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87,345 | f7d30f94c04dd2474ab20955b38d1be82d8850a1 | (CNN) -- Much of middle America baked in a heat wave Sunday, with little respite in sight as temperatures and humidity are expected to make it feel warmer than 100 degrees Fahrenheit through much of this week. Excessive heat warnings have been declared by the National Weather Service in at least 14 states Sunday, most of those in the upper Midwest. Excessive heat watches were in place in Indiana and Kentucky, with heat advisories (the least imminent of the three) in effect for four other states. Several daily temperature records were broken Sunday -- from Alpena, Michigan, south to Miami, Florida. "This is the hottest it's been for the longest period of time," said Emily McNamara from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the temperatures were expected to hover in the mid-90s through the middle of the week. Prevent heat-related illnesses . The blistering weather won't end, but rather it will move east, once the alerts expire in most cases Wednesday or Thursday. Extreme heat is forecast to bear down on the eastern United States by the end of this week. Jacob Beitlich, a Des Moines, Iowa-based meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said that two factors contribute to make this current heat wave especially dangerous: the lack of a significant drop in temperatures overnight to allow people's bodies to cool down and relatively high humidity, which makes it feel appreciably hotter than the thermostat may indicate. In Iowa, for instance, he noted that the impact of mid-90s temperatures have been compounded by relatively high dew points in the upper 70s and low 80s. These combine to make the heat index -- a meteorological measure for how it feels outside -- spike so that it feels as hot as 126 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the weather service. "That takes a toll on your body," Beitlich explained. "When it's more humid, it's more difficult to cool down from sweating." Gotta Watch: Heat wave solutions . The National Weather Service notes that typically extreme heat is the biggest weather-related killer in the United States, taking about 115 lives each year. That's why it and other government agencies urge people to minimize their time outdoors in periods of extreme heat, drink plenty of fluids, and keep especially close tabs on the elderly and young people. In Missouri, for one, scores of cooling centers have been established in libraries, senior centers, schools and other sites around the state to help deal with continuously high temperatures. At Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota Twins supporters stood in long lines to get water from coolers, used spray fans, wrapped wet towels on their head during a Sunday game -- anything to keep cool. "It is blistering out," said one fan, Jeff Ferris. "Brutal. I've probably lost 10 pounds today -- it's crazy." Dehydration and youth sports . While the recent stretch has been particularly difficult, it's all part of what's been a continuously long, hot and in many cases dry summer in numerous locales. The weather service indicates that Oklahoma, for instance, already has had 27 days this year in which the temperature surpassed 100 degrees. Not everyone, though, in the region sweat it out this weekend. McNamara notes that the Wild West Waterpark, where she is aquatic manager, has had "record-breaking days in terms of attendance" in recent days, with several thousand flooding in to get wet and beat the heat. "It's awesome," she said. "You see people coming out having fun. It makes for a fast day." CNN's Ted Rowlands and Jacqui Jeras contributed to this report. | NEW: A Minnesota Twins fan describes the extreme heat in Minneapolis as "brutal"
The National Weather Service has declared excessive heat warnings for 14 states .
High humidity has driven up heat indices, making it feel as hot as 126 degrees .
The extreme heat is forecast to move east by week's end, affecting the East Coast . |
99,040 | 0b919f95d01093b2d14e4d948e2f0db2fa435fd7 | By . Sophie Borland . Moving hospital beds further apart and having fewer patients on wards will prevent the spread of a new breed of superbugs, say experts. There should also be large windows for better air circulation as part of a ‘Victorian-style makeover’ to help cut the risk of infection. Scientists said such measures would buy medics crucial time as they attempt to develop new cures for antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Hospital beds should be moved further apart to help stop infection in hospitals, say experts (file picture) Last month the World Health Organisation warned that the threat was so high patients may soon die from scratches or grazes that become infected. Professor Kevin Kerr, from Hull York Medical School, told the Royal Society: 'We are talking about returning hospital wards to the type we had 100 years ago. ‘In the near future it is possible that a scratch from a rose thorn could become septic. ‘Without effective antibiotics, septicaemia could easily set in and result in death.’ Addressing a meeting of the Royal Society in London last week, which was attended by Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, he added: ‘It is a terrible prospect, but a very real one. Scientists said such measures would buy medics crucial time as they attempt to develop new cures for antibiotic-resistant superbugs (file picture) ‘We are facing a return to the state of affairs that existed before antibiotics were discovered.’ The problem has been caused by the widespread use of antibiotics by doctors – and farmers on livestock - which has led to bacteria evolving so they are immune. At the same time, drug companies have . developed fewer, new antiobiotics as they are not as profitable as more . expensive treatments for diabetes and high blood pressure, for example. Professor Mark Kerr, from Kingston University, London, called on hospitals to employ ‘old school’ measures, adding: ‘We need to hold back the spread of resistant bacteria while finding ways to persuade pharmaceuticals to improve their output of new generations of antibiotics.’ Although rates of MRSA and C.difficile in hospitals are at record lows, scientists are deeply concerned about a new breed of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that includes strains of E. Coli. Last month Dr Keiji Fekuda, assistant director for health security at the World Health Organisation said: ‘The world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill. ‘We should anticipate to see many more deaths.’ ‘We are going to see people who have untreatable infections, we cant do anything about them. Or there will be people who will be treatable but it will take much longer to treat them.’ | Experts say the steps will prevent the spread of a new breed of superbugs .
Added that there should be a return to 'Victorian style' hospital wards .
World Health Organisation has warned of a 'post antibiotic' era . |
130,254 | 34623fb778d32e1cf020d0b60260bb0c48e00e7a | Arsenal are pressing ahead with an £11m move for Newcastle right-back Mathieu Debuchy. Manager Arsene Wenger is after a new right-back following the departure of Bacary Sagna to Manchester City. And Debuchy, currently with France at the World Cup, is emerging as the leading candidate to replace his countryman in the Gunners back-four next season. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Pardew: Debuchy isn't going anywhere . Arsenal target: France's Mathieu Debuchy (right) and Nigeria's Victor Moses fight for the ball . In and out: Debuchy could replace France team-mate Bacary Sagna . Newcastle have been made aware of Arsenal's interest in the full-back and are ready to listen to offers for the Frenchman. However, a deal is unlikely to be concluded until after France's World Cup participation is over. Arsenal have also opened talks with Anderlecht over exciting young striker David Henen. On the lookout: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been out in Brazil for the World Cup . Ready for business: Newcastle have been made aware of Arsenal's interest in the full-back . | Arsenal are preparing an £11m move for Newcastle's Debuchy .
Newcastle have been made aware of Arsenal's interest in the full-back .
Debuchy is currently away with France at the World Cup . |
260,920 | dded54ebc390eda7ba11a06f3328235a1e138e2c | By . Nick Pisa In Rome . Last updated at 4:23 PM on 9th January 2012 . An investigation has been launched after the bodies of dozens of dogs, cats and rabbits were found dumped in an Italian lake. Officials suspect the dogs were bred for illegal fights, but other animals had single knife wounds which some suggest may have been inflicted during a bloody mafia initiation ceremony. There are also fears the dead animals may have been bred for international export to supply labs conducting experiments - in recent years the mafia is said to have made millions from the supply of animals for this reason. Macabre discovery: Some of the dead animals found next to Frezza lake near Naples, Italy. The horde of corpses is believed to be work of a mafia gang called the Camorra . The latest discovery was made at Frezza lake in countryside near Naples, an area traditionally a stronghold of the local mafia known as the Camorra. Vets are carrying out postmortem examinations on the animals - some of which were found in plastic bags that had floated to the surface of the lake - at a specialist centre in Naples and prosecutors are waiting for a full report on the macabre discovery. An initial investigation has revealed that none of the dogs have the compulsory microchip inserted under their skin as Italian law insists which has further fuelled suspicions the animals were bred illegally. Italian animal defence group AIDAA said they had no doubt that the Camorra was behind the grizzly discovery of the corpses and suggested that some had been killed by 'would-be new Camorra members as a sign of their willingness to kill.' Convinced: Lorenzo Croce, president of Italian animal defence group AIDAA, claims there is no doubt the Camorra is behind the massacre . President Lorenzo Croce added: 'We know that the Camorra is running dogfights for illegal gambling and holding dogs in what can only be described as canine concentration camps until they are ready to fight. 'Other animals are also being used in international trafficking for vivisection purposes - we believe that this discovery is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many other dumping sites around the region.' A spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Naples said they were aware of the discovery and investigating the find while waiting for official postmortem results. According to AIDAA, dog rackets provide the Camorra with annual profits of between six and seven million euros. Although less well-known than their Sicilian Mafia counterparts, the Camorra have a more blood-thirsty reputation with rival clans happily killing each other for control of lucrative drug cartels. One of the most infamous massacres was in 2008 when six Africans were gunned down in a hail of bullets in a shop near Naples after they tried to muscle in on a Camorra drug route while already this year there have been three Camorra murders in the city. | Dogs, cats and rabbits discovered in plastic bags .
Suspicion falls on local mafia group the Camorra .
