'draconian' border checks which continued yesterday in 'retaliation'. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major source of tension between the UK and Spain. Both in 1967 and 2002, the people of Gibraltar rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty. Yet, despite this, Spain still asserts a claim to the territory. The tension began in 1704 when an Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltor from Spain during the war of the Spanish succession. The territory was then ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Historically, it has proved to be an important base for the Royal Navy. Now, its economy is based on tourism, financial services and shipping. Under the 2006 constitution of Gibraltar, the territory governs its own affairs although defence and foreign relations are still the responsibility of the UK Government. Located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is an area of 6.8 square kilometres. He said the decision to lay the reef, . which consists of large concrete blocks sunk to the bottom of the bay, . had been taken on environmental grounds. However, he added, it had infuriated . Spanish fishermen since it would also foil any attempts by their vessels . to carry out illegal trawling of the bottom of the Bay of Gibraltar. Criticising the Spanish government's . response, the spokesman added to the Sunday Express: 'Not only are these . measures affecting thousands of innocent Spanish workers who make their . living on Gibraltar, but we are extremely concerned about pensioners . and families with young children being forced to suffer in this way just . because they want to visit the mainland.' Yesterday's . stand-off is just the latest incident to raise tensions between the . British and Spanish governments over Gibraltar, which is at the southern . end of the Iberian peninsula and has been under British rule since . 1713. Under the Gibraltar . constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some . powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the responsibility . of the UK Government. The . territory's residents have twice rejected proposals for Spanish . sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002, but Spain still . asserts a claim to the territory. Earlier this month, angry Gibraltan . government officials accused four Spanish warplanes of 'buzzing' the . territory without warning, an accusation disputed by the Spanish Defence . Ministry. And just days earlier Prime Minister David Cameron confronted his Spanish counterpart over ‘unacceptable’ threats made to Gibraltar after shots were fired at a jet-skier. He warned Mariano Rajoy that he would not tolerate breaches of international law. It came after Spanish police twice entered British waters, despite British warnings not to do so. Mr Cameron used a meeting in Brussels to censure Mr Rajoy, as tensions between Spain and the UK have escalated. The Foreign Office protested to the Spanish government after a boat from Spain’s Guardia Civil entered Gibraltan waters and took potshots at 32-year-old Dale Villa as he rode his jet-ski close to a popular beach. Just three days later, a police boat was seen in British waters again. The stranglehold on the border between the 2.6sq/mile territory and the Spanish mainland is the latest issue to raise tensions over Gibraltar. A spokesman for the territory's governor told the Sunday Express that British officials had pressed the Spanish government to stop its actions on the border. | Spanish authorities 'choked' the border, causing massive tailbacks yesterday in 30C heat .
Move follows standoff between Spanish fishermen and Royal Navy over artificial reef in Bay of Gibraltar . |
90,068 | ffc6470ca3e4d71fb349561b370d17e5be1635e7 | Republican Rep. Tom Cotton has defeated Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas, according to a CNN projection. The win is one of six seats Republicans need to pick up to regain control of the Senate. Like other Democrats in contentious Senate races this cycle, Pryor has struggled to distance himself from President Barack Obama, who is hugely unpopular in the state -- only 34% of voters in Arkansas approved of Obama, according to a CNN/ORC poll. Even Arkansas' favorite son couldn't give Pryor enough of a boost. President Bill Clinton had swung through the state more than a half-dozen times this cycle, again stumping with Pryor in the state this weekend. But Pryor's struggles seemed to go beyond what any surrogate could fix, with the two-term Arkansas senator stumbling on a softball question on the president's handling of the Ebola disease. "Um ... I would say that ... it's hard to know, uh, because I haven't heard the latest briefing on that to know all the details -- I mean, I read the paper and all but," Pryor said in an interview last month. And that came just over a month after his campaign ran an ad attacking his opponent for voting "against preparing America for pandemics like Ebola," which was widely panned as misleading. Cotton faced his most stinging criticism over his opposition to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Pryor slammed Cotton for voting against the bill in a brutal campaign and that claimed Cotton doesn't want "to protect women and children." Cotton defended his vote against the bill, calling the law "too broad" in scope. But while 138 Republicans also joined Cotton in voting against the final version of the bill, Cotton also voted against an earlier Republican proposal -- the only Arkansas Republican to do so. | After just one term in the House, Republican Tom Cotton is headed for the Senate .
Cotton defeated two-term Sen. Mark Pryor, who couldn't overcome Obama's unpopularity in the state .
The win is one of six seats Republicans needed if they are to regain control of the Senate . |
271,364 | eb7f60ca4d679135db0e956787e10ad476d55472 | It seems that robots could be policing the streets very, very soon. The TeleBot, created by students at Florida International University, will be able to do simple police tasks like handing out parking tickets. It is designed to be controlled remotely, and its multiple sensors and cameras mean its operator can use it to patrol the streets from anywhere. Scroll down for video . The TeleBot, created by students at Florida International University, will be able to do simple police tasks like handing out parking tickets . The TeleBot will not require a human inside, like Robocop . 'We want to use telebots to give disabled military and police veterans an opportunity to serve in law enforcement,' explained Jeremy Robins, who is funding the project. 'With TeleBots, a disabled police officer will be capable of performing many, if not most, of the functions of a normal patrol officer - interacting with the community, patrolling, responding to 911 calls, issuing citations.' The robot, which is about six feet tall, gets around on wheels and has three HD cameras, giving it full 360 degree vision. It also boasts cameras that point at the ground, which stops it from running into people, and its face will have an 'emotive display' which will allow it to express 'simple emotions'. Best of all, each unit costs only $20,000, a relative steal. | Students at Florida International University have created the TeleBot .
It is designed to be controlled remotely, and its multiple sensors and cameras mean its operator can use it to patrol the streets from anywhere .
It could be used to do simple police tasks like handing out parking tickets . |
193,801 | 86defd0582eea07eea7f9c200d40100b1be3b465 | Workers were given the runaround at Heathrow Airport after a swan on the runway delayed more than 20 flights. With planes queuing up, and an Air France flight dormant on the runway, this hilarious footage shows two members of staff and their efforts to snare the feathered fiend. The bird was not going to go quietly, and refused to be scooped up. The men resorted to using the car as a kind of battering ram to shepherd the feathered fiend off the runway . So using a car to shunt it off the main runway, the two airport workers do their best to get services resuming at Europe's busiest airport. Clapping at the swan to encourage it to fly off did not work, and it was seemingly intent on having a bit of fun on the tarmac. The runway was closed for around nine minutes before the swan was pinned down and taken off to Heathrow's bird hazard management team. The video was accompanied by a running commentary by those watching the action unfold. Comments of 'They're going to come round to shoot it,' and 'they can have it for Christmas dinner,' add to the fun-filed episode. Flights were queueing for around nine minutes, but Heathrow insist there were 'no delays' The swan for all intents and purposes seems to be having a bit of fun with his supposed capturers . When the video was posted on YouTube, it led to some unsurprisingly amusing comments. Gregster295 Aviation & Rail Videography wrote: 'They were in a bit of a flap there,' while Si Davey added: 'This has really brightened up my evening! It's just too funny. 'The background commentary from your fellow passengers was equally entertaining.' The audio and visual commentary make the video seem somewhat slapstick . Finally the two men manage to capture the swan and normal service can resume at Heathrow . A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport told the Evening Standard: 'Heathrow's bird hazard management team responded quickly and safely removed the swan to reopen the runway. 'Once rescued, the swan was taken to our animal reception centre to be properly looked after by the onsite team.' | Two staff members have to use emergency vehicle to force bird off runway .
Air France flight grounded, with up to 20 planes gridlocked in total .
Heathrow insist flights were not delayed despite nine-minute hold-up . |
223,094 | accfe3d416b45307fab22e53ce834fa8460f731e | (CNN) -- If the congressional "super committee" does not reach a deficit reduction deal by Wednesday's legally mandated deadline, I propose we take a page from the NBA owners and lock Congress out. I'm serious. We, the taxpayers, are the owners of Congress and if Congress won't make a deal that helps our nation, then let's put a big padlock on the doors of the House and Senate -- or at least change the locks and not give them the keys. Polls show that me and apparently 91% of my fellow Americans have never been more frustrated with the dysfunctional nature of "our" Congress. Congress' approval rating has fallen to an abysmal 9% -- to put this in perspective, herpes is now slightly more popular than Congress. Bed bugs really can't be that far behind. I'm not sure who the 9% of voters are who think Congress is doing a good job -- I can only assume it's Congress' friends and families as well as some of the well-connected lobbyists who have reaped benefits. Maybe the 9% are those pleased when Congress made history in August after waiting until the last minute to compromise on a budget deal, which led to the first downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor's. Or possibly the 9% were impressed when House Democrats and Republicans joined together in a rare moment of bipartisanship a few weeks ago and voted in favor of a resolution by a whopping 396-9. Was this vote to create jobs for the more than 25 million Americans who are unemployed or underemployed? Or maybe this vote was to help Americans on the brink of foreclosure? Nope, this vote was to address an issue that Congress felt demanded immediate attention: Affirming that our national motto is: "In God We Trust." Wow, that should really put some food on the table of a hungry family whose unemployment benefits are close to expiring. I hope you take the time to "thank" Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia, for leading the courageous charge on that issue. Instead of a congressional lock out, perhaps Donald Trump could host a new TV show entitled: "Congressional Apprentice," where each week members of Congress are given a task to help our nation. Those who fail will be met by Trump gleefully declaring: "Congressman ... You're fired!" I'm at the point that when I hear about a king in a foreign nation dissolving the legislature in his country, I almost wish our president could do the same. Despite all its negatives, Congress can take credit for one positive achievement: Inspiring more Americans to become engaged in politics as witnessed by both the rise of the Occupy movement and the tea party movement. Congress' failures have awakened both the left and the right of the American electorate. I hope that both the Occupy and tea party groups (and everyone else in the middle) can agree on a concrete change to our electoral system, namely: Term limits for Congress. Even though Congress' approval rating had fallen to 21% at the time of the November 2010 congressional mid-term elections, the inherent advantages of incumbency for members of Congress are so powerful that still 87% of incumbents in the House and 90% in the Senate won re-election. Term limits would mandate a turnover in the composition of Congress so that federal elected officials no longer focus on political concerns and making a career out of serving in Congress but instead on enacting legislation that benefits all Americans in the short time they will serve. Term limits are the only way to ensure meaningful change of our Congress. But that won't be easy. To impose congressional term limits, the U.S. Constitution must be amended -- just as it was with the 22nd amendment, which set a term limit for our president. The problem is that absent a constitutional convention, the only way to start the process for a Constitutional amendment is that Congress -- the people with a 9% approval rating -- have to pass it by a two-thirds vote in each chamber before it can be sent for the required approval by three-fourths of the state legislatures. Good luck getting Congress to agree on that. Our best and most practical hope is asking candidates running for Congress to make a personal pledge to limits of two terms in the Senate and three in the House. Congress, though, still has a chance to atone for its mistakes. It's like at the end of the holiday classic, "The Christmas Carol" when Ebenezer Scrooge awoke on Christmas morning, and after realizing he still had a chance to redeem himself, joyfully declared: "I haven't missed it. " Well, Congress, you have almost missed it. While we don't have three ghosts to warn you, we do have hundreds of millions of Americans sending you a message: Stop the political posturing, make a deficit reduction deal and then work together to revive our nation's economy. If not, there are numerous locksmiths in the Washington area who promise that they can change locks within 15 minutes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah. | Congress looks unlikely to reach a deficit reduction deal by deadline .
Dean Obeidallah: Follow NBA owners' example and lock out members of Congress .
The only way to force dramatic change is to limit congressional terms, he says .
Obeidallah: Stop political posturing, make a deal and revive nation's economy . |
173,769 | 6cdc97258b234d175eec3604f3ea4fb5d5f54be6 | (CNN)Last year, photographer Jake Shivery only released the shutter on his large-format camera about 100, maybe 150 times. It's typical for him and the hulking Deardorff 8x10 he shoots with. It's also perfect for the portraits he wants to capture. "My photographing process and intent are informing each other," Shivery said. "I'm using a very large camera, which is a really slow, methodical, deliberate way of working." He jokes that there's no "decisive moment," in the famous words of Henri Cartier-Bresson. For him, it's a "decisive morning." He likes that early light, and the pace his camera demands. He might ask a subject to join him for breakfast in his backyard in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Between setup and shooting, they often spend a few hours getting to know each other over coffee or beer or catching up on the months they've missed each other. "I am not only completely dependent on my gear, I'm beholden to it," Shivery wrote in an essay to be published later this year. "I do not operate my camera, I collaborate with it." The essay is part of "Contact," a book of Shivery's portraits to be released in April by One Twelve Publishing. It will debut during Portland Photo Month, alongside an exhibition of Shivery's work at Portland's Newspace Center for Photography. "Contact" was funded through a Kickstarter campaign that drew more than $23,000 -- far more than its $18,500 goal. It was "crickets and coyotes" at first, Shivery said, but as the funding deadline approached, support swelled. It came from photo enthusiasts, art lovers, friends, neighbors and customers of Portland's Blue Moon Camera and Machine, where Shivery holds a day job. Some supporters' images will appear in the book; those "friends and heroes and people for whom I have affection" are among those who inspire his work and keep it going. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. "It's Portland that made it possible," Shivery said. "I've never been in a place where I've been surrounded by so many interesting and productive individuals." Just as he likes to take his time and get to know people, he prefers to photograph them at what they love. That's why his images capture a jazz singer posed in a Cadillac and a seamstress beside a dress form dialed to just her size. There's a man who works for the children's museum, partly dressed in a robot costume he made, standing beside his father and the Airstream trailer he's working on. There are people wearing the garb of their everyday lives, whether it's blue jeans or a clown costume donned for a short film. "The figures," Shivery said, "are both sort of part of the environments and the narrative." Or, as he wrote, "somewhere between hopeful acquaintance and profound intimacy is where all of my portraits are made." Jake Shivery is a portraitist based in Portland, Oregon. You can follow his work on Flickr. | Photographer Jake Shivery's large-format portraits are set to appear in a new book .
Many of the subjects are from his hometown of Portland, Oregon .
The book, "Contact," was funded through a Kickstarter campaign . |
71,584 | cae1b7dc165528bad7e4c438101855134b7b54fc | The Nepalese embassy on one of London's most exclusive streets could be sold for more than £100million - sparking anger among Gurkhas. The exclusive property is situated in Kensington Palace Gardens in west London which is one of the world's most exclusive roads with homes rarely coming onto the open market. The potential sale has sparked anger among . the Nepalese in the UK and abroad, because of the close links between Britain and Nepal. If the property is put up for sale, it is bound to spark interest from some of the world's richest people. Exclusive property: The Embassy of Nepal on Kensington Palace Gardens which could be sold for more than £100million . Billionaire's row: The privately-guarded road by Hyde Park is one of the most exclusive streets in Britain . Nepalese government officials have sent a committee to London to explore the option of selling 12A Kensington Palace Gardens. The guarded street, dubbed 'Billionaire Boulevard', is home to embassies, ambassadors and a number of top businessmen. Number 12A, built in 1865, was gifted to the Nepalese in 1937 as a thank you for the heroic help from the Gurkhas to the British armed forces. Soldiers regard the Victorian Villa as a priceless part of their history. Nepalese foreign ministry spokesman Arjun Thapa said they have not yet decided whether to sell the property. 'I want to make it clear to you that the government has not taken any . decision, so it all depends on the recommendation of the team,' he told the BBC. 'Better to die than be a coward' is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army. They still carry into battle their traditional weapon - an 18-inch long curved knife known as the kukri. After suffering heavy casualties in the invasion of Nepal, the British East India Company signed a peace deal in 1815, which allowed it to recruit from the ranks of the former enemy. Following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India and Britain meant four Gurkha regiments from the Indian army were transferred to the British Army, eventually becoming the Gurkha Brigade. Since then, the Gurkhas have loyally fought for the British all over the world, receiving 13 Victoria Crosses between them. More than 200,000 fought in the two world wars, and in the past 50 years they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo and now in Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialists. The name 'Gurkha' comes from the hill town of Gorkha from which the Nepalese kingdom had expanded. The exclusive Number 12A Kensington Palace Gardens was given to Nepal as a thank you to the Gurkhas who served in the British armed forces. They . pay a nominal £1,000 a year rent on the crown lease, but the mansion - . which has remained untouched for half a century - requires more than . £5million in essential repairs. The rundown property, which backs onto Palace Green, has been described as a 'national embarrassment' in its current condition. Toilets don't flush, the roof needs . repairs and visa applicants are greeted by the sound of pressure cooker . whistles from upstairs. But . despite the 32,000 square foot property's dilapidated state, there is . likely to be a bidding war the moment the property is officially made . available. Trevor Abrahmsohn, from Glentree Estates, sold Bernie Ecclestone's house on Kensington Palace Gardens to Lakshmi Mittal in 2004. He . is familiar with the Nepalese embassy but believes it will need tens of . millions spent returning the property to its former glory. The . agent said: 'The building has the most remarkable, majestic . entertaining reception overlooking the garden. The entrance hall and the . grand staircase are quite extraordinary. For sale? The Nepalese government have sent a committee to London to consider selling off the exclusive property . 'It . is evident that in its heyday this property was one of the grandest . mansions in the capital but very little has been spent on it in the . interim and it does appear to be stuck in a time warp. 'The property will probably need considerable restoration and refurbishment that could mean anything up to £40 million. 'With . all the embassies in the road, security is probably higher than any . other private road in the UK. This is why it is so sought after amongst . oligarchs who crave their privacy and protection. 'The mansions in the road are surrounded with sizeable gardens and that is unique in central London. 'Of course, once you exit this road you are literally in the centre of London. 'Since . there are very few properties in this road available at any time, of . the few people able to afford it, there could certainly be a bidding . war.' Gary Hersham, director . of Beauchamp Estates, added: 'The house is spectacular and worth £100 . million-plus. There will be no shortage of interest.' With . house values on Kensington Palace Gardens standing at around . £6,000sq/ft, a fully restored 12A could be worth around £180 million. However, . any potential sale will be met with disgust by the proud Nepalese, who . regard the four-storey mansion as an enormously important part of their . nation's history. Heritage: The exclusive No 12A Kensington Palace Gardens was given to Nepal in 1937 as a thank you for the work of their Gurkhas in the British armed forces . It was the country's first embassy and the lease was extended for another 99 years in 1980. Major Tikendra Dal Dewan, from the British Gurkha Welfare Society, described the mansion as 'precious'. He said: 'We understand the government sent a committee of seven to look at the property but no decision has been made yet. 'There is a strong emotional side to the story. We have had a relationship for 200 years with the UK through the Gurkhas and this is a unique building to us. Exclusive address: The guarded street, dubbed 'Billionaire Boulevard', is home to embassies, ambassadors and a number of top businessmen . 'It is a very precious thing to us and we have written to the ambassador about it and strongly aired our views. 'We want to pressurise the government to change their decision. It is a unique bond that we have with the UK, and no other countries have the same relationship.' Kensington Palace Gardens is owned entirely by the Crown Estate so only leasehold sales are possible. The road is next to Kensington Palace, the residence of the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and has some of the world's most impressive homes. Exclusive: A 12-bedroom mansion on Kensington Palace Gardens which was bought by Britain multi-billionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal . Embassy street: The Russian Ambassador's official residenence on Kensington Palace Gardens . Despite making up just 29 properties, it is estimated the total value of the properties is in excess of £3.4billion. The entire 2,600 properties in the Cotswolds town of Chipping Norton, in comparison, make up just one sixth of the value of Kensington Palace Gardens. It has the Russian, Lebanese, Romanian, Slovakian, Czech and Norwegian embassies along with the ambassadors' homes of a number of countries. The Saudi royal family, as well as the Sultan of Brunei have homes as does Russian oligarch Len Blavatnik and Foxtons founder Jon Hunt. The Mittal family own several homes. | Run down embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens needs urgent repairs .
Nepal were given the embassy as a gift as a thank you to the Gurkhas in the British armed forces .
Anger among soldiers who regard the property as part of their history .
Nepal pay a nominal £1,000 a year rent for the 32,000square foot property . |
251,169 | d1146b43ab174b74df165cf53cfb99e3a4088f2b | David Beckham has had '723' inked on to his left hand to represent the shirt numbers he became famous for wearing during his time in football. The 39-year-old was sometimes referred to as 'DB7' at the peak of his career as he wore the No 7 shirt for both Manchester United and England. The former Three Lions captain, who retired in 2013 after a brief stint with Paris Saint-Germain, went on to wear the No 23 shirt during his time with Real Madrid and LA Galaxy. Former England captain David Beckham uploaded a snap of his new tattoo on to his official Facebook account . The 39-year-old wore the No 7 shirt for both Manchester United and England during his professional career . Beckham decided to wear the No 23 shirt at Real Madrid due to his admiration for Michael Jordan . Beckham rearranged the digits during his time with AC Milan, wearing 32 . The former England captain kept 32 at his final club, Paris Saint-Germain . Beckham, who likes the No 23 because of his admiration for former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, even went as far as requesting to wear the No 32 shirt at AC Milan and PSG in order to ensure the two digits were on his kit. His latest tattoo adds to those he has had inked on to his body over the years - which include his kids' names, an image of his wife Victoria and a ring of roses to mark his 10th wedding anniversary to the former Spice Girl. Beckham added to his extensive collection in September when he decided to get Jay Z’s lyrics ‘Dream Big Be Unrealistic’ tattooed across his right hand. Michael Jordan, pictured playing for the Chicago Bulls in 1999, made the No 23 jersey iconic in the NBA . | David Beckham donned the legendary Manchester United No 7 shirt during the height of his career .
The former England captain went on to wear No 23 at Real Madrid .
He has previously revealed that he liked the No 23 because of former NBA superstar Michael Jordan .
He wore 32 at AC Milan and PSG to ensure he had the same digits . |
89,765 | fef1373218fa2e50c0c92b93c06179f860a726b1 | Babies are being medicated in the womb in an attempt to prevent them from being born obese. In a world first, dangerously overweight mothers-to-be in four British cities have started taking a diabetes drug during their pregnancy. The doctors behind the controversial NHS trial say that obesity among pregnant women is reaching epidemic proportions and they need to act now to protect the health of tomorrow's children. Overweight mothers-to-be are being allowed to take diabetes drugs to treat their unborn children in the womb to prevent them being born obese . However, there is likely to be unease about resorting to medication in pregnancy for a problem that can be treated through changes in diet and exercise. If the strategy is a success, the treatment could be in widespread use in as little as five years, with tens of thousands of overweight but otherwise healthy mothers-to-be drugged each year. The Daily Mail recently revealed the rise of the 'sumo baby', with the number of newborns weighing more than 11lb soaring by 50 per cent over the last four years. More than 15 per cent of pregnant women are obese. This raises their odds of dying in pregnancy, of their baby being stillborn and of a host of pregnancy complications, some of which can be fatal. Big babies are around twice as likely to grow into overweight adults, suggesting obesity and the lifetime of ill-health it can bring is 'programmed' in the womb. The trial involves 400 pregnant women in Liverpool, Coventry, Sheffield and Edinburgh. They have started taking metformin, which has been safely used by diabetics for decades and is cleared for the treatment of diabetes in pregnancy. It costs just pence per tablet. Doctors say if the NHS trial is successful the treatment could be in widespread use in as little as five years . Some of the participants have already had their babies but many more births will be needed before it is clear if the treatment works. Mothers-to-be elsewhere are due to take part. The study aims to exploit the ability of metformin to lower levels of the hormone insulin in the bloodstream. Obese women make more insulin than other mothers-to-be and this leads to a greater nutrition supply reaching the baby. Research shows big babies are around twice as likely to grow into overweight adults . It is hoped that lowering levels of insulin will reduce the supply and so cut the odds of babies being born obese. Treatment with metformin may redistribute the baby's fat stores, reducing the deposits around the liver and other organs. Study leader Professor Jane Norman of Edinburgh University said: 'One of the challenges is that many women feel perfectly healthy but there is very good evidence that women who are obese have an increased risk of pregnancy problems and their babies are at risk, and we'd like to reduce that risk.' Addressing concerns about unborn babies being medicated for a problem that many would say could be treated by diet and exercise, she said: 'I absolutely support the improvement of diet and encouraging exercise. 'But we are increasingly faced with women who start their pregnancy obese. Saying at that stage to eat less and exercise more is not particularly helpful.' Obesity experts have welcomed the study, which is funded by the Medical Research Council, the NHS's health research arm and the baby charity Tommy's, saying that while the situation is not ideal, it needs to be tackled. Patrick O'Brien of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists described the study as 'very important'. He said: 'When you are overweight in pregnancy you are at increased risk of just about every complication you can think of.' | NHS trial has been started in attempt to halt obesity epidemic .
If it is a success, treatment could be widespread in five years .
But there is unease over problem that could be solved by exercise and diet . |
245,409 | c9a08a7c65f65ba19111dfcbbe28e288370fe87a | West Indian cricket, once the envy of the world game, is facing oblivion after the Board of Control for Cricket in India responded with fury to the cancelled tour that has again exposed the fragile nature of the sport’s finances. The cricketing community was already reeling following last week’s decision by the West Indian players to call off their tour of India with a three-Test series left unplayed because of a pay dispute with their own board. But on Tuesday the BCCI escalated the crisis, saying they would start legal proceedings against the West Indies Cricket Board for a loss of income they claim to be as high as £40million, and suspending all series between the two countries. Sri Lanka stepped in at a moment’s notice for a five-match one-day series, starting on November 2. West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, diving in the ICC World Twenty20 in March, whose side left India early . The Board of Control for Cricket in India have announced they are claiming £40million in lost earnings . It is the fate of West Indies, however, that concerns most cricket-lovers. A successful claim by India would cripple West Indian cricket for good. A year ago, their board was £3.5m in debt. This year’s financial report by KPMG suggests ‘there is substantial doubt the company will be able to continue as a going concern’. India’s suspension of bilateral ties will cost the West Indian game more than it can afford. India’s previous full tour of the Caribbean, in 2011, netted the hosts an estimated £14m in TV rights. But that money has gone and the potential loss of India’s proposed visit in 2016 could bring West Indies to their knees. As Tony Cozier, the respected Caribbean broadcaster, wrote: ‘It should not have come to this.’ West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy will be part of the team heading home over the pay dispute . In truth, the writing has been on the wall for some time. West Indies’ recent history is bedevilled by squabbles over pay, and the only surprise is that such drastic action, which has produced a sympathetic response from Jamaican legend Michael Holding but opprobrium in other quarters, was not taken earlier. For those who recall West Indies’ 15-year reign of terror, the latest development will bring only sadness. Between 1979-80, when they lost in New Zealand, and 1994-95, when Australia became the first visiting side to win in the Caribbean for 22 years, West Indies won 21 of their 29 Test series and drew eight. Michael Holding (centre) and the West Indies dominated world cricket between 1979 and 1995 . Holding (pictured) sympathises with the situation in the West Indies which threatens to derail Caribbean cricket . No one could touch them; everyone feared them. Now, only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh rank below West Indies in both Tests and one-day internationals. They haven’t won a single Test against a major nation outside the Caribbean for almost seven years. It seems their administrators have mislaid their political nous, too. To fall out with India, whose finances effectively bankroll the smaller Test nations, is tantamount to suicide. India cricketer Ravindra Jadeja celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies batsman Ravi Rampaul in 2013 . Tellingly, the Indians are pointing the finger at the West Indies board rather than the players, many of whom are important members of the various IPL franchises. IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal has blamed ‘the arrogance of the WICB’, adding: ‘The players can’t be blamed.’ What happens next is anyone’s guess. It is inconceivable that West Indies will be allowed to send a second-string team to tour South Africa later this year, nor to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in early 2015. It should also be inconceivable that West Indian cricket will disintegrate altogether, with disillusioned players set free to pursue Twenty20 careers around the globe. But it could happen. And cricket would never be the same again. Team representative Bravo said his teammates were behind him in the decision to quit the tour of India . | West Indies Cricket Board cancelled the nation's tour of India this month .
Sri Lanka have hastily agreed to play a one-day series in November .
Board of Control for Cricket in India claim £40million in lost earnings .
They have started legal proceedings against bankrupt cricketing board .
Successful claim by India would cripple West Indian cricket for good . |
194,933 | 8857396f26613bab88c64883d31db9d42c94c258 | (CNN) -- Sometimes a filmmaker makes a documentary to have an impact on a national issue, and the finished product impacts him in profound and lasting ways as well. This is what happened to Jose Antonio Vargas. The 33-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist has written and directed a powerful film about the immigration debate, a broken system, the separation of families and his own life story. "Documented" airs Sunday, June 29 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. Vargas became "undocumented" without his consent. When he was 12 years old, his grandfather brought him to the United States from the Philippines illegally so that he could have a better life. The young man wasn't privy to the scam until, at 16, he went to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a driver's license and his permanent residency card was rejected as bogus. From there it was one lie after another as Vargas went to college and then in pursuit of a career. His grandfather may have started the fraud, but the young man became an accomplice. "His lies became my lies," Vargas told me, in recalling his grandfather. "I claimed to be a citizen to get a job." Vargas: Undocumented and hiding in plain sight . In fact, Vargas got a whole string of jobs, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Daily News, the Huffington Post and the Washington Post. In June 2011, in a 4,600-word essay for the New York Times Magazine, he came out as an illegal immigrant. Since 2012, Vargas and the nonprofit organization he founded called "Define American" have been battling the "i-word." They pressure newspapers and media companies not to use the phrase "illegal immigrant." As someone who has championed the rights of immigrants -- both legal and illegal -- since the early 1990s, against Republicans and Democrats alike, I haven't felt the need to fall in line. Besides, many liberals who say "undocumented" ignore the fact that President Barack Obama has deported 2 million whatever-you-call-them. That's phony progressivism. Judge: Immigration courts dealing with death penalty cases in traffic court setting . Today, unable to work for a payroll check without a Social Security number, he supports himself through freelance writing and paid speeches, performing more than 200 speaking engagements in 45 states in the last three years. Vargas learns as much from his audiences as they learn from him. Not all of it is positive. "The level of misinformation is shocking," Vargas said. "I knew it was bad but I didn't know it was that bad. People don't know we pay taxes, that many of us have been here for more than 10 years, that it is not a border issue, that this is not just a Latino and Mexican issue. They don't know a lot." Vargas is disillusioned with President Obama's refusal to use executive power to stop deportations, especially since the immigration debate is going nowhere. This week, Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the leading champion for immigration reform in Congress, declared it a lost cause for the rest of the year and said that he would focus on pressuring Obama to use executive power. "There is no intellectual honesty and no sense of moral urgency," Vargas said about the immigration debate. More than 20 years ago, the plan was for Vargas' mother to follow him. But she couldn't get out. And he has spent most of his life trying to overcome a sense of maternal abandonment. Still, as we see in the film, the bond between a mother and her child is more powerful than borders. We get the impression that the first thing Vargas would do if his status were ever regularized would be to board a plane to Manila to see the woman who amputated a part of herself so that her son could have a life with more hope and less misery. 'I didn't know I was undocumented' The timing of the film is perfect. Today, as tens of thousands of children stream across the U.S.-Mexico border into the Southwest from Central America -- children who, if the Department of Health and Human Services gets its way, could be coming soon to a relocation center near you -- many Americans wonder how it is that parents could send their children off alone on a dangerous journey toward an uncertain future. A Jewish friend, sympathetic to the parents, reminds me that at least now the kids have a future. It's been done before, he said, during the Holocaust when parents snuck their kids out of Europe. People were willing to never see their children again, as long as the little ones were delivered from evil. Vargas reminds us all that -- far from being some sort of aberrant behavior -- it's what we would expect parents to do. "I think of my mom, who to me, represents all the parents of the undocumented, who make the sacrifice to get a better life for their kids," he said. "When I was a kid, and really until my mid-20's, I suffered from depression and I made the mistake of blaming my mother for not coming with me." Now Vargas understands that his mother acted out of love. After all that he's been through, he also understands -- better than most Americans -- the intricacies of the immigration issue. And thanks to this indispensable film, so can the rest of us. | The film "Documented" airs on Sunday, June 29 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN .
Ruben Navarrette: It's about Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented journalist .
He says the film shows that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed .
Navarrette: We need immigration reform, or we'll keep seeing families torn apart . |
7,437 | 1513c481db232bd887c1f5e6d48ab8d42043be4b | (CNN) -- Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is the new Formula One world champion after winning the title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The German produced a peerless drive from pole position to take the checkered flag ahead of the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who led the championship standings going into the final race of the season, could only manage seventh place to see his title hopes ruined. The 23-year-old Vettel is the youngest-ever world champion in motorsport's premier class, claiming his fifth victory of the year to take the lead in the standings for the first time in a topsy-turvy season. "I'm a bit speechless. I don't know what you are supposed to say in this moment," Vettel told the official post-race press conference. Blog: Vettel ushers in new F1 era . "It has been an incredibly tough season, physically and mentally especially. But we have always believed in myself, my car, the team " Spain's Alonso, who only needed to finish fourth to deny Vettel the title, looked to be the victim of a tactical error by his Ferrari team after being pulled in for an early pitstop. It left the two-time world champion behind slower cars and he could not overtake and make up lost ground on the tight Yas Marina circuit. Alonso defended his team after his shattering disappointment, having qualified third fastest behind Vettel and Hamilton. "After the race, it is always very easy to see the best strategy," he told gathered reporters. "But this is a sport. This is motor racing. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian, but next year we will try again." Vettel's teammate Mark Webber, who trailed Alonso by eight points going into the final round, saw his chances disappear in similar fashion after a premature stop for new tires and finished eighth. He too defended his team's decision to bring him in early. "Early in the race, obviously, we had to make a few calls to get out of that position we were in. It wasn't too bad till then. "And going for the harder tire pretty early on obviously hurt Fernando (Alonso) too because he had to cover me off -- so in a way it was a bit of a team effort I suppose that helped Seb take the title -- but obviously I didn't get the result I wanted." The victory left Vettel on top of the standings with 256 points, just four clear of Alonso. Webber finished the season on 242 points with 2008 champion Hamilton on 240. Red Bull had already clinched the constructors' title after the penultimate race in Brazil, but a solid display from McLaren left them in second place ahead of Ferrari. | Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest-ever F1 world champion .
Red Bull ace takes title after winning title deciding race in Abu Dhabi .
Fernando Alonso sees his hopes disappear after finishing seventh .
McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button take second and third . |
117,058 | 231bd64b0f4326a278a9a766fe647870a7c4a04e | (Budget Travel) -- Getting a visa can be a thicket of red tape -- or as easy as pie. Whether you should hire someone or do it yourself depends on where you're going. Article key . DIY Do-it-yourself. Visas are easy to get on your own. $ Pay somebody. Save time and frustration by hiring some expert help. Australia (DIY) The easiest and cheapest method is applying online for an Electronic Travel Authority, a stampless visa ($17, eta.immi.gov.au). After completing a form that requires your passport details and a credit card, you can be approved in 30 seconds. You can also apply for an ETA in person at the embassy for free. Securing a visa by regular mail from the Washington, D.C., embassy is possible (austemb.org), but it costs $70 and takes two weeks. If you want help: The Australian government doesn't charge for visas arranged through expediters or travel agents, so all you'll have to pay is the company's fee. (PassportVisasExpress.com charges $20 for two-day processing.) Qantas agents can get you an electronic visa within 15 minutes for $25. Tour operators often handle visas, and some charge for the service. Newmans South Pacific Vacations will deduct its $25 processing fee if you take care of the visa yourself. Brazil ($) Visas cost $100, and it's worth it to hire a specialist (see below). Travel Document Systems' three- to seven-day service is $45; PassportVisasExpress.com charges $59 for seven-day processing. Brazil tacks on a $10 surcharge for visas handled by third parties. To save money: The rules for doing your own paperwork depend on where you live (brasilemb.org). To get a visa from the consulates in San Francisco or New York, you must apply in person or pay an extra $10 if a third party appears for you. In San Francisco, visas are typically processed in five business days and can be sent to you via a U.S. Postal Service prepaid envelope, so bring one with you. In New York, visas are usually ready in 24 hours but must be picked up by someone. If you live near Chicago or D.C., you can apply by mail to those consulates. There's a $10 handling fee; allow at least three weeks. Most Brazilian consulates only accept U.S.P.S. money orders. And if you apply by mail, most require you to use U.S.P.S. Express Mail. China ($) Specialists charge $45-$55 on top of the $100 consular fee (up from $50 as of August 1) to get you a visa in about four days. If you book a package, the operator will take care of your application for $20-$30, shipping included. To save money: Apply in person or send a third party to the embassy in D.C., or the consulates in Chicago, Houston, L.A., New York City or San Francisco (china-embassy.org). There's no option to apply by mail, but visas will be mailed back to you if you supply a prepaid envelope. You should allow at least four business days for regular processing, or add an extra $30 for same-day service. Cashier's checks, money orders and cash are OK. Egypt (DIY) U.S. passport holders can pay $15 for a visa at the Cairo airport. Stop by the visa-payment booth before getting in line for immigration and customs. To apply in advance: You can apply by mail to an Egyptian consulate; allow a week or more for processing (egyptembassy.net). You can also go to the New York consulate and get a visa that day; the San Francisco one needs at least 24 hours for processing. Some consulates only take money orders and certified or cashier's checks. A visa specialist can get a visa in three days starting at $45. To save time: Travelers with Foreign Independent Tours and Misr Travel can pay an extra $20-$25 to have a staffer meet them at the Cairo airport with a prepaid visa sticker. That way, they can go directly to immigration. India (DIY) Beware the 15-day transit visa: It only costs $30, but the countdown begins the moment the consulate stamps the visa. Instead, opt for the $60, six-month tourist visa. If you're booking your trip through a tour operator or travel agent, ask them to deal with the visa. Many will do it for free -- all you have to pay is the fee (with a cashier's or certified check or a money order) and fill out the forms, which they can help with. The process takes about a week. Getting a visa from a consulate yourself via mail also takes about a week. To save time: Apply before 12:30 P.M. at any of the five consulates in the U.S. (indianembassy.org), and you can get a visa that afternoon. Cash, money orders, and certified or cashier's checks only. If you want help: Compare expediters' prices. PassportVisasExpress.com charges $59 (seven days), while Zierer Visa Service asks $55 (10 days). Kenya (DIY) Get a visa for $50 (U.S. cash only) at the airport upon arrival. Forms are available at the airport. To apply in advance: If you're mailing your paperwork, allow at least seven days -- and up to 16 days from May through August. It's possible to get a visa within a day if you apply in person and pay a $10 rush fee at the consulates in New York and L.A. or the embassy in D.C. (kenyaembassy.com). Cashier's checks and money orders only. If you want help: Expediters charge from $39 for seven-day processing, and $55 or so for four-day service. Russia ($) Beyond the $100 fee, tourist visas require proof of a Russia-based sponsor (often a tour operator). Expect to pay $45-$55 for assistance if your trip is booked through the operator, and more if you arranged your trip some other way. Alternately, Travel Document Systems charges $45 for 10-day processing. If you need a visa sooner, the fees go up, and the consulate tacks on charges: $50 for three- to five-day processing, $100 for next-day service, or $200 if you require same-day turnaround. To save money: You still need to show that you have a sponsor -- a hotel in Russia will do. Your hotel should have the standard tourist confirmation document that you need to submit with your applications. You'll need a confirmation document for each place you stay. Apply in person or by mail through a consulate, and be sure to include a prepaid return envelope; payment must be through cashier's check or money order (russianembassy.org). You should allow 6 to 10 business days for processing. Turkey (DIY) Pay $20 at the Istanbul airport visa booth before going to immigration. To apply in advance: Visas processed by mail cost $9 more and can take three weeks (turkishembassy.org). Consulates accept money orders and cashier's checks by mail and cash in person. You used to be able to apply online for $29, but the service is down and no one knows when it'll be operating again. If you want help: PassportVisasExpress.com charges $39 for two-day service. Vietnam (DIY) The prices and policies vary by consulate, and you need not apply via your regional office (vietnamembassy-usa.org). The San Francisco consulate charges $45 for three-day processing and $65 for next-day service. Others ask more -- four-day service from New York, for example, is $105. For D.C., include a prepaid U.S.P.S. Express Mail envelope. If you want help: PassportVisasExpress.com charges $89 for four-day service; Travel Document Systems charges $45 (7 to 10 days). There's also the somewhat complicated option of asking a travel agent or tour operator to get an approval letter from the immigration department in Hanoi. Through Sinhcafe Travel, for example, you pay $30, get your letter in a week or so, and then bring the letter and $25 more to the airport. E-mail to a friend . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you and enter to win a free trip - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. | Visas for Brazil cost $100, and it's worth it to hire a specialist .
In Turkey, pay $20 at the Istanbul airport visa booth .
Russian tourist visas require proof of a Russia-based sponsor . |
43,999 | 7c14a3b98764d9635011dae25344fa07f9381402 | Jamie O'Brien seems to have perfected the art of the board transfer. The 31-year-old surfer from Hawaii appeared in a GoPro video posted to YouTube that shows the acrobatic athlete jumping from one surfboard to another as a giant wave crests behind him. O'Brien was riding waves at Banzai Pipeline, often referred to simply as Pipeline, off the island of O'ahu, famous in surfing circles for the tubes created by reefs under the water. Scroll down for video . Poised: In a video for GoPro, Jamie O'Brien caught a wave at Pipeline off the coast of the island of O'ahu with a second board in tow . Transfer: With a lighter board at the ready, O'Brien was looking to jump off and ride out the giant curl while filming the feat . Daring: Just above the reef break, O'Brien hopped off the longer board and rode out the wave . 'The process is to have fun,' O'Brien says in the video. 'Pick the right wave, grab the board off the front with one hand, spin it around, hopefully pull in and come out.' The surfer carried his second, lighter board on the front, and when the time came, maneuvered it into position and took off down the wave. O'Brien has been trying to perfect the trick since at least 2013, when he was filmed attempting the switch at Second Reef, the second section from the shore where waves typically break. Team: O'Brien is sponsored by Red Bull, which has partnered in the past with GoPro, a company that has hosted O'Brien for events in the past . Tubular: O'Brien recorded footage from inside the curling wave with the help of a camera mounted onto his body . Surfer Magazine reports that O'Brien 'doubled up' back in August, successfully hitting his board transfer at the Wedge, a surf spot in Newport Beach, California, but this attempt was captured in multiple angles. The Red Bull-sponsored athlete was filmed with multiple cameras from GoPro, who has partnered with the energy drink company in the past and has hosted O'Brien at events, according to ESPN. | Jamie O'Brien hopped from one board to another while riding a wave at Pipeline off the coast of the island of O'ahu .
The 31-year-old surfer had attempted the trick before, and even landed it once back in August .
The Red Bull-sponsored athlete recorded the trick with the help of several GoPro cameras . |
212,535 | 9f34c169f210e390de4a622d1cae34bb64c39546 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:53 EST, 17 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:56 EST, 17 June 2013 . Purses, handbags, pocketbooks: no matter what you call them, you can forget about carrying them with you to your next pro-football game. The National Football League is tightening stadium security starting this preseason, limiting the size and type of bags fans can bring to the game. And since the rule includes standard sized purses, lady fans will soon be crying foul. Scroll down for video... Clearly: The NFL, in the name of public safety, has banned standard sized purses at all NFL stadiums. Only 'hand-sized' clutches and clear totes are now allowed . With the exception of medically necessary items, only clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches will be allowed. One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags also will be OK, as will small clear plastic bags approximately the size of someone's hand, with or without a handle or strap. One of those clear bags and a small clutch bag will be allowed per person. The NFL says the restrictions are designed to enhance security while speeding up entry into stadiums, but women say feel they’re being targeted. And some say they may even just skip the upcoming season because of the new rule. ‘I don't like this at all,’ Colts fan Cheyenne McMurray told ABC News. ‘I don't want everyone to see what's in my purse. They're still going . to have to search the plastic bag. It's just going to make everyone more . upset.’ Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Banned items . will include purses larger than a clutch bag; coolers; briefcases; . backpacks; fanny packs; cinch bags; seat cushions; luggage; computer . bags; and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size. Female football fan site TheFootballGirl.com is also unhappy with the rule. They write: . 'What . the league considers an improvement to public safety, I consider a . setback for all fans, particularly women. Women carry purses...mostly . because of the functionality. By asking women to leave their purses at . home ...the league is disconnecting from a fan base they are supposedly . working so hard to expand.' Awfully specific: No purses are allowed, but clear plastic totes, which the NFL conveniently licenses, are allowed under strict parameters. Non-licensed totes are also allowed so long as they fit the parameters . Instead of a purse, the NFL is recommending fans take with them clear totes. Conveniently, a line of such totes are licensed to carry the logo of every NFL team. An NFL committee on stadium security recommended these measures in May and the owners have approved them. The NFL ramped up security at the draft in late April, its one major event since the Boston Marathon bombings. Recently, the NFL has done pat downs and bag checks and also used metal detectors to upgrade security. The new policy announced Thursday has worked well at colleges such as Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State, which do not permit any bags in their stadiums. Boston's TD Garden allows only clutch bags. Pack light: Large purse loving women will now have to switch to clutches that fit within very specific parameters if they want to see a live pro football game . ‘Our fans deserve to be in a safe and secure environment,’ Jeffrey Miller, the NFL's chief security officer, said. ‘Public safety is our top priority. This will make the job of checking items much more efficient and effective. We will be able to deliver a better and quicker experience at the gates and also provide a safer environment. We appreciate our fans' cooperation.’ Binoculars, cameras, and smartphones also will be permitted. The league is encouraging fans not to bring any bags to games. A secondary buffer area well outside the stadium will be established where security personnel will check for prohibited items or bags being carried toward the ballpark. Fans with prohibited bags will be turned away until they dispose of those bags. Stadium personnel are being encouraged to have approved bags on hand to give to fans, or to have a place outside the restricted areas to check items, so that fans can reclaim after games. | Starting this season, only purses the size of a person's hand will be allowed into pro games .
The NFL urges people to bring no bags at all, but also offers team logo emblazoned clear bags that are allowed into stadiums . |
190,303 | 8265227c86a0b40a8f71ab63d5def751e4e19777 | By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 07:36 EST, 1 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:28 EST, 1 June 2012 . A hilarious video of a bear taking a dip in a family swimming pool has been making waves across the world. The YouTube clip, which has attracted more than 17,000 views, shows the animal splashing about after climbing into the backyard of the Gasparinis' home in Monrovia, California. Shocked teenage sisters Valerie and Rachel could not believe their eyes when they saw the animal lower itself into the water outside their house. Scroll down for video . Bear-ing all: Valerie and Rachel Gasparini could not believe their eyes when they saw the animal climb in to their swimming pool . Grizzly sight: The girls filmed the splashing bear on a camera phone - and 'Larry' has now found fame across the world . The siblings, who were at their luxurious home alone, decided to film the bear idly paddling in the water as they watched in amazement. They recorded the remarkable episode from the safety of their kitchen, filming the action through a window on a camera phone. The girls can be heard laughing in surprise, saying, 'This is crazy!' and 'It's pretty good at swimming!' Both entranced and frightened by the sight, the pair compare the trespassing creature to a person, giggling at how it appears to be admiring the beautiful view as it enjoys a relaxing cool-down in the circular pool. The bear - who the Gasparini sisters dubbed 'Larry' - has found instant fame, and the video has appeared on ABC, CBS, KTLA, and Good Morning America. Animal kingdom: The laughing teenagers compared the creature to a human as it swam around and appeared to admire the view . 'It kind of like walks over to the pool, and we thought it was gonna . drink some water,' said Rachel afterwards, according to KTLA. 'It ends up jumping over the ledge, and it's kind of like floating around there, chilling.' The bear appears to be sitting on the built-in underwater stools during its five-minute visit. After paddling through the water for a short time, it wandered off back into the wild, without causing any damage. But the brave siblings were not too worried by the sight of the potentially dangerous beast. Valerie said: 'It wasn't any making a ruckus or it wasn't like destroying things in our backyard, so we didn't really feel the need to call anybody.' Rachel added: 'Yeah, it was more of entertainment than a scare.' Just as well, because the sisters were expecting a visitor at any moment - and he could have faced a closer encounter. | Shocked teenage filmmakers nicknamed the paddling bear 'Larry'
It climbed over fence into their backyard . |
212,447 | 9f1baaf94c3e240ffb9c27915705686fd5725420 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 12:19 EST, 7 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:44 EST, 7 January 2013 . A heartbroken mum whose son was murdered when a Facebook party spilled out of control has made a tearful appeal to his killers on what should have been his 18th birthday. Caroline Shearer called for the killers of her son Jay Whiston to turn themselves in to detectives and end her family's ongoing 'torture'. Jay, a popular teenager, was killed by a single knife wound to his heart after a row outside a party in an affluent area of Colchester, Essex. The A-level student had been invited to a party which spiralled out of control as about 200 revellers who heard about it through Facebook ran wild on September 8 2012. Grief: Caroline Shearer's son Jay was murdered in September. She has called for the killers to hand themselves in on what would have been her son's 18th birthday . The 17-year-old from Clacton, Essex, was rushed to nearby Colchester General Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Mrs Shearer, 47, made her appeal at a press conference held today at Clacton police station. She fought back tears as she described the impact the killing has had on her family. She said: 'People say that time is a healer, well I tell you now - time is torture. Every second of every day of every month. 'Every breath we take is torture. 'It's a living nightmare - every day I wake up and there are reminders of Jay in the house. 'The impact has changed everybody's course in life, everybody's path in life.' Mrs Shearer appealed directly to her son's killers and the people protecting them to speak to police. She added: 'These people who did this, you were brave enough to do it, so just be brave enough to come forward. 'Stop hiding behind all the trouser legs, pinnies and skirts, like frightened little animals. 'To the parents and the brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and anybody that is hiding these people - you are always going to have something - even if they get put in prison, you are always going to have their birthdays and Christmases. Pain: Caroline Shearer (left) and Jay's sister Holly Fairburn are overwhelmed with grief as they make their appeal . 'Jay should have been 18 - all I could buy him was two helium balloons because someone murdered him.' Jay's sister, Holly Fairburn, 25, sat alongside her mum but was too upset to talk publicly. Mrs Shearer added: 'This has not just affected me and Holly - it has affected the community, so please, if you have got any decent bone in your body, then come forward for Jay. 'Somebody out there has got to have a heart, somebody out there knows who did this and by hiding them you are adding to the misery and making it worse for all of us.' Detectives have made a series of arrests as they try to trace Jay's killer, but so far no one has been charged with the offence and, crucially, the murder weapon - believed to be a knife - has not been traced. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Parkes, today unveiled a red and white patterned River Island T-shirt, thought to have been the same type as worn by one of Jay's killers. Happier times: Jay and his mother Caroline today would have been his 18th birthday . He said: 'We have seized the clothing of those that police suspect to be involved with this. 'There is one item which we have yet to recover - it's a red and white T-shirt which is made by River Island and I am interested in finding that T-shirt so if you know where that T-shirt was disposed of, if you know where that T-shirt is at this moment, please get in touch. That could be a key bit of information for us.' The officer, sat alongside Mrs Shearer, said police were still, four months on, piecing together minute details which they hope will give them the breakthrough in the case. Clue: Essex Police say the killer may have been wearing a red-and-white River Island polo shirt similar to the one pictured . He said: 'The way that we are going to successfully take this matter to court, to successfully prosecute Jay's killer, is to reconstruct the actions of Jay and Jay's attackers. 'But we need to do that frame by frame so this is all about trying to get the minutest detail - the smallest amount of information could be key. 'Let the police decide what was relevant.' DCI Parkes said those who had not come forward with information were protecting Jay's killer through 'some sense of mistaken loyalty'. He described the party which spun out of control as well-organised with the family going to great lengths to ensure that everybody was as safe as they could be. However, a fight started at the party and Jay was stabbed after 'standing his ground'. Police today refused to disclose what had triggered the fight for operational reasons. Mrs Shearer has launched a high-profile anti-knives campaign since her son's death. She hopes to educate youngsters about the dangers of carrying knives. Four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder and another four people were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All eight have been released on police bail until March 22. A 17-year-old who was arrested previously on suspicion of Jay's murder was today released from his bail and will face no further action. Anyone with information about the killing should contact the investigation team on 01206 576845 or text 07841 112146 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Caroline Shearer fought tears as she urged the murderers to come forward .
Her son Jay was stabbed at a party that became out of control .
She spoke of the family's torment, saying: 'Every breath we take is torture' |
125,540 | 2e4ced0fc2ca6a493870308fff6c3a5a71d9b1e3 | Students who texted the most displayed evidence of racism . Compulsive texters more likely to have shallow and rapid thoughts . Author of the study believes the effect of constant texting and tweeting needs further investigation . By . James Daniel . PUBLISHED: . 22:54 EST, 12 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:45 EST, 13 April 2013 . Teenagers who text more than 100 times a day tend to be shallow, image-obsessed and driven by wealth - not to mention pretty bad at spelling. The study from the University of Winnipeg suggests that a lot can be learned about a person’s personality simply from the number of texts they send. The most incessant texters often turn out to be a slightly more racist than others. Scroll down for video... Not getting the message: Research suggests frequent texters tend to be shallow . Personality: Psychologists say those who text more than 100 times a day are more interested in wealth and image . The data was gathered over a period of three years from 2,300 psychology students at the University of Winnipeg. The theory the university study tried to test was that constant use of twitter and texting for communication results in a world where people have quick and shallow thoughts. People with superficial opinions with little substance beneath. The results indicate that students who text frequently place less importance on moral, aesthetic and spiritual goals and greater importance on wealth and image. Long term: The study conducted over a period of three years amongst 2,300 students at the University of Winnipeg . Superficial thinking: Texting and using Twitter for extreme periods of time can change your thought process . Strikingly, the study states those who text more than 100 times a day were 30 per cent less likely to feel strongly that leading an ethical, principled life was important, in comparison to those who texted 50 times or less a day. The students texted, some spoke on cellphones, and some did neither. The students rated their feelings towards different social groups. Those who had been texting the most, rated ethnic-minority groups more negatively. In the most extreme cases, 30 per cent of the survey-takers texted more than 200 times a day and that 12 per cent texted at least 300 times a day. Priorities: Heavy teen texters place less importance on moral, aesthetic, and spiritual goals, and greater importance on wealth and image . The study was inspired by the 'shallowing hypothesis' first described by Nicholas Carr in his 2010 book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. It does not suggest that shallow mindedness is at all new, merely the growth of texting and twitter has resulted in new avenues for expression that has made such thoughts more acceptable. The theory states 'ultra brief social media like texting and Twitter encourages rapid, relatively shallow thought and consequently very frequent daily use of such media should be associated with cognitive and moral shallowness.' 'The values and traits most closely associated with texting frequency are surprisingly consistent with Carr’s conjecture that new information and social media technologies may be displacing and discouraging reflective thought,' Dr. Paul Trapnell, associate professor of psychology at The University of Winnipeg, said in a statement. 'We still don’t know the exact cause of these modest but consistent associations, but we think they warrant further study.' | Students who texted the most displayed evidence of racism .
Compulsive texters more likely to have shallow and rapid thoughts .
Author of the study believes the effect of constant texting and tweeting needs further investigation . |
13,066 | 2514d0d9b1d5d8835ac22a350bafb0ee38a7d1ed | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 10:04 EST, 6 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:00 EST, 6 November 2013 . A ten-year-old boy has been given a new ear by doctors who built the organ from scratch using one of his ribs. Alfie Hazell was born with an ear lobe but no ear structure or canal on his left side. This was due to him suffering hemifacial microsomia - a congenital disorder that . affects the development of the lower half of the face, most commonly the . ears and mouth. Alfie Hazell, 10, was given a new left ear (pictured) by surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital who made it out of one of his ribs. They used skin grafts to cover the new ear structure . It can occur on just one side of the face or one both and can cause problems with breathing. It is the second most common facial birth defect after clefts. Now, surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital have built Alfie a brand new ear. His mother, Catherine, 41, said the amazing procedure has transformed her son’s life. She said: ‘Alfie has been so brave, and we’re so proud of him. The new ear means that Alfie won’t have to deal with people staring any more. Alfie was born with hemifacial microsomia - a congenital disorder that affects the development of the lower half of the face. It meant he had a left ear lobe but no outer ear or ear canal . 'He has coped . with people making comments about his appearance all his life. Ever . since he was small he hid behind our legs when he met new people, and . always hid his left side. ‘When he was three, a group of older boys surrounded us while we were on a train and pointed and laughed at him. ‘Even . though he was very young, the experience affected Alfie for years . afterwards, it was deeply traumatic and really set his confidence back a . long way. ‘When Alfie . was five, a girl told him his appearance made her feel sick. Those are . the sorts of reactions that he had to get used to. He had to do a lot of . growing up in a short space of time. Alfie (pictured as a baby) was told he had to wait until he was nine-years-old before he could have the procedure as his ribs needed to mature sufficiently . Alfie's mother, Catherine (pictured with Alfie and his brothers, Joseph and Toby), said: 'Alfie has been so brave, and we're so proud of him. The new ear means that Alfie won't have to deal with people staring any more' Mrs Hazell, a . childminder, and her husband Ben, 40, a business development manager, . were keen to give Alfie the power to decide the course of his . life-changing treatment. Doctors . had advised the family, of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, that Alfie needed . to wait until he was nine-years-old before they could operate to allow . enough time for his ribcage to develop. ‘Some people with Alfie’s condition . choose not to have reconstructive surgery. The staff at Great Ormond . Street said our options were to do nothing, to fit a prosthetic or to . have a rib graft. Alfie was too scared to look at his new ear until he was in the car going home from the hospital . He had to have a skin graft taken from his head (pictured) to cover and support the new ear . ‘I . was keen that Alfie was able to make the decision himself. Ben and I . encouraged him to speak to consultants directly during appointments, as . if he was one of the adults.’ In April 2011, Alfie decided that he wanted to go ahead with the rib graft procedure which would involve two operations. The first operation, which involved putting the newly shaped rib bone into place, was carried out a year later. The . procedure involved a section of bone and cartilage from one of Alfie’s . ribs being used to build the missing ear structure. Skin grafts were . then applied to cover the bone. Alfie was so happy when he first saw his new ear that he took a photo of it on his phone and sent it to all of his friends and family . Alfie . has been deaf on his left side since birth and although the new ear . does not allow him to hear, he will have the option to implant a hearing aid later in life. Then, in March 2013, the final procedure to fill out the ear structure using skin grafts was successfully completed. Mrs Hazell said: ‘When they took the bandage off, Alfie was so nervous that he didn’t want to look at the left side of his face at first. ‘It . was only when we were in the car going home from the hospital that he . felt brave enough to take a picture of his new ear and look at it. ‘He was so happy when he saw what it looked like - he sent pictures to everyone to show off.’ It is possible that Alfie will require further surgery in the future to correct the alignment of his jaw and teeth. It is possible that Alfie (pictured with his new ear) will require further surgery in the future to correct the alignment of his jaw and teeth . Mr and Mrs Hazell have been given support throughout Alfie’s journey by charities Changing Faces and Microtia Mingle. Alfie’s brothers, five-year-old Joseph, and Toby, nine, have been drafted in to look out for their big brother through the lengthy healing process. Mrs Hazell said: ‘We had to explain to the boys that they need to be careful during rough-and-tumble games. If Alfie damages his ear there could be an infection or it might need to be rebuilt, so we have to be careful. ‘He’s also had to sit out of PE at school, but he’s been very understanding about the situation.’ Hemifacial microsomia is the second most common facial birth defect after clefts. Children with the condition have a small or underdeveloped part of the face - usually the ear or jaw. The underdevelopment of the face can lead to feeding, speech and breathing problems. The condition can also result in hearing and sight loss. It is not known what causes it but it is believed to develop in the early stages of pregnancy. It is not clear exactly how many people the condition affects but it could be as many as one in 5,600. It is more common in men than women. Source: Genetics Home Reference . | Alfie Hazell,10, was born with hemifacial microsomia - a congenital disorder that affects the development of the lower half of the face .
He is deaf on his left side and was frequently bullied about his appearance .
Surgeons built him a left ear using one of his ribs and skin grafts .
May now have a hearing aid fitted to allow him to hear on his left side . |
255,501 | d6b74cfdb8270923690b92667cacc4ca12fcffdd | (The Frisky) -- Directing movies has gone exceptionally well for many leading men in Hollywood. Clint Eastwood has been nominated for the Best Director Oscar four times, and Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, and Kevin Costner have all gotten Oscar nods for stepping behind the camera. Oh, and George Clooney didn't do too shabby with his directorial debut, "Good Night, and Good Luck," did he? The Frisky: 6 celebs who removed their implants -- compare before and after . Now Angelina Jolie is taking the plunge behind the camera. She's announced that for her next movie, she won't be acting -- she'll be directing and producing. Did we forget to mention that she also wrote the screenplay? The as-of-now untitled movie is a Bosnian War love story. "The film focuses on a Serbian man and a Bosnian woman who meet on the eve of the war and the effect the war has on their relationship," a public statement about the film reads. It continues that they won't be auditioning big names for these roles; they'll be using actors of "various ethnicities from the region of the former Yugoslavia," according to People.com. The Frisky: 10 celebs with bad body habits . We wish Angie good luck on her first directing venture. In her honor, here are other famous ladies who've sat in the director's chair: . Drew Barrymore has been producing flicks since 1995, when she formed Flower Films, the production company that brought you "Never Been Kissed" and "Charlie's Angels." But it wasn't until last year that Drew tried her hand at directing with the roller derby flick "Whip It." It was apparently Guy Ritchie who inspired Madonna to direct her first film, "Filth and Wisdom." Like their marriage, it was a stinker. We hope she does better with her new one, "W.E.," the tale of the affair between King Edward VIII and American socialite Wallis Simpson. The flick stars Abbie Cornish and is in production right now. The Frisky: 6 celebrity hoarders . Sofia Coppola made her acting debut as a baby, in the christening scene in "The Godfather," because her pops was the director (Francis Ford Coppola). She also landed roles in "The Outsiders," "Peggy Sue Got Married," and "The Godfather Part 3" -- all films her father directed. But then she decided to try directing. She went on to make the "The Virgin Suicides," "Lost In Translation," and "Marie Antoinette." She became the third woman nominated for Best Director for "Lost in Translation." The Frisky: 30 things women need to quit doing by 30 . Barbra Streisand established a production company in 1972 and wore many hats on the set of "Yentl" -- she wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the movie, which got five Academy Award nominations. She did the director-producer-star trifecta twice more in the 90s, for "The Prince of Tides" and "The Mirror Has Two Faces." Some note that in her self-directed flicks, she gives herself a lot of close-ups. We say she earned it. Goldie Hawn not only starred in 80s classics "Private Benjamin," "Protocol," and "Wildcats" -- she also produced them. She didn't start directing, though, until 1997 when she called the shots for the movie "Hope." We won't hold it against her that it was made for TV. The Frisky: 1 in 4 of you are in love with someone else . And even Jolie's archrival (as some magazines would have us believe), Jennifer Aniston, has directed. The project, in 2006, was a short film called "Room 10" about an emergency room. Apparently, a few years earlier, Jen was even offered the chance to direct an episode of "Friends." She explained later, "Well, I was slotted to direct an episode of 'Friends' And then I got 'The Good Girl.' See? So, you either got 'The Good Girl' or you got a very bad direction of 'Friends.'" She was apparently inspired to direct for real when Gwyneth Paltrow made a short earlier that year. TM & © 2010 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | Angelina Jolie will be directing and producing her next film .
Drew Barrymore has been producing flicks since 1995 .
Sofia Coppola became the third woman nominated for Best Director . |
74,402 | d2effd4f4001e46ab0d021de731415df61d98ae1 | Fears that the general election will result in political paralysis is the biggest threat to business this year, a survey of City bosses has found. The Financial Times survey of some of the biggest names in the City of London even uncovered fears an unclear outcome to the election could even endanger the recovery. Many election pundits have long predicted that the election will result in another hung parliament, with neither the Tories nor Labour with enough MPs to command a majority in the House of Commons. Bosses in the City of London say an unclear election outcome is the biggest threat to business in the UK . Instead, the party with the largest number of seats is likely to be forced to cobble together a coalition deal with at least one other party. Some pundits have predicted that if the outcome is particularly tight, a ‘rainbow coalition’ could be required involving at least three parties. The FT reported that Sir Win Bischoff, chairman of the Financial Reporting Council, warned of a ‘year of great anxiety and worry. Dame Alison Carnwath warned about ‘an inconclusive election, the ghastly possibility of a second general election and a possible EU referendum.’ The concerns emerged in an online debate about the risks facing firms in 2015. Risk: City of London powerhouses have branded the election an 'Ed Miliband risk more than a Labour risk' Several bosses pointed to concerns about Labour’s business and taxation policies, while others said hostility to immigration among Tories could affect them. Guy Hands, the chief executive of private equity firm Terra Firma said: ‘I think the biggest risk for the City this year is the political uncertainty that would be created by an inconclusive general election.’ ‘Labour will do too badly to form a government. We could very easily have a second election in October. If Labour do get into power I would be very concerned about punitive attacks on the City. He warned: ‘We could see the sort of tax rises that would have other international financial centres rubbing their hands in glee.’ Manny Roman, chief executive of investment management firm Man Group said: I think it is very straightforward: The UK election is a real risk. The Labour party is seen as very anti-business and investors will fear a repeat of Hollande. He added: ‘This is an Ed Miliband risk more than a Labour risk. Obviously any weak government is also a problem.’ | Unclear election is the biggest threat to business, City bosses say .