Gang 'supplies animal-testing labs' and 'runs canine concentration camps' for illegal dogfights . |
76,926 | da2da4ba75e7d03c0419eadf3fa90366c1e2eed4 | A fourth new identity is to be created for one of James Bulger's killers when he is freed from prison once again - bringing the public bill for protecting the murderer to a reported £1million. Jon Venables, 30 - who was released from his life sentence in 2001 - was locked up again three years ago after being caught with child porn images on his computer, but has now been granted parole in a decision that has left the murdered toddler's parents 'filled with terror'. The killer was given a new identity when he was sent to a young offenders' institution at the age of 10 for murdering the two-year-old with Robert Thompson, then a second was created for him when he was controversially released from his life sentence in 2001. Venables was given a third taxpayer-funded identity after he was sent back to jail in 2010 for possessing child abuse images, and officials are now understood to be working on a fourth new alias to protect his anonymity as it emerged the killer is to be freed once more. Decision: Jon Venables (left), now 30, one of the killers of James Bulger (right), is to be released from prison . Taxpayers will again pick up the bill for the latest identity switch, each of which are reported to cost around £250,000. Officials were last night working on giving Jon Venables his fourth secret new identity. Taxpayers will pick up the bill, likely to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, for the move and for monitoring Venables around the clock. Only a tight-knit cabal operating under conditions of extreme secrecy will know who he really is. One or two senior probation officers will regularly visit Venables to ensure he is adhering to the conditions of his release.This will include a ban on travelling to Merseyside, and he also faces restrictions on accessing the internet after his 2010 conviction for possessing child abuse images. Venables was given his first new identity when he was jailed in 1993, and a second when he was released from a sentence of indefinite imprisonment in 2001 aged 18. In May 2011, his name and background was changed once again after a ‘serious breach’ in the security of the identity he had been using.Earlier this year officials said they would not give him another identity because he could not be trusted to keep it secret. But they have been forced to change their minds amid mounting fears for his safety if he is outed.Earlier this year pictures purporting to be of Venables were circulated on the internet, despite an injunction granting him lifetime anonymity. Only three other people are so notorious that they have been given new identities and made subject to lifelong anonymity orders. They are Venables’ co-defendant Robert Thompson, Maxine Carr – the ex-girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley – and child killer Mary Bell. This is aside from the cost of his stints behind bars, parole hearings, . and keeping tabs on Venables when he was released the first time around. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment today. James Bulger's parents last night expressed outrage last night that one of his killers is to be freed again. Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger said they were ‘filled with terror’ by the decision to grant parole to Venables. The . child killer was sent back to jail three . years ago after being caught with depraved images of children as young . as two on his computer. He admitted downloading and . distributing the images, which included some of toddlers being raped, as . well as posing online as a mother willing to sell her young daughter . for sex. In May, Mrs Fergus, 45, and Mr Bulger, . 46, appeared before the Parole Board via video link for the first time . to beg the prison authorities to keep Venables behind bars. Last night they spoke of their shock that their pleas had been ignored. They said they had been given no information about the conditions of the killer’s parole. Venables, who struggled to cope with . living a double life the first time round, will receive another new . identity at great expense to the taxpayer. In a statement released through his . solicitor, Robin Makin, Mr Bulger said the decision to release Venables . was ‘misguided’ and filled him with ‘terror’. Mr Makin said: ‘For Ralph and his . family, the living nightmare continues and is exacerbated by the . problems now created by the reckless decision to free Jon Venables . without any publicly disclosed safeguards. ‘Jon Venables is a sex offender who . has murdered once and made it clear when posing as a mother of a child . that an “ultimate thrill” for him was sexual abuse of a child. 'The . authorities have already experimented with Jon Venables living a lie and . it did not work. ‘The decision to release Jon Venables is misguided and fills Ralph with terror. Haunting: CCTV footage shows the abduction of James Bulger from the Bootle Strand shopping centre in 1993 . ‘Ralph fears that an innocent person may be mistaken for Jon Venables and be injured or even killed.’ Mrs Fergus said she too was ‘shocked’. Also involved: Robert Thompson (pictured) and Venables abducted and murdered James Bulger . ‘Venables has shown time and again . that he cannot be trusted and that he is a danger to the public and . himself,’ she said. ‘He lies and manipulates people for his own sick . ends. ‘He is still a huge risk and . . . I . doubt it will ever be safe to be let him out under another false . identity. They should keep him locked up for a long time yet. ‘They should not take a huge gamble on letting him out.’ Mrs Fergus submitted evidence, . gathered with the help of her solicitor, to the Parole Board that . Venables was an ‘undiagnosed psychopath’ who should not be held in a . mainstream prison but treated in a psychiatric hospital. The mother of three said she received . assurances that this evidence, and information gathered by the police at . the time of James’s murder but never presented to the jury at the . trial, which suggested her son had been sexually assaulted before he . died, would be examined in detail before any decision to free him was . granted. Despite this, a spokesman for the . Parole Board last night confirmed Venables was to be released. The date . of his release has not been disclosed. Neither Mrs Fergus nor Mr Bulger have . been given details of the terms of Venables’ release, a situation Mr . Makin described as ‘Kafka-esque’. Parents: Denise Fergus (left) and Ralph Bulger (right), the mother and father of murdered toddler James Bulger . Despair: On her Twitter page, Mrs Fergus said: 'Just don't believe what I've got to go through. Again.' Shocked: Shortly after the first tweet, Mrs Fergus posted on her Twitter page: 'Venables is getting released' Mrs Fergus’s husband, Stuart, tweeted: . ‘Our country justice system f****** stinks! Murder a child equals 8 . years (give or take). Have disgraceful child porn on ur pc equals 3 . years. British justice . . . you’re having a laugh!’ 'He lies and manipulates people for his own sick ends' Denise Fergus, James Bulger's mother . This year marks the 20th anniversary . of James’s murder. Venables and classmate Robert Thompson were ten when . they abducted the two-year-old from a shopping centre in Bootle, . Merseyside, in February 1993, and tortured and murdered him. They were given life sentences for the crime, but released on licence in 2001 with new identities, to a huge public outcry. The terms of Venables’s parole banned . him from entering Merseyside, but it emerged that he had flouted the . terms by attending soccer matches and nightclubs in Liverpool. Murder case: Police search the train track in Merseyside where the body of James Bulger was found in 1993 . Dad and mum: Ralph Bulger and Denise Fergus on February 14 1993, the day the toddler's body was found . Anger: On February 22 1993, there were violent scenes outside South Sefton Magistrates' Court in Bootle, when the two primary school pupils, then known as Child A and Child B, made their first appearance . Grieving: James's father Mr Bulger (right) helped carry the coffin of his murdered son from a church in Kirkby, Merseyside, in March 1993 . He was also arrested over a drunken . brawl and for cocaine offences, but the then Justice Secretary Jack . Straw allowed him to remain at large. Following his arrest for child porn . offences, it was revealed that Venables had fallen into a spiral of . drink and drug addiction because he struggled with the psychological . pressure of living with a new identity. 'The decision to release Jon Venables is misguided and fills Ralph with terror' Robin Makin, Ralph Bulger's solicitor . Solicitor Laurence Lee, who . represented Venables during his murder trial, said: ‘My heart goes out . to Denise Fergus.’ But he added: ‘As a lawyer it is clear that he cannot . be kept in prison for ever. He may be released but he will never be at . liberty.’ A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: . ‘The re-release of life-licensed offenders is directed by the . independent Parole Board once they are satisfied they can be safely . managed in the community. ‘Their life licence lasts for the rest . of their lives, and they may be recalled to prison at any time for . breaching their licence conditions.’ 1993 . Tragic case: James Bulger was snatched in 1993 during a shopping trip in Bootle, Merseyside . 1994 . 1997 . Coverage: The Mail told in 1999 how Mrs Fergus was furious after European judges ruled that her son's killers did not receive a fair trial . 1999 . 2000 . 2001 . 2008 . 2010 . Freedom beckons: The Mail asked in 2000 whether justice had 'betrayed' James Bulger, after the news broke of the murderers' impending release . 2013 . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Jon Venables, 30, has been granted parole and is to be released from jail .
James, 2, was abducted and murdered in 1993 in Bootle, Merseyside .
Venables will receive another new identity at great expense to taxpayer .
Bulger's father Ralph is 'disappointed, dismayed and filled with terror' |
203,261 | 93223ca9cd1b94ae490b249df0aeceb939abfbc2 | By . Daniel Martin, Whitehall Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 17:41 EST, 13 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:40 EST, 14 November 2012 . A quarter of pensioners paying for residential care will end up losing their home and almost all their savings, a report warned yesterday. As many as 40,000 people who fund their own fees will see their assets so depleted they will have to fall back on the mercy of their local council. Many of them will face the trauma of being moved to a lower-quality home. Care firms may even pressure children to find cash so their parents can stay in the home they feel familiar in. Some self-funders will be forced to take lesser quality accommodation as a result of the pressures . The vulnerable may also be told to move into a smaller room or share. The findings, by the Local Government Information Unit, lay bare the scandal of elderly people who have saved all their lives losing almost everything at the very end, and leaving them little to pass on to their children. Experts warn that the ageing population, coupled with council cuts, mean the number of people losing everything will increase – unless the Coalition caps the amount individuals need to contribute to their own care. Ros Altmann, of over-50s group Saga, said: 'It is outrageous that we are in a position, in our advanced economy, where we can't say to someone that – no matter how much you have paid, no matter how much you have saved – we can guarantee you will be able to stay in the same place to get the care you need.' A year in a home costs an average of £27,000. Self-funders typically spend four years in residential care, with 12 per cent staying there for eight years. The elderly must fund the full cost if they have more than £23,250 in assets – including the value of their home. A council will step in to help pay only when assets fall to the £23,250 level. At £14,000, it will fund the full costs. Ministers say that although they agree in principle with the idea of a cap, proposed last year by economist Andrew Dilnot, there isn't enough money in Treasury coffers to fund the £1.7billion annual cost. Jonathan Carr-West, of the LGIU, said: 'It is not a good situation to be in when you run out of cash, you have nothing to leave to your family, and you end up in a situation where the council – and not you – are making decisions on your care. 'You could find you've depleted your assets and suddenly you are living somewhere else. If you run out of money you will not necessarily be able to stay in your home.' Chris Horlick, of insurance firm Partnership, which worked on the report with the LGIU, said the huge costs are alarming for lifelong savers. 'They've lost everything – everything they've worked for,' he said. 'Ultimately they lose their dignity, they lose any choice over where they can live. This is a devastating position for anyone to be in.' The report – Independent Ageing: Council Support for Care Self-funders – warns of the threat to town halls of the increasing number of people falling back on the state for care when their resources are depleted. Outrageous: Many self-funders have no one else to turn to and risk becoming fully dependent on the state . It is estimated that some 171,000 of the 419,000 residents of care homes are self-funders. A survey of more than 100 councils, carried out by the LGIU think tank, and a series of detailed interviews with some of them, found that around 25 per cent of those who fund their own care end up relying on the state. This would equate to almost 43,000. It warned councils they will have to find around £500million to fund those who fall back on the state. 'The cost of self-funders running out of money is considerable,' it said. 'These costs are real and immediate. 'Individuals are often unaware that if they run out of funds, and fall back on state provision, they may have to move to cheaper care facilities.' Mr Horlick said he knew of a woman in Kent who was paying £1,000 a week for residential care. But her local authority will pay only £470 a week. 'The company wouldn't need too many such cases for the care home to become marginal in terms of profitability,' he said. 'The lady doesn't have any family – if she runs out, that's it.' | As many as 40,000 who self-fund their care must fall back on local councils .
Ministers say Treasury cannot afford the £1.7billion to support the elderly .
Around 170,000 of the 419,000 residents of care homes are self-funded .
The elderly must fund themselves if they have more than £23,250 in assets .
Survey finds 25% of those who self-fund care end up relying on the state . |
276,722 | f27cba877362a48ccd18559d48f892adaf2873a8 | (CNN) -- Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico will not pardon legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid in the death of a law enforcement officer more than a century ago, he said Friday. Richardson made the announcement on ABC's "Good Morning America" the same day he leaves office. The issue facing Richardson was whether one of his predecessors, Gov. Lew Wallace, promised about 130 years ago to pardon Billy the Kid -- known more formally as William H. Bonney -- for killing Sheriff William Brady of Lincoln County, New Mexico. Wallace has long been said to have promised a pardon if Bonney testified before a grand jury that was investigating another killing. Wallace did not follow through on that promise, many say, and the reasons are debated. Richardson said he believes that Wallace did promise to pardon Bonney. Yet there is "historical ambiguity" about why Wallace did not follow through, Richardson said, and he did not want to second-guess the former governor's decision. "It was a very close call," Richardson said. "The romanticism appealed to me to issue a pardon, but the facts and the evidence did not support it." The governor acknowledged a positive side effect of his consideration of a pardon. "It's good for tourism," he said. "It's gotten great publicity for the state." Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty but was also known as Bonney and Henry Antrim. He died at the hands of Sheriff Pat Garrett 129 years ago. He was 21 at the time of his death. Wallace's great-grandson, William Wallace of Westport, Connecticut, has said there is no proof of an offered pardon. "Where is the hard, concrete evidence?" he asked CNN Friday, adding discussion of exactly what happened is full of "gray areas." While crediting Richardson for "the correct rational track" in his decision, Wallace said "why the governor commenced this nonsense four months ago remains a mystery." A pardon would have defamed his ancestor, Wallace said. "(Lew Wallace) was a heroic figure in the history of the United States in the 19th century." Some members of the Garrett family opposed a pardon. Besides arguing that Billy the Kid was an incorrigible killer, they wanted to make sure the sheriff was absolved of any wrongdoing related to the killing. Jarvis Patrick Garrett, the grandson of the sheriff, cheered the governor's decision Friday. "Yay! No pardon! Looks like it will be a great New Year!" he said. Richardson had said he would not do anything that cast a cloud on Garrett. Some residents, including Governor-elect Susana Martinez, said there are more pressing issues facing the state. Richardson, a Billy the Kid buff, examined a promise by Wallace, the territorial governor, about 130 years ago to issue the outlaw a pardon. "A promise is a promise and should be enforced," said Albuquerque defense attorney Randi McGinn, who filed the petition for the pardon and volunteered to handle the case for free. Following Richardson's decision, McGinn said in an e-mail, "We won the battle (acknowledgement of Lew Wallace's broken promise), but lost the war (the pardon). The historic debate will continue and perhaps a future New Mexico governor will grant justice for the Kid." Garrett killed Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, weeks after the outlaw escaped from a jail. The sheriff, legend has it, was hiding in the dark and shot the Kid when he entered a room. Garrett was gunned down in 1908 at age 57. Richardson had stressed that he would decide only the matter of Wallace's promise of a pardon. Wallace -- who had also been a Union general in the Civil War and wrote the novel "Ben-Hur" -- had promised to grant Bonney amnesty for the fatal shooting of Brady and other "misdeeds" if he agreed to testify before a grand jury investigating another murder. Bonney cooperated, but the pardon didn't happen. According to Mark Lee Gardner and other historians, Bonney at one point wrote to Wallace, asking him to honor the deal. Garrett's family argues Bonney decided to flee house arrest, making the pardon moot. He eventually was convicted in Brady's death and was sentenced to death, the petition states. But he escaped from jail on April 28, 1881, killing two deputies. "Still, regardless of Billy's crimes, the motives of Richardson or the hollowness of posthumous justice, it all comes back to Wallace's promise. A deal is a deal, and 129 years doesn't change that. Billy is owed a pardon," Gardner wrote earlier this year in the Los Angeles Times. | NEW: Descendant of 19th century governor pleased with decision .
Richardson didn't want to second-guess his predecessor .
He said "the facts and the evidence" did not support a pardon .
Richardson will not pardon the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid . |
90,004 | ff98958078a44f295c13cf8014bbb50d132c0129 | Two crew members shooting an upcoming NBC series in Morocco were injured earlier this week in a 'random mugging', sources close to the show tell Daily Mail Online. The fight happened Tuesday night, as a first assistant director and make-up artist were walking back dinner to their apartment in Marrakech Plaza. A group of youths allegedly approached the two and attempted to rob them, and got into a fight when the filmmakers tried to defend themselves, Deadline reports. Both crew members were reportedly hospitalized for their injuries - one with a few cuts, the other with a broken arm. Two crew members shooting upcoming NBC series Odyssey were injured in Marrakech Tuesday night in an random mugging. Above, a promotional poster for the show set to air April 5, which stars Anna Friel (pictured above), of Pushing Daisies, and Twilight's Peter Facinelli . NBC has not identified the workers, but a source close to the show says one received a few cuts and the other worker suffered a broken arm. The two were walking back to their apartment in Marrakech Plaza (a general view of the area pictured above) 'They had to go to hospital with some broken hands but hopefully they will be OK,' line producer Ahmed Abounouom told Deadline. 'This could have happened anywhere in the world. It was not on the set and it had nothing to do with the project.' NBC has refused to identify the workers, but a source close to the show says its not believed that either are American since most of the crew working on set in Morocco are not from the U.S. The incident did not take place on set, and filming has continued on schedule. Odyssey premieres on NBC on April 5. The series stars Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel as a female soldier in North Africa dealing with an international conspiracy. Twilight's Peter Facinelli plays an attorney. Jake Robinson, of the Carrie Diaries, also starts on the show. Morocco has recently become a hub for Hollywood productions looking to film in a Middle Eastern or exotic location, since it is more stable than its other North African neighbors. Recent productions that have shot in the country include American Sniper, Game of Thrones and Mission: Impossible 5. | The first assistant director and make-up artist injured in the attack have not been named by NBC .
They were walking home from dinner to their apartment in Marrakech Tuesday night when a group of youths attacked them .
Both were hospitalized - one for cuts and the other for a broken arm .
Odyssey is set to premiere April 5 and stars Anna Friel, best known for Pushing Daisies, and Twilight's Peter Facinelli . |
220,440 | a95684066932a82d15505f934990dcbbc5b18d8e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:26 EST, 9 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:54 EST, 10 January 2013 . Jimmy Kimmel narrowly lost out to his older, entrenched, competition of Jay Leno but did manage to edge out David Letterman during the trio's first battle Tuesday at the prestigious 11:35 p.m. time slot. The results show that Kimmel's ABC program, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' pulled in about 3.1 million viewers across the country, just 177,000 less than Leno's 'The Tonight Show' on NBC. Letterman's 'Late Show' on CBS was seen by 2.88 million people. Scroll down for video . Closing in: Jimmy Kimmel finished second in the ratings race with Jay Leno during their first battle Tuesday . The figures should give hope to ABC execs who decided to switch Kimmel, 45, from his midnight time slot to 11:30 p.m. in order to try and take down Leno, 62, and Letterman, 65. ABC took its news program, 'Nightline' from 11:35 p.m. and instead put it on after Kimmel's show. Kimmel's show Tuesday had actress Jennifer Aniston and musical group, No Doubt. Aniston came out with a sledgehammer and smashed Kimmel's new desk and later give Kimmel a haircut. Breaking through: Jennifer Aniston smashes Jimmy Kimmel's desk in a comedy bit on his show . The ratings come as Kimmel was reportedly trash-talking his rival by calling Leno, who has long dominated the late night game, a 'sell out.' 'As a comedian, you can’t not have disdain for what he’s done: He totally sold out' he told Rolling Stone magazine. But he didn't have a negative thing to say about Letterman. 'If I beat David Letterman in the ratings, does that mean I’m better than Letterman. No f—ing way,' he added. The old guard: Jay Leno, left, and David Letterman have younger competition to deal with in Kimmel . Despite the early good news for Kimmel, he may not want to celebrate too much. Conan O'Brien also had a strong debut when he temporarily took over for Leno at 11:35 p.m in 2009, the Wall Street Journal noted. But O'Brien's numbers quickly plummeted and NBC was forced to bring Leno back. O'Brien is now on cable network TBS at 11 p.m. Not tonight: O'Brien was booted from network television in 2009 and his now on cable network TBS . | Kimmel gets more than three million viewers in first 11:35 p.m. show .
Beats out David Letterman, who is now in third-place . |
45,804 | 8113742f071df855e1fc50e4fd2bbb0f384c7344 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . Fifty years after the assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, researchers are still investigating his mysterious murder. Thousands of pages pertaining to the assassination are still sealed, and researchers are calling for a complete public release. Jefferson Morley, former Washington Post Reporter currently suing the CIA to release the data, is most interested in a file containing about 300 pages on the now-deceased CIA agent George Joannides. Scroll down for video . Call for transparency: Even fifty years after JFK's assassination, thousands of documents relating to the killing remained sealed . Joannides, Morley believes, may have . had contact with suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the . shooting and later served as Langley's liaison for a JFK assassination . investigation in the 1970s. Who is George Joannides? Researchers believe that files on the CIA agent may reveal the suspected JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had a connection at Langley . The . first official investigation found that Lee Harvey Oswald was acting . alone, after failing to get a visa to Cuba and his wife Marina rejected . his attempts at reconciliation. Another . investigation in the mid-1970s said that the assassination was probably . a conspiracy, after discovering audio files suggesting a second . shooter. These . contradicting opinions have led many to come up with conspiracy theories . behind the president's death replacing the initial conclusion that Oswald . acted alone. Morley doesn't . believe that the documents will reveal any big conspiracy, but it may . prove that the CIA did know of Oswald before the shooting. That . would contradict the first investigation's findings that Kennedy's . assassination was carried out by a lone-ranger, a completely random act . that couldn't have been prevented. Morley . believes that Oswald may have been in contact with Joannides due to his . noted involvement in an pro-Castro organization. Oswald's membership in . the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was confirmed when he was captured by a . local television station in an altercation with anti-Castro . demonstrators. But . investigators later found that Oswald had pamphlets in his possession . with an address of a local anti-Castro operation connected to a former . FBI agent. Researchers believe those pamphlets mean that Oswald was working with counterintelligence to discredit his pro-Castro group. If . that's the case he would have been in contact with George Joannides the . CIA case officer for the anti-Castro Student Revolutionary Directorate - . the same group Oswald got in a brawl with. Counter intelligence: Evidence of Oswald's connection to the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Researchers believe he may have been working from within to undermine the pro-Castro group . If Oswald was in contact with Joannides, it means that the CIA concealed the fact that Oswald was on their radar. But Joannides connection to the assassination doesn't end there. A . second investigation into the assassination convened in the mid-1970s . and this time weighing audio evidence of a possible second shooter. In . the end the committee reported that the president was 'probably . assassinated as the result of a conspiracy. The committee is unable to . identify the other gunman or the extent of the conspiracy.' The . committee sifted through thousands of CIA records, and their liaison to . Langley at the time was none other than George Joannides, . G . Robert Blakey, the committee's chief counsel, recalled how the CIA . brought in Joannides to act as a middleman to help fill requests for . documents made by committee researchers. House Assassinations Committee chief counsel G. Robert Blakey, second left, meets with committee chairman Louis Stokes, left, before a closed session investigating the death of JFK . 'He was put in a position to edit everything we were given before it was given to us,' Blakey said. But Blakey didn't learn about Joannides' past until Morley unearthed it in files declassified years later. George Joannides, middle, being presented with an award in 1981 for 28 years of service, flanked by his wife and U.S. Navy Adm. B.R. Inman, director of the CIA . 'If . I'd known Joannides was the case officer for the DRE, he couldn't have . been liaison; he would have been a witness,' Blakey told The Associated . Press. Morley . does not suggest the Joannides files point to agency involvement in the . assassination itself, but more likely that their release would show the . CIA trying to keep secret its own flawed performance before the . assassination. 'The . idea that Lee Harvey Oswald was some unknown quantity to CIA officers . was false,' Morley said. 'There was this incredible high-level attention . to Oswald on the eve of the assassination.' Assuming that Oswald fired the fatal shot, he said, 'These top CIA case officers are guilty of negligence.' Blakey . isn't optimistic about getting all of the documents from the . intelligence agency, citing the agencies lack of cooperation with three . previous investigations. 'That's . three agencies that they were supposed to be fully candid with,' he . said. 'And now they're taking the position that some of these documents . can't be released even today.' 'Why are they continuing to fight tooth and nail to avoid doing something they'd promised to do?' According . to the President John F Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act . of 1992, all documents pertaining to the assassination must be released . by 2017. The act does . offer a little wiggle room to agencies who can petition records withheld . if disclosure would compromise 'military, defense, intelligence . operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations'. | Researchers are most interested in the file on George Joannides, a CIA agent who may have had a connection to Lee Harvey Oswald and acted as a liaison on a later assassination investigation .