Pundits have predict that election will result in another hung parliament .
Labour win could prove damaging to businesses in Britain . |
206,686 | 9799f5b438dba918637fc44e7347b9eb90cd23c0 | Alan Whitehead, Labour MP, said motorists who want to drive could be forced to join 'car clubs' in an article examining Britain's infrastructure problems . Owning a car could be ‘outlawed’ to force people on to public transport, a senior Labour MP has suggested. Motorists who want to drive could instead be forced to join communal ‘car clubs’ where the cars are shared by drivers and used only when needed. Dr Alan Whitehead, a Labour MP for Southampton Test and a member of the Energy and Climate Change select committee, said the increase in car ownership would lead to ‘something approaching a national traffic jam before 2040’. He claimed that radical action would be needed to avoid national gridlock. In an article in the Guardian, Dr Whitehead wrote: ‘We need to consider doing something serious. What we need is a considerable expansion of public transport over the next period and a shift from car to bus, train, bike or even feet. The big problem is how to do it.’ He went on to suggest that ‘outlawing’ car ownership was better than banning car use altogether, preferring ‘regulation rather than prohibition’. Dr Whitehead added: ‘What if the Government simply regulated for cars to be sold and used just as they are at present (hopefully with an increasing presence of electric and hybrid vehicles) but outlawed individual ownership? He warned the rise in car ownership would lead to ‘something approaching a national traffic jam before 2040’ ‘People would then lease cars individually or as part of a club and the running costs would be included in the lease arrangements. No one would be prohibited from using a car, but the playing field of choice would instantly be levelled.’ But his suggestions were last night described as ‘bonkers’ by transport minister Robert Goodwill, who said Labour had waged a ‘13-year war’ against motorists. | Dr Alan Whitehead said owning a car could be 'outlawed' to force people to use public transport in article in article examining UK traffic issues .
Said motorists who want to drive could be made to join 'car clubs'
If not, he warned there could be a 'national traffic jam' before 2040 .
But his suggestions were described as 'bonkers' by transport minister, Robert Goodwill . |
163,372 | 5f3c85fa3158766d511346cb68d32a8178097b5f | Palmistry is the ancient art of predicting the future through the reading of palm lines. The art is hugely popular in Japan where palm readers charge optimistic customers upwards of £50 a session to tell them what the future could hold, simply by looking at the markings on their hands. But and now for those not content with the fortune lines that nature gave them there is a drastic new way of trying to be master of their own destiny: by altering their palm lines through cosmetic surgery. The surgery, which has also been known to be carried out in Korea, is performed with an . electric scalpel which burns the flesh leaving a semi-permanent scar. The people of Japan, where palmistry is huge, are having their palm lines improved by cosmetic surgery to enhance their fate . A report on The Daily Beast found that between January 2011 and May this year, 37 palm . plastic surgeries have been performed at one clinic in Japan. Shonan Beauty Clinic offers the surgery for £662 but no longer advertises the treatment because they couldn't keep up with demand. Dr Matsuoka, who has performed 20 of the operations, told The Daily Beast: 'If you try to create a palm line with a . laser, it heals, and it won’t leave a clear mark. 'You have to use the . electric scalpel and make a shaky incision on purpose, because palm . lines are never completely straight. 'If you don’t burn the skin and just . use a plain scalpel, the lines don’t form. It’s not a difficult . surgery, but it has to be done right.' The procedure usually takes 10 to 15 minutes and can include between 5 to 10 lines being on the palm being altered. One clinic in Japan offers the surgery for £662 and it takes around 15 minutes to complete. Men want their financial lines lengthening and women opt for enhancement to their marriage line . Some patients use a marker pen to show the surgeon which lines they want extending prior to surgery. It takes around a month for the wounds to heal and for the new palm lines to form. Most of the patients are thirty-something men and women who have a predilection for fortune-telling. Whilst men want their money line or success line extending, women want their love/marriage line lengthening. Some women don't even have a marriage line and believe that because of this, they won't find love. Others do have a marriage line but seek another one because they believe their first one appeared too early and they missed their chance. But does it work? Dr Matsuoka gave one woman a wedding line and soon after she wrote to him saying she had married. Two other patients won the lottery after he extended their fortune lines. Despite these success stories, Matsuoka isn't, however, sure how effective the surgery really is and believes there may be a placebo effect. 'If people think they’ll be lucky, sometimes they become lucky. And it’s not like the palm lines are really written in stone — they’re basically wrinkles,' he adds. He explains that lines do change with time and even the way people use their hands can change them. Some palmisters reportedly suggest that their clients who don't want to undergo the surgery can draw the lines on their hands themselves to change their fortune. 'The placebo effect could positively . change somebody's attitude but it is not enough to justify unnecessary . surgical intervention. Try a lucky charm maybe...’ Subodh Gupta, a London-based palm reader, says the surgery is futile. 'I read about this surgery and I was very surprised. 'Even by having surgery, the lines cannot be changed. 'If you want to improve your fortune, take physical actions. So if you want greater health, do some exercise. 'I have seen people's health lines change after six months of yoga.' Dr. Yannis Alexandrides, founder, director and head of practice and surgical at 111 Harley St in London, added: ‘It is possible to have complications from this type of surgery such as infection and painful neuromas which can create a source of irritation. 'The placebo effect could positively change somebody's attitude but it is not enough to justify unnecessary surgical intervention. 'Try a lucky charm maybe.’ A high Venus shows someone who can be promiscuous and overindulgent . A flat Venus shows you have little or no interest in family life and tend to criticise others . Palmists look at qualities of the hand, such as shapes and lines of the palm and fingers, colour and texture of the skin and fingernails, as well as the sizes of the palm and fingers and knuckles . | New plastic surgery trend in Japan and Korea .
Patients want to extend their lines to change their future .
One clinic has stopped advertising the procedure as demand was too high .
Men want longer financial lines, women want longer marriage lines . |
64,250 | b67730e6d2bab24daba31b7c610affcd614ed267 | Harlequins deservedly beat local rivals Wasps 23-16 at Adams Park to go joint top of Pool 2 of the European Champions Cup. The win gives them eight points to join Leinster on that figure and the two meetings between these sides in December is likely to decide the destiny of the Pool. Harlequins were the better side throughout and should have won more comfortably. They were far more creative in attack with their points coming from a try by the lively Charlie Matthews and a penalty try award with Nick Evans kicking three penalties and two conversions. Charlie Matthews charges upfield for Harlequins and had a telling contribution against local rivals Wasps . Wasps competed strongly but too many of their key players failed to have any influence on the game. Powerful runners, Nathan Hughes and Ashley Johnson were largely anonymous with star wing, Christian Wade, given no opportunity at all. Joe Simpson provided their only spark by scoring an excellent individual try which Andy Goode converted to add to his three penalties. Wasps were without their captain, James Haskell, who was still recovering from a virus. Sam Jones was included on the flank with Tom Varndell recalled in place of Sailosi Tagicakibau. Harlequins originally made one change from last week's win over Castres with Kyle Sinckler replacing Will Collier at tighthead but they were forced into another when their skipper, Joe Marler, was a late withdrawal with a leg injury so Mark Lambert was called into the line-up. Chris Robshaw took on the captaincy. Quins made a bad start when Marland Yarde fumbled the kick-off but they recovered to push the hosts off their own ball at the resulting scrum. The first 10 minutes were evenly contested before Evans took the first chance for points by kicking a penalty. Wasps also had their opportunities but declined to take two kickable penalties in favour of more attacking options. Their decision to do so proved fruitless as the home side carelessly lost a line-out and a scrum. When the third opportunity came, Wasps went for the posts and Goode succeeded with a penalty but this was soon nullified by one from Evans to give Quins a 6-3 lead at the end of a disjointed first quarter. Mike Brown is tackled by Wasps Nathan Hughes in the European Champions Cup clash . Harlequins were becoming the dominant force and almost scored the first try of the game. A neat pass from George Lowe sent David Ward through a gap allowing the hooker to run 30 metres before being hauled down. Quins maintained the movement and appeared to have scored when Matthews crossed the line but the TMO ruled that the lock had been held up. Against the run of play, Wasps took the lead with a solo try from Simpson. On the visitors 22, Simpson surprisingly robbed Luke Wallace of the ball to race away for the try which Goode converted. Quins quickly responded with an excellent try when skilful handling resulted in Mike Brown sending in Matthews for the try which Evans converted to give the visitors a deserved 13-10 interval lead. Wasps fumbled the restart and soon conceded another penalty which Evans kicked to extend the advantage but Goode responded with two of his own, one an excellent effort from inside his own half. These penalties were the only scores of an error-ridden third quarter, which ended with the scores level at 16-16. Quins produced another flowing movement and looked set to score but Danny Care knocked on five metres out from the home line but from the scrum Wasps, who had just lost their hooker, Carlo Festuccia through injury, were pushed off the ball. From the reset, Wasps were unable to contain their opponents' drive and conceded a penalty try which Evans converted. The outside half missed two penalties late on but it scarcely mattered as Quins remained in control until the final whistle. | Nick Evans kicked three penalties and two conversions for Harlequins .
Harlequins are now joint top of their European Champions Cup group .
They meet Leinster twice in December in group deciding matches . |
282,282 | f99f9106dde4657e2b19a37ddcf550aef18ae7f6 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lady Gaga struck back at tabloid attacks on her weight, posting photos of herself wearing only a bra and panties on her fan website Tuesday. The singer's blog, titled "A Body Revolution 2013," invites fans to "be brave and celebrate with us your 'perceived flaws,' as society tells us," by posting their own photos. "May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous," Gaga wrote. Are we really ready to take a look at 'real women'? Online publications have speculated about Gaga's weight gain in recent months, which she has acknowledged to be about 25 pounds. Four photographs posted on her LittleMonsters.com site Tuesday leave no questions about her size and shape, showing her nearly naked from the front, side and rear. The captions above each photo read: "Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15... But today I join the BODY REVOLUTION.... To Inspire Bravery.... and BREED some ... COMPASSION." Gaga wrote that her "weight/loss/gain since I was child has tormented me." "No amount of help has ever healed my pain about it," she wrote. "But YOU have. My boyfriend prefers me curvier, when i eat and am healthy and not so worried about my looks, I'm happy. Happier than I've ever been. i am not going to go on a psycho-spree because of scrutiny. This is who I am. And I am proud at any size. And I love you, and want you to be proud in any form you may take as well." We asked, you answered: Are we really ready to take a look at 'real women'? Fans began posting their own stories and images including a woman who wrote about weight gain from lupus, saying she was "very self conscious about my body but today I am inspired to be brave." "I've had a hard year, I've been torturing myself with being perfect and I felt I couldn't trust anyone around me," another fan wrote. "I cried so much because I felt like I wasn't enough, and I only felt loved by YOU, monster family. I still feel like this a lot of times. People think I'm happy because I always smile, but they have no idea of how much I cry in my room at nights and I feel so lonely." Gaga warns her fans, whom she calls her "little monsters," not to "look for kindness in critics, go where you know the gold is. Here, in our hearts." Photos: The Lady before she was Gaga . Lady Gaga's 'slutty' fragrance . | Lady Gaga tells fans "weight/loss/gain since I was child has tormented me"
The singer challenges fans to "celebrate with us your 'perceived flaws'"
Online publications speculate about Gaga's weight gain in recent months .
"My boyfriend prefers me curvier," Lady Gaga writes . |
103,561 | 118f7568515b36bb2b496052591cb6930974e599 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:51 EST, 9 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:10 EST, 9 February 2013 . A Florida man won his unusual slip-and-fall case against retail giant Walmart on Wednesday and was awarded nearly $1.3 million. Tom Papakalodoukas, 41, fell on a sign that was lying on the floor while shopping at a store in Port St. Lucie on May 15, 2011. He slipped violently, ripping his right biceps tendon. The man was left facing huge medical bills, a string of operations and lifelong problem known as a 'Popeye deformity' - an abnormally bulging arm. Painful: The moment Tom Papakalodoukas slipped on a fallen Gatorade sign while shopping in Walmart. He tore his bicep tendon in the incident and this week was awarded $1.3 million in damages . 'Victim': According to his attorney Tom Papakalodoukas has racked up $200,000 in medical bills and has suffered from depression since the incident . Papakalodoukas was carrying bottles of water when he walked over a Gatorade sign that had fallen from a display. The sign moved under him and sent him crashing to the floor. He endured three surgeries in two years in attempts repair the damage. This included the transplantation of an Achilles tendon from a cadaver. Papakalodoukas racked up more than $200,000 in medical bills. But he has been left with a malformed, bulging biceps tendon for the rest of his life. He has also been unable to return to his job as a distribution manager at a drinks company. According to WPTV.com, his attorney, Gloria Seidule, also claims that Papakalodoukas has suffered from depression since the incident. 'Popeye deformity': Despite three operations and $200,000 in medical bills, Tom Papakalodoukas now suffers from a lifelong problem where his tendon abnormally bulges in his right arm . Surveillance footage recorded the Gatorade sign falling and Papakalodoukas slipping on it minutes later. Store employees then discarded the display. At the circuit court in St. Lucie County, Walmart claimed that the sign had properly assembled and maintained. The company contended that Gatorade was to blame for providing easily breakable plastic screws that held the sign to the the display. WPTV.com reported that Walmart denied negligence, claiming that its employees did not have time to remove the fallen sign before Papakalodoukas fell. Seidule argued against Walmart using . evidence from Gatorade. This claimed that if the display had been put . together in accordance with Gatorade's instructions the sign could not . have fallen. Gatorade added that if the screws did snap, the maintenance of the sign was Walmart's responsibility. Tom Papakalodoukas was shopping at this Walmart in Port St. Lucie, Florida, when he slipped on the fallen sign. This week he was awarded $1.3 million in damages . The all-female jury deliberated for four hours before concluding that Walmart was 90 per cent at fault and awarding Papakalodoukas $1,287,144. According to WPBF.com, Seidule only claimed for $600,000 in damages. Responding to the size of the award, the attorney stated: 'The jury assessed the existing and future medical expenses and lost wages when determining the monetary value of the case.' As reported by WPBF, Seidule added: 'We are very grateful for a jury system in this country that will allow a small local lawfirm like mine and an individual to be able to level the playing field and come in and have a fair trial against a large corporation like Walmart.' Papakalodoukas said: 'It's tough. I just try to take it day by day. Hopefully, I'll heal this time and get my life back together.' | Tom Papakalodoukas, 41, slipped on a sign that had fallen to the floor, tearing his right biceps tendon .
He is left with lifelong abnormality in right arm and can't return to work .
Judge awards Papakalodoukas $1,287,144 as he wins case against Walmart in Florida court . |
108,887 | 18610ae47a1f7ae10e3d84072e36845b2ae69b1e | (CNN) -- Taiwan has rallied behind a taekwondo athlete who was controversially disqualified at the Asian Games in China, setting up Internet support groups and even burning South Korean flags. The island's ruling administration was also criticized for its response to the incident, which saw Yang Shu-chun disqualified while leading during a match in the women's 49-kilogram category in Guangzhou on Tuesday. The Asian Taekwondo Union released a statement accusing gold-medal hopeful Yang of a "shocking act of deception," claiming that she had illegally added two extra sensors to the heel of her socks to help score more points. The ATU rejected an appeal from the Taiwan team and subsequently banned Yang and the two coaches involved pending a hearing by the martial art's world ruling body. Local politicians from the People First Party burned South Korean flags outside Taiwan's Sports Affairs Council in the capital on Thursday, the Taipei Times reported, in protest against World Taekwondo Federation secretary-general Yang Jin-suk. They also smashed imported products on the floor before police intervened, the newspaper said. Politicians from both the Democratic Progressive Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) backed the 25-year-old in separate press conferences, the Taipei Times reported. "Every signature symbolizes the gold medal awarded by the Taiwanese public to Yang," the KMT's Lin Yi-shih said of a campaign in support of the athlete. The DPP criticized Taiwan's Sports Affairs Council -- which on Wednesday threatened to take the matter to an international court -- for failing to stand up for Yang, despite its members being present in China. "A large number of officials attended the Games, but all they have done so far is appear at and partake in the ceremonies when our athletes win. When Yang was disqualified, what did they do? Nothing," legislator Chiu Yi-ying said. DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen added in an online statement: "[This government], especially on sovereignty issues, has always deferred to China and hasn't emphasized our attitudes enough. "As a result, we think that it is regrettable that frontline officials haven't been speaking strongly enough about this incident." Fan pages backing Yang on social networking website Facebook received more than 200,000 responses, according to the Taipei-based Central News Agency. And more than 1,100 people have pledged to turn up when Yang returns to Taiwan on Sunday, the Taipei Times said. Yang, 25, again insisted she was innocent, CNA reported on Thursday. "I entered the competition area after the official inspecting my electronic footwear gave his approval in a pre-game inspection," she said. Meanwhile, China extended its lead in the medal table at the halfway stage of the 16th staging of the four-yearly Asian Games on Thursday. Its athletes claimed a further 12 gold medals on day six for 109 in total and 203 medals overall. South Korea added eight golds to be second with 37, while Japan collected four more to stay third on 21. North Korea and Iran remained on five golds, while Taiwan was joined on four by Kazakhstan and Hong Kong. | Taiwan politicians take up the cause of Yang Shu-chun after Asian Games incident .
South Korean flags reportedly burned in protest against top taekwondo official .
Political parties criticize Taiwan sports ministry's response to Tuesday's disqualification .
Facebook groups set up in support of Yang reportedly receive 200,000 responses . |
67,252 | bec816107219a0bb854ad9932e2cbb71219315f4 | By . Allan Hall In Berlin and Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 07:51 EST, 21 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:06 EST, 21 September 2012 . It might not be many people's idea of a place to call home. But the pub where Adolf Hitler was born in the Austrian town of Branau-am-Inn could now be turned into flats after developers submitted plans to the local council. The mayor of Braunau, Hannes Waidbacher, who opposes alternative proposals for a Holocaust museum at the site, believes turning the Gasthaus zum Pommer into family homes would be one way of 'destigmatising' the town. Plans: Developers want to turn the former Gasthaus zum Pommer where Hitler was born (pictured) into apartments . As it was: Pictured in 1966, the building had been, variously, a girl's school and a public library, after World War II. Most recently it has been used as a centre for disabled people . Nationality: Hitler's birthplace is just a short distance from the German border. The Nazi leader returned to annex and occupy his homeland during the 'Anschluss' in 1938 . If the plan- approved by the mayor and proposed by a local building consortium - was accepted it would mean the room where Hitler was born would become a bedroom in self-contained apartments with state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms. The apartments would go on the market for an estimated 400,000 pounds each. Such a plan, say experts, would require vigorous vetting of prospective buyers to ensure that a single flat - or indeed the entire property - did not fall into the hands of neo-Nazis masking their real identities. The little Austrian town separated from Germany by a short bridge over the River Inn, is still visited by hordes of far-right fanatics each year who come to pay homage at the site where the future Fuhrer was born on April 20 1889. It was until recently used as a workshop for the mentally and physically disabled; the sort of people Hitler deemed as 'useless eaters' and the first to die in the Third Reich's secret euthanasia campaign before WWII. But it has been empty for a year now with the state picking up the bill for the lease and a debate raging about what to do with the two-storey listed building. Mayor Waidbacher said: 'Braunau has done much to process its history over the years. 'It is not necessary to build a Holocaust museum in the house as some have suggested. 'Braunau as a town is already stigmatised enough. 'Hitler spent only three years of his life here, and they were certainly not the most formative years of his life. 'Why should I or others take responsibility for him? I was born 21 years after the end of the war.' The mayor said he was open to all suggestions, saying Braunau wants an 'affordable solution for all.' 'I can imagine all possibilities for the house,' he said. Marker: A memorial stone (pictured) was placed outside the building in 1989 as a reminder of its history. In English the inscription reads 'For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism. Millions of Dead Remind [us]' Past: Mayor Hannes Waidbacher supports the plan for apartments - saying it would help 'de-stigmatise' the town . However, Mayor Waidbacjer is against turning the building into a 'House of Peace' or a 'House of Responsibility' as Green Party members have advocated - believing the town has done enough atoning over the years for its most infamous son. Already the newspapers in Austria and Germany are having a field day at the prospect of flats in Hitler's house. 'In the future you can live like Adolf Hitler,' said the Austrian newspaper Heute while the salzburger Nachrichten said; 'Hitler's home to become apartment block.' The house at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 is estimated to be worth about £2.5 million to £3 million. It was in a room on the first floor of the three-storey, 2,000 square foot premises that Hitler’s mother Klara gave birth to the future Nazi leader. She and her husband Alois, a stern local customs official, rented a suite of rooms above the pub and continued to live in it until 1892 when they moved to Linz. Alois, a drunkard, often availed himself of the beer on sale in the saloon downstairs before returning to the family home to abuse his timid wife who was 24 years his junior. The house is still owned by the family after which the pub took its name. Braunau LOCATOR.jpg . Owner Gelinde Pommer says she wants to sell because she no longer wants to have responsibility for it. Nothing remains inside the building to indicate its link with Hitler, not even the bedroom where he was born. The only Nazi-era relic is on an iron gate outside, the initials MB for Hitler’s party secretary Martin Bormann, who had them placed there when he declared the house a national monument after Hitler took over Austria in 1938. During the 12 year lifespan of the Third Reich it was a must-see place of pilgrimage for loyal Nazis. Bormann bought the house with Nazi funds and made it a cultural centre which displayed Nazi-approved art. It was given back to the Pommer family in 1952 and served as the town’s public library until 1965 before becoming, in turns, a school, a bank, a technical institute and finally the home and workshop for disabled people. Those who want it turned into a site of remembrance for Hitler's crimes are pressing central government in Vienna to compulsorily purchase the property. | Nazi leader was born in the pub in Braunau-am-Inn in Austria in 1889 .
He lived there for three years with his parents in upstairs rooms .
Became a place of pilgrimage for loyal Nazis during the Third Reich .
Current mayor backs plan for flats in order to 'destigmatise' the town .
Each apartment could sell for around £400,000 . |
30,629 | 571c6f506db0813e44fa13401b2e22a2456583e8 | COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Shell-shocked and scarred both inside and out, they huddle in tents, water and medicine in short supply -- hundreds of thousands of people, civilian victims of Sri Lanka's recently-ended civil war. Displaced Sri Lankan people look out from inside a camp in Cheddikulam. "We suffered a lot because shelling was coming from everywhere," said a 38-year-old man identifying himself as Vishwamala. "Firing, shelling -- many, many people have died ... there was nobody there to carry the dead. A lot of dead were left on the road." Another survivor, Krisha Duray, recalls "running and running" to escape shelling by both the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels, who waged a bloody 25-year war. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday visited refugee camps housing such victims. "I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes I have seen," he said. Ban requested that the United Nations be provided full access to the displacement camps in order to provide aid. In a joint statement issued Saturday, Ban and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the United Nations will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons, and that the government will continue to provide access to humanitarian agencies. That access, however, is limited. The United Nations and other organizations have never had full access, as government officials fear some remaining Tamil Tiger rebels may be hiding in the camps and are screening those inside. Watch the U.N. chief discuss the humanitarian crisis » . Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper reported that attempts to smuggle youths out of the camps has prompted the government to impose restrictions on visits. Rajiva Wijesinha, the nation's human rights ministry secretary, was quoted as telling the newspaper that people "with the connivance of Non-Governmental Organization workers" were involved in the plot. Because of the plot, "a thorough screening of IDPs was under way," the newspaper said. "I have United Nations humanitarian agencies, and there are ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and many other international humanitarian agency workers," Ban said in a Saturday news conference, according to a transcript. "They should be given unimpeded access and freedom of movement within the camp. That is what I have asked the foreign minister and the president (for), and I was assured that the leaders of the Sri Lankan government will make sure (of this)." Sri Lanka's government as of Sunday had not responded to Ban's appeal. But the joint statement Saturday said, "The government will expedite the necessary basic and civil infrastructure as well as (the) means of livelihood necessary for the IDPs to resume their normal lives at the earliest. "The Secretary-General welcomed the announcement by the government expressing its intention to dismantle the welfare villages at the earliest as outlined in the plan to resettle the bulk of IDPs and call for its early implementation." Ban toured Manik Farm, a sprawling camp for internally displaced people in the country's north, days after Sri Lanka declared victory in a 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers rebels. About 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, according to humanitarian groups and U.N. figures. Some in the camp have experienced fierce fighting in recent months, saying that at moments they did not believe they were going to survive. Asked whether he agrees with the military's assertions that not many civilians died in the violence, Ban told CNN he believes there were many civilian casualties. While the war's end elicited celebrations in parts of the country, humanitarian groups and the United Nations worry about those uprooted by the fighting. Ban arrived in the South Asian island nation Friday, saying he came to offer help and partnership. "I hope my visit today can help begin a process of national recovery, renewal and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans," Ban said in a written statement issued Friday. "That is why I am here." He said he would urge the government to expedite the screening and processing of refugees and ensure that displaced camps have adequate supplies of food, medicine and water. With the war's end, "the government of Sri Lanka faces many immediate and long-term challenges relating to issues of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation," the joint statement said. Ban also flew to the site of the civil war's final battle, near Mullaitivu. CNN's Iqbal Athas in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this report. | Ban Ki-moon says camp contains "the most appalling scenes I have seen"
Ban asks president to grant unrestricted access to humanitarian agencies .
About 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, aid agencies say .
Sri Lankan government has declared victory in the country's 25-year civil war . |
92,941 | 038f901e489cb6eaa5146b50cda3a317fc4ccf47 | By . Glen Owen . Revolving door: Ministers are backing legislation to stop employees taking five-figure pay outs then returning . Public sector ‘fat cats’ who bank huge redundancy payments before finding a new job funded by the taxpayer will be targeted in Wednesday’s Queen’s Speech. Ministers are planning to introduce legislation to claw back the pay-offs from employees earning more than £100,000 a year if they take a new job in the same part of the public sector within a year of redundancy. The crackdown on the so-called ‘revolving door’ scam is designed to meet public outrage over the number of executives who bank the money without using it to sustain them through a period of unemployment. Over the past three years more than 3,200 National Health Service bureaucrats have been handed pay-offs before walking into new jobs in the health service. Some have landed six-figure roles just three months after receiving packages of more than £600,000, and in one case a husband-and-wife team walked away with £1 million in redundancy only to find new six-figure positions within the NHS almost immediately. Out of 37 council chief executives who left by mutual agreement from 2007 to 2009, 16 per cent were working in another council within a year. And at the BBC, over the past decade 233 staff who were made redundant have later rejoined the Corporation – such as Matthew Bannister, the former head of Radio 1, who received a £200,000 severance payment in 2000, only to rejoin two years later as a presenter. The provisions, which are contained in the Small Business Bill, will allow for a portion of the pay-off to be clawed back depending on the length of time between exit and re-employment. Although some public sector organisations already have such arrangements in place, ministers say the legislation will ensure ‘consistency and fairness across the whole of the sector’. The proposals, which apply to cash payments and pension top-ups, will include a legal requirement for individuals to notify their previous employer that they will need to repay compensation. At the BBC, 233 staff members made redundant over the past decade have returned after receiving pay outs . Failing to do so will give their employer the right to dismiss them or sue them for the money. A consultation on the new law will also look at clawing back a smaller proportion of pay-offs made to those managers earning less than £100,000. The only people exempted will be those working for the Armed Forces, National Museums and ‘some majority state-owned financial institutions’. Nicky Morgan, financial secretary to the Treasury, said: ‘We must make sure hard-earned taxpayers’ money is not being squandered.’ | Ministers backing legislation to block employees returning after payout .
More than 3,200 National Health Service bureaucrats left and came back .
233 BBC staff who were made redundant in past decade have returned . |
55,758 | 9e0a3a05e70583aef563b27d045c5bfb2a3dd537 | Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, attempting to lay to rest his controversial remarks about President Barack Obama's patriotism, is now admitting that he can't question the Commander in Chief's 'mind or heart.' 'My blunt language suggesting that the president doesn’t love America notwithstanding, I didn’t intend to question President Obama’s motives or the content of his heart,' Giuliani said in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. 'My intended focus really was the effect his words and his actions have on the morale of the country, and how that effect may damage his performance. Let me explain.' Giuliani, who has taken heavy fire for the remarks he made last week at a New York City dinner hosted by prominent conservatives, argued that Obama is guilty of 'criticizing his country more than other presidents have done.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, pictured here on the set of Cavuto in September, attempted to lay to rest his controversial remarks about President Barack Obama's patriotism today in an op-ed this weekend. He is now admitting that he can't the the Commander in Chief's 'mind or heart' 'Furthermore, this president sometimes seems to have a difficult time in expressing adequate support for important allies, particularly Israel, Ukraine and Jordan,' he added. The 2008 Republican presidential candidate claimed that he bears Obama 'no ill will, and in fact think that his personal journey is inspiring and a testament to much of what makes this country great'. But he expressed doubt that Obama 'can rise to the occasion and underscore America’s greatness as our history and values merit.' 'If he does so, I will be the first to applaud him,' Giuliani wrote. 'But I can only be disheartened when I hear him claim, as he did last August, that our response to 9/11 betrayed the ideals of this country. 'When he interjected that “we tortured some folks,” he undermined those who managed successfully to protect us from further attack,' he asserted. Giuliani said he also takes issue with Obama's past critiques of American exceptionalism. To say the U.S is 'no more exceptional than the exceptionalism of any other country in the world, does not suggest a becoming and endearing modesty, but rather a stark lack of moral clarity,' he argued. Fondly referred to as 'America's mayor' for his tenure as New York City's top political official during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Giuliani's legacy has taken a hit in the last week following his stern rebuke of Obama. 'I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America.' Giuliani said during the speech. 'He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.' The flap ballooned as Giuliani repeatedly tried to clarify his remarks. The day after the dinner, the Republican told Fox News he was not, in fact, questioning Obama's 'patriotism' and was being reported. 'He's a patriot, I'm sure,' Giuliani told the news station. 'What I'm saying is, in his rhetoric, I very rarely hear him say the things that I used to hear Ronald Reagan say, the things that I used to hear Bill Clinton say, about how much he loves America.' And on Friday, Giuliani told the New York Daily News his concern about the president's morals dates back to young Obama's introduction to Frank Marshall Davis, a communist organizer, via his grandfather, and his relationships with quasi-communist' figures Saul Alinsky and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor whose radicals sermons caused a stir in the months before the 2008 presidential election. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker walks through a crowd to take his seat for the opening session of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington on Saturday, where he floundered in the face of tough questions about Giuliani's remarks and his beliefs about Obama's faith . Also attending the Manhattan dinner at which Giuliani spoke was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who also made remarks, but they were deemed off the record. Walker, considered likely to bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, offered a muddled response when asked about Giuliani's comments. 'I don’t know, I honestly don’t know, one way or the other,' Walker told the Washington Post on Saturday when he was again asked to give his views on Obama's patriotism. He also refused to say whether he believes that Obama is a Christian, adding a new dimension to the discussion. 'I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that,' Walker said of the president's faith. 'I’ve never asked him that.' 'You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?' he asked the Post reporters. His spokeswoman subsequently claimed he was trying to highlight 'gotcha' questions from 'the media' out of 'principle'. It is unclear if he was ever previously articulated such a principle. Other likely contenders for the White House opted to distance themselves from Giuliani. 'Governor Bush doesn’t question President Obama’s motives. He does question President Obama’s disastrous policies,' aides to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said in a statement on Friday. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul gave a similar response to a local radio station on Friday when the subject came up. 'I think it’s a mistake to question people’s motives. It’s one thing to disagree on policy,' he said. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said he doesn't think it's his responsibility 'to answer for every person in my party that makes a claim.' 'I’ll suffice it to say that I believe the President loves America; I think his ideas are bad,' the freshman senator said. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told ABC News on Sunday, 'Well, I love Rudy, but I don’t want to go there. The nation’s very divided, President Obama has divided us more than he’s brought us together and I don’t want to add to that division.' He added: 'I have no doubt that he loves his country, I have no doubt that he’s a patriot. But his primary job as President of the United States is to defend this country, and he’s failing miserably.' Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a potential dark horse candidate for the presidency, likewise praised Giuliani when questioned about his claims on Sunday morning, calling him 'a great American,' in the context of the 9/11, of Fox News Sunday. However, he said, 'I don’t think it helps to question the president’s patriotism or motives.' The rumble led one of Giuliani's former communications aides, Mike Paul, stating that his previous employer had 'lost the throne' as America's mayor and that his remarks were an 'abomination,' according to Mediaite. Speaking about the dust up on Friday, the president's spokesman said Friday he felt sorry for Giuliani. 'I can tell you that it's sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain stature and even admiration tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters during his daily briefing. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sunday that Giuliani's statements were 'very regrettable.' 'His comments were not helpful...And I'm sorry to see statements like that coming from the former mayor whose response to 9/11 in 2001 I admired very much,' Johnson said on CNN's State of the Union. | 'I didn’t intend to question President Obama’s motives or the content of his heart,' Giuliani said in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
'My intended focus really was the effect his words and his actions have on the morale of the country...Let me explain'
Giuliani has taken heavy fire for the remarks he made last week at a New York City dinner hosted by prominent conservatives .