All documents pertaining to the Kennedy assassination are set to be released by 2017 . |
57,703 | a38b177490d1a655ae777cb72920daee83c63237 | Dublin found itself at the centre of an Ebola scare after a woman was rushed to hospital displaying symptoms of the deadly disease and immediately placed in isolation. The patient, who had recently returned from West Africa, underwent tests at the Mater Hospital today and the Ebola virus has been ruled out. It is understood that the woman was admitted to the National Isolation Unit as a precaution after being considered 'a low risk for the Ebola Virus'. Gardai and ambulance crews shut down Berkley Road in Tyrrelstown, Dublin, in a suspected Ebola case . The Health Service Executive (HSE) said that it 'must, and does, take each Ebola scenario seriously no matter how low the risk.' 'All appropriate infection control procedures are being taken by all relevant healthcare personnel,' a statement from HSE added. The woman, who was taken ill at her flat in the Dublin suburb of Tyrrelstown, is believed to have recently returned from Nigeria, which was today declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation, having had no new cases for 42 days. HSE said that the patient is receiving appropriate treatment at the Mater Hospital and public health protocols have been, and are being, put in place. Witnesses reported that ambulance crew, and other staff wore protective gear throughout the investigation . The HSE in Ireland said that it 'must, and does, take each Ebola scenario seriously no matter how low the risk' Witnesses reported that ambulance crew, and other staff wore protective gear throughout the investigation. Large areas surrounding the hospital were shut down in accordance with procedures outlined by Health Minister Leo Varadkar, last week. The HSE statement said: 'There are no known cases of Ebola in Ireland presently', before adding that the 'overall risk of a case of Ebola being brought into in Ireland is low'. The road where the woman lived as well as large areas surrounding the hospital were shut down in accordance with procedures outlined by Health Minister Leo Varadkar . 'The HSE welcomes the fact that the WHO has removed Nigeria from the list of Ebola affected countries,' the statement continued. 'If a case is confirmed in Ireland, the primary concerns will be treatment of the patient and containing the situation.' Outside West Africa, the spread of the deadly disease has been confirmed in Spain and the United States. Possible cases have been investigated in several other countries, but none has yet turned out to be Ebola. HSE Ireland said that public health protocols have been, and are being, put in place . But in the three worst affected countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - 'new cases continue to explode in areas that looked like they were coming under control', WHO has said. 'An unusual characteristic of this epidemic is a persistent cyclical pattern of gradual dips in the number of new cases, followed by sudden flare-ups,' the organization added. Latest figures from WHO put the number of people infected with Ebola worldwide at over 9,000, with the death toll topping 4,500. The patient, who had recently returned from West Africa, underwent tests at the Mater Hospital today after being considered a 'low risk for Ebola' and the virus has been ruled out . Latest figures from WHO put the number of people infected with Ebola worldwide at over 9,000, with the death toll topping 4,500. The vast majority of these cases are in West Africa, with over half being recorded in Liberia . | Patient underwent tests at Mater Hospital and Ebola virus was ruled out .
The woman was admitted to the National Isolation Unit as a precaution .
She had recently returned from Nigeria, which was today declared Ebola-free .
HSE said it takes 'each Ebola scenario seriously no matter how low the risk'
There are no cases of Ebola in Ireland and the risk of there being any is low . |
204,679 | 94fe0a5eac3c92f78b1e105e2a8bac5efc3f4de4 | Two of the men accused of murdering Robert Ellis have alleged they were driven to the Australian businessman's house by his wife Noor Ellis. Urbanus Yohanes Ghoghi and Yohanes Sairokodu, both 24-years-old, were arrested in Sumba on Tuesday, after a violent confrontation that included both men being shot in the leg by police after they fired off arrows. After they were interrogated, police claim they were told that five men suffocated Mr Ellis with a towel before slashing his throat, reports the Daily Telegraph. Scroll down for video . Two suspects in the murder of killing British citizen Robert Ellis, Mr Ghogi (left) and Mr Sairokodu (right) were caught in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara province on Tuesday 4 October . After police interrogations in Bali, it was revealed that five men suffocated Mr Ellis with a towel before slashing his throat . The two men said that Noor Ellis drove them to the house where they murdered her husband, and waited in the bedroom while they murdered him . Australian businessman Robert Ellis (pictured) and his wife of 25 years Noor Ellis (pictured) who is in custody over her involvementof her husbands murder . Police said Ghoghi was the man who sliced Mr Ellis’s throat. Police have now arrested six people in relation to the murder, including Noor Ellis, who was married to the victim for 25 years and is accused of hiring the men and paying them $14,000 to murder her husband. Police have alleged that Noor Ellis waited in a bedroom while the men murdered her husband. She has claimed she only instructed the men to intimidate her husband and told them not to hurt or kill him. Already in custody for his murder is his Indonesian wife of 25 years, Noor Ellis, the couple's two maids and the boyfriend of one of the maids . Already in custody for his murder is his Indonesian wife of 25 years, Noor Ellis, the couple's two maids and the boyfriend of one of the maids . The son of a woman accused of plotting to murder her Australian husband Robert Ellis in Bali arrives at a Bali police station . Flowers are delivered to the Bali villa of Bob Ellis, whose funeral was held on Sunday in Bali . It comes after news of the dramatic arrest of the two men on Tuesday. They had been hiding at a friend's house in West Sumba and fled into the forest when they heard police approach about 3am local time. Police shot both men in the leg, after they fired poisonous arrows at officers. 'The two of them tried to resist arrest by firing poisonous arrows and using machetes before they were shot at,' police spokesman Hery Wiyanto said. 'At 5am this morning, finally the two of them were arrested and at this moment, they're on their way to Bali.' Mr Sairokodu was arrested in dramatic scenes on Tuesday and taken to Bali for interrogations over the murder of Mr Ellis . The pair had been hiding at a friend's house in West Sumba, and fled into the forest when they heard police approach about 3am local time . Mr Ellis owned a telecommunications company in Jakarta, and had two sons with his wife who are now studying in Australia. His funeral was held in New Zealand on Saturday. Already in custody for his murder is his Indonesian wife of 25 years, Noor Ellis, the couple's two maids and the boyfriend of one of the maids. Police allege Ms Noor confessed to organising the crime in anger over marital and money issues. Mr Ellis's body was found wrapped in plastic in a rice field, his throat slashed three times. Two suspects remain at large, both aged 28. However, police believe they know their whereabouts. | Two suspects in the murder of Robert Ellis are being questioned in Bali .
They said five men held a towel over his mouth and cut his throat .
They said Noor Ellis drove them to the house on the night they killed him .
It comes after news of the two men's dramatic arrest in Sumba on Tuesday .
The used poisonous arrows and machetes before being shot by police .
Already in custody for Mr Ellis' murder is his Indonesian wife, Noor Ellis, the couple's two maids and the boyfriend of one of the maids .
Two suspects for his murder remain at large . |
260,900 | dde4026e9e83c3f66b085efb2f466e17f13de5a6 | By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 12:10 EST, 13 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:10 EST, 13 June 2013 . Anxiety: Stress can cause a permanent genetic change to men's sperm and even alter how their offspring's brains develop (stock image) Stress can cause permanent damage to a man's sperm and even stunt his children's brain development, a new study has found. Researchers have discovered that suffering anxiety or depression as an adult, teenager or even as a child could cause a lasting genetic change in a man's sperm. Scientists conducting a study on mice found that sperm damage caused by stress leads to offspring developing a 'blunted reaction to stress' - a trait associated with several mental disorders. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say this is the first time a link has been found between stress-related diseases potentially being passed from a father to his children. Previous studies have concentrated on how environmental challenges - such as diet, drug abuse, and chronic stress - felt by mothers during pregnancy can affect their offspring's neurodevelopment and increase the risk of certain diseases. In this study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, male mice were exposed to six weeks of chronic stress, before breeding, either throughout puberty or only in adulthood. Examples of stress include suddenly being moved to another cage, being exposed to predator odour, noise or a foreign object in their cage. Male mice are ideal for such an experiment because they do not participate in offspring rearing, meaning any external factors outside of germ-cell formation are essentially eliminated. A team of researchers led by Professor Tracy Bale found that stress among male mice prompted a genetic change in their sperm that re-programmed a part of their offspring’s brain. They found that offspring from . paternal stress groups displayed significantly blunted levels of the . stress hormone corticosterone - in humans, it’s cortisol - in response . to stress. Professor Bale . said: 'It didn’t matter if dads were going through puberty or in . adulthood when stressed before they mated. We’ve shown here for the . first time that stress can produce long-term changes to sperm that . reprogram offspring brains. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania carried out a test on male mice - finding that their sperm underwent a genetic change after they were exposed to stress . 'These findings suggest one way in which paternal-stress exposure may be linked to such neuropsychiatric diseases.' But researchers also point out that a reduced physiological stress response may reflect some evolutionary benefit passed on to offspring to ensure survival in what is expected to be a more stressful environment. Professor Bale added: 'Whether such diminished stress reactivity would be detrimental or beneficial to offspring likely depends on the environment into which they were born, as well as genetic background factors.' | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine conducted study on male mice .
Researchers found exposing mice to stress caused genetic sperm change .
This change caused their offspring to have a blunted reaction to stress . |
94,360 | 054627368a9a4e2a075e61da7b1f1c10430b044d | Residents living near the epicenter of the Ebola scare in North Texas say they are suffering unfair discrimination due to the stigma of the disease. People living in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood of Dallas believe they have been shunned by the wider community since Thomas Eric Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola. Mr Duncan - the first person to be diagnosed with the virus within the US - stayed at an apartment in the community before being admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital where he remains in critical condition. Scroll down for video . An unidentified man wears a mask as he walks back from taking out garbage across the street from the Ivy Apartment complex where Ebola patient Thomas Duncan stayed before being admitted to hospital . Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates speaks as Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (left) and Texas State Health Services Commissioner Dr David Leakey (right) look on during a news conference in Dallas . Ramon Rivera, right, sits with his grandchildren Ramon Angel Rivera, 6, center, Jacqulin Estrada, 9, standing, and Michelle Rivera, 7, outside an apartment complex where Thomas Duncan stayed last week . Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates told CBS DFW that most of the residents are concerned about the possible stigma of living near the Ivy Apartment complex. 'Unfortunately, they are feeling discriminated against,' she said. 'We still have some that have been turned away from jobs. Some that have been turned away at retail locations. We're getting them in touch with legal aid and any resources necessary.' A cleaning crew has also finished 'Phase 2' of the apartment cleaning process by destroying the majority of Mr Duncan's personal items. The decontamination was carried out by hazardous materials specialists and additional cleaning items were carried away in a drum with a police escort on Monday. Two people walk into their apartment after celebrating the Dahai Hindu festival in an apartment complex in Vickery Meadows. People living in the neighborhood believe they have been shunned by the wider community . Members of the Cleaning Guys Haz Mat sanitize the apartment where Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan was staying before being admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for treatment . Jonathan Sanchez (left to right) Adam Garza, Alexander Renteria, and a man who goes only by 'Don Don' play in the Sanchase Park apartments in the Vickery Meadows neighborhood of Dallas . 'As of noon today, that apartment is completely cleaned up,' said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. But Ms Gates believes that educating the public is the only way to reverse the stigma. 'These residents, unless they happen to be one of those that were exposed that are being traced, they are not at risk for getting the disease and are not at risk for transmitting the diseases,' she said. There are forty eight individuals identified as 'high risk' patients, having come in contact with Mr Duncan. Mayor Rawlings explained that these individuals are being seen once a day and are having their temperatures checked twice daily. A group of children cross a street inside The Ivy Apartments the day after a family was removed from the apartment where confirmed Ebola patient Thomas Duncan was staying . A family leaves the apartment where Thomas Eric Duncan was staying to be moved to a new location in Dallas . The Ivy Apartment complex is guarded by Vickery Meadow patrol. A backlash is causing a shortage of volunteers at some charities and community leaders have noticed work-related problems surfacing at others. 'We have zero symptoms out there,' he said. 'Zero. That is a good sign.' Mr Duncan, who contracted the disease in his native Liberia, is now receiving doses of experimental anti-viral drug brincidofovir, which has shown promise in fighting the disease. According to Dallas News, the stigma in the community is causing a shortage of volunteers at some charities and community leaders have noticed work-related problems surfacing at others. Ellen Mata, director of mission programs at NorthPark Presbyterian Church told the paper that up to two dozen volunteers failed to show up in the week since the Ebola crisis began. Thomas Eric Duncan - the first person diagnosed in the US with Ebola - is in critical condition in hospital . The decontamination was carried out by hazardous materials specialists and additional cleaning items were carried away in a drum with a police escort on Monday . 'Several of these nonprofits have had volunteers who have backed out on commitments,' she said. 'We are trying to fill those.' 'Some of the after-school programs are needing volunteers to help with tutoring and reading with the kiddos,' she added. 'They are looking for some people to help with special projects. Officials are also concerned that people in need are choosing to stay at home rather than reach out to organizations that can help them. The decontamination was carried out by hazardous materials specialists and additional cleaning items were carried away in a drum with a police escort on Monday . Kids play soccer outside the Ivy Apartment complex, in Dallas. The faith community is working to disseminate information in the community to help educate the public and remove the stigma surrounding the risk of Ebola . 'People needing food were afraid to leave their family ... because of the way people [in the community] are treating them,' Ms Mata said. Ms Gates Told CBS DFW that the faith community is working to disseminate information among the community to help educate the public. But with over 40 languages and dialects spoken in the community, organizations are facing an uphill struggle to translate the information and ensure they effectively communicate with everyone. 'It's about you, the public, spreading the word about how this disease is spread. This community is healthy,' Ms Gates said. 'This is a vulnerable community that could use all the help that they can get.' Ramon Angel Rivera, 6, plays outside the Ivy Apartment complex in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood of Dallas . A cleaning crew has finished 'Phase 2' of the apartment cleaning process by destroying the majority of Mr Duncan's personal items . | People living in Vickery Meadow feel they are suffering from discrimination .