He's refused to back down as the controversy has ballooned and sucked in the GOP's top-tier presidential candidates . |
166,788 | 63acffba04e9a00278075cc9424e32759e5d101a | By . Lizzie Parry . Older men who take statins to combat high cholesterol are less likely to exercise regularly, a new study has found. Researchers in Oregon have raised fears about a decline in physical activity among men who take the medication - one of the most widely prescribed in the world. Statins are credited with saving thousands of . lives a year by preventing heart attacks and strokes. Older men who take statins to help combat a high cholesterol are less likely to take regular exercise, a study has found . The study could not pinpoint why men who . took statins exercised or not. Rather, they confirmed a link between those that . take the drug and a lack of physical activity. Scientists said possible causes could include muscle pain that can be a side effect of taking statins. Lead author of the study, David Lee, an assistant professor in the Orgeon State University and the Oregon Health and Science College of Pharmacy, said: 'Physical activity in older adults helps to maintain a proper weight, prevent cardiovascular disease and helps to maintain physical strength and function. 'We're trying to find ways to get older adults to exercise more, not less. It's a fairly serious concern if use of statins is doing something that makes people less likely to exercise.' He said five to 30 per cent of people . who take statins complain of suffering muscle pain, while some report . feeling less energetic, weak or tired. In a study of 3,071 men aged 65 or older, from six geographic regions in the U.S., researchers found that men who took statins averaged about 40 minutes less of moderate physical activity over a one-week period, compared to those who were not taking the medication. Researchers said a link between taking statins and experiencing muscle pain and fatigue could be a reason for a lack of physical activity in those taking the drugs. File picture . Dr Lee said it would equate to the loss of 150 minutes a week of slow-paced walking. He said: 'For an older population that’s already pretty sedentary, that’s a significant amount less exercise. 'Even moderate amounts of exercise can make a big difference.' The Oregon study also found that new statin users had the largest drop in physical activity. An increase in sedentary behaviour, which is associated with all-cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease, was also found in those taking the drugs. 'Given these results, we should be aware of a possible decrease in physical activity among people taking a statin,' Lee said. 'This could decrease the benefit of the medication. 'If someone is already weak, frail, or sedentary, they may want to consider this issue, and consult with their doctor to determine if statin use is still appropriate.' The study focused on older men and researchers highlighted it may not be pertinent to apply the same theory to older women. ;Last month an eminent British heart surgeon declared that everyone over the age of 40 should take cholesterol-busting statins. Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who has carried out more heart transplants than anyone else, said the benefits of taking the controversial drugs ‘massively’ outweigh the risks and to not make them more widely available is ‘lunacy’. Sir Magdi, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London, also believes statins should be available without a prescription. | Study in Oregon found older men on statins are less likely to exercise .
Statins are widely prescribed to help combat high cholesterol .
In the U.S. around a third of older people take the medication .
Researchers urged doctors to consider if frail, weak or sedentary older men are suitable to be prescribed the drugs . |
102,839 | 108c1445cd9e506e5eabccd321c1d55439edf898 | Washington (CNN) -- A seven-term Wisconsin congressman, who 54% of the American people were not aware of last week, just knocked the president of the United States off of his perch as the most talked-about politician on the largest social media platform in the world. According to the exclusive Facebook-CNN Election Talk Meter, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, in the first 54 hours after being announced as Mitt Romney's vice-presidential running mate, sucked up the political oxygen in the social media landscape -- with the Beltway topping the buzz and his home state of Wisconsin close behind. What caught our eye? The swing states of Virginia (where Ryan was announced) and New Hampshire were also high on the list: . Facebook-CNN talk meter scores . 1. Rep. Paul Ryan 5.21 . 2. President Barack Obama 4.84 . 3. Vice President Joe Biden 4.01 . 4. Gov. Mitt Romney 3.74 . For perspective, when Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history on July 31, he registered a 6.51 on the same 1-10 scale. Top 10 states + D.C. buzzing about Ryan . 1. Washington, D.C. 2. Wisconsin . 3. Virginia . 4. New Hampshire . 5. Maryland . 6. Minnesota . 7. Massachusetts . 8. Utah . 9. Vermont . 10. North Carolina . Note: The talk meter calculates a jump in buzz, so Ryan's relative anonymity helped him jump up the talk meter scale. Yet the growth wasn't just in buzz, but also in "likes" -- the Facebook term for social approval which enables people to follow your moves closely and voice their support to their social networks. Ryan's new fan page has grown from zero to more than half a million fans, already topping that of the sitting vice president, Joe Biden. Facebook fan growth at publication time . Barack Obama . • 27.8 million fans currently . • Since August 1: Added 150,000 fans (+0.5%) • Since Saturday: Added 9,900 fans (+0.03%) Joe Biden . • 355,000 fans currently . • Since August 1: Added 4,200 fans (+1.2%) • Since Saturday: Added 728 fans (+0.2%) Mitt Romney . • 4.1 million fans currently . • Since August 1: Added 906,600 fans (+28.3%) • Since Saturday: Added 111,400 fans (+2.8%) Paul Ryan . • 501,000 fans currently . • Since August: Fan page didn't exist . • On Saturday: Added 222,100 fans . • Since Saturday: Added 237,900 fans (+107.1%) Fans by state . Barack Obama . 1. California . 2. New York . 3. Texas . 4. Florida . 5. Illinois . Joe Biden . 1. California . 2. New York . 3. Florida . 4. Texas . 5. Illinois . Mitt Romney . 1. Texas . 2. California . 3. Florida . 4. Georgia . 5. Ohio . Paul Ryan . 1. Texas . 2. Florida . 3. California . 4. North Carolina . 5. Wisconsin . We often say we write about demographics, not politics. Thus it comes as no surprise that we are once again writing about the gender gap and the age gap in this election -- something that the insights from Facebook reveal also exist online. Gender and age breakdown of Facebook fans . Barack Obama . Average age: 28 . Male: 51% . Female: 49% . Joe Biden . Average age: 35 . Male: 51% . Female: 49% . Mitt Romney . Average age: 46 . Male: 50% . Female: 50% . Paul Ryan VP . Average age: 43 . Male: 63% . Female: 37% . How this translates to the election will be something we keep our eye on from now until November. It's staggering when you put it in historical perspective: Today there are 160 million monthly active users on Facebook in the United States -- more than half the U.S. population. In 2008, there were 35 million monthly active users. | Since being announced as Romney's running mate, Ryan has dominated social media .
Ryan's relative anonymity before being picked helped him jump up the scale .
Ryan's Facebook fans skew more toward males and older . |
235,093 | bc5633c7edcf7404ebc3ac53fedb4e1df8b9a45c | A trapped climber had to have his leg amputated after jamming his foot between rocks in a harrowing cliff-side scene reminiscent of the film 127 hours. Tsenolo Shadrack Rasello had his limb severed after getting stuck in a cave for almost 50 hours while hiking in the dangerous Magaliesberg mountain range near Johannesburg in South Africa, . After calling for help from his mobile phone, rescuers were forced to perform the procedure on Sunday. Scroll down for videos . A climber had to have his leg amputated in a cave after becoming stuck in between rocks in the Magaliesberg mountain range near Johannesburg. A rescue worker lowers a stretcher to reach Tsenolo Shadrack Rasello . The Mountain Club of South Africa scrambled seven helicopters and a rescue team to help Mr Rasello when he called for help from his mobile phone . After landing on the mountain late last Friday, the team abseiled down the cliff-side the following day to reach Mr Rasello who had not had any water for more than 24 hours . The 26-year-old was airlifted from the dangerous mountain range near Johannesburg after having his right leg amputated. He was in a stable condition in an intensive care unit this week . His ordeal bears striking similarities with the story of Aron Ralston, the American climber whose decision to cut off his own forearm to escape from a Utah canyon while trapped inspired the Hollywood film starring James Franco. Seven helicopters were scrambled and more than 100 emergency service workers involved when Mr Rasello, 26, called for help from his mobile phone on Sunday. The 26-year-old had searching for 'holy water' in streams on the mountain range last Friday when he was startled by a snake and slid down in between two rocks. 'There is no amount of explaining that can really explain the predicament this fellow was in,' said Rob Thomas of the Mountain Club of South Africa, who led the rescue team. 'It was way, way, way worse than what I envisioned,' he told the Daily Telegraph. More than 100 people and seven helicopters were involved in the rescue operation from the dangerous Magaliesberg mountain range (pictured) After calling for help, the team arrived late on Friday but could not reach him until the following day, when they abseiled down the side of the mountain to find the man parched and 'terrified'. 'Can I please, please, please have some water. I've had nothing to drink since yesterday morning,' is what the man, who is unemployed, first told rescuers. Though weary after having been stuck for so long, the climber knew his only chance of survival was to have his leg amputated. ''Listen, if you have to take the leg off, take the leg off. But get me out of here,'" is what he is said to have told the team. A trauma surgeon amputated his leg on Sunday with the help of anesthetist and paramedic, who stayed with the man for hours on the eve of the procedure. 'I think he was terrified of being abandoned,' added Thomas. Frank Plani, the surgeon who carried out the operation, described conditions in the cave as 'unsteady'. Mr Rasello's ordeal bears striking resemblance to that of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco (pictured) in the film 127 hours . Mr Ralston was forced to cut off his arm after it became stuck between boulders while he was climbing in Utah in 2003. Here the adventurer bravely reconstructs the excruciating act . 'He was in a harness that allowed his body to be moved up and down a bit to facilitate the operation,' he said. Mr Rasello was taken to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, where he was in a stable condition this week. While his ordeal is similar to that of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco in the Hollywood sensation 127 hours, Rasello had the advantage of being able to call for help. Mr Ralston was forced to amputate his arm with a pocketknife after becoming trapped between boulders in southern Utah. | Tsenolo Shadrack Rasello had leg amputated after being stuck for 50 hours .
The 26-year-old was trapped in a cave in South African mountain range .
He called for help from his mobile phone and rescue team was scrambled .
Surgeon sedated the man before amputating right leg on 'unsteady terrain'
His ordeal bears harrowing similarities to story of Aron Ralston of 127 hours .
American climber who cut off his own arm in 2003 inspired James Franco film . |
72,115 | cc64c1fcfaa53f3f0e895238f6d1064b448b4bf8 | By . Andrew Pierce. PUBLISHED: . 19:47 EST, 23 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:10 EST, 24 August 2012 . The man who was Tory Treasurer when the party accepted almost £500,000 from corrupt Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir, said last night that David Cameron was under a ‘moral duty’ to give the money back. As Nadir began a ten-year jail term for looting almost £29million from the collapsed company, Lord McAlpine, a scion of the construction dynasty, said the cash should be paid to Nadir’s creditors, some of whom lost their life savings. ‘It is tainted money and it shames the Conservatives if they hang on to it. They have a moral duty to give it back,’ he said. 'Moral duty': Former Tory treasurer Lord McAlpine (left) has called on David Cameron to give back the £500,000 donated by jailed Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir (right) The money was paid to the Tory Party between 1985 and 1990 when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party. Senior figures from Lady Thatcher’s administration last night insisted that she would repay the money if she was still leader of the party. Nadir, 71, was one of Britain’s most prominent businessmen in the 1980s, only to become one of the most notorious fugitives from justice when he fled Britain for northern Cyprus in 1993 while awaiting trial. His conviction at the Old Bailey on Wednesday prompted immediate calls for the Tories to return the estimated £440,000 they received from Nadir’s collapsed Polly Peck company. Going down: An artist's impression of the moment Nadir is sentenced to ten years in jail for stealing £29million from his Polly Peck empire . Touche Ross, the Polly Peck administrator, has written a letter to Tory HQ claiming at least £365,000 can be identified as money stolen from the company by Nadir. The Tories last night indicated that they would hold on to the cash – worth £860,000 in today’s figures – even though the then party chairman Norman Fowler told the Commons in 1993: ‘Obviously if it is proved that the money was stolen it will be returned.’ The intervention of Lord McAlpine, speaking to the Daily Mail from his home in Venice, will ratchet up the pressure on the party to surrender the cash. He said: ‘When Asil Nadir gave the first donation to me, his Polly Peck company had just won a Queen’s Award for Industry. ‘He was a dashing figure who was admired across Europe for his business flair. No one thought for a second that he was bleeding his company dry through illicit means. But frankly the moment he fled the country in 1993, to avoid criminal charges, it was obvious to me he was a complete conman. Frankly, the Tories should have given the money back in 1993. ‘But today the case is even clearer. There is a moral imperative for the money to be returned. The money was not Asil Nadir’s to give although we thought it was at the time. ‘Therefore the Tory Party has a duty to return it. It will speak volumes about the character of the modern Tory Party if they don’t do the right thing. I trust that David Cameron is an honourable man.’ Tainted: Nadir, pictured here while on the run in Cyprus, donated the money to the Tory Party between 1985 and 1990 when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister . Lord McAlpine, who was Tory Treasurer from 1975 when Lady Thatcher became leader until her fall in 1990, said: ‘I can tell you this: If Margaret Thatcher was still leader of the party I am absolutely certain she would have ordered the party to repay the lot. I can hear her barking down the phone: “Alistair, we can’t keep that man’s money”.’ The same view was echoed by Lord Powell, who was Lady Thatcher’s private secretary at Downing Street, at the time of the dealings with Nadir. Lord Powell said: ‘My gut instinct tells me that Mrs Thatcher would have wanted that money repaid.’ However, former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said too much time had passed and that it would not be possible to show that the donated money had been stolen from Polly Peck. Lord Powell . Sir Malcolm, who was in the Cabinet under Lady Thatcher and is still an MP, said: ‘It is very difficult to pick and choose when you are talking about money that was so many years ago. Asil Nadir was a rich man and had a great deal of personal wealth. ‘One would need to know a lot more about where the money came from before one could think about whether it should be handed back.’ From other Tory grandees there was a conspicuous silence. Former Cabinet members such as Lord (Cecil) Parkinson and Lady (Gillian) Shephard declined to comment. When Nadir fled to Cyprus, the then prime minister Sir John Major said: ‘If it proves to have been dishonestly obtained and dishonestly remitted to us, then of course we will return it.’ Sir John was overseas and not available for comment. Meanwhile, a Labour MP has written to Conservative co-chairman Baroness Warsi to demand the party hands the Asil Nadir cash back. Simon Danczuk, MP for Rochdale, wrote: ‘The conviction of Asil Nadir raises the matter of his donations to the Conservative Party. ‘Sadly... the initial response of the Conservative Party, very soon after the conviction of Asil Nadir, was to say that the money would not be repaid.’ | Lord McAlpine said the £440,000 should be paid to Asil Nadir's creditors .
Tories last night indicated they would hold on to the cash – worth £860k in today's figures .
Money was paid between 1985 and 1990 when Margaret Thatcher was PM . |
152,182 | 50b26d2fb0302faff0dd4982b4e135586ee528fd | A horrified mother found her 13-year-old daughter and her friend discussing the best way to make a sex tape after reading an X-rated e-book. Alarmed Melissa Crighton, 45, has now called on publishers to give books special adult ratings in an attempt to protect children. Ms Crighton caught her child and a pal reading aloud from 'It's All About The Sex Face: A Guide To Becoming A Celebrity'. Sex tapes: A London mother wants to put adult ratings on e-books to prevent children from accessing adult material after she caught her daughter reading how to make a sex tape to become famous. US reality TV personality Kim Kardashian, pictured, settled for $5 million to block distribution of a sex tape . The no-holds-barred manual gives explicit tips on how to produce a steamy sex video in an easy bid to achieve instant fame. The e-book, which costs just £1.02 to download from Amazon, claims you can 'actually become famous without even having a talent'. Sex tapes involving socialites such as Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and actress Pamela Anderson, which have been leaked onto the internet, have forced them into the public eye. Some claim the tapes have furthered their celebrity status and careers. The NSPCC is now urging all parents to monitor their children's e-book reading and said all book retailers, on or offline, have a responsibility to prevent children buying hardcore adult material. Adult rating: The young girls were caught reading allowed from e-book: 'Its All About The Sex Face: A Guide To Becoming A Celebrity' Ms Crighton, of West Hampstead, north London, said: 'They were reading out the steps in the book about how to make a sex tape - how to produce it, how to get a co-star and how to leak it. 'I interrupted them and took the Kindle away and I spoke to them and said, "This is not a book you should be reading".' The mother-of-two added: 'I found the subject matter inappropriate. 'They have gone online to find books about how to get famous so it's worrying if this kind of stuff is being sold.' Ms Crighton said the raunchy e-book was downloaded by her daughter's mate on her mother's Kindle. Ms Crighton said she tipped the other mother off about the worrying incident immediately and the book was deleted. 'I think for kids a novel on a Kindle seems more like an app, something you can quickly download,' said the furious web designer. 'It's more accessible than going into a shop, so it's more difficult to monitor what children are reading. 'The Government should do something where they get publishers to say what is in the book or give them a rating.' Guidance and 'gentle age ratings' are included on some children's books for parents but publishers are not under any obligations to do so for adult literature. But the rapidly-increasing popularity of e-books is generating growing fears that kids can instantly access pornographic adult literature at the click of a button. Fame: US actress Pamela Anderson was one of the first celebrities to be involved in a leaked sex tape scandal, in 1998, with then-husband Tommy Lee . Jon Brown, head of sexual abuse at the NSPCC, said: 'It is really important to talk to your children about the risks that are out there either online or offline, in an age-appropriate way and without frightening them. 'Speak to them specifically about the risks of making a 'sex tape' and if it did get into the wrong hands, it could go viral online.' He added: 'We'd also urge you to be interested in what your children are reading and researching online and find out what your children's schools are doing about these issues as part of the curriculum. 'Book retailers on or offline have a responsibility not to sell over 18 material to children and young people under 18.' Rob Lowe and two unidentified women (1988)The actor's career was almost ruined when a tape leaked of him having sex with two women, one who was allegedly underage at the time. A second threesome was also on the same tape, this time with a model named Jennifer and his friend Justin Morrit. It was one of the first commercially available sex tapes available. Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez blocked the distribution in 2009 of a sex tape with her and former husband Ojani Noa . Jennifer Lopez and Ojani Noa (1997)The married couple's sex tape was successfully blocked by Jennifer from being released in 2009, but the case was dismissed in 2011.Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (1998)Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and her then-husband Tommy Lee, the drummer in Motley Crue, were captured on camera by the couple and later leaked online by Internet Entertainment Group. It’s one of the first online celeb sex tape scandals.In 2005 a DVD of Pamela and Bret Michaels was released. A leaked sex tape of Paris Hilton with Rick Solomon helped launch the socialite's celebrity career . Paris Hilton and Rick Solomon (2004) The couple recorded themselves having sex using the night vision setting on the camera, helping to catapult Hilton into worldwide fame.Fred Durst (2005)A video of the Limp Bizkit frontman having sex with a woman made its way to the internet after it was supposedly stolen off his computer by a repairman.Kid Rock and Scott Stapp (2006)Kid Rock and Scott Stapp recorded themselves engaged in sexual acts with four female fans. The singers successfully blocked the distribution of the tape. A tape of Colin Farrell and Nicole Narain made it's way online despite efforts by the Irish actor to block it . Colin Farrell (2006)The Irish actor tried to block the release of a video of him and Nicole Narain from being distributed, but it made it's way online.Kim Kardashian and Ray J (2007)One of the more infamous tapes out there to turn a socialite into a brand name, even though she sued Vivid Entertainment for ownership of the tape. She still made a cool $5 million in settlement.Tulisa Contostavlos and Justin Edwards (2012)In a video, supposedly leaked by her ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards, the British singer and X Factor judge is supposedly performing oral sex on the rapper. Farrah Abraham (2013) The MTV personality said she filmed a sex tape with porn star and actor James Deen and claimed it was a celebration of her body and nothing more. | Melissa Crighton caught her daughter and friend reading It's All About The Sex Face: A Guide To Becoming A Celebrity' downloadable for £1.02 .
Alarmed mother has called for certain e-books to have adult ratings .
NSPCC is now urging all parents to monitor their children's e-book reading . |
170,887 | 692c97cff1de671d0dbd918d051273b3c4011b98 | Daisy, my sister's miniature schnauzer, made quite an impression on me during an extended visit. I even found a schnauzer rescue group and submitted an online application, hoping for a feisty fur kid of my own. No one ever called. I remember being disappointed at the time, but regular outings with Daisy helped ease my bruised ego. Eventually, I crossed paths with a precocious pooch named Lulu who changed everything. Our escapades inspired my quest to help other frazzled, first-time pet owners. I also took solace in a hilarious book called "What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner," by Emily Yoffe. Stories about Sasha the beagle helped me realize that I wasn't alone in lamenting my Lulu's penchant for chewing shoes, rolls of toilet paper or brand-new dog beds. In Yoffe's recent Slate.com article, she writes about being rebuffed by a rescue organization, after suffering through a litany of probing questions. Eventually, her family gave up and purchased their next pet from a breeder. Yoffe's column reminded me of that fruitless schnauzer application all those years ago. Perhaps my own answers took me out of the running. "People who rescue animals can be reluctant to believe anyone deserves the furry creatures," Yoffe says in the article. "Applicants are sometimes subjected to an interrogation that would befit Michael Vick." MNN: Cuddling dying pets can expose owners to infections . Why all the drama? Rescue organizations relieve overcrowded animal shelters by placing animals in foster homes and actively promoting them on sites like Petfinder.org. As rescued pets adjust to family life, volunteers gather information that will help them find a love match. If things don't work out, most rescue groups allow you to return the pet -- no questions asked -- which makes the vetting process even more important on the front end. But questions such as "Do you plan to have children?" or "How much would you spend on a sick animal?" can rub some well-intentioned pet lovers the wrong way. Representatives from three rescue groups offer a little insight on some of those probing pet questions. How much are you willing you spend on a pet? "That's just our way of making sure they have no problem taking the dog to the vet if it's hurt or sick," says Janice Brooks, director of Rescued Unwanted Furry Friends Rescue (911ruff.org). Based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida., Brooks' nonprofit organization has struggled to place dogs after the Gulf oil spill. Rather than take in more pets from animal shelters, Brooks and her team have focused on finding homes for the remaining 34 pets in her care. Recent owner surrenders, due to military deployment or a battered Gulf Coast economy, make the adoption process even tougher. But her goal is to avoid making a bad match. "They've been through enough already." The issue of pet expenses also becomes a factor when people select high-maintenance breeds. Bulldogs are notoriously allergic to grains. These short-snouted dogs also tend to have breathing issues, placing them at the top of the "do not fly" list for most airlines. But the popular breed generates plenty of adoption applications for Georgia English Bulldog Rescue or GEBR. "I turn away a lot of people who have unrealistic expectations," says Ruthann Phillips, director of GEBR. She notes that a typical vet visit for one of her bulldogs can top $200. Annual veterinary bills for poorly bred English bulldogs can easily cost 10 times that amount. MNN: Pet resources for a tough economy . In 2011, dog owners spent $248 on routine vet care and cat owners spent $219, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Association. Like people, pets also get sick from time to time, adding to that bill. Rescue groups look for applicants who will commit to routine vaccinations, along with preventatives to fight fleas and the threat of heartworm, a life-threatening illness transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Do you have a veterinarian? "We contact [the vet] to make sure they bought heartworm preventatives, flea preventatives, that they kept the pet up to date on shots," Brooks says, noting that vets provide clues to a pet's care. "When I called, [one applicant] hadn't taken dogs to the vet in years. I would hate to know [a dog] was hurt and they did not take them to the vet." Her rescue will accept first-time pet owners, even without a veterinary referral. In those cases, Brooks provides a pet primer, filled with information about flea and heartworm preventatives, foods to avoid such as chocolate, and other key information. Do you plan on having children? Kids and pets can peacefully coexist, but some little ones have trouble resisting the temptation to pull ears or tails. My nephew's first steps were quickly followed by mad dashes around the house in hot pursuit of Daisy. My sister quickly had to introduce the word, "gentle," during playtime when he tried to tap rather than pet the poor pooch. Most rescue groups also have stories of owners who surrendered pets because they couldn't handle the work involved with raising kids and pets. "We would get owner surrenders from young people who got bulldogs as their first child -- then they had children -- and were unable to afford both," Phillips says. Brooks adds that the question helps them determine a good fit for the pet. "We know which dogs do and do not like children," she says. "I don't want a child to get hurt." Do you own a home or rent? "We received a form last week, an owner surrender, because the person didn't check with their landlord first," says Dianne DaLee, vice president of Atlanta Boxer Rescue (ABR). "The landlord said you are not allowed to have dogs over 45 pounds, and the dog had to go." ABR requires prospective clients to secure a letter from their landlord as part of the adoption process. Brooks also recommends that all family members visit prospective pets, and agree to the adoption. If living conditions change, it helps to have other members of the household who will take responsibility for the pet. MNN: 10 things you might not know about cats . Do you have a fenced backyard? "When people go to work, let's say they have an 8 to 5 job, they have to leave early to get to the job, then they are late coming home. That's nine to 10 hours before the dog can go out," Brooks says. "If you have a way for dog to go out, potty and come back in, there's generally no problem with the new home. The people are happy; the dogs are happy." While DaLee admits that questions on adoption applications can resemble the Spanish Inquisition, honest answers help volunteers find the best fit. Some rescued dogs have never seen the inside of a house. Others require extensive training or veterinary care before they are ready to be adopted. Myles, a 7-month-old new addition to ABR, arrived with such severe mange that it had caused secondary skin infections on about 40% of his body. After receiving medical attention and a little love from his foster family, he is slowly beginning to heal and even play. "These dogs come from rough backgrounds," DaLee says. "We want them to have a permanent home, and not be turned back in to a rescue or hop from home to home." | In 2011, dog owners spent $248 on routine vet care and cat owners spent $219 .
ABR requires clients to secure a letter from their landlord as part of the adoption process .
Rescue groups look for applicants who will commit to routine vaccinations . |
187,821 | 7f37ce887f826ccc252ecf61763a937e09c73081 | A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to indict police officers in the August shooting death of a 22-year-old man carrying an air rifle at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio. "The grand jury listened to all the evidence, voted on it and decided that the police officers were justified in their use of force that day," prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said on Wednesday. In a statement, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the U.S. Justice Department will review the shooting of Cincinnati resident John Crawford III. "Now that the state criminal investigation has finished, it is an appropriate time for the United States Department of Justice to look into whether any federal laws were violated during this shooting," the statement said. Michael Wright, attorney representing Crawford's family, said the decision against indicting was "incomprehensible." "It makes absolutely no sense that an unarmed 22-year-old man would be killed doing what any American citizen does every day: Shopping at a Walmart store," he said in a statement. "The Crawford family is extremely disappointed, disgusted and confused. They are heartbroken that justice was not done in the tragic death of their only son." The statement added, "The Crawford family feels they have been victimized all over again and once again request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation into the tragic death of John H. Crawford, lll." Crawford was shot and killed by police at a Walmart in Beavercreek on August 5 while carrying an air rifle through the store. Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 and told dispatchers that Crawford was walking around with a rifle and "waving it back and forth." According to police, when officers arrived, Crawford did not comply with their commands to drop his weapon. He was shot twice, once in the elbow and once in the torso, Piepmeier said. Crawford died shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital. His death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wound to the torso, according to the local coroner's office. Piepmeier, who led the team of prosecutors that presented evidence to the Greene County grand jury, called Crawford's death "a perfect storm of circumstances." First, there was the fact that an unwrapped air rifle was left on top of its box inside of the store. Next, the fact that Crawford decided to pick it up and carry it with him. And the fact that the 911 caller, identified in police reports as Ronald Ritchie, noticed the weapon in Crawford's hand and called authorities. And finally, the fact that the gun bore such a strong resemblance to an actual automatic weapon. "It is very hard to tell the difference," Piepmeier said. Prosecutors also showed surveillance video from inside the store, which had not been made public until Wednesday. In the video, Crawford can be seen picking the air rifle off a shelf and walking around the store with it before being confronted by police. The two police officers who were involved -- Sgt. David Darkow and Officer Sean Williams -- were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, but Darkow has returned to active duty, according to Beavercreek city attorney Stephen McHugh. Williams will be assigned to administrative desk duty until a federal review of the circumstances surrounding Crawford's death is complete, according to a statement. Wright said Walmart surveillance video and eyewitness accounts prove Williams "shot and killed Mr. Crawford while his back was turned and without adequate warning." Beavercreek City Manager Michael Cornell and Police Chief Dennis Evers have requested that the FBI review the case to determine whether there were civil rights violations, the statement said. "The events of August 5th were tragic and we wish the outcome of that evening had been different," the statement says. The statement said Darkow and Williams "did what they were trained to do to protect the public." Piepmeier called the case one with "no bad guys." "Mr. Crawford did not commit a crime that day," he said. The nine-member grand jury, which convened on Monday, heard from 18 witnesses. An indictment on charges of murder, reckless homicide or negligent homicide would have required seven votes, Piepmeier said. Vote counts from grand jury votes are not made public. | Ohio grand jury declines to indict police officers for fatally shooting man with air rifle .
John Crawford III was shot and killed by police in a Walmart on August 5 .
One officer will remain on administrative duty until a federal review is complete .
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says U.S. Justice Department will review the case . |
33,402 | 5f023ee72a7c9b66a8652a8f41fbf12a76675903 | (CNN) -- The Mayor of London Boris Johnson is open to the idea of a Formula One race in Britain's capital, but has yet to be approached by the sport's powerbrokers. Plans have reportedly been formulated to race around iconic venues such as Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, with the hope it might rival F1's showpiece grand prix in Monaco. "London hosts a vast array of world events," said a spokesman for Johnson. "The mayor is always keen to explore new opportunities to do so, especially if they will create jobs, bring investment and further London's lead as a world city but as yet we have not received proposals." Ferrari chief eyes title push . While industry insiders are skeptical the race will happen, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is keen to establish another race in his homeland -- in addition to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone which will take place on July 8. The 2012 world championship calendar is the largest in the sport's history, with a total of 20 races being held between March and November. Ecclestone said a London race would give the city a greater boost than the forthcoming Olympic Games, while also suggesting he would put up the necessary funds himself to ensure the grand prix got off the ground. "With the way things are, maybe we would front it and put the money up for it," Ecclestone told The Times newspaper. "If we got the OK and everything was fine, I think we could do that. "Think what it would do for tourism. It would be fantastic, good for London, good for England -- a lot better than the Olympics." However, the idea is already facing opposition, with British motoring association the AA questioning whether London's already congested streets could handle an annual influx of F1 teams and fans. "Tthe havoc you would create by having to shut roads would be interesting to see," an AA spokesman told CNN. "We've seen the huge fuss that has been created by road closures during the Olympics and that it just once in a lifetime -- a London GP would be every year." Earlier this year London announced plans to host a one-day professional road race to rival classic events such as the Paris-Roubaix, the Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. To be first staged in August 2013, the race will be part of a two-day cycling festival, which will become an annual event, as part of the Olympic legacy . | The Mayor of London would be open to talks over a grand prix in the city .
A spokesman for Boris Johnson says no proposal for a London race has been received .
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes a race in London a boost for the British capital .