Thomas Duncan is the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola within the US .
He stayed at the Ivy Apartment complex before being admitted to hospital .
Residents say they have been turned away from jobs and at retail locations .
Mr Duncan now receiving doses of experimental anti-viral drug brincidofovir .
Decontamination carried out at aprtament by hazardous materials specialists . |
176,470 | 70743950edea822d173ddd28e0da4a57db4d30c9 | By . Sophie Borland . Doctors have admitted they are doling out antidepressants too freely as figures show a huge variation in prescription rates across the country. Overall the numbers of prescribed pills have more than trebled since 1998 – from 15million to 50million. But this varies in different areas, ranging from 71 items per 1,000 patients in Brent, North London, to 331 per 1,000 in Blackpool. Overall the numbers of prescribed pills have more than trebled since 1998 ¿ from 15million to 50million - and now a top GP has said the trend must stop . Dr Des Spence, a senior GP who writes for the British Medical Journal, said: ‘We do over-prescribe. 'There needs to be a recognition among doctors that this is a problem because there is a lot of denial. ‘We’ve got into this mindset that depression is a chemical imbalance and that giving a tablet is going to make it better.’ Although Dr Spence practises in Glasgow, he said the issue was a ‘huge problem’ in England. He blamed drug firms for pushing their products on GPs, saying: ‘The pharma companies have had a very negative impact and are a major force on the prescribing.’ The figures, which emerged in a report from the Nuffield Trust think-tank, also showed prescriptions for antidepressants increased at the fastest rate during the economic downturn between 2008 and 2012. Over this four-year period they rose by an average of 8.5 per cent annually, compared to 6.7 per cent between 1998 and 2008. Soaring numbers of antidepressants were dished out as the financial crisis took hold, with Blackpool, East Anglia and the north of England suffering the most . Experts claim this is because higher numbers of patients are diagnosed with depression after traumatic events such as losing their jobs or running up debts. But the number of prescriptions has risen at a much faster pace than the number of patients being diagnosed with the condition – implying pills could be being handed out too freely. Between 2008 and 2012, while antidepressant prescriptions rose by 8.5 per cent, cases of depression increased by only 3.8 per cent. Prescription rates were highest among young female family doctors, the report found. Professor Nick Barber, director of research at the Health Foundation, which was also involved in the study, said: ‘The report clearly shows a significant increase in antidepressant prescriptions. ‘A crucial finding for doctors and patients to consider is that there is real variation in prescription rates across GP practices. ‘These differences imply that certain practices have a propensity to over- or under-prescribe. This could suggest that not enough attention has been given to individual patients’ needs, including the need to avoid possible side effects of these medicines.’ Isabella Goldie, of the Mental Health Foundation, said: ‘In the brief time that is allocated for [GP] appointments, medication can seem like the only realistic option. ‘Although we are very supportive of the progress made to increase access to psychological therapies, for those patients who are living increasingly difficult lives, it can be challenging to find the energy to engage with a programme of therapy.’ The most commonly-used antidepressants are Prozac and Seroxat, which work by changing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. Possible side effects can include anxiousness, nausea, dizziness and headaches, although these are less common in newer types of medication. | Prominent GP Des Spence said: 'We do over-prescribe'
Pill prescriptions have more than trebled since 1998 .
He said the issue was a ‘huge problem’ in England . |
213,516 | a085a30861bf308d1db86d500bb0f57acf8950c1 | By . Deborah Arthurs . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 4 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:12 EST, 4 September 2013 . Pippa Middleton stepped out in South Kensington yesterday looked every inch the elegant It Girl. Kate's younger sister was seen leaving offices in the upmarket London borough, dressed in an elegant mint green dress by Logue London and carrying two large statement handbags. The 29-year-old has recently been on holiday with her banker boyfriend Nico Jackson. She has denied that he has proposed after rumours circulated this week of a secret engagement. Elegant: A very stylish Pippa Middleton spotted leaving offices in South Kensington yesterday afternoon . Chic: Pippa carried two high end designer bags and wore Jemima Vine pumps on her feet . Pippa carried an £80 large tote from Paul's Boutique, while her slouchy grey bag was the £580 Romina from Aruna Seth. She wore Givenchy sunglasses and a number of rings on both hands, including one on the little finger - the signet ring bearing her family crest - and the middle finger of her left hand. On her right hand she wore an attractive gold ring set with multiple stones. Pippa, who now has a column in both Waitrose magazine as well as a monthly feature in U.S. Vanity Fair, who list her as a contributing editor, has seen her career go from strength to strength of late. Accessorise all areas: Pippa carried two expensive-looking leather bags and wore snakeskin slipper-style shoes . In love: Pippa with Nico in May earlier this year - around the time the two spent a romantic week away with the Middleton family, including Kate and William - in Mustique. Pippa wears gold Weave earrings by Kinnari, £242 . Sssss-super ssssstylish: Pippa wears the python Edie slipper by Jemima Vine, £149 . | The Duchess of Cambridge's 29-year-old sister ran errands in London .
Dress is the Julia from Logue London, in sale at £140 down from £345 .
Shoes are Jemima Vine Edie slippers in python, £149 .
Grey bag was Romina day bag in grey leather, £580, by Aruna Seth .
Tote is £80 by Paul's Boutique; sunglasses £159 by Givenchy . |
201,753 | 9131954065a7f7c7d2d0d98316c35b06ba5b90ab | FA chairman Greg Dyke’s next stated ambition after his England Commission is to restructure the management of the FA. That doesn’t look like good news for the Club England set-up established by Sir Dave Richards in 2010 to run international football for the FA. Two members of the Club England board, Sir Trevor Brooking and general secretary Alex Horne, have left or are leaving the FA. That gives Dyke the opening to disband the group and hand the responsibility of running England business to Dan Ashworth, technical director designate, and performance services chief Dave Reddin. They both impressed the main FA board with a presentation about the way forward for England after the World Cup debacle. A perplexed Football League can’t help identify who is responsible for posting an advertisement in The Times offering a full-time professional football club for sale that owns the stadium and is situated in a ‘fast expanding city in England’. However, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Plymouth and Coventry fit that description. FA chairman Greg Dyke is planning to reshape the Club England board in the foreseeable future . Dan Ashworth, pictured with national team boss Roy Hodgson, will help England's future progression . Sir Trevor Brooking left his role on the Club England board after the 2014 World Cup while Alex Horne (right) will leave his position in January 2015 . Whoever wins the race to host the 2024 Olympics can thank the Swedish Olympic Committee for bringing about the bid reform recommendations that were influential to the changes being rubber stamped in December. Sweden combined with Austria, Switzerland and Germany in formulating a document of proposals for future bids sent to IOC president Thomas Bach. And Sweden, who withdrew from bidding for the 2022 Winter Games, said they would have re-engaged in the process if the new regulations had come in earlier. One wonders why American sports tycoon Josh Harris, owner of ice hockey’s New Jersey Devils and basketball’s Philadelphia 76ers, turned up at the recent Leaders in Sport conference when he was already well down the road in his Crystal Palace takeover and then denied any interest in acquiring a Premier League club. American investor Josh Harris is in talks with Crystal Palace about purchasing the Premier League club . A Koch and bull story . FIFA executive Alexander Koch made an extraordinary claim that temporary buildings are the only real cost of staging a World Cup and that FIFA spent three times more than Brazil on the 2014 tournament. FIFA’s corporate communications manager told the Host City summit that $600m — the cost of temporary structures — was the real Brazil bill, while the governing body had forked out $1.7billion. FIFA’s spending for Russia 2018 is estimated at $2.1bn. Koch said: ‘There is a complete misunderstanding of what are the costs of staging a World Cup. In Brazil every metro or bus line was put under the cost to get this number of $31bn. But what does this have to do with the World Cup? We don’t need a new bus line or changing a favela. It was never required. The temporary infrastructure, yes, that’s the only cost.’ Koch also added that Germany and South Africa had a vision of why they wanted a World Cup but FIFA were ‘still wondering’ what Brazil’s was — apart from winning it. Whatever Koch’s left-field views, FIFA still made a profit of $2.7bn from the Brazil tournament. | Dan Ashworth will have more responsibility on the Three Lions set up .
Sir Trevor Brooking left after the 2014 World Cup while Alex Horne will leave in January 2015 .
A football team in 'a fast expanding city in England' posted an advertisement in The Times stating a football team is for sale .
John Harris, who is interested in purchasing Crystal Palace, attended the recent Leaders in Sport conference . |
184,398 | 7ad67b48d5ebdbf13baee1fbba827a44b6eea684 | The security camera footage broadcast by CNN shows a grisly scene: a black man in Jackson, Mississippi, being fatally run over by a pickup truck after he was viciously beaten in a motel parking lot on a Sunday morning in June. Prosecutors say a group of white teens chose the man at random. They say the alleged ringleader, an 18-year-old now charged with murder, laughed about it afterward and boasted in a phone conversation about how he "ran that n----- over." When we're confronted with such a shocking act of violence, we search for answers. We want to know what's in the hearts and minds of the attackers. We wonder what motivates someone to extinguish a life for no other reason than the color of the person's skin. And, in an odd way, some people take comfort in the fact that it happened in Mississippi, with its legacy of Jim Crow segregation and terrorism aimed at the African-American community. We want to see the crime as simply a reflection of a Deep South state still haunted by its racist past -- something that couldn't happen in other parts of this country. It's wishful thinking. In Patchogue, New York, Marcelo Lucero, a 37-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant, was stabbed to death in 2008 when he was attacked by a gang of white teens who decided to hunt down and attack Latinos for sport -- or as they called it, "beaner hopping." In Huntington Beach, California, three men and a woman with white supremacist tattoos went into a predominantly Latino neighborhood on July 3, 2009, looking for a "nonwhite" to hurt. They attacked a Latino man in an alley. Yelling racial slurs, they reportedly stabbed him three times. In West Allis, Wisconsin, the opening night of the state fair this month turned to mayhem when dozens of black youths began attacking white people. A 16-year-old boy detained by police said he and others attacked white people because they were "easy targets," according to The Christian Science Monitor. We can't pretend that what happened in Mississippi that June morning couldn't happen elsewhere. It already has, and it will again. The social fabric in our country is fragile, and the fault lines are often defined by race. Our communities and schools are increasingly segregated. Globalization and our economic woes are leaving many young people without hope for the future. And we're seeing a backlash against the nation's changing ethnic makeup. All of this provides fertile ground for bigotry and violence to take root and flourish. Meanwhile, our political system seems paralyzed, incapable of protecting the interests of working people, much less pulling us together. Messages of hate and bigotry can be found not only on the fringes of our society but virtually nonstop on television, talk radio and the Internet, where certain groups of people are demonized and held up as scapegoats for our problems. Too many of our politicians pour fuel on the fire by exploiting divisions in our society -- fostering an us-versus-them mentality and casting entire groups of people as "the other." Despite the promise of the Obama presidency, it's time to realize we're not living in a "post-racial" society. It's time to speak out against bigotry and to call out those in public life who encourage hate and violence with their words. And it's time to invest in the future of our nation and its youth -- to provide hope and opportunity to the next generation. Our future depends on it. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of J. Richard Cohen. | A black man was killed in what prosecutors called a racially motivated attack in Mississippi .
J. Richard Cohen: Such incidents aren't just a Southern problem, but they are national in scope .
He says America's social fabric is fragile, and fault lines are defined by race and ethnicity .
Cohen: It's vital to invest in young generation and provide hope to counter power of hatred . |
122,605 | 2a75b3a8cff89b7cb942baf5fef5410141176e1c | Five men are tasting freedom for the first time in years -- including one President Barack Obama described as "one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has ever had in Cuba" -- in a historic deal between the U.S. and Cuba announced Wednesday. The still unidentified spy was released along with Alan Gross, the American subcontractor held for five years in Cuba despite persistent and very public pushes for his release. The intelligence agent was part of a deal that exchanged him for three convicted Cuban spies who are now back home in Cuba. All five of the released men are now part of a bigger story, one that speaks to the long-held rivalry between the United States and Cuba that is now being rewritten as the two countries revamp diplomatic relations. Who are these men? What did they do? And what can they look forward to, now that they're free? Obama signals overhaul of Cuba relations . RELEASED BY CUBA . Unnamed U.S. intelligence agent . The most significant person to be freed may be the only one who hasn't been named, and about whom least is known. He is a U.S. intelligence agent who spent nearly 20 years in a Cuban prison before his release. But why? "This man -- whose sacrifice has been known to only a few -- provided America with the information that led us to arrest the network of Cuban agents that included the men transferred to Cuba today as well as other spies in the United States," Obama said Wednesday. "This man is now safely on our shores." According to the office of the Director of National Intelligence, this Cuban national provided the U.S. government with information that "was instrumental in the identification and disruption of several Cuban intelligence operatives in the United States and ultimately led to ... successful federal espionage prosecutions." Specifically, the U.S. intelligence office tied this unnamed spy to the conviction of one-time Defense Intelligence Agency senior analyst Ana Belen Montes, who was sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty of spying for the Cuban government in 2002. He's also tied to the case of ex-State Department official Walter Kendall Myers and his wife Gwendolyn, who pleaded guilty in 2009 for illegally aiding the Cuban government for decades. The unnamed agent also played a role in helping federal authorities go after the Florida-based Wasp Network, including members of the Cuban Five. Three of those five were released in exchange for this intelligence agent as part of Wednesday's deal. "Securing his release from prison after 20 years -- in a swap for three of the Cuban spies he helped put behind bars -- is fitting closure to this Cold World chapter of U.S.-Cuban relations," the DNI office said. Alan Gross . Though the 65-year-old Gross has been detained for less time than the others freed as part of the U.S.-Cuba exchange, his plight probably has been the most widely reported, thanks to his family's public campaign for his release. A subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Gross went to Cuba purportedly to bring the Internet to the Caribbean nation's small Jewish community -- despite the Havana government's restrictions on Internet access. His two-day, March 2011 trial took place behind closed doors, ending with his conviction for allegedly trying to set up an Internet network for Cuban dissidents "to promote destabilizing activities and subvert constitutional order." This month, his wife Judy Gross said her husband spent "five years ... literally wasting away. Alan is done." She urged U.S. President Barack Obama to bring Alan Gross back home, saying, "otherwise, it will be too late." While the others were swapped as part of a deal, the Cuban government says that Gross was let go unilaterally on "humanitarian" grounds. Gross: 'I'm free' RELEASED BY THE UNITED STATES . Gerardo Hernandez . Hernandez led the group known as Cuban Five, who were arrested in 1998 and convicted of espionage in 2001 for gathering intelligence in Miami. He got special treatment in U.S. courts -- two life sentences, in fact -- compared to the others charged. This came after guilty verdicts on charges that included conspiracy to commit murder for engineering the downing of two planes flown in 1996 by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. According to the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, Hernandez and the others "were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges. The Five's actions were never directed at the U.S. government." That website claims the now 49-year-old, Havana-born Hernandez is a cartoonist-humorist and a Cuban military veteran who, after his conviction, was held in a federal prison in Victorville, California. He went on 54 combat missions, one of them as part of Cuban forces fighting against apartheid-era South African forces in Angola. Luis Medina . Also known as Ramon Labanino, Medina belonged to the Cuban Five. During their trial, he and others said their mission was to gather intelligence in Miami to defend Cuba from anti-Castro groups they feared would attack the island. He got life plus 18 years, though his sentence was changed to 30 years in late 2009, according to the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five website. Medina was serving his sentence in Ashland, Kentucky. The now 51-year-old grew up in Cuba's capital, even graduating with first class honors with an economics degree from the University of Havana, the Free the Cuban Five site says. A talented athlete, he has three daughters -- ages 16 to 25 -- from two different marriages, according to the site. Antonio Guerrero . Guerrero was the other member of the Cuban Five to be released -- not including other members Ruben Campa and Rene Gonzalez, who was let go in 2011. Unlike the other five, Guerrero was born in Miami in 1958, though he and his parents moved to their native Cuba the following year, says the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five website. An airfield construction engineer schooled in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union. He proceeded to work on the expansion of the airport in Santiago de Cuba, and in his free time engaged in art and poetry, according to the Free the Cuban Five website. Re-sentenced in 2009 to nearly 22 years, according to that site, Guerrero leaves incarceration in Marianna, Florida, to reunite with his two sons, ages 22 and 27. | U.S. agency says freed U.S. intelligence agent was a Cuban national .
He provided info that led to convictions of U.S. officials and others .
Obama called him "one of the most important (U.S.) intelligence agents" in Cuba .
Cuba also frees Alan Gross; U.S. releases 3 convicted Cuban agents as part of deal . |
56,129 | 9f1831bc28ec9b53dacb687e91e840eb9759c39c | (CNN) -- Samsung's new flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S3, today becomes available in 28 countries, including several European markets such as Germany and the UK. The Galaxy S3 is the cream of the crop of Android smartphones, with a 4.8-inch touchscreen, a 8-megapixel rear-facing and 1.9-megapixel forward-facing camera, and the latest version of Android — Ice Cream Sandwich. It also sports some neat innovations, such as a sensor that tracks eye movement, preventing the screen from going dark when you're looking at the device. Time.com: Samsung Galaxy S III 'pebble blue' model delayed for weeks . Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/05/29/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-blue-model-delayed-for-weeks/#ixzz1wHq38XMK . Samsung Galaxy S3 is not yet available with US carriers, but rumors say it's just a matter of weeks. In July, the device should be available in 145 countries and 296 carriers. If you're willing to dish out $799 for the LTE-less version of the device, though, you can do so right now at Amazon. Read the original story on Mashable. © 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved. | Samsung's Galaxy S3 phone goes on sale today in 28 countries in Europe and the Middle East .
The Galaxy S3 is not yet available from U.S. carriers, but rumors say it's just a matter of weeks . |
250,674 | d06bc56d161e71128323ff7f2f3a69022dfd8040 | By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 11:11 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:16 EST, 12 November 2013 . Physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, pictured, admitted he was disappointed when the Higgs boson 'God particle' was found . The discovery of the Higgs boson ‘God particle’ was widely considered the biggest scientific breakthrough of modern day - so much so it won this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics - but not everyone was quite so impressed. Leading physicist Professor Stephen Hawking has admitted he was disappointed by the discovery and believes ‘physics would be far more interesting if it had not been found.’ The 71-year-old made the claims during a sold-out event at London’s Science Museum to celebrate the launch of its new Collider exhibition. The exhibition gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the LHC and CERN particle physics laboratory in Geneva. The Higgs boson's role is to give the particles that make up atoms their mass. It has been described as the ‘missing piece’ of the Standard Model, which explains how the parts of the universe that we understand interact with one another. Without this mass, particles would zip around the cosmos, unable to bind together to form the atoms that make stars and planets - and people. The particle was confirmed using the Large Hadron Collider - the highest-energy particle collider ever made, built by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2012. The 71-year-old professor made the claims during a sold-out event at London's Science Museum to celebrate the launch of its new Collider exhibition, pictured. The new exhibition gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the LHC and CERN particle physics laboratory in Geneva . The Higgs boson's role is to give the particles that make up atoms their mass. It . has been described as the ‘missing piece’ of the Standard Model, which . explains how the parts of the universe that we understand interact with . one another . Without . this mass, particles would zip around the cosmos, unable to bind . together to form the atoms that make stars and planets - and people. The . particle was confirmed using the Large Hadron Collider - the . highest-energy particle collider ever made, built by the European . Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2012. However, . our knowledge of particle physics is still far from complete, with . mysteries such as the nature of dark matter to still be solved. Professor Hawking also had a more personal reason to lament the discovery, which earned Edinburgh scientist Professor Peter Higgs a £776,000 share of the Nobel Prize in Physics. ‘I had a bet with Gordon Kane of Michigan University that the Higgs particle wouldn't be found,’ he said. ‘The Nobel Prize cost me $100.’ During this talk, the Professor also discussed being the longest known survivor of ALS, or motor neurone disease, and his slacker days as a student of natural science at Oxford University. He admitted he once calculated he did about 1,000 hours of work during his three years at Oxford - an average of an hour a day. ‘Because of my lack of work, I had planned to get through the final exam by doing problems in theoretical physics and avoiding questions that required factual knowledge. 'But I didn't sleep the night before the exam, because of nervous tension, and so I didn't do very well. I was on the borderline between a first and second class degree.’ Nonetheless Hawking was awarded a first and went on to pursue a career in mathematics and cosmology at Cambridge University, where he is now Director of Research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. Professor Hawking also explained why he believes in one of the most exotic ideas in physics today, M-theory, which proposes the existence of a myriad different universes all created out of nothing. ‘These multiple universes can arise naturally from physical law,’ said Professor Hawking. Professor Hawking also had a personal reason to lament the discovery, which earned Professor Peter Higgs, pictured at the Collider exhibition, the Nobel Prize in Physics. Professor Hawking said: 'I had a bet with Gordon Kane of Michigan University that the Higgs particle wouldn't be found. The Nobel Prize cost me $100.' ‘Each universe has many possible histories and many possible states at later times, that is, at times like the present, long after their creation. 'Most of these states will be quite unlike the universe we observe, and quite unsuitable for the existence of any form of life. Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. ‘Thus, our presence selects out from the vast array only those universes that are compatible with our existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the Cosmos, this makes us, in a sense, lords of creation.’ Professor Hawking believes it is possible the first evidence for M-theory will be seen at the LHC. The theoretical physicist also said that the future of the human race depends on going into space. ‘I don't think we will survive another thousand years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,’ Professor Hawking continued. Ending . his talk, he told his audience: ‘So remember to look up at the stars . and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and hold on . to that child-like wonder about what makes the universe exist.’ Professor Hawking also explained why he believes in M-theory, which proposes the existence of different universes all created out of nothing. He believes it is possible the first evidence for M-theory will be seen at the Large Hadron Collider, as celebrated at the Science Museum's latest exhibition pictured . | Professor Hawking made the claims at the Science Museum in London .