The AA says a grand prix in London would cause huge traffic problems in the country . |
95,881 | 0744aa4ae407672a8a444dc4a373d123f52e4aa6 | By . Katy Winter . PUBLISHED: . 07:50 EST, 20 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:17 EST, 20 September 2012 . Accused: Graham Lawler managed to take the deceased's purse after tricking the police officer present to leave the room . An undertaker is facing jail after swiping a purse from the corpse of a woman less than an hour after she died. Grahame Lawler carried out the crime when he was called to remove the body of the 78-year-old from the living room of her home. A court heard he conned a police officer into leaving the room for a moment so he could get his hands on her purse. Lawler, who committed the crime while employed by Co-operative Funeralcare, managed to swindle her credit cards and details of her PIN number. The 37-year-old, who once served in the armed forces, stole Muriel Swift’s purse containing £200 while he was preparing to escort her body to a mortuary. He pleaded guilty to the theft at a hearing at Cambridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he represented himself. The case has now been committed to Cambridge Crown Court for sentencing at a later date, where Lawler could face being jailed. Lawler, who has now stopped working for the funeral home, claimed he carried out the theft as 'a way out' from the 'nasty and horrible things' he had seen at work. He said: 'For six-and-a-half years I have been in this job and have seen some very vile nasty and horrible things. 'Decomposed bodies, people that have been run over, things like that. 'I saw the purse, I did take it and I thought it was the way out. 'I have never done anything like this before and I’m sorry.' Cambridge Magistrate’s Court heard a police officer arrived at Mrs Swift’s home on July 6 and checked the deceased’s handbag to trace her next of kin. Lawler, of Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, then asked the police officer to pass some paperwork to his colleague outside - giving him the 10 second window he needed to carry out his crime. During proceedings the charge was changed from theft from a person to theft from a pending estate. He had originally been due to appear in court on Monday but failed to turn up and went on the run. A 'despicable' crime: A spokeswoman for The Co-operative Funeral Care said they are 'pleased Mr Lawler admitted his guilt' and that he has since left their employment . A warrant was issued for his arrested and Lawler handed himself into police on Wednesday before being taken straight to court that day. Prosecutor Philip Alcock, said: 'This was in the strictest sense a gross, gross breach of trust, particularly as he was trusted by the officer, who was comfortable leaving him there for 10 seconds. 'It must have left him wondering "if I can’t leave the undertaker in the presence of the deceased, what can I do?"' The police officer later noticed the purse was missing from the bag and told colleges to apprehend Lawler who was then arrested while at the mortuary in Papworth Hospital, Cambridge. Lawler was found with the purse stuffed up his sleeve and cash cards with PIN details written on pieces of paper. A spokeswoman for The Co-operative Funeral Care said Lawler’s crime was 'despicable' She said: 'This was a despicable crime and we are pleased Lawler admitted his guilt. The Weyman Funeral Service in Cambridge where undertaker Graham Lawler was working before he was employed by The Co-operative . 'He was in our employment for a very short period of time after joining from another local firm for funeral directors. 'He left our employment once the police investigation came to light.' Detective Constable Jennie Scott, who investigated the crime, said: 'This has been an extremely distressing experience for the victim's close friends and I hope they are now reassured.' The Sentencing Council confirmed maximum punishment available for theft is seven years imprisonment, depending on the severity of the crime. | Grahame Lawler, 37, stole Muriel Swift’s purse, which contained £200, before escort her body to the mortuary .
He distracted a police officer who was there in order to take the purse from the 78-year-olds living room . |
178,422 | 73011446bee30811aaeb233dead8411f2da9f1ca | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:16 EST, 13 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:20 EST, 13 May 2013 . A woman brought in for questioning for sexually stalking and propositioning her preacher suddenly, without prompting, admitted to a ruthless 2004 murder. Clara Rector is now charged in the killing of Tommy Hope of Camdenton, Missouri. Police were first called about Rector last month when Jerry Sousley alerted them that his parishioner had been sending hem messages ‘regarding inappropriate matters of a sexual nature.’ Surprise: Clara Jean Rector, while being questioned for stalking the pastor of her Baptist church, suddenly told police she killed a man with a butcher knife in 2004 . Basically, the pastor at Camdenton Bible Baptist Church said Rector, 36, was stalking him, reports the Kansas City Star. Sousley said he found a notebook in which Rector had documented her fantasies with imaginary depictions of their shared sexual activities. Sousley, who is married, says Rector also made advances, but when he turned her down she only came on stronger. He even says he began finding the notes on his car windshield. In court documents, Sousley alleges Rector, who is also married, turned on him when he wouldn’t have sex and that she threatened to ‘destroy’ him. Infatuation: Pastor Jerry Sousley of the Camdenton Bible Baptist Church in Missouri first alerted police to Rector, but for stalking and threatening him . Married: Clara, left, is married to Jason Rector, right. Jason was also implicated for allegedly helping his wife hide evidence of her stalking when he disposed of a notebook Clara used to document her sexual fantasies of Sousley . Fearing for his safety and that of his family, Sousley turned to police and Rector was arrested. But while questioning her in the matter, Rector shocked cops by admitting to the murder of Tommy Hope. Hope was found dead in his home in April 2004. Rector was questioned in the case but neither she nor anyone else was ever charged and the file had become a cold case. Rector told police she’d had an affair with Hope and that she’d gone to his house that day to buy drugs. When he told her he didn’t have any, she . said she freaked out and with a butcher knife in hand ‘jumped on his . back and cut his throat.’ Shock: No one, including Camden County Sheriff Dwight Franklin saw the admission coming, though Rector had been questioned in the crime . ‘I was high,’ she told them, ‘and not thinking.’ Before her spontaneous admission, Rector documented her previous highs and lows on a blog called PrayReadLive. Identifying herself as ‘CJ,’ Rector describes her sad and drug addled past. However, she writes, ‘NOTHING, was able to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart.’ Despite her professed salvation, Rector is now charged with first degree murder, armed criminal action, and aggravated stalking. She is joined by husband Jason Rector, who police say aided his wife by disposing of her sexual fantasy notebook at the Hillbilly Fairgrounds in Laurie, Missouri. Mrs. Spector was denied a bond request. She is expected back in court May 28. | Clara Jean Rector, 36, was accused of stalking and sexually propositioning Pastor Jerry Sousley, but while talked to police she admitted she jumped on a man's back, stabbed him in the ear, and sliced his throat during a drug deal gone wrong .
Rector had since found God and married Jason Rector, who is accused of tampering with evidence in the stalking case against his wife .
She's now charged with first degree murder in the nine-year-old homicide case . |
164,043 | 60230c8a21ecc8d55388833c1d9e24edfc55a154 | (CNN) -- Turbulence forced a United Airlines flight bound for New York's LaGuardia Airport to land shortly after takeoff Tuesday night and sent five people to the hospital, a United spokeswoman confirmed. Shortly after United Airlines Flight 1632 took off from Houston's Intercontinental Airport at 8:08 p.m., the flight "experienced severe turbulence and diverted to Lake Charles, Louisiana, at 8:41 p.m.," spokeswoman Amy Ryan said. Lake Charles Regional Airport Executive Director Heath Allen told CNN affiliate KPLC that three of the injured were members of the flight crew. !2 injured when airliner hits turbulence . A total of five people sought medical attention, Ryan said, but she declined to characterize the extent of their injuries. There were two pilots, three flight attendants and 76 passengers aboard. Flight attendants were preparing to serve drinks about 30 minutes into the flight. "Right about that time, we hit some really severe turbulence, and ... several people flew up and hit the ceiling of the plane and then were immediately slammed down to the floor of the plane," first class passenger Jeff Hornback told KPLC. Pilot sends plane into dive; mistakes Venus for another plane . "I heard both the pilot and a flight attendant say that they had been flying for 20 or 30 years and had never seen anything like what they saw today," he said. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident. According to Allen, a relief flight crew arrived from Houston, and the flight departed Lake Charles Regional Airport after 2 a.m. Wednesday and landed at LaGuardia just after 6 a.m. Gotta watch: Rough plane landings . CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report. | Flight from Houston to New York struck by severe turbulence .
Five on board were injured .
Flight was diverted to Lake Charles Regional Airport in Louisiana . |
197,731 | 8bef6fab74aa02d0961e3e7d1135621ef6d109a5 | By . Martin Robinson . UPDATED: . 12:48 EST, 6 September 2011 . A Canadian hair salon has been attacked and its owners sent death threats after using a model posed as a domestic violence victim to pledge its services could make a beaten woman look beautiful. Edmonton business Fluid Salon said they had made her the 'hottest battered woman' ever and usedthe tagline 'Look good in all you do'. Released on a New York blog it shows the well-groomed but bruised woman as her boyfriend or husband is about to give her an expensive diamond necklace. Fury: A salon in Edmonton is under fire for running a controversial series of ads depicting images of domestic violence . A comment posted by Fluid Hair under the picture on its Facebook site reads: 'hottest battered woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.' The image has swept across the internet and led to the premises being vandalised with the words in pink and purple paint 'This is art that is wrongly named violence' and 'That was violence wrongly named art'. 'Somebody had spilled paint and spray painted, and glued offensive messages to the windows of the salon,' Edmonton sergeant Rick Evans said, adding the business has been receiving hate mail and death threats. Salon owner Sarah Cameron said the advert reflects society and should be considered art. 'It might strike a chord, but as the way our society and community is getting, we keep tailoring everything because everyone is getting so sensitive,' she said. 'Anyone who has a connection or a story behind anything can be upset or have an opinion. We are not trying to attack anyone.' 'We wanted to push limits. You see the picture, you think it’s a nice photo and then you see the controversy. 'We just like art, and it’s also objective.' But campaigners have reacted furiously to the advert, which is one of six, saying that it glorified violence against women. Jan Reimer, a provincial coordinator with the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters said:'It glamorises domestic violence. The ad is disturbing and chilling. 'They may have had the best of intentions, but I don’t think they thought it out much in terms of what the message is. It seems like this is an ad for domestic violence.' 'I was appalled,' blogger Kasia Gawlak said. 'It’s like saying, "at least you have good looking hair when your boyfriend abuses you." 'The women who have been abused (deal) with real pain, heartbreak and suffering — it’s not something that should be trivialised to sell a hair salon.' | Controversial advert claims that Canada's Fluid Salon will ensure visitors 'Look good in all you do'
Campaigners have said it promotes domestic violence . |
97,437 | 0967ad4e9dd97a1653dca0961b81ffaa969f11e9 | (CNN)Even by Malaysian standards, this flooding is epic. Neighborhoods turned into islands surrounded by a sea of murky brown water. Streets doubling as rivers. Cars swept away and toppled over. The flooding has forced more than 132,000 people to evacuate, Malaysia's official Bernama news agency said. Strong currents and interrupted power supply are adding to the chaos, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told reporters. "Clean water supply too cannot be delivered, and flood victims at the temporary relief centers had to endure darkness without electric supply," he said, according to Bernama. The flooding ravaging Malaysia started more than a week ago. While the region is accustomed to monsoons, the "northeast monsoon" that has gripped Malaysia, Indonesia and southern Thailand is particularly harsh. Here's how it works, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said Saturday: . Strong high pressure develops over Eastern Europe and China and strengthens northeasterly winds from the South China Sea, bringing heavier rainfall over Malaysia, Indonesia and southern Thailand. And it's going to get worse. Another 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain could fall over the next two days near the Malaysia-Thailand border, he said. "That leaves open all kinds of possibilities -- more flooding, and the possibility of landslides and mudslides," Van Dam said. Across the Bay of Bengal, Sri Lanka has been hit hard, too. Kandy, in the center of the island nation, received more than twice the average monthly rainfall in just the past eight days, Van Dam said. CNN's Radina Gigova contributed to this report. | More than 132,000 Malaysians have been evacuated .
Another 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain could fall on the Malaysian-Thai border .
The area is at risk for landslides and mudslides . |
275,040 | f047d2b79fd15e5f3ec0103b192b176698473d7d | Joleon Lescott is ready play three games in seven days for West Bromwich Albion as he manages his body through the busy Christmas period. At 32, Lescott tailors his training to ensure he plays as often as possible, beginning with a match against his friends from Manchester City on Boxing Day. Lescott insists any cordiality with his former team-mates will stop before kick-off, and head coach Alan Irvine has picked the brains of his best defender about the champions. Joleon Lescott said he still has friends at Manchester City but there will be 'no friendly handshakes' Baggies manager Alan Irvine has revealed that Lescott knows how to manage his own fitness . ‘I’ve still got a lot of friends there,’ said Lescott. 'We’ll do our bit beforehand and then we can concentrate on the game. There’ll be no friendly handshakes during the game.’ After City, it is Stoke on Sunday, before West Ham on New Year’s Day. ‘I spoke to Joleon and asked him how he felt about the double-headers and straight away he said “fine”,’ said Irvine. ‘Generally Joleon will do his own ‘prehab’ and recovery sessions on a Monday and everyone is fine with that. He knows his body and he’s not just having a day off. He’s an expert at it. ‘The culture in the past has been to treat everybody the same but that can’t be right because they are all different.’ Lescott heads in West Brom's opening goal against QPR in their Premier League clash at Loftus Road . Lescott has said that he is ready to play three games in seven days for the Baggies over the festive period . | West Brom take on Manchester City on Boxing Day in the Premier League .
Joleon Lescott says his body is ready for the busy Christmas period .
The Baggies then face Stoke on Sunday and West Ham on New Year's Day . |
206,648 | 978e6c2050bb12008c99b41b72980ae0c917039f | Washington (CNN) -- A federal watchdog took a bite out of military hospitals this month, warning it is impossible to tell if some doctors are licensed, properly trained and evaluated in their specialties. "Army oversight and physician credentialing and privileging requirements were not sufficient to assure that MTFs (Medical Treatment Facilities) fully complied with existing requirements or completely documented information needed to support credentialing and privileging decisions," said the new General Accountability Office report. "Specifically, Army Medical Command's oversight of individual MTFs' reviews of physicians' applications for privileges was insufficient to identify the instances of noncompliance and incomplete documentation," the report added. In some cases the military had failed to check properly on the legitimacy of doctors' licenses to practice medicine, the report alleged. "Some credentials files we reviewed lacked complete documentation to show that MTFs had primary source verified all of the physician's state medical licenses, including seven instances involving a physician's only active medical license," the report says. Primary source verification of credentials means they are verified with a specific credential's source. Congress called for the report in the aftermath of the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting in November 2009, for which an Army psychiatrist is charged with 13 murders. Congress and the military have examined how Maj. Nidal Hasan was trained, evaluated and promoted as a military physician. Nine military officials, including doctors, were disciplined for their actions or failures in the Hasan case. He faces a court-martial, with a possible death penalty, in March. The GAO report cast a wider net and urged the Defense Department to speed up its efforts to revise and standardize reviews of doctors' credentials. And it singles out the Army for problems at its facilities. "Based on our review of 150 credentials files at the five Army MTFs we selected for our review, we found that none of the five Army MTFs fully complied with certain Army physician credentialing and privileging requirements," the GAO report said. "Specifically, we found that the selected MTFs did not fully comply with the Army's requirement to primary source verify all state medical licenses at the time of privileging and at renewal." In a response included in the report, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson wrote the department is progressing with standardization and centralization of credential files and improving how doctors can apply for and renew privileges to practice at military hospitals. But the military warned that its centralized system would be delayed "without adequate funding." The report cited over-reliance of so-called peer reviews, especially in cases where coworkers might have only a limited familiarity with a doctor. "In one file we reviewed, both peer recommendations were from individuals who indicated they had limited knowledge of the physician's clinical competence," the report says. "The department chief later told us that this physician was terminated within the first three months due to issues with the physician's competence and professionalism." In another instance, a doctor had problems with errors in prescriptions, above what the hospital allowed. However, this was not reflected in the doctor's file. And the physician's department chief "was not aware of the negative prescription days but was 'not at all surprised' because there were current concerns about this physician," the report said. | Congress called for the General Accountability Office report after the Fort Hood shootings .
The report urges the Defense Department to speed efforts to revise the review process .
The military says its centralized system will be delayed without adequate funding . |
237,782 | bfc9cbc572e9f0efa8ac48eed4c86fefd0e7bdf9 | By . Ashley Collman . Most fisherman would consider themselves lucky to catch one elusive opah fish in their lives, but one recreational fishing boat landed three in one day this on recreational fishing boat landed three in one day last week while searching for Yellowtail tuna off the coast of southern California. San Diego-based Excel Long Range Sportfishing, which takes groups out on multi-day fishing trips, posted at picture on Facebook of their surprise haul on Friday and the photo has now been shared more than 2,000 times. Anglers Armando Castillo, Joe Ludlow and Travis Savala grin as they pose with their three orange disc-shaped fish, each weighing between 124 and 180 pounds. Scroll down for video . Lucky catch: Armando Castillo, Joe Ludlow and Travis Savala post with the three opah fish they caught in a single day last week. Opah, also known as Moonfish, are a rare catch and three at once is even more of a surprise since they don't often travel in packs . Opah, also known as Moonfish, are a rare catch for recreational fisherman since they don't travel in schools and therefore aren't commercially fished either. Instead, most are caught accidentally by fisherman looking for other fish, such as tuna. That's what the group was looking for last week when they came across the three opah in one day. Opah also aren't known to stray often into southern California waters, preferring warmer waters in tropical and sub-tropical seas. However, opah catches have been on the rise in the last few years according to a 2012 article by U-T San Diego. 'It’s the fish of a lifetime,' Snodgrass . said. 'It’s like winning the lottery. Nobody is expecting one of these. They are just doing something different to try to get a bite and they . hook an opah.' National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration researcher Owyn Snodgrass said more opah are getting caught by federal marine research trawls in the area. At the time of the article, Snodgrass had tags on four opah in the region, to observe their swimming and diving patterns. One of those ventured all the way back to more common waters in Hawaii. | Recreational fisherman rarely catch opah, since the moon-shaped fish doesn't travel in a school .
They also tend to swim in more warmer tropical and sub-tropical waters .
However, opah sightings have been on the rise in southern California over the past few years . |
165,695 | 624a58fd441a6ff34cdbc868e8d32e219a5ce457 | By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 20:12 EST, 28 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:57 EST, 29 May 2013 . He is the boss of one of the world's biggest internet giants. And so it was only natural that Google chief Eric Schmidt would attract a host of stars to his new book launch. A host of celebrities, entrepreneurs and even Royals turned up to the launch of 'The New Digital Age' book launch at Lou Lou's in London. Stars: A host of celebrities turned up to the launch of 'The New Digital Age' book launch at Lou Lou's in London. Princess Beatrice is pictured at the event . Plush: Google chief Eric Schmidt and Lily Cole are pictured at the event . Autograph: Eric Schmidt signs a copy of his book for Lily Cole . Those in attendance included Princess Beatrice , James Middleton - the younger brother of Kate and Pippa Middleton - and supermodel Lily Cole. Sarah Duchess of York also made an appearance at the star-studded bash. The book looks at what the future holds as the digital revolution develops. Schmidt and his co-author Jared Cohen outline what awaits the world in the coming decades. Earlier this week, the Google boss said he was 'perplexed' by the debate over the company's tax affairs. The internet giant's executive chairman insisted the company paid everything it was legally required to in the UK and suggested it was up to the Government to change the law if it wanted more from the firm. Google has come under fire over reports that it paid only £10 million in corporation tax in the UK between 2006 and 2011, despite revenues of £11.9 billion. Launch: Sir Tom Hunter, left with guest, and James Middleton - younger brother of Kate and Pippa Middleton, is pictured right . Happy: Jamie Rubin, Sarah Duchess of York and David Ruben are pictured at Lou Lou's in London . Mr Schmidt told BBC Radio 4's Start the Week: 'What we are doing is legal. I'm rather perplexed by this debate, which has been going in the UK for quite some time because I view taxes as not optional. 'I view that you should pay the taxes that are legally required. It's not a debate. You pay the taxes. 'If the British system changes the tax laws then we will comply. If the taxes go up we will pay more, if they go down we will pay less. That is a political decision for the democracy that is the United Kingdom.' Princess Beatrice at the The New Digital Age book launch for Eric Schmidt at Lou Lou's . Star-studded: Holly Branson and Freddie Andrews look relaxed as they enjoy the bash . Eric Schmidt, Jamie Ruden and Dave Clark smile for the camera at the book launch . Much of the company's UK profits are understood to be routed through Ireland. Mr Schmidt was hauled before the public accounts committee earlier this month to account for Google's tax affairs after MPs were unhappy with the company's previous evidence. Jamie Ruben, Jared Cohen, Eric Schmidt and Dave Clarke with the book . The host Jamie Ruben, Jared Cohen, Eric Schmidt and Dave Clarke pose for the camera . | The launch of 'The New Digital Age' took place at Lou Lou's in London .
Princess Beatrice, James Middleton and Lily Cole were in attendance .
Sarah Duchess of York also made an appearance at star-studded bash . |
71,577 | cadc44ed0b72fad9a495739da183ab214e705fc0 | We're all out of grog, someone's used up the Vegemite and the PM's come to crash the BBQ wearing his favourite pair of togs. Australians have embraced their national day with typical larrikin humour, poking fun at ocker stereotypes, our elected officials and the symbols we hold dear. As poor weather cast a shadow over festivities on the east coast, hundreds of punters penned contributions to the social media trend 'five words to ruin Australia Day'. Scroll down for video . Budgy smugglers: Prime Minister Tony Abbott only recently discussed his collection of 'budgy smugglers', suggesting they were not always welcome . 'The Vegemite has run out!': The company behind the salt Australian spread selected empty jars of the product as their #FiveWordsToRuinAustraliaDay . 'Oh, I forgot the prawns': One of the short sentences Twitter users nominated as potentially ruining Australia Day . Some expressed dread about some common Australian experiences - a thong blowing out, forgetting to wear sunscreen or turning up to find the bottle shop has closed. Several national staples - including condiments, salty toast spreads and alcohol - were nominated as essential for an above average Australia Day. Nine Network reporter Sean Power's January 26 nightmare was: 'We're all out of sauce.' A disastrous spillage was on the mind of Twitter user Akshay Chougaonkar. 'I spilled your beer, mate.' The concept of no 'shrimps on the barbie' disturbed mum @_Natalie_: 'Oh I forgot the prawns'. And on this day of BBQ activity nationwide, Kristeen Peake joked, 'Sorry, I'm a vegetarian,' were ruinous words. 'The cricket has been cancelled': The prospect of a washed out cricket match disturbed many Twitter users . Sunscreen: Going without this essential item in the harsh Australian sun was widely feared by several punters . A day without snags? The barbeque was voted one of the most important Australia symbols . Somewhat unsurprisingly, the top concern for Kraft, the brand behind the iconic salty spread Vegemite, was: 'The Vegemite has run out!' Others punters conjured up mental images worth forgetting. 'Tony Abbott's here, wearing Speedos', quipped one commentator. Another joked that 'Christopher Pyne in a wetsuit' was ruinous - a reference to the Education Minister's recent photograph of himself in full-body neoprene. A Taylor Swift fan hoping she occupies the coveted number one position in the annual Hottest 100 competition tweeted that her disaster was: 'Triple J disqualified Taylor Swift'. Some brought a more serious discussion to the table. ABC broadcaster Jeremy Fernandez - who has found himself on the tail end of racial abuse on public transport - reflected on the nation's sometimes strained race relations. He named his five dreaded words as: 'You speak such good English.' The National Museum of Australia is encouraging people to tweet their Australia Day memories with the hashtag #AustraliaDay. Selected entries will be kept in a virtual time capsule. | Popular favourites included thongs blowing out, forgetting sunscreen and Prime Minister Tony Abbott arriving at a BBQ in his Speedos .
Other entries included 'can you come into work?', 'sorry, I am a vegetarian' and 'there's only light beer left'
Some punters dwelled on more serious themes such as being told by strangers: 'You speak such good English' |
48,054 | 87aaaefde4ab80991a863321e52b5e09b9ef5a8a | More than a month after the death of cricketer Phillip Hughes, his best friend has refused to celebrate the festive season without remembering his 25-year-old 'brother'. Australian skipper Michael Clarke took to social media on New Year's Eve to pay tribute to the man from Macksville, in northern New South Wales, who tragically couldn't be there to celebrate the occasion with him. A picture posted to the 33-year-old's Instagram account at about 4:30pm, showed a glass and bottle of red wine flanked by two burning Phillip Hughes tribute candles. Australian skipper Michael Clarke took to social media on New Year's Eve to Phillip Hughes, who tragically couldn't be there to celebrate the occasion with him . The picture of a glass and bottle of red wine flanked by two burning Phillip Hughes tribute candles, was accompanied by a caption stating 'Been a tough year' Brothers: Michael Clarke (left) and Phillip Hughes (right) were the best of mates. Hughes never recovered after being struck in the head by a bouncer during a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 25 . 'Been a tough year, bring on 2015. May it be the best year of your life #family&friends,' Clarke wrote in the picture caption. Clarke and his wife Kyly also shared similar tributes for their friend on Christmas Day. 'Today you will have Christmas with us bro,' Clarke wrote in a post shared by his wife. The words were accompanied by a photograph of a Phillip Hughes tribute candle and a framed photograph of the three sharing an evening on the town. Hughes was struck in the head by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 25. He never recovered from the blow and died two days later, surrounded by friends at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney's inner-east. 'How blessed we were to call you ours': Michael and Kyly Clarke also posted this Christmas tribute to their late friend . 'Rest in peace, my little brother. I'll see you out in the middle': Clarke's eloquent address at Hughes' funeral was widely praised . The life of the star cricketer, known to his family as 'Boof', was celebrated at an emotional memorial service in Macksville a week later. Clarke's eloquent eulogy to his fallen 'little brother' at the service was widely praised. The Australian captain said he could scarcely believe the young star had been 'taken from the game and from his loved ones at the age of 25'. 'His spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves,' he told assembled mourners, before adding that Hughes' soul would act as a 'custodian of the sport we all love'. 'We must listen to it, we must cherish it, we must learn from it, we must dig in ... we must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on. 'So rest in peace, my little brother, I'll see you out in the middle.' Rest in peace: Hughes died following a freak accident on the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground last month . Fan favourite: Phillip Hughes was struck in the head by a bouncer delivered by New South Wales quick Sean Abbott . In a social media tribute following the service, Kyly Clarke reflected on memories the trio had shared together. 'Our Xmas lunch buddy, a friend we trust, our trivia night partner, the guy who was never fussed!' 'WE LOVE YOU HUGH DOG, LIFE WONT BE THE SAME, HERE'S TO THE DAY WE SEE YOU AGAIN!' Clarke has been publicly open about his grief for Hughes from the first moment. His tearful speeches, both at his best mate's funeral service and during a statement after his death was first announced, touched the hearts of Australians across the country. Kyly Clarke called Hughes 'my little Italian brother and our tour mate. Our Xmas lunch buddy, a friend we trust, our trivia partner, the guy who never was fussed!' Clarke's social media accounts were flooded with photo tributes to his fallen best friend after the tragic incident. 'We were the KINGS of Trivia Night.. Hahahahahahahahaha,' one post read, while another stated simply: 'What I would give for just one more day' He also penned a tribute to Hughes that featured in The Sunday Telegraph on what would have been his 26th birthday on November 29, in which he wrote: 'I don't have a blood brother, but I am very proud to have called Phillip my brother. I am a better man for having known him'. The tribute recalled the first moment Clarke met the country boy and spoke of his humble nature and determination. Clarke's social media accounts were also flooded with photo tributes to his fallen best friend after the tragic incident in which he shared some of their past activities. 'We were the KINGS of Trivia Night.. Hahahahahahahahaha,' one post read, while another stated simply: 'What I would give for just one more day'. | Michael Clarke took to social media on New Year's Eve to pay tribute to his best friend .
A picture posted to his Instagram account showed a glass and bottle of red wine flanked by two burning Phillip Hughes tribute candles .
The late cricketer was Michael and Kyly Clarke's 'Xmas lunch buddy'
On Christmas morning, they paid tribute to him on their Instagram pages .
'Today you will have Christmas with us bro,' they wrote .
Hughes was struck in the head by a bouncer during a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 25 and never recovered from the blow . |
39,335 | 6f24dcd85a39f94d7bce582703f0743964d7a132 | (CNN) -- Just like a Rolling Stone ... It's football's answer to rock and roll's arena tours. Thirteen cities from Baku to Bilbao in a month-long roadshow, culminating in a London finale at the famous Wembley Stadium. With a schedule that would leave even Mick Jagger breathless, the Euro 2020 tournament will be soccer as you've never seen it before. Every four years, Europe's finest football nations battle to be crowned kings of the continent. In six years' time, to celebrate the competition's 60th anniversary, matches will be played in 13 different countries from Ireland to Azerbaijan. Ordinarily, the tournament is hosted or co-hosted by one or two countries. This time the final and semifinals will be held in England, which hosted the tournament back in 1996. "It will be a great honor to be part of what will surely be a superb celebration of 60 years of the UEFA European Championship," English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said in a statement. "Having seen the impact that a home Olympic Games had on young sportsmen and women in our country, I hope that UEFA Euro 2020 serves as a similar incentive for our most promising players to realize their full potential over the next six years." The England team has some work to do if it is to live up to Dyke's lofty aims after its miserable group stage exit at this year's World Cup in Brazil. Turkey had at one stage been tipped as the sole host of the tournament, but it withdrew to focus on bidding for the 2020 Olympics -- which was subsequently awarded to Tokyo last year. Hosting the event across a number of countries -- which UEFA confirmed it would do in late 2012 -- lightens the financial burden of putting on a large-scale sporting event. However, concerns have been raised over the financial and logistical difficulties fans could encounter traveling across a continent to support their team. Euro 2020 host cities in full: . London - Final and semifinals . Baku - Three group stage matches, one quarterfinal . Munich - Three group stage matches, one quarterfinal . Rome - Three group stage matches, one quarterfinal . Saint Petersburg - Three group stage matches, one quarterfinal . Brussels - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Copenhagen - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Budapest - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Amsterdam - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Dublin - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Bucharest - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Glasgow - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . Bilbao - Three group stage matches, one round of 16 match . | The host cities for the Euro 2020 tournament announced in Geneva .
London's Wembley Stadium will host the final and semifinals .
13 cities across the continent will stage matches .
The tournament is being played across Europe to celebrate its 60th anniversary . |
209,472 | 9b4062a01aab0f16cb86bed945f4163865bd33fc | By . Aap . A Supreme Court jury has toured the former home of accused killer Gerard Baden-Clay and the site where his wife's body was found. Jurors spent almost an hour at the Kholo Creek Bridge at Anstead in Brisbane's west on Monday morning. The body of 43-year-old Allison Baden-Clay was found on the creek bank, below the bridge on April 30, 2012, 10 days after her husband reported her missing. Scroll down for video . Allison and Gerard Baden-Clay pictured in an undated photograph, were working together at his real estate agency before she died . Police blocked traffic from entering the two-lane bridge as jurors peered over the side to see the area where a kayaker spotted Mrs Baden-Clay's remains more than two years ago. To get on to the bridge they had to pass a stone memorial for Mrs Baden-Clay where people had placed pots of yellow flowers, to match the mother-of-three's favourite colour. The jury was accompanied by presiding judge Justice John Byrne and lawyers for the defence and prosecution, as well as court staff. They then travelled by minibus to the Baden-Clay's former house at nearby Brookfield, where according to the Crown case, something happened to Mrs Baden-Clay on April 19, 2012. Then: The Baden-Clay's house as it was in 2012 when she went missing . Now: The judge and jury visit the Baden-Clay's former home in Brookfield in Brisbane's west . They spent about 25 minutes touring the former residence, a Queenslander set back from the busy road that is now part of the childcare centre next door. A faded plastic bunch of yellow flowers and a plastic wreath hanging on the front fence were the only signs the house once belonged to the Baden-Clays. The fading blue paintwork has been replaced with fresh cream and brown colours and the trees and shrubs that once hid the house from the road have mostly been cleared. The jury was then driven past the homes of neighbours who testified to hearing noises coming from the Baden-Clay's home on the night of April 19, 2012. Baden-Clay, a real estate agent, has pleaded not guilty to murder. More than 50 witnesses have testified during his trial, which has entered its third week. The jury will return to court on Tuesday for more witness evidence. The jury are taken to Kholo Creek, where Allison Baden-Clay's body was found . Allison's badly decomposed body was found on a bank near a bridge on Brisbane's Kholo Creek . Scene pictures submitted in court capture detectives gathering near the place where Allison's body was discovered . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Former Brisbane real estate agent Gerard Baden-Clay is on trial for murder .
The 43-year-old is accused of killing his wife Allison in 2012 .
Jury toured the area where Allison Baden-Clay was found and her former home . |
146,758 | 49c904124797500742bcb71ef3de89c87302fb71 | A ‘bruised and defeated’ Jeannette Bougrab will not attend the funeral of her lover Charb – the slain editor of Charlie Hebdo. Her decision comes after an extraordinary intervention by his family who denied the couple had any committed relationship and demanded she ceased speaking about him. Charb’s brother, Laurent, issued the ‘one-off’ statement from the family on Saturday, following a series of emotional interviews given by the former minister of State. Scroll down for video . Miss Bougrab (centre) claimed she was the partner of deceased Charlie Hebdo editor, Charb, and said they had lived together for three years . The editor of Charlie Hebdo, Stephane Charbonnier, also known as 'Charb' pictured with Jeannette Bougrab and her three-year-old daughter . Now Miss Bougrab – mother of an adopted three year old daughter May – says: ‘In the morning I was with his parents at the Forensic Institute to see the body of my companion. ‘But now I’ve agreed to remove myself and I will not go to his funeral. I do not have the strength to fight for that. I am bruised and defeated. ‘But they won’t take away my fight for secularism.’ Bitterly, Miss Bougrab said of her decision not to attend the funeral: “The family have deprived me of a last reunion with my love. ‘By doing that they’ve killed him a second time.’ Earlier, on hearing of the family’s terse denial, Bougrab phoned Paris Match to say: ‘Human nature is ugly. We loved each other because we were both independent personalities. Stephane Charbonnier - 'Charb' (pictured), the editor of Charlie Hebdo, was among six of the magazine's journalists to be killed in the attack . Miss Bougrab, pictured crying outside the Charlie Hebdo offices on the day of the massacre, has said she loved Charb 'because of the way he was - because he was brave' The former Secretary of State was pictured weeping for her lost love outside Paris City hall . The daughter of Algerian immigrants, Jeannette Bougrab (pictured) was a fierce critic of religion - particularly Islam . ‘We didn’t do a press release to announce our relationship but we weren’t hiding it. He had met my mother, my daughter called him dad.’ Now she says they’d been involved for a year although earlier reports implied much longer. Several friends of the couple have since backed her claims of a relationship. Bougarb, a 41 year old lawyer, quickly became the public face of France’s mourning soon after the killing of 12 people, mainly journalists, at the office of the satirical magazine. Grief stricken, frequently in tears, she gave a series of emotional television interviews saying she knew he would be killed and describing how she begged him to leave France. ‘ My companion is dead because he drew in a newspaper.’ ‘He never had children because he knew he was going to die. He lived without fear but he knew he would die.’ The former French Secretary for Youth and Community Life described to French TV station BMFTV how she got the news he was killed. ‘I was at a state meeting and I learned there had been a shooting. ‘Then I sent him a text, a second text, third text, and then I phoned him and he wasn’t answering and he never did that. ‘When I got there, there were the cordons and we weren’t allowed to get in and I learned there that he was dead.’ An emotional Jeannette Bougrab rushed to the scene of the shooting (pictured) when her boyfriend, Stephane Charbonnier, did not reply to her texts . Anger: Miss Bougrab slammed the 'inadequate' security around the Charlie Hebdo offices, saying: 'We could have avoided this massacre' Lost: Jeannette Bougrab (right) had lived with Charb (left) and her adopted daughter May for three years . Proudly, Bougrab added: ‘He died standing. ‘He defended secularism. He defended the spirit of Voltaire. ‘He, in fact, was really the fruit of this ideal of the Republic that we’ve almost forgotten. ‘He died, executed with his comrades, as he would say.’ Bougrab, a member of the French National Council of State who served under Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration has been described as a ‘hard secularist’. The daughter of Algerian immigrants she is known as a fierce critic of religion, particularly of Islam. She admitted herself that she and Charb were an unlikely pairing although she’d been fascinated by him before they met. He was a communist, she a member of UMP, the centre right party. ‘I have lost my love, lost a part of me. I was with a hero I admired. We tried to live normally but it was complicated.’ Six of the Charlie Hebdo journalists and staff members killed in Wednesday's attack are pictured together in this photo, taken in 2000. Circled top from left is Philippe Honore, Georges Wolinski, Bernard Maris and Jean Cabut. Below them on the stairs, from left, is editor Stephane Charbonnier and Bernard 'Tignous' Verlhac . Harsh truth: Jeannette Bougrab said of the 'Je Suis Charlie' movement: 'I refused to rejoice in the idea that people are demonstrating in the streets because they have torn away the precious being who accompanied me in life' Hitting out at the inadequate security given to the satirical magazine and its staff, she later told TF1: ‘I haven’t lost Charlie Hebdo. I’ve lost a loved one. I am here not as a former government minister, but as a woman who has lost her man, who has been murdered by barbarians. ‘I admired him before I fell in love with him and I loved him because of the way he was, because he was brave. He thought that life was a small thing when he was defending his ideals. ‘Do you know people capable of dying for their ideas today? No. Because they’ve just died, they’ve just been murdered. That’s the reality, we could have avoided this massacre. We could have avoided it and we didn’t.’ Asked if she had been comforted by the world’s adoption of the ‘Je Suis Charlie’ symbol and that it could be seen as a sign of victory, of hope, Bougrab said passionately: . ‘Absolutely not, because he’s dead. It’s absolutely not a victory. It’s a defeat. It’s a tragedy for our country and I refused to rejoice in the idea that people are demonstrating in the streets because they have torn away the precious being who accompanied me in life.’ Now she would like to see all the murdered cartoonists buried in the Parthenon where Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau lie. ‘They died defending freedom of expression, secularism. They died so we can stay free in this country in France in 2015.’ | Jeannette Bougrab, 41, claimed she was 'partner' of Charlie Hebdo editor .
But family of Stephane Charbonnier 'Charb' have formally denied this .
They have asked that she does not speak about respected editor again .
Former politician Bougrab talked of her pride at him 'dying on his feet'
Picture has emerged of Bougrab with her 10-year-old daughter and Charb .
Charb was one of 12 people murdered by Said and Cherif Kouachi . |
224,425 | ae983835ae92c8c5f7a99052a11b78cf972c2052 | Convicted rapist Ched Evans and his former Manchester City team-mate Clayton McDonald bought a rattlesnake and a tarantula to frighten each other while living together. McDonald, who was cleared of rape in the same trial that saw Evans sentenced to five years in prison in April 2012, began the exchange by buying Evans the snake because he knew his friend was frightened of them, reports the Independent's Ian Herbert. Evans, 25, bought a tarantula in retaliation to the practical joke before the pair were told to get rid of the creatures by the family they were staying with in Stretford, Manchester. Ched Evans and former team-mate Clayton McDonald were 'bored witless' according to their houseparent . Greg Barnes told the Independent that while the incident was typical of the pair, he felt that Evans appeared foolish rather than violent and dangerous to him. Discussing the attitudes of Evans, McDonald and young footballers in general, Barnes said: 'When they are scholars they have a very rigid timetable, with lessons, training and games. When they are given a professional contract, that stops. 'They are out on their own. They are competitive kids and they are bored witless.' Sheffield United have denied offering Evans a new contract but refused to rule out signing him again . Evans signed a professional contract with City in 2007 and McDonald in 2008. Both left the club in 2009 for Sheffield United and Walsall respectively. Evans was released from prison earlier this month after serving half of his sentence. Mr Barnes' son Andrew, 25, last week claimed Evans shot him with an air rifle, before offering him more than £10,000 to keep it quiet. Andrew Barnes (pictured) was allegedly shot in the thigh by former Welsh striker Evans, who had been hiding behind a garage shed at Mr Barnes’s parents' home in Stretford, Greater Manchester . Mr Barnes (left) is pictured with pellets and showing the area on his inner thigh were he was shot. Evans was seen with his girlfriend Natasha Massey (right) in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, on Monday afternoon . Barnes was allegedly shot in the thigh by Evans, who had been hiding behind a garage shed at the family's home. After he had been shot with the gas-fired air rifle, the business consultant was taken to hospital with a pellet lodged in his bones - but doctors left it there over fears that removing it would be unsafe. Andrew Barnes told The Sun: 'I could see a hole in my thigh where the pellet had gone. Doctors said it was only my bone that stopped it going all the way through my leg and out again. Hospital X-rays showing the pellet still in Mr Barnes' leg. The business consultant was taken to hospital with a pellet lodged in his bones - but doctors left it there over fears that removing it would be unsafe . 'How can someone in their right mind fire an air rifle at a friend? He was quite far away when he fired. Had he moved the gun by millimetres, it could have hit my chest and killed me.' Mr Barnes claimed that before the shooting incident in 2009, he had seen Evans peering round the garage at the home and pointing the gun at him from about 50ft (15 metres) away. He added: 'Then I felt something in my leg and realised he shot me. Ched was always shooting things in the garden.' Mr Barnes said his mother found pellets in cupboard doors, walls, sinks, window frames and even the fridge. He said that shortly after the incident happened he launched legal action against Evans. Police allegedly questioned Evans and McDonald but no charges were brought. Just before Evans' rape trial, he offered Mr Barnes a £10,900 payout with a gagging agreement. The footballer was convicted of rape in April 2012, and the next month a £10,000 payout was agreed - for injuries and legal costs. | Ched Evans and Clayton McDonald bought each other a tarantula and a rattlesnake as practical jokes while living with houseparents .
Greg Barnes says pair were 'bored witless' at his house .
Andrew Barnes was shot in the thigh at his parents' home .
Business consultant was taken to hospital with a pellet lodged in his bones .
But doctors left pellet there over fears that removing it would be unsafe .
Evans was freed on October 17 halfway through five-year sentence for rape . |
17,797 | 326d711a80f8aa7a61067bc5746fb318df387081 | (CNN) -- Mark Webber said he ignored team orders not to attack Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages of Sunday's British Grand Prix. Webber, 34, was sat in third position and closing in on world championship leader Vettel in second when he was told over the team radio to "maintain the gap" between himself and his German colleague. The result meant Vettel, 24, extended his lead at the top of the drivers' standings to 80 points, despite Ferrari's Fernando Alonso taking the checkered flag to claim the Italian marque's first grand prix victory since October 2010. But Webber, who is second in the standings, told a post-race press conference he paid no attention to the messages from the team garage. Passing judgment: Hamilton must stay aggressive . "I am not fine with it. No. That's the answer to that," the Australian said when asked if he understood the team's decision. "If Fernando retires on the last lap we are battling for the victory so I was fine until the end. Of course I ignored the team as I want to try and get another place. Seb was doing his best and I was doing my best. "I don't want to crash with anyone, but that was it. I tried to do my best with the amount of conversation I had. One-way conversation obviously as I wasn't talking too much back. "There was a lot of traffic coming to me, but I was still trying to do my best to pass the guy in front." Alonso wins for Ferrari at Silverstone . Webber took maximum points in last year's race at Silverstone and, in the wake of his triumph, suggested he was frustrated with a perceived number two driver status at the British-based Red Bull team. When asked if he still felt reigning world champion Vettel received preferential treatment in 2011, Webber responded: "Not really. I just want to race to the end, so with four or five laps to the end, they started to chat to me about holding my position. "Of course, they want the points, but I also need to try and get some more points as well." Standings after the British Grand Prix . Vettel, who became the sport's youngest-ever champion when he clinched the 2010 crown, said he did not feel Webber had gifted him his second-place finish. "I think we were racing," said Vettel. "It was not a scheduled 'I move right, you move left, I move left, you move right, I brake here, you brake there.' "As Mark said, he stayed flat out and tried to race me, as hard as he could, didn't find his way past. To me, at this stage, it's quite amusing." Rivalries will resume when the Formula One circus moves to the Nurburgring on July 24 for the German Grand Prix. | Mark Webber has admitted he ignored team orders during Sunday's British Grand Prix .
The Red Bull driver was told not to try and overtake his teammate Sebastian Vettel .
Vettel, who is the leader of the championship, finished second with Webber third . |
268,006 | e71b2a165db6a11228714f84ac360c318d49b17d | Alastair Cook insisted he would be leading England at next year’s World Cup — despite falling for just one run as Sri Lanka clinched the one-day series in Pallekele. Cook’s latest failure with the bat was part of a dismal 90-run defeat for England, who now trail 4-2 in this seven-match series. He also dropped a crucial catch, putting down Kumar Sangakkara on 41. The Sri Lanka batsman went on to make a match-winning 112. Alastair Cook says his dropping of Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara on 41 was a 'really costly drop' Cook takes the field for what would be a tough day at the office for the England captain in the sixth ODI . Cook, the England captain, said: ‘Days like these don’t make the job any easier. It’s tough, not scoring the runs I’d like. It’s not a great place to be as a captain. I’m a better player than I’m showing at the moment. I’ve just got to keep going.’ Cook, who averages 17 in this series and has made only one half-century in his last 21 one-day innings, was confirmed as World Cup captain a week ago and seems to be in no mood to relinquish the job. But when coach Peter Moores was asked by Sky Sports to confirm Cook’s captaincy, he said: ‘We review everything at the end of every series. We’ve always said that. ‘We make no bones that we’re passionate to try to get our best side to go out and win a World Cup. Cook needs runs but he’s also had some great times as an England player. He’s in a tough patch but that’s something he’s working hard to get out of.’ Sangakkara leaves the field in Kandy for the final time after spearheading Sri Lanka's 90-run ODI win . The keeper-batsman's team-mates ensure their veteran leads them off the field after clinching the series . Cook acknowledged his drop of man of the match Kumar Sangakkara was damaging as England lost the sixth one-day international against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Sangakkara, dropped by Cook at mid off on 41, hit a run-a-ball 112 at the Pallekele International Stadium in his last one-day international on his home ground. It set up a 90-run success which consigns England to a series defeat with one match to play. Cook said afterwards on Sky Sports: 'It didn't help, me dropping "Sanga" on 40 was a really costly drop . 'That was a really big catch to drop at that time because we'd built up quite a lot of pressure on them. 'It was probably a 260 (run) wicket and credit to him, he made us pay for that.' After putting down Sangakkara, who got 112, Cook was out LBW to Sachithra Senanayake for just one . England coach Moores said: 'We felt we could draw the series level today but we've been outplayed in all departments. 'We probably bowled our best up front. Towards the end our plans have to be a bit clearer, a bit simpler. Not just bowling yorkers but matching the ball you bowl to the field you've got, although the yorker is still a great ball if you bowl it well. 'We made some errors and didn't field as well as we could have.' Sri Lanka captain Angelo Matthews said: 'It was a challenging wicket to bat on but 'Sanga' was amazing once again. 'Together with (Tillakaratne) Dilshan, they were brilliant and set the tone for us to launch at the end. 'The older he (Sangakkara) gets, the more runs he scores.' Sangakkara himself added: 'It's great to have grown up in Kandy and gone to school here ... to play one of my last games here is a special feeling. 'I've had a wonderful career and it's extra special to finish off with a win.' | England captain Alastair Cook dropped Kumar Sangakkara on 41 .
The Sri Lanka left-hander went on to make a run-a-ball 112 .
Sri Lanka beat England by 90 runs in their sixth ODI in Pallekele .
Cook admitted 'dropping "Sanga" on 40 was a really costly drop'
The skipper also failed with the bat, out LBW for one off two balls . |
157,199 | 573d99f83d436516f88b76cbe8b567498ec5334a | By . Sarah Griffiths . It is said that there are plenty more fish in the sea, but the popular maxim no longer holds true as fish are said to be on the road to extinction. Reports in 2010 found that over-fishing and pollution is depleting the world's fish stocks, and now a team of scientists claims to have discovered how. They state that 90 per cent of fish larvae are biologically doomed to die just days . after hatching, because of the viscosity, or 'stickiness' of the water in which they are born. On the verge of extinction? A team of scientists have found that 90 per cent of fish larvae (pictured) are biologically doomed to die just days after hatching because pollution makes the water they're born into viscous, and this slows them down when looking for food . Around 90 per cent of fish larvae are biologically doomed to die just days after hatching. The study found that ‘hydrodynamic starvation,’ or the physical inability to feed due to environmental incompatibility, is the reason so many fish larvae perish. The ‘stickiness’ or the viscosity of ocean water hampers the larvae’s attempts to feed. ‘All that determines the larvae's feeding ability is viscosity - not age, not development – only their interaction with the surrounding water, Dr Holzman explained. ‘Because the water molecules around you have weak electrical bonds, only a thin layer sticks to your skin - a mere millimetre thick. If you're a large organism, you hardly feel it. ‘But if you're a three-millimetre-sized larva, dragging a millimetre of water across your body will prevent you from propelling forward to feed. ‘So really, it’s all about larval size and its ability to grow fast and escape the size where it feels the water as viscous fluid.’ The researchers found that in less viscous water, the larvae improved their feeding ability and in theory, this water would increase their survival rate. And this stickiness is increased by pollution. A scarcity of fish spells disaster for . over a billion people around the world who are dependent on fish for . their main source of protein. The study, by Roi Holzman and Victor China of the Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University, follows the 2010 report by the United Nations Environment Program. The research, which was conducted at the Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, and published in PNAS, suggests that ‘hydrodynamic starvation,’ or the physical inability to feed due to environmental incompatibility, is the reason so many fish larvae perish. Nearly all fish species reproduce externally – releasing and abandoning their sperm and eggs into the water. The fertilised eggs hatch within a couple of days and the larvae must feed themselves. They had previously fed on a yolk sac – a membrane joined to an embryo to provide early nourishment in the form of yolk – but once hatched, the vast majority die. ‘We . thought, something is going on during this period, in which the . proportional number of larvae dying is greatest,’ Dr Holzman said. ‘Our goal was to pinpoint the mechanism causing them to die. Disaster looming: A scarcity of fish spells disaster for over a billion people around the world who are dependent on fish for their main source of protein. A major report in 2010 blamed pollution levels and overfishing for the state of affairs. A fisherman casting his net in a lake in southern India is pictured . 'We saw that even under the best controlled conditions, 70 per cent of fish larvae were dying within the two weeks known as the 'critical period,' when the larvae detach from the yolk sac and open their mouths to feed,’ said Dr. Holzman. Dr Holzman said that using their understanding of the mechanism that kills off fish larvae, could help 'find a solution to the looming fish crisis in the world'. A school of larval fish is pictured . Over two years, the researchers observed fish larvae at three significant points in their development - at eight, 13 and 23-days-old, or the beginning, middle, and end of that ‘critical period’. They found that the ‘stickiness’ or the viscosity of the surrounding ocean water was hampering the larvae’s attempts to feed. Polluted seawater is typically more viscous than clean water, and cooler water is slightly gloopier than warmer bodies of water. ‘All that determines the larvae's feeding ability is viscosity - not age, not development – only their interaction with the surrounding water, Dr Holzman explained. ‘Because the water molecules around you have weak electrical bonds, only a thin layer sticks to your skin - a mere millimetre thick. If you're a large organism, you hardly feel it. ‘But if you're a three-millimetre-sized larva, dragging a millimetre of water across your body will prevent you from propelling forward to feed. ‘So really, it’s all about larval size and its ability to grow fast and escape the size where it feels the water as viscous fluid.’ The researchers found that in less viscous water, the larvae improved their feeding ability and in theory, this water would increase their survival rate. ‘We conclude that hydrodynamic starvation is the reason for their dying,’ Dr. Holzman said. ‘Imagine eating soup with a fork – that's what it's like for these larvae. They're not developed enough at the critical point to adopt the constrained feeding strategy of adult-sized, better-developed fish.’ Dr Holzman said that by using their . understanding of the mechanism that kills off the majority of the . world’s fish larvae, it could help ‘find a solution to the looming fish . crisis in the world.’ Armed with . this knowledge of the larvae's biological flaw, the researchers are . currently patenting a solution to maintain higher survival rates among . fish larvae populations. | Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have discovered why 90 per cent of fish larvae are dying - causing a fishing crisis .
Experts revealed that physical inability to feed due to environmental problems is the reason so many fish larvae perish .
They found the ‘stickiness’ or the viscosity of water was hampering the larvae’s attempts to feed .
Study follows a 2010 report by the UN's Environment Program, which declared over-fishing and .
pollution has depleted the world's fish stocks . |
148,116 | 4b836c1b847f7f76a5e4c6485dbeaf786de4b4d5 | You might not be able to use this hoverboard to outpace bullies like Back To The Future's Marty McFly, but this aquatic version of the sci-fi skateboard will let you perform tricks in thin air. Invented by French jet ski champion Franky Zapata, the Hoverboard by ZR is a cross between flying and surfing and looks a little bit like a wakeboard attached to a large hose. The company that makes it describes the Hoverboard as ‘a new innovative extreme discipline that will make you experience new sensations’. Scroll down for video . The water-propelled hoverboard allows people to fly up to 16 ft (5 metres) above the surface of the water at speeds of up to 16mph (25km/h), as well as perform tricks including somersaults and spins. The 59 ft (18 metre) hose is attached to a speed boat, or similar . Inventor: French jet ski champion Franky Zapata . Sensation: A cross between surfing and flying . Propulsion: Jet of water provided from a 59 ft (18 metre) hose . Maximum height: 16ft (5 metre). Top speed: 16mph (25km/h) Extras needed: Lesson and a motor boat . Cost: $2,675 (£1,577) Speed: The 59 ft . (18 metre) hose is attached to a ‘personal water craft’, such as a speed . boat, which has between 180 and 300 horsepower. Restrictions: There . are no height restrictions for riders, although the French company . notes that people weighing more than 17 stone (110kg) may not get the . full effect of the device. The water-propelled device allows people to fly up to 16ft (5 metres) above the surface of the water at speeds of up to 16mph (25 km/h), as well as perform tricks including somersaults and spins. The board’s agility has been demonstrated by popular YouTuber Devin Supertramp and his friends in Mexico. It is attached to a hose and propelled by a powerful jet of water. The 59 ft (18 metre) hose is attached to a ‘personal water craft’, such as a speed boat, which has between 180 and 300 horsepower. The hoverboard has one rider and can be used solo, but relies on a motor boat driver following the Hoverboard’s lead, unless a special attachment is used. There are no height restrictions for riders, although the French company notes that people weighing more than 17 stone (110kg) may not get the full effect of the device. A hoverboard like the fictional one used by Marty McFly in Back To The Future II (pictured) does not need water propulsion. The aquatic equivalent, from French jet ski champion Franky Zapata, is set to launch this summer and can be pre-ordered for $2,675 (£1,577) The company that makes it describes the Hoverboard as 'a new innovative extreme discipline that will make you experience new sensations'. A flyboard is pictured on the right-hand side of this photograph . It can be used in a lake or at sea, but the water must be over 13 ft (4 metres) deep. Riders need at least one hour of professional training to get to grips with the controls of the Hoverboard, and ensure they are safe on it. The device is related to the company’s Flyboard, which lets riders ‘fly’ through the air by strapping a small board with two water nozzles attached to their feet. The Hoverboard is set to go on sale this summer - a year before Marty McFly was said to have used his in Back To The Future Part 2. It can be pre-ordered for $2,675 (£1,577) Cnet reported. Riders need at least one hour of professional training to get to grips with the controls of the Hoverboard, and ensure they are safe on it - and considerably more practice to pull stunts like this . To provide propulsion for the board, a 59 ft (18 metre) hose is attached to a 'personal water craft', such as a speed boat, which has between 180 and 300 horsepower . Researchers have taken a step closer in the quest to develop a hoverboard that does not rely on water, by levitating objects in 3D using sound waves. While scientists have previously managed to suspend objects in mid-air using what's called acoustic levitation, a team of Japanese engineers have managed to move objects around space in various directions. Bubbles, a screw and a tiny piece of wood have so far been manoeuvred like a hoverboard, but the objects must be inside a complex set-up of four arrays of speakers to be able to fly. The machine, which was created by engineers at the University of Tokyo and the Nagoya Institute of Technology, uses ultrasonic speakers to generate sound waves that cross over. According to the researchers, this intersection creates 'a moveable ultrasonic focal point,' or a cross-over of high frequency noise greater than 20kHz, which is at the upper limit of human hearing. Standing waves - waves that remain in a constant position - provide a suspending force so the focal point can be moved up, down and from side-to-side, in order to support a small floating object such as a screw that is trapped in the standing waves. While scientists have previously managed to suspend objects in mid-air using acoustic levitation, a team of Japanese engineers have proved they can move objects around at will through three dimensional space using a refinement of the technology . | The board was invented by French jet ski champion Franky Zapata .
Users report it feels like a cross between flying and surfing .
Device has a top speed of 16mph and can 'fly' 16ft above water .
It can be used on a lake or at sea but water must be at least 13ft deep .
Board can be pre-ordered for $2,675 (£1,577) |
51,229 | 90ff0fb5f8949c449f70f3af091f11c515edcc99 | New York (CNN) -- The federal government moved Thursday to seize assets belonging to the Alavi Foundation and the Assa Corp., including a Manhattan skyscraper and four mosques, citing alleged links to the Iranian government. Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Thursday's filing of an amended civil complaint seeking forfeiture of the Alavi Foundation's interest in the 36-story office tower located on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The tower is owned by 650 Fifth Avenue Company, a partnership between the Alavi Foundation and Assa Corp., the Justice Department said. The amended complaint alleges that the Alavi Foundation provided services to the Iranian government and transferred money from 650 Fifth Avenue Company to Bank Melli, Iran's largest state-owned financial entity. U.S. and European Union officials last year designated Bank Melli as a proliferator for supporting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and funneling money to the Revolutionary Guard and Quds Force, considered terrorist groups by the United States. Bank Melli issued a statement last year denying involvement in any deceptive banking practices. Thursday's amended complaint seeks forfeiture of all assets of the Alavi Foundation and Assa Corp., including bank accounts owned by 650 Fifth Avenue Company, the Alavi Foundation and Assa Corp.; and properties owned by the foundation in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Texas and California. It alleges that the properties were "involved in and [were] the proceeds of money laundering offenses," and that the owners violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, executive orders and U.S. Department of Treasury regulations. "As today's complaint alleges in great detail, the Alavi Foundation has effectively been a front for the government of Iran," Bharara said. "For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws. The Alavi Foundation's former president remains under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice, and both the criminal and civil investigations are ongoing." John Winter, a New York lawyer representing the Alavi Foundation, said his client would challenge the complaint. "We're obviously disappointed that the government brought this action because we have been cooperating with the government since this investigation began about a year ago and we intend to litigate this matter," he said in a telephone interview. "It may take some time, but at the end of this litigation, we're of the mind that we're going to prevail here." The buildings remained open and were continuing to operate as usual. "There are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these tenants or occupants," said Yusill Scribner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in a written statement. "The tenants and occupants remain free to use the properties as they have before today's filing." According to the complaint, the New York tower was built in the 1970s by a nonprofit organization operated by the Shah of Iran to pursue the country's charitable interests in the United States. Bank Melli financed its construction in prime real estate near Rockefeller Center. In 1979, after the Iranian revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran established the Bonyad Mostazafan of New York, since renamed the Alavi Foundation, to take possession of and manage property it had expropriated from the former government, including the Fifth Avenue building. Calls to the Iranian Mission were not immediately returned. The mosques are in New York, Maryland, California and Texas. At the Islamic Institute of New York in Queens, two worshipers said they found out about the move Thursday as they arrived for evening prayers. The front page of the court document stating the terms of the case was tacked to the front door accompanied by a letter from the U.S. Attorney's office to the Mostazafan Foundation. A senior Justice Department official, trying to blunt any criticism from Muslim groups, told reporters that the government is moving against the Iranian landlords of the buildings, not targeting or "seizing mosques" as religious-oriented facilities. The mosques just happen to be among the tenants of the buildings in question, the official said. But, in a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the move unprecedented and said it may have First Amendment implications. "Whatever the details of the government's case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. He said the move comes at a bad time, given the community's fear of a backlash resulting from a Muslim psychiatrist being charged in the deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas. Relations between Iran and much of the international community have been tense in recent years over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran states that it wants to develop its nuclear program solely for peaceful purposes; the United States and a number of other countries have said they suspect the oil-rich nation is pursuing a nuclear bomb. In another U.S.-Iran development, President Obama said Thursday in a letter to Congress that the national emergency with respect to Iran that was declared in 1979 during the Iranian revolution has not ended. "Our relations with Iran have not yet returned to normal, and the process of implementing the January 19, 1981, agreements with Iran is still under way," Obama wrote in an official "notice of continuation" required to extend the emergency status with Iran beyond the anniversary date of November 14. "For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared on November 14, 1979, with respect to Iran, beyond November 14, 2009." CNN's Terry Frieden, Brian Todd, Deb Feyerick, Eddie DeMarche and Ross Levitt contributed to this story. | Alavi Foundation, Assa Corp. accused of transferring money to Iran .
U.S. Attorney: "Alavi Foundation has effectively been a front for the government of Iran"
Companies own 3 mosques, have interest in New York skyscraper .
U.S. wants company to forfeit the mosques and skyscraper . |
189,853 | 81d7245165897e1f19c219b582d5ec7b503e2e69 | By . Steve Nolan . Getting caught anywhere remotely close to the site of a natural disaster would be a nightmare for most people. But getting up close and personal with mother nature at her destructive worst is a dream for one avid photographer. Martin Rietze has spent the last decade travelling the length and breadth of the earth to take these incredible pictures of some of the world's fiercest volcanoes violently erupting. Scroll down for video . Fireworks: Sakurajima Volcano captured by Martin Rietze in January this year. He has spent a decade travelling the globe trying to snap the most dramatic pictures of violent volcanic eruptions . Violent: The Sakurajima Volcano in Japan, pictured here, is a notoriously unpredictable volcano. One of his pictures of the volcano was a Nasa picture of the day earlier this year . Stormy: Scientists are uncertain as to why lightning occurs during some eruptions. One theory is that it is caused by charge-inducing collisions in volcanic dust . Daredevil: Martin Rietze pictured taking photographs at Krakatoa volcano, Indonesia . The 49-year-old has risked life and . limb to get as close as he can to erupting volcanoes in places like . Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland and Antarctica. He . takes time out of his day job as an engineer to travel thousands of . miles at the drop of a hat and has got so close to the action that he . has burnt his skin with hot lava in the past and even passed out because . of their poisonous gases. Mr . Rietze said: 'One has to know when it is safe to come near and when it . is a matter of survival to stay away, sometimes many miles away.' A . great deal of planning goes into Mr Rietze's expeditions. He tries to . catch volcanoes when they are their highest levels of activity, but . calculating the ups and downs of the eruptions can take days to . complete. Feeling hot: Streaks of lava are pictured on Mount Nyiragongo, Congo. It last seriously erupted in 2002 though it is still active . Nature's show: The avid photographer captured this stunning image of lava spewing from the Stromboli Volcano, in Italy . Dangerous: A river of lava flows down the Ol Doinyo Lengai, in Tanzania. To capture distant volcanoes, Martin needs to set aside two weeks . Live wire: Lava spills from the top of mount Stromboli in Italy. The volcano has been in almost continuous eruption for the last 2,000 years . Incredible: This impressive shot of Stromboli looks more like a firework than an act of nature . Hot stuff: A lava pool bubbles over violently at Mount Etna in Sicily. Martin's fascination with volcanoes began when he saw Etna erupt as a child . Bright: An amazing image of the Sakurajima Volcano, in Japan. He tries to catch volcanoes when they are their highest levels of activity, but calculating the ups and downs of the eruptions can take days to complete . He has to put aside a fortnight if he hopes to get some good shots of volcanoes further afield. The German photographer said each volcano requires a different approach. He . gives active stratovolcanos a wider berth as they can throw out lava . bombs that travel several miles and create pyroclastic flows. These . flows are currents of hot gas and rock that reach temperatures of . 1,000C and travel up to 500MPH. Such a deadly surge destroyed Pompeii in . 79AD. Globe-trotter: Streams of lava are pictured pouring out of the Stromboli volcano. Martin has trekked to volcanoes all around the world including ones in Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland, and Antarctica . Drama: The Eyjafjallajkull volcano, in Iceland, pictured erupting in 2010, when it caused travel chaos with flights grounded by a resultant giant ash cloud . Eruption: This picture of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, in Tanzania, looks almost like a work of art rather than a dramatic picture of a volcanic eruption . Fiery: Smoke billows from boiling hot lava at the top of Mount Nyiragongo, Congo . Natural light: A stunning picture of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupting at dusk back in 2010 . However, 'red . volcanoes' create meandering lava flows and pyrotechnic displays that . can be viewed from relatively nearby. The magma wells up to form new . land in the sea, such as Kilauea on Hawaii. His fascination with volcanoes began as a young boy when he witnessed Mount Etna erupt in Sicily. 'I feel like I'm watching Earth's natural fireworks,' he said. Active: A plume of smoke billows from the Sakurajima volcano in Japan which has been erupting almost constantly since 1955 . Beautiful: This photo from December 2009, shows a glowing lava pond inside the summit crater of the Villarica volcano in Southern Chile. The full moon can be seen behind in the early morning dawn . Cautious: The 49-year-old photographer says that each volcano requires a different approach with some of the more violent eruptions needing a wider berth than some others . Patience: Martin Rietze pictured waiting at a safe vantage point for some action at Santiaguito Volcano in Guatemala . Protection: Martin often has to wear a gas mask and protective clothing at the site of a volcano and has been burnt by hot lava and passed out due to the gasses in the past . | Martin Rietze has been to countries including .
Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland and Antarctica to photograph volcanoes .
The 49-year-old's fascination with volcanoes began as a child when he witnessed Sicily's Mount Etna erupting . |
221,397 | aa997efc45d01c7d8ceb89c8fda5ef7478f55398 | (CNN) -- Airbus has confirmed that the first flight of its long-awaited A350 XWB is set for the morning of June 14, 2013, weather permitting. According to the European aircraft maker, the "MSN1" flight-test aircraft will take off from Toulouse-Blagnac airport at around 10 a.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT). Airbus has set up a website, www.a350xwbfirstflight.com, for those who want to watch the A350's inaugural flight live online. It will also be broadcast live on Airbus' YouTube page. Today's launch is in line with speculation among aviation professionals that Airbus is planning to show off its new plane at the upcoming Paris Air Show, a rumor the company has yet to confirm. The A350 XWB is the first in a family of super-efficient passenger planes Airbus designed to go head-to-head with rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777s. "XWB" means "extra wide body." There are three members in the A350 family: the A350-800, the A350-900 and the A350-1000, which seat 270, 314 and 350 passengers respectively, in three-class seating. The plane was unveiled last month at Airbus HQ in Toulouse, France. Today's flight is the latest milestone in what has been a turbulent production history for the A350 program, which was first announced in 2006. For more on the A350, check out these CNN reports: . - Airbus rolls out new A350 XWB . - First look at the A350: What's all the fuss about? | Airbus unveils the first A350XWB in Toulouse, France .