He said the discovery of the so-called God particle was 'disappointing'
He also admitted he bet a fellow physicist $100 that it would never be found .
The 71-year-old was speaking at the launch of the museum’s new Collider exhibition . |
141,413 | 42db277519bc09133adf4bbab0a805a825c26bfe | By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 04:34 EST, 23 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:11 EST, 23 December 2013 . The British White Widow is believed to be masterminding new terror atrocities from a training camp linked to Al Qaeda after she was seen fleeing on a camel into a snake-infested forest in Somalia. Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, is suspected of helping to co-ordinate the attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in September which resulted in the deaths of 67 people. It is believed the terror suspect was transported in a 4x4 over the Kenyan border into Somalia where she has since been spotted four times. The latest sighting was two weeks ago, when spies saw the mother-of-four riding a camel between training camps in Baidoa. Sightings: British-born Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the 'White Widow', has been spotted four times in Somalia since the September Nairobi shopping mall massacre . Lewthwaite, widow of one of the 7/7 London bombers, is now believed to be at a training camp hidden deep in the forest which is run by terror groups linked to Al Qaeda. Colonel Yasin Hiro of the Somali National Army told The Mirror: 'She has been moving by camel. We think she is in the camps. We hope the snakes and scorpions like her.' The Al Shabaab terror group leader, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, first fled to war-torn Somalia after the Nairobi shopping mall massacre. According to the newspaper, she was then taken by boat to a remote beach before moving on to a hideout in Raas Kaambooni. Lewthwaite was next spotted heading to Kismayo - a former terrorist stronghold - before moving on again to Barawe by speedboat. UN official Guled Mohamed told The Mirror: 'People in this very beautiful old Portuguese city are white skinned and blue eyed so she would blend well.' In hiding: Lewthwaite was last spotted fleeing on a camel into a snake-infested forest in Baidoa where there is believed to be a terrorist training camp . The final sighting of the Briton was as she moved by camel to Baidoa where the Somali National Army is fighting approximately 8,000 terrorists. It is feared the extremist is using the base to plot more terror attacks. Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Lewthwaite after she was named as one of the prime suspects behind the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi in September. Lewthwaite is also wanted in Kenya for allegedly ordering the killings of two radical Muslim clerics, two Protestant preachers, and three others with links to Al Shabaab. Interpol issued this international arrest warrant for Lewthwaite after she was named as one of the prime suspects behind the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi in September . East Kenya police commander Aggrey Adoli said: 'We believe Samantha Lewthwaite is behind these killings as well as a gang of others. 'We believe she is involved in recruitment of jihadists and propagation of Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda activities in the country with other like minded individuals. Once we apprehend Samantha Lewthwaite she'll have a lot of questions to answer. 'She is without a doubt an incredible threat to national and international security. We are working round the clock to bring her in to stop her causing more carnage.' The officer said she is wanted on charges of 'murder and inciting Muslim youths to violence'. Escape route: Lewthwaite is believed to have fled Nairobi in Kenya to Somalia where she has been spotted four times - most recently in Baidoa . | Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, is believed to have fled Kenya to Somali after the Nairobi shopping mall massacre in September .
There have since been four reported sightings of Lewthwaite in Somalia .
The latest saw her flee by camel into a snake-infested forest in Baidoa .
She is believed to be at a terrorist training camp hidden inside the forest .
It is feared the mother-of-four is now plotting further atrocities . |
92,765 | 035389e76e78c4bdac78a6ba66c3fd947f2e882d | (CNN) -- When Bridget and Scott Bear were expecting their first child, they wanted to know what it would cost so they could set aside enough money in their health savings account. Knowing in advance what the price tag would be for the birth of their son gave the Bears "peace of mind." The Omaha, Nebraska, couple went to Alegent Health's Web site and found the My Cost function, entered their insurance information and learned the hospital charges would be around $2,500, Bridget Bear said. When Bridget Bear gave birth to their son, Lawson, on April 2 at Lakeside Hospital -- a healthy 8-pound, 8-ounce baby -- the couple were ready for the bill, she said. Alegent is one of a growing number of hospitals, Web sites, even states, helping patients comparison shop on the Internet before undergoing a medical procedure or test. Hospitals say they're responding to a growing demand from patients who are paying for more of their health care out of pocket, thanks to rising deductibles and the advent of high deductible, consumer-driven plans like the Bears have. In the early 2000s, Bellin Health System in Green Bay, Wisconsin, began receiving more calls from patients wanting to know what a particular procedure would cost, said Jeff Hampton, director of revenue cycle management. "As sad as it sounds, we had to say we didn't know," Hampton said. That's because something like knee replacement isn't one expense but many. There are the surgeon's fee, the operating room charge, equipment and supplies, the hospital bed during recovery, and other costs. Five years ago, Bellin put the information together so would-be patients could get an accurate picture of the final bill. On its Compare Care Line, a Bellin financial adviser provides an average cost from the previous six months for a given procedure and the price range over that time period. "People are shopping around more," Hampton said. "If consumers want to know what the cost of something is going to be, we should be able to give them an answer." Alegent, with nine hospitals in Nebraska and southwest Iowa, started My Cost in January 2007, posting the price of more than 500 tests and procedures along with data on quality of care. Integris Health, a 14-hospital system in Oklahoma City, has a Consumer Price Line number that allows patients to learn what the out-of-pocket costs will be for their procedures. The service started in July 2007 after CEO Stanley Hupfeld had some "secret shoppers" try to get pricing information, said Nicole White, Integris spokesperson. Consumer Price Line receives between 800 and 1,000 calls a month, she said. Sixteen state hospital associations operate Web sites that allow comparison shopping for such inpatient procedures as appendectomies, maternity stays and knee or hip replacements: Georgia, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin. Other states have their own systems. Minnesota health care providers collaborated on the HealthScores Web site, which allows price comparisons between 110 providers for 103 common medical procedures. The Web site tells what insurance companies pay, on average, for procedures ranging from Caesarean delivery to a colonoscopy. Pennsylvania has detailed price information on cardiac and joint replacement surgeries on its Health Care Cost Containment Council Web site, but the data are several years old. Still, it underscores the enormous differences in prices. For example, knee replacement costs ranged from $11,243 to $97,031 at the state's hospitals. Even individual hopsitals are striving to offer more transparency. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, posts very detailed information about prices on the hospital's Web site. Spokesperson Jason Aldous said it's part of the medical center's mission to provide transparency about cost, outcomes and patient satisfaction. The information is only a starting point, though, Aldous said. "We want that to drive you to a more informed conversation" with a doctor, he said. "A bilateral knee replacement is not like buying a car on the lot." But Brad Myers, co-founder of New Choice Health, said health care and car buying are a lot more similar than many people think. The eight-month-old site was created to do for health care what automobile pricing guides did for new car buying 20 years ago, Myers said. New Choice Health, which does not charge for its service, lists the average cost insurance companies pay for 400 different procedures at different facilities across the country. Want to know the cost of a colonoscopy in Cleveland? New Choice Health gives you more than 50 facilities, with prices ranging from $550 to $1,200. How about a PET scan in Portland? The site offers more than 20 facilities with a price range of $1,600 to $2,100. The site is designed for people who are uninsured, individually insured or with a high deductible plan, Myers said. Patients who are not covered in a group plan generally get bills three times as high, he said. He advocates bargaining. "Just picking up the phone will get you 20 percent off. Nine times out of 10, if you want to haggle, it's more like 50 percent off," Myers says. New Choice Health, which went live in January, now gets 40,000 to 50,000 users a month, Myers says. Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute, said cost sites such as New Choice Health are crude tools because they don't tell people with traditional plans what they'll pay out of pocket. A lot depends on how much of their deductible they've already spent. Also, people with expensive chronic diseases such as diabetes usually reach their deductible early in the year and are less concerned about price after that, Fronstin said. Childbirth is a perfect procedure to price ahead of time, according to Kathleen Stoll at Families USA. Others are not as clear cut. With knee surgery, for example, patients may not know the exact procedure they need or what complications could arise, she said. Bridget Bear said knowing what hospital fees would be in advance gave her and her husband peace of mind: "We were able to enjoy the anticipation of Lawson a little bit more instead of having to worry about the financial piece of it." CNN's Sabriya Rice contributed to this report. | More Web sites help future patients comparison-shop for health care .
Sixteen state hospital associations operate Web sites that allow comparisons .
New Choice Health hopes to do for health care what pricing guides did for car buying .