Aviation geeks can check out the inaugural take-off live online .
A350 XWB is designed to rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777s . |
175,346 | 6eedc562aa6b6effb2ccb5ed954f6ed47c81a743 | Kermit the Frog has been given the star treatment in these hilarious pictures of the Muppet as characters from some of Hollywood's most iconic films - including Christmas classic Home Alone. Blogger Matthew McCrory, 27, from Belfast gave a froggy twist to classic posters and scenes as part of a 'Photo a Day in May' tumblr project. Lying down and covered in rose petals Ameri-Kerm Beauty is an ode to the iconic Sam Mendes film while Kermit's creepy side comes out as the masked Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Amphibians. Scroll down for video . Blogger Matthew McCrory has given a twist to classic film posters and scenes: Kermit is covered in rose petals in a scene from American Beauty, now named AmeriKerm Beauty, while on the right he makes a horrorshow Alex in A Clockwork Orange remake, A Frogwork Orange . A suave Kermit in Anchorman remake, Ankerman (left) and representing the love that dare not speak its name in Croakback Mountain (right) And mimicking Macaulay Culkin's shocked pose from the film poster he's the perfect fit for Kerm Alone and with an 80s quiff and smarmy grin he could be an extra in AnKerman. Perched in the front of Mr McCrory's niece's bike basket Kermit is ET and to round off the series he's posed up as the MGM Lion. Matthew started the project as a way to fill his time while recuperating from a bone marrow transplant as treatment for leukaemia. Kermit as Kevin in Home Alone re-enactment Kerm Alone, and in King Kong remake Kerm Kong, pictured batting away a pesky aircraft . He said: 'Kermit's a really cool character. He's funny, and considering he's a frog, he's quite the gentleman. 'He's just a little tadpole from the swamp that made it in the big city. 'When I was thinking about inspiration for my photo a day project he was just there and I knew he would be a great subject for photos. 'I've always found the idea of doing a photo a day really interesting. As a creative side project it's something that's always appealed to me. Don't go in the water - it's Kerms! Kermit impersonates the Jaws (left) and as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Amphibians (right) Na na na na na BatKerm! Kermit makes a noble Batman (left) and staring out of a train window in Trainspotting re-enactment Kermspotting . 'And post-transplant it was particularly important for me to have something to work on - something fun and frivolous to concentrate on rather than just going to appointments. 'This was perfect because I haven't been able to spend too much time outside because of the risk of infection. 'I bought him a few years ago after I'd been to a couple of job interviews where they'd asked who I'd invite to my ideal dinner party and Kermit was always my choice. 'He has personality traits that I'd like to emulate, though I'm not sure what that says about me. In ET re-enactment KermET phone home (left) with Mr McRory's niece and in Death Bekerms Her, a recreation of Death Becomes Her (right) Kermit ponders mortality in Hamlet parody Kermlet (left) and in Kerm With a Pearl Earring, a recreation of Girl with a Pearl Earring . 'It's really cool that even though his face is locked in an expression he looks really different depending on how he's posed and dressed. 'And I love a good fog-based pun. 'They were coming to me at the weirdest times. I'd wake up in the middle of the night and think of one so that's what I'd do the next day.' Kermspotting- Trainspotting . One day my Prince(ess) will come - The Princess and the Frog . Amerikerm beauty- American Beauty . Kermlet - Hamlet . kermUPpance - UP . Kerm with a Pearl Earring - Girl with a Pearl Earring . KERMS - Jaws . Croakback Mountain - Brokeback Mountain . Kerm Alone - Home Alone . Ankerman - Anchorman . A Frogwork Orange - A Clockwork Orange . KermET phone home - ET . Kerm Kong -King Kong . Froda - Star Wars . BatKerm - Batman . Silence of the Amphibians - Silence of the Lambs . Death Bekerms Her - Death Becomes Her . KerMGM Studios - MGM Lion . Kermit takes off in kermUPpance - a recreation of hit computer-animated Disney film Up, and right as the iconic MGM lion . | Blogger Matthew McCrory gave classic film posters and scenes a froggy twist as part of a month long photo project .
He started project as way to fill time while recuperating from a bone marrow transplant as treatment for leukaemia .
Kermit tries out some interesting new roles, including stints as E.T, Jaws, Hannibal Lecter, Hamlet and Batman . |
163,740 | 5fc2db697577be5989136f123794957db29d9084 | By . Leesa Smith . Bali Nine convict Scott Rush will be questioned by authorities about photos that allegedly show him smoking crack cocaine behind bars in Kerobokan prison. The prison's governor Farid Junaidi says he will study the photos published by News Corp on Monday and question Rush, who is serving life for the 2005 attempt to bring 8kg of heroin from Bali into Australia. The report quotes an unnamed source who says despite the 28-year-old's claims to be clean, he regularly took meth, heroin and cocaine in the jail, which was 'like a supermarket' for drugs. Mr Junaidi claimed to be leading a crackdown on contraband drugs, but admitted it was possible that some slipped through the cracks. Scroll down for video . Photographs allegedly show Bali Nine drug trafficker Scott Rush using drugs in prison . The pictures allegedly show Rush holding and inhaling from drug paraphernalia and were taken in January . Kerobokan prison governor Farid Junaidi says he will study the photos of Rush allegedly smoking crack cocaine behind bars and question the 28 year-old over the images . 'Since the very beginning that I've been in charge here, I've started a war on drugs,' he said. 'Prisons have been bombarded by drug smuggling and it's in big quantities, but we have managed to crack down on most of it. 'Certainly it's possible that some still get away with it.' The photos were allegedly taken in January, under the governor's watch. Rush - whose death sentence was commuted to a life sentence in 2011 - moved to Karangasem jail, in Bali's east, in February. He had been requesting the move for a long time, in order to be closer to a local 'foster family' who were looking out for him. An unnamed source told the Herald Sun that the 28-year-old was smoking crack cocaine, and added he would often take drugs during late-night parties. 'He has been telling people he has been clean of drugs for ages and that just isn't true,' the source said. In June, Rush proposed to his successful London banker girlfriend who said she would only marry him if he turns his life around and is not doing any drugs. An unnamed source told the Herald Sun the 28-year-old was smoking crack cocaine, and added he would often take drugs during late-night parties . During a prison visit Rush dropped to one knee and asked 38-year-old mother-of-two Nikki Butler to marry him, more than nine years after they met for just a few hours before he was stopped with 1.3kg of heroin strapped to his body. Ms Butler had lost touch with the 28-year-old drug smuggler during his years of incarceration, but reunited with him in April after she recognised an image of him on British TV which referenced the Bali Nine. Earlier this year he became the second of the Bali nine drug couriers to be moved out of Kerobokan Prison, moving to Karangasem in Bali's far east. 'Rush was moved in February this year because he was getting beaten up and getting some serious threats over a drug debt of about $5000,' the source told the Herald Sun. Kerobokan prison is awash with drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine and heroin, with the trade controlled by local gangs. At just 19 years of age Rush was committed to stand trial and sentenced to life in prison after his arrest at a Denpasar airport with 1.8 kg of heroin concealed on his body. After an appeal he was given the death penalty - which was later overturned back to a life in 2011. The couple hope that sentence will be reduced to between 15 and 20 years. Earlier this year, pictures of another Bali Nine inmate, Renae Lawrence, 37, were also investigated. In the video footage, Lawrence claimed her former cell mate, Schapelle Corby, knowingly smuggled marijuana into Indonesia. Bali officials determined the video couldn't be used as evidence against Corby, who is now out on parole. In June, Rush proposed to his successful London banker girlfriend who said she would only marry him if he turns his life around and is not doing any drugs . | Photographs allegedly show Scott Rush holding drug paraphernalia .
An unnamed source said the 28-year-old was smoking crack cocaine .
In June, Rush proposed to his successful London banker girlfriend who said she would only marry him if he is not doing any drugs .
Kerobokan prison governor Farid Junaidi says he will question Rush over the photos of him allegedly smoking the drugs behind bars . |
205,151 | 958e0c186b2f1c102350c09545776ff030ce3324 | The father of the four brothers, who left Australia to fight in Syria, has revealed a mysterious man had been in close contact with one of his sons just weeks before he fled the country to fight for the Islamic State. Issam El Baf said he couldn't tell what his son Bilal, 25, and the unknown man were doing and but he would come by the family home once every fortnight or each week. Mr El Baf said Bilal had been friends with the man for a few weeks. This comes as pictures emerged of Taha El Baf, the youngest of the four Western Sydney brothers. Taha El Baf, 17, and his older siblings – two of whom weigh over 140kg and have been described as too unfit to be terrorist fighters – flew via Turkey to join the extremist group last month. The distraught father of the four brothers said he has not heard from them since receiving a text saying 'see you in paradise'. Scroll down for video . Bassima (left) and Issam El Baf (right) - the parents of four brothers from Sydney's south-west who left Australia to fight in Syria . Muslim community leader Dr Jamal Rifi (centre) pictured with concerned parents of four boys . El Baf, who was in his final year of high school at Birrong Boys High School before he fled his family home in Yagoona, was a promising student and played for a local rugby league team, while his brothers had stable jobs. Before they were due to come home last month, the parents received a text stating: 'We made it to Bilad al-Sham, we will see you in paradise'. Bilad al-Sham is a region in Syria. Despite the text, parents Bassima and Issam El Baf went to the airport to pick up their sons but they never arrived. They now fear their boys have been lured into the clutches of the IS terrorist organisation. Their father Issam El Baf said he hadn't heard anything since receiving the haunting text. 'It's bad, very bad,' he said. 'It's very frustrating. We haven't heard anything for three weeks.' Authorities tracked the sons down in Turkey after the family alerted them but it is believed they have since crossed the border into Syria. Taha El Baf, 17, from Yagoona, and his three older brothers flew to Syria to join the Islamic State last month . The 17-year-old also appeared in a school anti-bullying video which was posted to YouTube last year . More Australians have slipped through the cracks and fled overseas to join the fight with Islamic State . Unlike some before them, the siblings were 'clean-skins' and had not been on any watch-lists that would have alerted immigration controls. In a statement last month, their mother pleaded with them to come home. 'My sons, you are dear to us. You are good at heart. You have done nothing wrong. 'Come back. We love you.' Last month, leading Islamic community leader Dr Jamal Rifi said revealed two of the four Sydney brothers are 'obese' and may be snubbed by fellow terrorists if they eat all their rations. Dr Rifi said the men would not make good foot soldiers for the terror group, and believes they will be used for propaganda videos instead. When the brothers sent their shocked mother a one line text message saying they had arrived safely in Syria last month, she thought it was a cruel joke. Dr Jamal Rifi said two of the brothers are over 140kg and would not make good foot soldiers for IS . The message read: 'We made it to Bilad al-Sham, we will see you in Paradise.' One of the brothers had initially told the mother that he won four tickets to Thailand and he was going to take his brothers with him. The parents say if they knew their sons - Omar, 28, Bilal, 25, Hamza, 23, and 17-year-old Taha - were going to Syria they would never have driven them to the airport. Mr El Baf said there was nothing to make him or his wife think their sons would travel to Syria. 'They have been brought up fairly highly educated, went to a good school,' he said on Wednesday. 'They are very good kids. They never play in the street ... they were always home with us.' Ms El Baf could barely speak through her tears as she pleaded with her boys to come home. 'They are my babies, still my babies,' she said. Dr Rifi told radio station 2UE: 'The family is distraught, their main concern is to initiate contact, the concern are not concerned how they were radicalised but that they want them to come back. 'We are hoping the fact that because two of them are quite obese they will not good foot soldiers, they are over 140 kg. 'People are going to realise what are we going to do with them? Are they going to eat al the food and you can't even run on the field.' Dr Rifi said the family was trying to get messages to the brothers but they had not responded and had probably had their mobile phones confiscated by IS. He explained the family had given all the information to the authorities who were trying to 'put the pieces of the puzzle together'. Their mother is of Lebanese descent and their father is a taxi driver, they also have another brother and sister living at home. Many foreign fighters have already left the country including Mohamed Elomar (pictured) Dr Rifi added they were 'simple boys' who could not organise trip properly, and he revealed they had missed the first flight they had booked and had to re-book one for the next day. He said: 'They have no life experience. They (the parents) had no idea what their kids were planning such a move, these are ordinary kids who live at home, they showed no sign of radicalisation.' The fifth son went to meet a flight that was coming in from Thailand last month, hoping it was a joke. Dr Rifi said the family had alerted the authorities to the brothers' departure and it was now up to them to 'put the pieces of the puzzle together'. It emerged on Saturday authorities had tracked the brothers - who lived in south-west Sydney - as far as Turkey and alerted the family last week. Australian Federal Police commissioner Neil Gaughan told a parliamentary committee that the group of four that managed to leave the country this week were 'not on anyone's radar',The Guardian reported. 'We got wind of it after the fact, but the fact is there are still people travelling,' said Gaughan, the national manager of counter-terrorism for the Australian Federal Police,' he said. Khaled Sharrouf is also fighting with IS militants in the Middle East, and made headlines when he posted a photo of his young son brandishing a severed head . | Four brothers from Sydney's south-west left Australia to fight in Syria .
Two of the boys are over 140kg and described as 'unfit' and 'obese'
Their father says he has not heard from them since receiving a text message saying 'see you in paradise'
Dr Jamal Rifi said the boys will not make good foot soldiers .
Their father said he has not heard from them since receiving a text .
He believes they will be probably be used for propaganda videos .
The boy's mother first received text that they were in the Middle East she thought it was a joke . |
30,918 | 57dacafa7779cc16ed6f6f7f09f2c9721b5357f7 | Jerusalem (CNN)The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has said that it wants to de-escalate hostilities on the Israeli-Lebanon border, a day after fighting left two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper dead, Israel's defense minister said Thursday. Hezbollah sent the message through intermediaries, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel's Army Radio. "There are nonofficial channels between us and Lebanon to communicate through UNIFIL (United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon), and indeed a message like that was received from Lebanon," Yaalon said. On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired five antitank missiles at Israeli military vehicles in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, killing an officer and a soldier, the Israeli military said. Sgt. Dor Chaim Nini was 20; Capt. Yochai Kalangel was 25, Israel Defense Forces said. The attack took place near Shebaa Farms, also known as Har Dov, a disputed strip of land between Lebanon and Syria adjoining the Golan Heights, under Israeli control. Seven Israeli soldiers were injured, two of them moderately, the Israeli military said. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack. Yaalon accused Iran and Hezbollah of planning an attack from Syria on the Golan area, which is under Israeli control. "This reflects a general picture that Iran and Hezbollah are trying to heat up the region and Golan Heights area because it is easy for them to operate in." He warned against such attacks, saying: . "The IDF is ready and we will not allow any terror parties to act against us. And the hosts behind those terror groups we will not allow to attack IDF or civilians. We must protect civilians both offensively and defensively." The Spanish service member, Cpl. Francisco Javier Soria Toledo, was serving with UNIFIL, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. He was killed "during the incidents that happened between Hezbollah and the Israeli military" Wednesday, the Spanish government said. UNIFIL said that its personnel "observed six rockets launched toward Israel" Wednesday morning, and that the IDF "returned artillery fire in the same general area." It was unknown whether the peacekeeper, 36, was killed by Israeli or Hezbollah fire. The Israeli military told CNN it is investigating. CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report. | Two Israeli soldiers killed, seven wounded in a Hezbollah missile attack Wednesday .
A Spanish service member with a U.N. peacekeeping forces also killed . |
78,954 | dfca2d3bb5dd6c70cc774976789d6cb1c4606f85 | By . Sophie Borland and Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 17:08 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:14 EST, 16 July 2013 . Eleven of the 14 hospital trusts investigated by Sir Bruce Keogh have been put into ‘special measures’ and hit squads will be sent in to help them improve care, Jeremy Hunt announced yesterday. These experts may decide to sack chief executives and other top managers if they think they are not up to scratch – although officials will be handed a stay of execution to see if they can turn their hospitals around. The 11 ‘mediocre’ NHS trusts in special measures are: North Cumbria; Northern Lincolnshire and Goole; Tameside; United Lincolnshire; Basildon and Thurrock, Essex; Burton, Staffordshire; East Lancashire; George Eliot, Nuneaton, Warwickshire; Sherwood Forest; Buckinghamshire; and Medway, Kent. Victim: Terry Day, 35, pictured with fiancee Samantha Blythe, was mistaken for a drunk by hospital staff in Basildon, Essex, when in fact he had a fatal brain tumour . Three other trusts – based in Blackpool, Colchester and Dudley – will not be put into special measures and have been given the chance to improve care themselves. Six of the 11 going into special measures are ‘foundation’ trusts – a coveted status brought in under Labour which was meant to reward the best-performing hospitals. They are: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole, Tameside, Basildon and Thurrock, Burton, Sherwood Forest and Medway. Sir Bruce said: ‘Mediocrity is simply not good enough and, based on the findings from this review I have set out an achievable ambition which will help these hospitals improve dramatically over the next two years.’ Mr Hunt said that 11 of the trusts would be put into ‘special measures’ for ‘fundamental breaches of care’. He told MPs: ‘No statistics are perfect but mortality rates suggest that since 2005 thousands more people may have died that would normally be expected at the 14 trusts reviewed.’ BASILDON & THURROCK . Victims . included Terry Day, 35, who died after nurses ignored the fact that he . had a brain tumour, instead believing he was just ‘a drunk’. Lucy . Anderson, 30, lost her unborn baby after she was refused a scan because . of a lack of staff. And disabled Tina Papalabropoulos, 23, died from . pneumonia after doctors missed numerous chances to save her life. Double tragedy Lucy Anderson (left) lost her unborn baby after she was refused a scan, while Tina Papalabropoulos died from pneumonia after a series of blunders . BUCKINGHAMSHIRE . BURTON . EAST LANCASHIRE . Widow Betty Dunn died from the superbug C. Diff after she was admitted with a routine stomach bug . By numbers: NHS in the labour years . GEORGE ELIOT . MEDWAY . NORTH CUMBRIA . N LINCS & GOOLE . SHERWOOD FOREST . TAMESIDE . Victims included Betty Dunn, 79, who was admitted with a routine stomach problem but died from the superbug Clostridium difficile six weeks later after a catalogue of medical blunders. UNITED LINCS . The three trusts which had high death rates but which will not be placed in special measures are: . DUDLEY . COLCHESTER . BLACKPOOL . Receptionists are deciding how swiftly patients are seen in A&E because of an extraordinary shortage of nurses, according to the report. The administrative staff are making decisions which would normally be taken by taken by medical practitioners. Ruth May, nurse director for NHS Midlands and East, said: ‘In some hospitals, in some ward areas, there was inadequate staffing – we heard from patients about call bells going off for longer periods than they should have been. I held the hand of a patient – just to comfort them – because the nurses did not have sufficient time to do that. The King's Mill Centre in Nottinghamshire which is part of the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which has been under review by NHS England medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh . Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt made a statement about the damning report . ‘I observed some aspects of care that did lack compassion. I would argue that we saw that at the same time as seeing poor levels of staffing.’ The report found nursing shortages at all 14 organisations – particularly at nights and weekends – with some nurses left on their own in charge of 15 patients. Inspectors also found receptionists deciding how quickly patients are seen in A&E at Sherwood Forest Hospitals. Patients are told to tell staff on the front desk if they have chest pain otherwise they join the back of the queue. The inspectors found a queue of eight patients waiting to be assessed by a secretary at the casualty unit at Princess Diana hospital in Grimsby, part of the United Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust. Earlier this year a major study found that patients are 10 per cent more likely to die if there are not enough nurses on wards as they are more likely to suffer complications. Yet official figures show that the numbers of nurses in the NHS has increased by a third since 1997 – when Labour came to power – up from 261,000 to 350,000 today. Healthcare experts and unions argue that more nurses are needed on the wards compared to several decades ago as higher numbers of patients in hospital are elderly and require dedicated care. But the Royal College of Nursing is concerned that the Government has begun slashing nurses’ posts and claims that 6,000 have been lost since 2010. Yesterday the RCN and Unison demanded that the NHS impose compulsory safe staffing levels with minimum numbers of nurses on each wards. Dr Peter Carter, General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘There’s an undeniable link between nurse staffing levels and patient mortality and we can’t keep failing to address this issue.’ 1997: Labour wins the election and takes charge of an NHS budget of just over £33billion. At first, it sticks to Tory spending limits. 2000: Tony Blair goes on Breakfast with Frost to announce plans to increase NHS spending to bring it up to the European average, without warning Gordon Brown . 2000: Alan Milburn’s NHS plan imposes targets to reduce waiting lists, later blamed for prompting managers to ignore care standards. He also says thousands more nurses will be trained . 2001: Gordon Brown unveils five-year spending plan to bring the NHS budget up to European levels by 2008 . 2002: An independent review by ex-NatWest boss Derek Wanless calls for a huge increase in NHS spending. Brown responds with a 1p rise in National Insurance. 2003: But much of the money goes towards a top-down reorganisation of the NHS, such as the formation of foundation trusts and the replacement of health authorities with primary care trusts. Thousands more managers employed. 2004: Much of the extra money goes not to patients but towards extra pay for GPs and consultants, who see their pay soar at the same time as opting out of responsibility for out-of-hours care. 2006: Despite all the billions, a third of trusts face severe financial problems. Many are forced to close wards and cut staff . 2007: First of a series of scandals as it emerges that 90 patients died from C. Diff at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust – because managers were obsessed with targets. 2009: Mid Staffs scandal emerges: up to 1,200 die on filthy and short-staffed wards. Health Secretary Andy Burnham orders an investigation but refuses to hold a full public inquiry. 2010: Labour loses the election, spending almost £100billion annually on the NHS – almost triple the level when it took over. | 11 of the 14 hospital trusts investigated put into 'special measures'
Six of the 11 are 'foundation' trusts – a coveted status brought in under Labour that was meant to reward the best-performing hospitals .
1,607 ‘excess deaths’
Patients waiting for 14 hours in casualty .
Poor hygiene with building work continuing in the cardiothoracic unit which cares for patients with heart and lung problems .
Junior doctors undertaking 19 hour shifts .
One nurse left in charge of ten patients overnight .
531 ‘excess deaths’
Junior doctors left in charge of up to 250 patients at weekends .
Doctors and nurses saying workloads ‘frightening’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘unmanageable’
Patients on dementia wards not fed properly or given enough water .
One patient transferred between two hospitals eight times because of staffing shortages .
700 ‘excess deaths’
Staff in some wards had to work 12 days in a row with others doing 14-hour shifts .
Healthcare assistants performing tasks which should be done by qualified nurses such as blood observations .
Drugs and fluids found to be out of date and equipment missing on resuscitation trolleys .
Nurses .
and doctors unable to speak English with patients having to ask same .
question time and again because they were not understood.
655 ‘excess deaths’
Dangerously high level of stillborn babies – eight in March 2013 – but this was never investigated by bosses .
Patients sent home too soon and having to be admitted to hospital days later .
Complaints not dealt with compassionately .
Shortage of A&E doctors and midwives .
985 ‘excess deaths’
One patient had not seen consultant for ten days .
Patients had to use lavatories with doors left open .
Patients shunted around hospitals between wards .
Nurses not properly trained to treat bedsores with patients left in crippling pain .
711 ‘excess deaths’
Junior doctors left on their own looking after critically ill patients on ‘high dependency’ wards .
Staffing levels ‘unsafe’ in A&E and on a number of other wards caring for seriously ill patients .
672 ‘excess deaths’
Dirt and dust ‘ingrained’ on wards and corridors .
Two operating theatres shut down immediately over hygiene concerns with patients at high risk of infections .
Proper cleaning very difficult as wards so cluttered .
953 ‘excess deaths’
Receptionists deciding how quickly patients are seen in A&E .
Patients looked after by paramedics in back of ambulance for nearly two hours because A&E too busy .
Relatives having to wash and turn p atients over to prevent bedsores due to lack of nurses .
Patients routinely placed in mixed-sex wards particularly following surgery .
819 ‘excess deaths’
Patients left on trolleys in a matron’s office because of lack of beds .
Relatives waiting three years for their complaints to be answered .
Patients in A&E told to tell receptionist – not doctor – if they have chest pain, if not they go to back of queue .
833 ‘excess deaths’
Senior nurses left instead of doctors in charge of some wards overnight .
Patients shunted from ward to ward up to four times during their stay just to make room .
One nurse left to look after 15 patients overnight .
1,530 ‘excess deaths’
Doctors and nurses did not think patient care was the top priority .
Junior doctors with less than a year’s experience left in charge overnight .
Patients felt scared to complain in case it jeopardised their care .
1,234 ‘excess deaths’
Doctors, nurses and other staff having to be reminded to wash their hands .
Vital machines to help patients breathe found not to be working on some wards .
723 ‘excess deaths’
Patients complaining wards too cold, food poor and staff insensitive at breaking bad news.
Shortage of doctors and nurses out of hours.
1,367 ‘excess deaths’
No consultants working on stroke wards at weekends .
Inspectors found two nurses looking after 25 patients on a ‘debris-strewn’ ward. No stroke consultant available at weekend.
Relatives having to feed patients because nurses are too busy . |
26,179 | 4a32d5f29cfb35f3a3966ee041fc1f358503f4b4 | (CNN) -- Somalia's president escaped an opportunistic attack by Islamic militants Wednesday as deadly fighting erupted in the center of Mogadishu, officials said. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was returning from a trip to Yemen when insurgents began firing mortars, resulted in a clash with African Union peacekeepers, the president's director of communications told CNN. "The Islamic insurgents were just guessing the arrival of the president so they started firing mortars, just to send a kind of their regular violent message that they are around," said Abdulkadir Barnamij. The heaviest of the fighting was centered on Maka Al Mukarama, which links the airport to the presidential palace but it is heavily guarded by forces from the African Union Mission in Somalia. Meanwhile Ali Muse, head of an emergency group in the city, confirmed to CNN that three people died and 16 others were wounded in the fighting. "The casualty (number) is small because people deserted the streets soon after the fighting started," said Ali Muse. -- Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report . | President's office: Islamist insurgents, African Union peacekeepers exchanged fire .
Fighting left at least five dead, according to Shabelle Media network .
The heaviest of the fighting centered on area linking airport to the presidential palace . |
104,011 | 12347d8df5534800092e4656cb230b0bf98970e0 | (CNN) -- The brand name Yukos no longer exists and its former founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky has left Russia after being freed from jail, but a landmark ruling in the Hague released Monday ensures their legacy will live on during a sensitive period of time for Vladimir Putin. Yukos was one of Russia's oil giants through the 1990s and until the early 2000s, when its assets were expropriated by the state after a political battle with Khodorkovsky. Now the Permanent Court of Arbitration, in what is considered a landmark judgment, has ordered payment of damages to its former shareholders, totaling $50 billion and including interest and fees for violation of a treaty covering Russia's energy assets. This case goes back to 2005 and strikes at the heart of Putin's tactics to strip Yukos and Khordorkovsky under charges of tax evasion. The three judge panel called the Federation's move "equivalent of expropriation of claimants' investments." Those claimants, representing Group Menatep Ltd. or GML, include former Yukos CEO Platon Lebedev and four others who were seeking damages of up to $114 billion. The main asset of Yukos, known as Yuganskneftegaz, was auctioned in late 2004 for just $9.3 billion and purchased by state-run Rosneft, which is now run by Putin confidant Igor Sechin. The Russian president has big plans for Rosneft to be one of the top energy players in the world. It now has an enterprise value of $115 billion, but that is just a start with agreements signed with Exxon-Mobil, ENI of Italy and its largest shareholder BP, which has a 20% stake in the group. Rosneft holds the position that it did not participate in the arbitrations and therefore is not bound by the rulings. In a statement it said, "Rosneft believes that all of its purchases of former Yukos assets, and all other actions taken by it with respect to Yukos were entirely lawful and proper applicable law." The response from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a press conference Monday was equally unforgiving about the actions taken. "The process is not over; appellations are allowed," Lavrov said. "The Russian side, as well as agencies representing Russia in this trial will use all available legal possibilities to defend their stance." This ruling comes as Moscow faces intense scrutiny for its support of the ongoing fight by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. Another round of European Union economic sanctions are pending after Washington proceeded to tighten the noose earlier this month. Khodorkovsky was not part of this case, but an attorney who represented the former oligarch during his trial on charges by the Russian state said the ruling serves as a partial vindication for his former client. According to Robert Amsterdam, "this is a very important decision to be read by all those who lose assets to autocrats." The arbitrators, he said, had "very heroically" cut through "mistruths" to find in favor of the claimants. This ruling could not only influence Western-led sanctions on Moscow, but could potentially strain talks to find common ground between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union over future gas supplies into Europe. READ MORE: Khodorkovsky speaks out . READ MORE: Sanctions: Top 10 Russian targets . | A court decision awards $50 billion to now-defunct Russian oil giant Yukos' former shareholders .
The case has been rumbling for almost a decade, after Yukos assets were expropriate by the state .
The win is seen as a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose relations with the West are strained . |
205,194 | 959fb8e46800694f94f5a99b77998cf50b6e1f9d | (CNN) -- A Texan couple faces an agonizing wait for the birth of their baby boy to a surrogate, some 14,000 kilometers away, in a country now under military rule that's changing the laws mid-way through the pregnancy. The parents, who have asked not to be named, have never met their surrogate, who they chose from a photo and profile supplied by a clinic in Thailand. "We are not allowed to have direct access to the surrogate, (to) talk to her.... but we are in contact with our agency that has kept us up to date even in the midst of all that has been happening," they said in an email to CNN. What's been happening is an unprecedented crackdown on a lucrative industry that has flourished in the absence of rules and regulations. In recent weeks, Thai authorities have raided a number of surrogacy clinics, closing some down and throwing hundreds of couples into a legal and emotional maelstrom. "The thing that has helped me cope with all the uncertainty is my faith and the hope to have a baby," said the intending mother from Texas. She's not alone. Hundreds of confused couples . Families Through Surrogacy (FTS), a non-profit organization that helps intending parents through the process, says there are currently around 400 couples with pregnant surrogates or frozen embryos in Thailand. Around half are from Australia, with many others from the U.S., Canada and Israel, said FTS founder Sam Everingham, who has been inundated with calls from around the world from worried parents. "Many clinics are being run on a skeleton staff, or staff working from home. As a result it's very hard for parents to contact their clinics," Everingham said. "We want to assure parents that their surrogates are being looked after. They shouldn't panic, they shouldn't try to contact their surrogates direct. This is a difficult time but clinics are doing all they can to ensure those existing pregnancies are looked after," he said. Draft laws approved . The recent police raids have exposed the extremes of surrogacy in Thailand, including the case of a 24-year-old Japanese man suspected of fathering at least 12 surrogate babies because he wanted "a big family," according to his lawyer. DNA tests are underway. The industry had already been subject to international scrutiny following the case of baby Gammy, a seven-month-old boy with Down Syndrome whose parents left him with their Thai surrogate, while taking his twin sister home to Australia. It was later revealed the children's father, David Farnell, was a convicted pedophile. Change in the industry was already underway, with the announcement by Thailand's military government in late July that clinics would be reviewed to ensure they were abiding by the Medical Council's code of conduct. Many weren't. "People have been operating on a pretty informal basis and the risk has always been that that would change, and change very quickly. So in that sense the worst fears of legal professionals like myself have come to bear," said Jenni Millbank, a surrogacy expert from the University of Technology in Sydney. Last week, the interim Thai Cabinet approved a draft law to make commercial surrogacy a criminal offense. It's unclear when it will be formally approved by the National Legislative Assembly and endorsed by the Thai King. Everingham told CNN it's unlikely people in current arrangements will be charged. "The Thai government has assured us in recent days that there will not be penalties for those in current arrangements, whether they be surrogates or intending parents. (But) there will be a new process for exit from the country," he said. Babies stopped at airport . In the last few days, Thai immigration officials have stopped two couples -- from the U.S. and Australia -- from leaving the country with their newborn babies. Police Major General Suwitpol Imjairat said both had been allowed to leave after presenting a missing document. "Thai authorities are now more rigorously enforcing documentary requirements upon exit of the country when they suspect a child has been born of surrogacy in Thailand," said a spokesman from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). A spokeswoman from the U.S. Embassy said: "We are aware of reports of cases where the parents were not permitted to exit, and we are seeking clarification about Thai Immigration requirements." Suwitpol told reporters on Tuesday: "If all documents are right, there will be no problems." Legal limbo . Couples with pregnant surrogates are now expected to have to seek a Family Court ruling before they're able to take their newborns out of the country -- a process that could take up to six months. "It's been three to five weeks in the past. It's a huge increase," Everingham said. The extra costs and delays are an unexpected blow for couples who have already spent thousands of dollars on surrogacy services, but there's little they can do. "Going early to Thailand would serve no purpose, and we would not know who to lobby anyway," the hopeful Texan mother said. "We are not rich. We have regular jobs, and like most people, we only have so much vacation time to use to get our baby and take care of the legal requirements to take our baby home." End of Thai surrogacy? Already, people who may have sought surrogacy in Thailand are looking elsewhere, Everingham said. "Mexico and Nepal are very viable possibilities now for same-sex couples, singles and de facto couples." The options will be discussed at a conference in Washington DC, next month, when Families Through Surrogacy will also be calling for mandatory criminal checks worldwide on intending parents, to avoid a repeat of the outrage that followed the case of baby Gammy. "At the moment, some U.S. clinics do ask for criminal checks on parents, but it's the least that can be done by clinics to protect their reputation, as well as protect the babies who'll be born," Everingham said. It's likely the Thai crackdown will lead to a sharp drop in foreign parents seeking surrogacy in the country. However, Everingham says he doesn't think that it's the end of the industry in Thailand. "There is going to be surrogacy in the future, but brokers or intermediaries won't be allowed. Basically it looks like it'll only really be possible if you arrive with a local Thai person or you're bringing a surrogate in from another country with you." | 400 couples worldwide worried for surrogate babies in Thailand .
Thai Cabinet approved draft laws to criminalize commercial surrogacy .
Raids exposed extremes of the industry, a man suspected of fathering 12 babies .
Intending parents have been stopped at Bangkok airport by immigration officials . |
77,195 | dad83d0ba9081bbcf449bd8c56732b757a824bc3 | By . Ian Ladyman . Follow @@Ian_Ladyman_DM . Manchester United have told former midfielder Paul Scholes that the door is open for him to return to a coaching role at Old Trafford. Scholes was part of the coaching set-up at the end of last season as former team-mate Ryan Giggs took over from sacked David Moyes for the final four games in the Barclays Premier League. VIDEO Scroll down to watch former Red Devil Paul Scholes showing he can still tackle hard . Watching brief: Paul Scholes (left) was on the touchline on Tuesday as Salford City took on Stalybridge Celtic, the team he co-owns, in pre-season friendly . Many people thought Scholes had burned his bridges with the club over the summer, though, after criticising some United players in a World Cup column he wrote for a betting company. Scholes questioned whether Wayne Rooney was already past his best at 28 and why the club had spent £30million on defender Luke Shaw. It is understood, though, that current manager Louis van Gaal and chief executive Ed Woodward still believe the former England star still has something to offer and that Scholes has been told that the club would be happy to talk. Scholes will not be offered a job with the first team coaching pool as Van Gaal is now happy with this immediate staff. Helping out: Scholes was part of Ryan Giggs' coaching set-up at the end of last season . However, United feel that Scholes could offer the club a great deal by returning to work with young players, possibly alongside current coach Nicky Butt. 'We still value Paul and his qualities very highly,' said a United source. 'As far as we are concerned the door remains open.' | Paul Scholes was part of Ryan Giggs' coaching team last season .
New manager Louis van Gaal believes Scholes has something to offer .
Scholes could join up with Nicky Butt in club's youth set up . |
77,216 | dae4b4c9fe51d530124db370629334db6a3c4bb8 | (CNN) -- House Republicans pushed through a trillion-dollar farm bill -- approved by the Senate Tuesday -- that will cut food stamps by $8 billion over the next decade and reduce food allotments for more than 850,000 households by around $90 a month. The measure passed despite opposition from Tea Party Republicans who were seeking even more savage cuts. If the Republican Party hopes to revive the Bush-era idea of "compassionate conservatism," this isn't the way to do it. The bill was the culmination of a three-year battle over food stamps, also called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. House Democrats who supported the measure said they compromised. This version, they said, was better than previous ones; Tea Party Republicans had wanted a 5% cut, not 1%. The White House has signaled that President Obama will sign the bill. He shouldn't, but this is a pragmatic president. So he probably will. That the legislation slashes aid to hungry children might be justifiable if it didn't also hand out $90 billion over 10 years -- $7 billion more than before -- in subsidized crop insurance to farmers, which virtually guarantees revenue. The agribusiness lobby, which includes large farming concerns as well as publicly traded corporations like Monsanto and Kroger, spent $111 million pressing lawmakers, according to Bloomberg. That's more than the defense and union lobbies combined. Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat who voted against the measure, called it "nothing more than reverse Robin Hood legislation that steals food from the poor in favor of crop subsidies for the rich." If not for the hungry children, there might be a bright side. It's not every day that the real constituency of establishment Republicans is revealed so clearly. Typically, the GOP's representation of big business is shrouded by rhetorical expressions of concern for workaday Americans. For instance, after President Obama announced he would use his executive authority to raise the base wage of workers employed by companies with federal contracts, House Speaker John Boehner accused Obama of hurting workers by hurting their employers. "We know from increases in the minimum wage in the past that hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans have lost their jobs, and so the very people the President purports to help are the ones who are going to get hurt by this," Boehner told reporters last week on Capitol Hill. While it may sound credible to argue that paying workers $3 and some change more per hour actually hurts them in the long run (because businesses hiring them shed workers to avoid paying more), it's completely incredible to say feeding hungry Americans more hurts them. The most extreme wing of the Republican Party, including those who opposed the farm bill, claims that it spends money the government doesn't have. If so, such moments of scarcity demand tough and moral decisions be made according to priorities. With this bill, the Republicans have said loudly that corporations with billions in revenue are more important than children. The Republicans' real constituency isn't the only thing exposed. So is their opposition to "redistribution." That's movement conservatism's core complaint with the welfare state: They say government takes money from hard-working Americans, who play by the rules and strive to succeed, and gives it to the undeserving poor. Another variation comes from talk-radio show host Rush Limbaugh: "Redistribution is theft," he said last month. "It is a powerful government taking from people they deem to have too much, or more than they need, and then just giving it to people they deem worthy of receiving it." But as this farm bill reveals, Republicans are not opposed to redistribution at all. Quite the contrary. The question isn't whether the government should redistribute. The question is who should get the distributions. Republicans have argued for years that help should only be given to those who help themselves. During a fundraising event, Lee Bright, a Republican state senator of South Carolina who is challenging U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, said: "Able-bodied people, if they don't work, they shouldn't eat." That argument is exposed as fundamentally bankrupt in light of the fact, as journalist Sasha Abramsky reported last year, that "22% of children in America live in poverty -- a number far higher than that in any other peer nation. More than 47 million Americans avoid hunger only because of the existence of the federal food stamp program." But of course this is about hungry children. Lots of them. Perhaps worst of all is the moral climate created and maintained by Limbaugh & Co. in which depriving children of food is permissible. Case in point: In Utah recently, around 40 students in one of Salt Lake City's elementary schools watched as food-service workers seized their lunches and threw them into the trash. The reason? Unpaid meal accounts. Said one outraged mother: "These are young children that shouldn't be punished." Amen to that. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Stoehr. | John Stoehr: If GOP wants "compassionate conservatism," food stamp cuts aren't the way .
Stoehr: Cuts might be justified if agribusiness didn't get $90 billion over 10 years .
He says the GOP is not opposed to redistribution of wealth if it gets distributed to the wealthy . |
232,417 | b8f2d7d78e1b2b269bf8941a4bf517699b06acbf | Edward Griffiths is right – the system of ending the Aviva Premiership with play-offs to decide the title is all about money. The motive is surely beyond doubt. Saracens’ chief executive rattled cages at the start of the domestic season last weekend by arguing that a league should be settled in the traditional manner, with the club who finish on top of the table becoming champions. But it was his honesty in declaring that the status quo is ‘only there for money reasons’ that really resonated. There is no imminent prospect of the landscape being altered, but that doesn’t diminish the validity of Griffiths’ remarks. Financial necessity drives the annual ritual of a 22-game campaign hinging on what follows; two semi-finals and a winner-takes-all final at Twickenham. Northampton Saints team captain Dylan Hartley (right) lifts the trophy after beating Saracens last season . Steve Borthwick of Saracens applauds the fans after defeat during last season's Aviva Premiership Final . A league is decided in cup format, which means it’s not really a league. That is not to knock the spectacle, which is often breath-taking, but after all these years it still doesn’t seem quite right. No wonder, really, as 12 titles have been settled via the play-offs, but only four clubs in that time have claimed the trophy after claiming first place – Sale, Leicester (twice) and Harlequins. There is never any real fanfare of support for the play-off system among participants. By and large, when asked about it, coaches and players unite in the view that it is now established and the same rules apply to everyone, so there can’t be any complaints. It is accepted, but not cherished. Yet, it is the standard model in professional rugby; used to decide France’s Top 14, the Pro12, Super 15 and the Championship tussle for promotion to the Premiership – where it is such a distorting factor that much of the regular season becomes incidental. Billy Twelvetrees of England scores against the Barbarians at Twickenham last year . The global calendar is too crowded, so removing play-offs would be wise in the bigger picture too. Perhaps a successful World Cup in these parts next year will generate such a surge in interest that a simple league format will suffice in generating precious profit. If there is a common desire to end the English season in style each year, how about this? Instead of play-offs, followed by England facing the Barbarians, perhaps the Premiership champions can go to Twickenham the following week to take on the national team (minus that club’s contingent) in a non-cap game. Now that would be a club v country confrontation worth watching. When World Cup tickets go on public sale on Friday, there will be a stampede to watch the big games involving hosts England, Wales and other leading nations, especially New Zealand. But much of the tournament’s charm will be found in lower-key pool fixtures, when neutrals choose sides to support or attend in the hope of an upset. In Brighton, Northampton’s American No 8 of Tongan descent, Samu Manoa, will be unleashed in brutal combat with the Pacific-island anagram of his name (Manu) Samoa. The earth will shake. Shock-seekers may fancy an afternoon at Kingsholm when Scotland face Japan, who are rising under the guidance of Eddie Jones and beat Wales last year. Gloucester’s ground also hosts Argentina v Georgia – heaven for scrum purists and a chance to observe the East European’s giant Mamuka ‘Godzilla’ Gorgodze at close quarters. Sandy Park, Exeter will reverberate as Tongan warriors attempt to find a way past Namibia’s immovable object – Jacques Burger of Saracens. Games like these will not be overly corporate occasions so take advantage of fair prices, adopt a minnow, paint faces and embrace the colour and diversity of the event. Namibia captain Jacques Burger in action against South Africa at the 2011 Rugby World Cup . The home nations are running for the hills – literally – when the World Cup countdown begins in earnest next summer. England go to Denver, Colorado for a fortnight and Wales are off to find height and heat; in Switzerland and Qatar. Never mind the fitness benefits of training at altitude, these are wise moves by Messrs Lancaster and Gatland for less scientific reasons. Cabin fever is a major threat. While the tournament doesn’t start until mid-September, squads will be together for the best part of 10 weeks prior to that point and no matter how luxurious the location, monotony becomes a big factor. Test rugby is such a detailed, labour-intensive business now, but the pursuit of excellence can go too far. On the basis that a change is as good as a break, different scenery will help to maintain focus. Down-time and the odd sociable outing are vital too, while briefly escaping the glare of pre-tournament hype is a sensible step. Minds as well as bodies must be fit for purpose. The Infinity Park in Denver, Colorado, will host England's rugby squad next summer ahead of the World Cup . There is much consternation in New Zealand rugby circles about the imminent loss of a teenage prodigy known as ‘Tongan Thor’. Taniela Tupou is a 21-stone prop who grew up in Tonga but is said to have supported Australia – which is where he is now heading, with reports Down Under that the 18-year-old is poised to sign for Queensland Reds. Tupou came to wider prominence in May when his power running and try-scoring exploits for Sacred Heart School in Auckland became a worldwide internet sensation. He was asked to sign a loyalty agreement with the New Zealand Rugby Union, but refused to do so and is now set to move across the Tasman Sea. The All Blacks have often benefited from an influx of Polynesian talent, but this is a monstrous prospect from the islands who is on course to torment them in years to come, on behalf of the Wallabies. Taniela Tupou is a 21-stone prop whose school videos have become an internet sensation . Last Word – There was no doubt in the minds of Northampton supporters at Franklin’s Gardens last Friday; Gloucester hooker Richard Hibbard dived to win a penalty. That was certainly the impression in real time and when the incident was replayed. The Welsh Lion collided with rival Dylan Hartley, there was a fleeting pause then he crumpled to the turf. Referee Wayne Barnes was fooled but such theatrics are a creeping trend in the game which must be snuffed out. After last season’s Heineken Cup Final, Springbok wing Bryan Habana chose to apologise for an exaggerated fall which Saracens captain Steve Borthwick denounced at the time as ‘embarrassing’. Habana duly noted that ‘sportsmanship and integrity’ are central pillars of rugby’s appeal, but they will soon collapse if mass, football-style deceit becomes the norm. Hibbard is a tough bloke, as amply demonstrated in the Lions’ demolition of Australia in Sydney last year. It is beneath him, Habana and others to act as con artists. Richard Hibbard of Gloucester is treated by physios after his supposed hit from Dylan Hartley . | Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths' comments about the play-off system being generated by money are surely beyond doubt .
Rugby supporters should get behind the low-key matches at the World Cup .
Stuart Lancaster and Warren Gatland have made smart moves by organising overseas training camps .
Taniela Tupou has turned his back on New Zealand to play for Australia .
Gloucester hooker Richard Hibbard should not have dived to win a penalty against Northampton on Friday night . |
219,246 | a7c814fb93d3fd1318441555a59db5a610587498 | Bamako, Mali (CNN) -- U.S. aid to Mali could "very seriously be affected," a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Friday, a day after renegade soldiers staged a coup in the young African democracy. The United States gives Mali's government roughly $140 million in aid each year. "A little more than half of that is humanitarian aid -- food, etc. -- that would not be affected. But if the situation is not resolved democratically, the remaining portion of that aid could very seriously be affected," Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington. "Any U.S. assistance to the government of Mali, beyond what we give for humanitarian purposes, is at risk if we cannot get back to a democratic situation in the country," she said. Nuland spoke the same day the African Union suspended Mali's membership. At a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the African Union implemented the punitive measures until constitutional order is restored in Mali. Paul Zolo, Nigeria's ambassador, said the African Union would hold accountable all those involved in the breakdown of security in Mali. Chairman Jean Ping said the council would consider sanctions similar to those imposed in Ivory Coast during its recent political turmoil. In the Malian capital, Bamako, shops and offices remained shut a day after the military ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure. The new military junta suspended the constitution and closed the nation's borders. Toure's whereabouts remain unknown. The military has only said that "he is safe." Ping said Toure was in still in Mali and was apparently "protected by his royal guard." Nuland said the same. Amnesty International reported at least three deaths in Thursday's coup. Amnesty's director in Mali, Saloum Traore, said the casualties were discovered in the Gabriel Toure hospital; 28 others were injured. Amnesty staff members have not been able to access the other major hospital in Bamako. News of the military takeover garnered immediate worldwide condemnation. The west African nation of about 15 million people was considered a shining example of democracy. Amadou Konare, the spokesman for the renegade soldiers who seized control, accused the government of mishandling an insurgency by Tuareg nomads, who have long called for the creation of an independent state and have risen up against the Malian government a number of times since the 1960s. The indigenous tribe are spread across Mali, Libya, Algeria, Niger and Burkina Faso. The latest uprising began to take root late last year but gained momentum in January, when the rebels began attacking towns in northern Mali. It has been further energized by an influx of fighters who had been fighting on behalf of former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The Tuareg took advantage of the chaos in the capital and pushed south to occupy the town of Anefis, previously held by the Malian soldiers, according to an online statement from the Azawad National Liberation Movement. They announced on Radio France International that they would go after other cities, including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, that they said were rightfully theirs. The statement said the coup would not affect the Tuareg quest for a separate homeland. Amadou Aya Sanogo, Mali's new military leader, said Friday that he would reach out to the rebels for peace talks. The junta declared a nationwide curfew but called on people to return to work Tuesday. It also said Mali will hold elections for a new president, though no date was announced. Konare said Mali security forces have formed the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State to work as a transitional government. A 1991 military coup led by Toure ended a dictatorship in the landlocked West African nation. Toure became president in 2002, was re-elected in 2007 and was scheduled to step down in April, when elections were set to pick his successor. Jennifer G. Cooke, Africa director of the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Mali coup, if ultimately successful, would be a major setback to the nation's political development. "With the region, the international community and very likely the vast majority of Malians in stark opposition, there is no good outcome here, and things are likely to end very badly for the mutineers," Cooke wrote on the center's website. The growing Tuareg insurgency has raised concerns in Washington, which sees Mali as an important ally against al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the sub-Saharan offshoot of the terrorist group. The ongoing violence between these rebels and security forces has compelled tens of thousands of Malians to flee into neighboring countries and created turmoil in Toure's administration. Conflict in the region has forced the United Nations to appeal for $35.6 million to address the growing humanitarian crisis as throngs of Malians flee into neighboring countries. CNN's Pierre Meilhan, Kim Chakanetsa and Moni Basu and journalists Tom Walsh, Diakaridia Dembele and Amadou Timbine contributed to this report. | NEW: The United States gives Mali roughly $140 million each year .
NEW: African Union suspends Mali after coup, will consider sanctions .
The Tuareg rebels take advantage of the political chaos .
Military leaders say they will hold elections . |
122,046 | 29c5e424c79f3e40212009cd3e1788695a429afe | Bus drivers claim they are being unfairly targeted by traffic wardens who are handing out £70 on the spot fines while they are parked at bus stops. Workers at National Express West Midlands said they feel Wolverhampton council is on a 'suicide mission' to drive everyone out of the city by penalising drivers for doing their jobs. They report being given fines for stopping at designated bus stops for as little as two minutes - which drivers say is essential at some point in the day to enable them to switch drivers. However the council said they had received a number of complaints about illegal parking and wardens said several drivers had been abandoning their buses for long periods. Wardens have been giving fines to bus drivers parked at stops in Lichfield Street in Wolverhampton (pictured) National Express West Midlands workers say traffic wardens have started dishing out fines on an almost daily basis. One driver, who has received a fine, said: 'I think there was six or seven of us ticketed in total. 'Some drivers were there for two or three minutes waiting for a change of driver when the traffic wardens gave them tickets. 'The wardens were telling us we had to move on, but that is always the place where we change drivers before the bus heads off to Dudley. 'It's crazy when you have cars driving through the taxi-only lane up Pipers Row while the roadworks are on. 'They don't get tickets, but we are getting penalised for doing our jobs. Bus drivers say wardens are ticketing almost daily . 'It is as if the council is on a suicide mission to drive everyone out of Wolverhampton.' Wolverhampton City Council said wardens started ticketing buses in Lichfield Street after receiving complaints about illegal parking. Town hall chiefs said no vehicle was allowed to stop in the street unless loading or unloading. They confirmed two fines were given to bus drivers last Friday - but National Express claims the total figure is much higher. A spokesperson for National Express added: 'Some number one buses that had been to Tettenhall were ticketed while they waited along Lichfield Street. 'Several tickets were given out. We know there have been issues there with cars parking in the bus lane which has led to congestion.' Council parking wardens claim they were responding to complaints that drivers had been abandoning their buses for long periods of time for breaks. A spokesperson for Wolverhampton City Council said: 'There have been issues about parking and congestion in Lichfield Street. 'A meeting has been organised for next week with all the interested parties to talk things through and hopefully agree a way forward.' Wardens have been told to stop giving out fines until the meeting is held. Drivers of the National Express West Midlands service claim they are being penalised for doing their job . Passengers on the Number 1 Wolverhampton-to-Dudley service gave mixed responses. Rose Weston, 77, who travels each day to do her shopping, said: 'Where are the buses supposed to park? You can't put them in a multi-storey car park.. 'They stop at the bus stop - that's why its called a bus stop.' Ethel Perkins, 80, added: 'Rules are rules and exist to keep people safe.' | Buses being given £70 fines for parking at stops for two minutes .
Drivers say they have to park for a few minutes so they can swap over .
Say council is on a 'suicide mission' to drive people out of Wolverhampton .
Bus drivers feel they are being 'penalised' and targeted unfairly by wardens .
Council say bus drivers are abandoning buses at stop for long periods .
Meeting organised for drivers and wardens, with fines suspended until then . |
52,076 | 93827b753ecc3b7b15ce01f552575cc9c3a8d162 | London (CNN) -- Whatever U.S. and European leaders may say, it seems clear a majority of the residents of Crimea were only too happy to abandon Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. The referendum held there on Sunday was illegal according to Ukrainian constitutional law and took place under duress, following the large-scale incursion of "pro-Russian forces" -- and voters did not have the choice to say "no" to severing ties with Kiev. But these failings aside, it appears plain that most of Crimea's population, with the exception of the Tatar minority and some ethnic Ukrainians, was content to return to what it regards as its ancestral home. The crucial turnout figures of up to 83% are suspect and may well be inflated. But independent reporting of enthusiastic celebrations suggested the overall outcome genuinely reflected popular wishes -- and was crudely democratic. For this reason, it is unwise of U.S. President Barack Obama and his European counterparts to declare they will "never" recognize the Crimean result. This crisis erupted when anti-Russian opposition forces in Kiev overthrew the country's democratically-elected president, Viktor Yanukovych. This action, too, was illegal under Ukraine's constitutional law and had little support in Crimea. But it was swiftly endorsed by Washington and in European capitals. Now, faced by the pro-Russian opposition's rebound success in Crimea and a political result he does not like, Obama cries foul and refuses to accept the outcome. He cannot have it both ways. In his telephone conversation with Obama on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin quoted the "Kosovo precedent," a reference to the recognition by the U.S. and several European states (but not Russia) of a 2008 declaration of independence by the provincial assembly in Pristina, even though Kosovo was then still a part of Serbia. The unrepentant Russian president's slightly disingenuous question to Obama was: So what's the difference? The right of self-determination of peoples is guaranteed under Chapter One of the U.N. Charter. In South Sudan (which became independent in 2011), in East Timor, in Croatia and Montenegro and various other Balkan states, the U.S. and its allies have upheld and encouraged this principle. A similar process is currently underway in Scotland. If Catalonia enjoyed a similar freedom, it would quite possibly part company with Spain. The answer given by Western governments when confronted with the "Kosovo precedent" is that each case is different and indeed, unique, and must therefore be treated on its separate merits. But this, too, is a slightly spurious argument, akin to the hypothesis which states that my invasion of a country (Iraq or Afghanistan, for example) is legally and morally justified, whereas your invasion is not. In pragmatic as well as theoretical terms, it is a mistake to make of the assisted, hurried but essentially voluntary secession of Crimea a major issue of principle on which there can "never" be compromise. It will obscure the bigger picture. The key challenge for Obama and the EU is not the fate of Crimea per se, but what its destabilising departure implies for the future of Ukraine as a whole and for the wider region. The sanctions and other punishments now being prepared for Russia in Washington and Brussels should pivot on what Moscow does or does not do next, most especially in the cities of eastern Ukraine where additional, large ethnic Russian populations live but so too do many non-Russian Ukrainians. This pre-emptive policy should also apply to Moldova (which has a breakaway, pro-Russian region known as Transnistria), to the Baltic states, and to Georgia, where Putin might be tempted to intrude again. Putin was left in a minority of one at the U.N. Security Council at the weekend because Chapter One of the U.N. Charter also states the following: "All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." Whether Putin has absolutely contravened this principle in Crimea may be open to debate. But eastern Ukraine, with its mixed populations, heritage and loyalties, is a different matter altogether -- which even China, which did not support Moscow at the U.N., understands. If an emboldened Putin now makes the mistake of thinking he can extend his modern-day form of rolling Anschluss into these areas, he must be knocked back very hard indeed. That means going much further, and acting much tougher, than the rather feeble travel and visa bans now being discussed will allow. An Iran-style sanctions regime blocking energy exports, investment, banking and other mainstream business and commercial activities such as arms sales would be more appropriate. So, too, would be direct U.S. and European military assistance to Kiev, as proposed by Senator John McCain. Judging by his behaviour in Chechnya and elsewhere since he first became Russia's prime minister in 1999, Putin is a bully with a massive inferiority complex who responds to strength, not weakness. When Obama stresses that diplomatic solutions can still be found, as he did on Sunday, Putin reads that as fear. You can almost hear the snigger. The only way to stop this strutting menace, if he continues to over-reach, is to frighten him right back -- and if necessary, help create the conditions inside Russia in which he and his ugly, reactionary regime are brought down. Read more: Ignore Western hypocrisy, Putin will do what he wants . Read more: Crimea's vote: Was it legal? Read more: CNN Money: Russians spend billions on Europe deals . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Simon Tisdall. | Voters in Crimea overwhelmingly back a resolution to leave Ukraine and join Russia .
Backlash against the decision in U.S., EU, with sanctions, travel bans suggested .
Simon Tisdall: Barack Obama unwise to declare U.S. will "never" recognize Crimea vote .
Tisdall says West needs to frighten Vladimir Putin, to prevent him moving in to other regions . |
210,271 | 9c5579d2b450262cd5d412a75177ef66543ec1b4 | (EW.com) -- How do you make a movie that tackles pornography not just as an ''issue'' or a product but in terms of its psychological effects? Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the writer, director, and star of "Don Jon," has done it. And he's pulled it off in a light, fun, unlaborious way: by crafting a high-spirited yet dirty-minded romantic comedy about a New Jersey bartender, Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt), who goes out to clubs and gets laid every weekend, usually with the curvaceous babe of his choice. She can never be the woman of his dreams, though, because those dreams have already been lost to the hardcore photographs and videos that he masturbates to every day. It's not really the faces and bodies he's coveting, it's the behavior — the moaning, screaming, make me your nasty toy insatiability, which he thinks is what sex was meant to be. He doesn't realize that he's watching a bill of goods made flesh. As Jon, Gordon-Levitt sports a buffed-up chest and hair greased into a stylish oil slick, and he speaks in low, flat tones, giving a witty turn as a studly ''Guido'' who digs his life of anonymous sex and control; he's like The Situation without the fame or preening smarm. One night out at the club with his wingmen Bobby (Rob Brown) and Danny (Jeremy Luke), Jon spies Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), as gorgeous a woman as he's ever seen. He wants to get with her, and before long they're an item. But then the disappointment sets in. In his mind, his heart, she can't compete with the extreme libidos of the porn world. It doesn't help that she's an ''addict'' too, hooked on rom-coms and their fantasy of a man who'll cater to her every whim. Gordon-Levitt proves a natural filmmaker, nimbly staging Jon's highly amusing Catholic confessions, along with porn montages that mimic the dopamine-charged editing of "Requiem for a Dream." He also gets a terrific performance out of Tony Danza as Jon's hilariously blinkered brute of a dad. The bond between Jon and Esther (Julianne Moore), the troubled older woman he meets in an adult-ed class, isn't as deftly drawn. She's there to teach Jon lessons, and does. But Gordon-Levitt's intuitive performance makes even this part of the film work. Jon is a guy who needs to quit his porn addiction, but to do that, he must understand that what he's really been having is a dysfunctional relationship with porn. It's the mistress he's devoted to and has to break up with if he wants to start living. Grade: B+ . See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the writer, director, and star of "Don Jon"
He plays a New Jersey bartender who loves porn .
EW gives it a B+ grade . |
208,862 | 9a759bb12a743979e455fba29e49579401918f2a | By . Rebecca English Royal Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 08:34 EST, 24 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 21:05 EST, 24 February 2014 . Zara Phillips has become the first senior member of the Royal Family to sell photographs of their new baby to a celebrity magazine – for a reported fee of £150,000. The Queen’s grand-daughter, her husband Mike Tindall and their five-week-old daughter Mia Grace are today plastered over 13 pages of Hello! magazine, as well as its front cover. The Mail understands senior officials at Buckingham Palace were not made aware of the lucrative deal in advance and, tellingly, a spokesman for the Queen refused to comment publicly yesterday. Zara and Mike appear in this week's Hello! magazine with a placid looking baby Mia lying between them . Quiet time: Phillips and Tindall, seen here leaving the Christmas Day service at Sandringham less than a month before she gave birth, have kept a low profile since the birth . Zara’s willingness to strike a . commercial deal over her daughter – who is 16th in line to the throne – . will bring back uncomfortable memories of her brother’s decision to sell . his wedding pictures to the same magazine for a reported £500,000. The . first official pictures of Mia were taken at Zara and Mike’s cottage on . Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire and come just . days after their publicist denied they were planning to make money out . of the birth. Intriguingly, . the Mail has learnt the deal was brokered late last week by the Olympic . medal-winning equestrian’s management company, Sports and Entertainment . Limited, whose managing director is none other than Zara’s brother Peter . Phillips. The accompanying . interview sees Zara and Mike speak about Mia’s birth on January 17 and . even reveal how Zara called her grandmother as soon as she returned home . from hospital. New mum: Phillips and baby Mia were spotted enjoying the sunshine at the Barbury racecourse last week . Asked . whether Palace protocol obliged them to inform the Queen as soon as the . baby was born, Mike says: ‘I sent a text to all the family. Zara is very . close to her grandmother, so of course she made a phone call once we . got back home.’ Former . world champion three-day eventer Zara, 32, says Mia is ‘pretty relaxed . and happy so far’ while Mike, 35, describes becoming a father as . ‘awesome’. The couple also reveal they aimed to conceive in time for a . December or January birth as it will allow Zara to compete in August’s . World Championships. Former . England rugby captain Mike says: ‘I can see that Z [his nickname for . Zara] is itching to be out there again.’ Zara also says there is a . Shetland pony lined up for her daughter to learn to ride. Checking in: Phillips takes a peek at baby Mia at the racecourse in Wiltshire . Zara described her husband, here with her at Prince George's christening, as a 'hands-on' father, while he gushed: 'I still keeping looking at Mia and thinking "Oh! We made that!"' Mia's second cousin Prince George was born at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London . The . interview was brokered by SEL, an Australian firm dealing in . sponsorship and client management. Its small London office was set up in . 2012 by Peter. Like her . brother, Zara has no Royal title or taxpayer funding. She earns a living . as a professional equestrian, funding her stables through sponsorship . deals with firms including Land Rover and Rolex. Last night a source . close to Zara insisted she and Mike had agreed to the deal as . ‘international sporting figures’ rather than members of the Royal . Family. They said: ‘It [the . magazine deal] was not, initially, something they intended to do. The . pictures had already been taken by an old schoolfriend of Zara when they . were approached by Hello! and agreed to sign a deal. It was all very . sudden. ‘I think Zara . understands there will be a level of criticism directed at her but she . clearly felt this was the best way to approach the level of interest in . Mia and, of course, provide for her future.’ But . lawyer Niri Shan, head of intellectual property and media and . entertainment at Taylor Wessing, warned: ‘This is going to make it very . difficult for them to protect the privacy of their baby when she is photographed in the future, outside of any specific issue of harassment.’ This is not the first time Zara or her family have struck a deal with Hello!: . Cover stars: Zara features on the cover of Hello! magazine in 2011 (left) and with her ex-boyfriend in 2002 (right) Familiar faces: Zara's father is pictured on the front of the magazine in 1997 (left) and her brother in 2008 (right) | Zara gave birth to the couple's first child, Mia, on January 17 .
Have since kept a low profile with their baby daughter .
Couple appear on cover of this week's edition of Hello! magazine .
Sold photographs of their child for a reported fee of £150,000 .
First picture of the Queen's fourth great-grandchild seen by the public .
In .
2002, Zara was paid a reported £125,000 for a photoshoot with her then .
boyfriend, the jockey Richard Johnson. She appeared in the magazine .
again following her 2011 wedding to Mike Tindall.
In .
2009, Mike gave an interview, telling Hello! about his relationship .
with Zara and saying he would propose ‘when the time is right’.
Last .
year, the former England rugby captain spoke again to the magazine .
about, among other things, his life within the Royal Family and how the .
Duchess of Cambridge was ‘a natural mother’.
In 1997, Zara and Peter’s father, Mark Phillips, sold pictures from his wedding to his second wife, Sandy Pflueger, to Hello!. The front cover featured the couple with the two young royals. Two years ago it emerged that they had split.
In 2008, Peter Phillips and his fiancée, Autumn Kelly, posed for a photographic spread in advance of their wedding, including 17 changes of clothes between them.
Peter and Autumn then sold the rights to the wedding for a reported £500,000, including handing over a family portrait featuring the Queen. Aides let it be known that the monarch was deeply unhappy with the decision, while senior members of the Royal Family spoke about feeling ‘betrayal’. |
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