Price information is only a starting point, said one expert . |
93,273 | 03faf99de4502654def2e0c68662cfef6ec4840e | The 15-year-old son of CNN president Jeff Zucker has resigned from his position on the advisory board of Cory Booker's start-up after it was revealed that the teenager had a leadership role in the company and receiving stock options for his work. Hours after the news broke that Zucker's teenage son Andrew was listed as a member of the video aggregation start-up, a CNN spokesman said that he resigned from the company. The spokesperson also made a concerted effort to distance Booker, the current Newark mayor who is running for the open New Jersey Senate seat, from the decision to bring the younger Zucker on board. Her idea: Sarah Ross is said to be the one who approached Jeff Zucker's son Andrew (seen with his father at left in 2009) to be a member of the advisory board of Cory Booker's start-up Waywire . Public face: Cory Booker, the current mayor of Newark, New Jersey who is now running for Senate, is the founder of a video aggregation start up and he stands to make $1million to $5million out of the company . They said instead that it was Sarah Ross, a tech executive with close ties to Silicon Valley, who approached Andrew and asked him to provide some analysis for the Booker's start-up Waywire because the teenager is apparently known for his insight into popular trends among teens. Teenage tech whiz: Andrew Zucker, seen in 2009, resigned from his post on the company's board hours after the news broke . CNN Money reported on Wednesday that Andrew's name was suggested to Ms Ross by another Waywire board member after they heard that the teen had been helping his dad when it came to tech branding issues for the cable news giant. Ms Ross then had a conversation with both Jeff and Andrew Zucker and they agreed to have the now-15-year-old sign on to Waywire's advisory board and receive a 'de minimus' amount of stock options in return. An unidentified source told CNN Money that Booker himself was 'not involved at all' with the decision, and Ms Ross herself admitted at an early stage that the politician would not be a part of the day-to-day operations of the start up. The New York Times reports that even in the nascent phase, it was clear among the founders that Booker would be a more public role. When . the launched the company, Ms Ross reportedly said to Booker: 'You know . what? You should do it, found the company. Obviously you don’t have to . be involved — you’ve got a full-time job. But found the company.’ The . financial disclosure indicates that his ownership stake could earn him . anywhere between $1million and $5million, but the company does not . appear anywhere near ready to turn over such a profit. Unlike many of the other boldface names connected to Waywire, like Oprah Winfrey and Google's Eric Schmidt, it does not seem as if the elder Zucker actually has any financial stake in the company. Very little has previously been revealed about the start up, which was officially created in May 2012. Promoting the brand: If Booker wins, he will have to resign from the board of Waywire and stop promoting it from his well-followed Twitter feed . Famous funders: Google's Eric Schmidt (left) was the first one to invest money in Waywire, and Booker's close friend Oprah Winfrey (right) followed shortly after . Now The New York Times . was able to shed some light on the company's structure because Booker . had to submit a financial report showing his ownership of the company . due to the stipulations for Senate candidates. Booker . reportedly came up with the idea for the company, whose mission is to . effectively become a different iteration of YouTube where the work of . up-and-coming students is highlighted, while meeting with Ms Ross and . Nathan Richardson. Ms Ross . is best known for her work behind the social media scenes, and is . credited by The Times as being the one that helped Ashton Kutcher . achieve his record-breaking number of followers. 'I . see high school kids who are doing incredible videos, but their voices . are not breaking into the national conversation,' Booker said of his . inspiration for Waywire. Connected: Sarah Ross, seen here talking with Booker and trailed by Mark Zuckerberg, is well known in Silicon Valley . Booker's . involvement in the project has not been a secret, as he used his name . and public image as a way to gain more than a million dollars from early . investors. He said it was . easy to raise the $1.75million worth of seed money for the venture . 'because of the power of the idea'. He said nothing of his rising power . on the national political stage. Schmidt was the first investor in the company, and Booker's close friend Oprah followed suit. For . Booker's part, he may not be able to be involved in the company much . longer. If he wins the Senate race in November, he will be forced to . withdraw from Waywire's board. The Times reports that they already had to go through a round of layoffs, but two staffers taht are still around are Andrew Zucker and an unidentified son of one of a Booker supporter who is now employed by Booker's Senate campaign. | Cory Booker helped found a video aggregation start up site called Waywire .
Financial disclosure forms show that he appointed Jeff Zucker's 15-year-old son Andrew on the company's advisory board .
Andrew has since quit after his role was publicized .
Google's Eric Schmidt and Booker pal Oprah Winfrey are both investors .
Booker is now running for the empty New Jersey Senate spot . |
114,745 | 2017c9c258910b5149632a960d5c12edbe19a1fe | By . Richard Spillett . Former primary school teacher Martyne Airey has been told he could face jail after sniffing pupil's feet for 'sexual gratification' A primary school teacher is facing jail after playing games of 'sniff and tickle' with his pupils' feet. Martyne Airey, 51, told misbehaving children to stay behind after lessons and take off their shoes and socks before sitting them up at a table and smelling their toes or tickling their soles. He was caught after several pupils - all boys - were confronted by other teachers for being late to their classes. They explained that they had been with Airey and said what had happened to them. It emerged in court that Airey would get the pupils to pick a playing card from a deck. Depending on which card was picked he would then sniff or tickle their feet. He was suspended from his position before being charged in April this year. The court heard that the pupils have not reported any trauma from the incidents, but 'just thought he was weird'. Prosecutors said Airey, of Blackburn, Lancashire, carried out the offences for 'sexual gratification'. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual activity with a child under 13 at Preston Crown Court and will be sentenced next month. At an earlier hearing before magistrates, prosecutor Miss Catherine Allan said: 'The defendant was working as a teacher at a school. 'The prosecution case is that he would play a game with children which involved him smelling their feet for sexual gratification. There is abuse of position, of trust, the age of children, numerous children.' At the latest hearing, prosecutor Miss Abigail Hudson said: 'Three of the boys came back from Mr Airey's class and were asked why they were late and, at that point, disclosed the game they had been playing. 'The . parents made this public and other parents asked their children if they . had played this game too. None of the children were particularly . disturbed, they just thought it was weird. The parents were of course . more perturbed.' Airey was caught after pupils told other teachers what he had been doing when he kept them back . After the court hearing, a parent of one of the pupils said: 'It was not normal behaviour. I was really angry and disgusted when it all came out. I'm just glad he has pleaded guilty and the children will not have to be put through another ordeal. 'Lots of us were really concerned over whether he would plead guilty so it is a real relief.' Another said: 'You normally expect your children to be safe with their teacher, but this fellow obviously needs some help. Parents in the playground have talked of nothing else except what he did.' Airey - who was given bail on condition he does not to have any contact with any children under 16 - was told by Judge Simon Newall that a jail sentence could not be ruled out. But, the judge said, his early guilty plea would be taken into account as it had helped to avoid a long trial. A judge at Preston Crown Court (pictured) told Airey he would be given credit for admitting his crimes . | Martyne Airey kept children behind after lessons to hand out punishments .
He got them to pick a playing card before sniffing and tickling their feet .
The 51-year-old was caught after pupils told other teachers of his actions .
He has now admitted eight counts of .
sexual activity with a child under 13 .
Former teacher told he could be jailed for shocking incidents next month . |
79,172 | e0688ac7a58cee5972f1ee95aaca5b860dd6c052 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A lawsuit filed in California against Kellogg, Brown and Root on Wednesday alleges the company and its subcontractor were involved in a human trafficking plan that forced Nepali men to work against their will in Iraq. The lawyer and relatives of men who were employed by KBR and allegedly sent to Iraq without their consent. The men, between the ages of 18 and 27, were recruited in Nepal and told they would be doing work in hotel and restaurant kitchens in Amman, Jordan, but were sent instead to Iraq to work at a U.S. air base, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges KBR, based in Houston, Texas, and Daoud & Partners, a Jordan-based subcontractor, engineered the trafficking scheme. A KBR spokeswoman would not comment directly on the allegations but released a statement defending the company. "KBR has not yet seen the lawsuit so it is premature for us to comment at this time. The safety and security of all employees and those the company serves remains KBR's top priority. The company in no way condones or tolerates unethical or illegal behavior," KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne said in a statement e-mailed to CNN. "Each employee is expected to adhere to the company's Code of Business Conduct and complete ethics training, which includes TIPS (Trafficking in Persons) information," Browne continued. Efforts by CNN to reach Daoud were unsuccessful. When the Nepali men arrived in Jordan, according to the lawsuit, the contractors took their passports and drove them into Iraq. Mathew Handley, a lawyer with Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, which filed the lawsuit, said about 70 Nepali men were driven into Iraq in a large convoy of civilian vehicles. One of the lead vehicles was ahead of the convoy and was stopped by insurgents posing as Iraqi Police. Twelve of the Nepali men were taken by the insurgents and later killed. "As the men were being transported to Iraq, a car containing twelve of the men was stopped by members of the Ansar al-Sunna Army, an insurgent group. The 12 men in the car were taken hostage and executed by the insurgents," according to a statement on the law firm's Web site. A 13th man, Buddi Prasad Gurung, was not kidnapped and arrived at the U.S. Al Asad air base in western Iraq in August 2004. Gurung worked in a warehouse managed by KBR and was released 15 months later by the company, according to the law firm. Gurung and the families of the 12 men who were killed have brought the lawsuit. Handley says the other Nepali workers who were sent to Iraq with Gurung did not come forward for the lawsuit after they were eventually released from KBR. "Their families went deep into debt to arrange the jobs, which they hoped would lift them out of poverty," according to the lawsuit. The case garnered the attention of the Department of Defense Inspector General's office after a number of news reports about KBR involvement in trafficking. The department concluded an investigation in April 2006. "The primary finding concluded that the U.S. Government had no jurisdiction over the persons, offenses, or circumstances that resulted in the Nepalese deaths," according to the final report. The report also concluded that the events happened "before starting their employment with KBR." However, the case led to increased awareness and enforcement of trafficking laws by the U.S. military. | Suit claims that Nepali men were told they would work in kitchens in Jordan .
They were instead sent to Iraq where they were captured and killed, suit says .
KBR issued statement defending company but not directly addressing allegations . |
255,552 | d6c470dcebf495c842266e4fe3927f10d68a6f7c | By . Alexandra Williams . PUBLISHED: . 07:58 EST, 28 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:11 EST, 28 March 2013 . A British man has been killed in a snowboarding accident in the French Alps. The 38-year-old fell 16ft down a crevasse on a glacier in Chamonix. Emergency services were called at 2.15pm yesterday after a skier spotted the man. A helicopter immediately flew over the scene of the accident at Grand Montets and two rescuers were winched down into the crevasse. But the man was already dead. (File picture) A rescue crew of the Securite Civile (emergency services) flies over Chamonix, in the French Alps. A Brit was found dead there yesterday . It is believed the man had snowboarded over a snow bridge on the Rognon glacier and it had collapsed under his weight. The man lived in Passy, 10 miles from Chamonix, and was snowboarding alone but had been due to meet friends later that day. A police spokesman said: 'When we arrived the victim was already dead. He probably died instantly from the fall.' A snow bridge is formed by a snow drift. It is an arc that can grow to join the sides of a crevasse crating an illusion of a solid surface. It hides the opening under a layer of snow of unknown thickness. File picture showing a snowboarder at La Flegere, Chamonix, near where the British expat was found . A snow bridge is thicker and stronger at the edge of a crevasse meaning that a fall though a bridge usually happens at some distance from the crevasse edge. The accident is the latest tragedy involving a Briton in the Alps. Earlier this month, in the same resort, a father and son died after falling down a steep gully. Peter Saunders, 48, and his 12-year-old son Charlie were hiking in Chamonix. Police believe Mr Saunders fell to his death while trying to rescue his son who had fallen 1000 feet. Last week another Briton died in the French Alps. Louis Roberton, 26, was found dead in an icy stream after a night out drinking in La Plagne. | The 38-year-old was found after a skier spotted his body .
Rescuers were winched down but the man was already dead .
The man, who has not been named, lived in Passy, 10m from resort . |
163,568 | 5f82eb7c32e3750751d618085ded45ffed8c8b94 | (CNN) -- Post-traumatic stress disorder begins as a natural response to danger, according to psychiatrists. Rachel Hope says her life had been the stuff of nightmares. She reached out to South Carolina psychiatrist Dr. Michael Mithoefer in 2005 after suffering the effects of PTSD for years and trying various treatments, to no avail. "My mom was 19 when she had me, and she was very ill-equipped," Hope said. But the worst arrived when Hope was 4 years old and her mother went on vacation, leaving her with a male friend who'd agreed to babysit. As it turned out, says Hope, he was a pedophile who raped her repeatedly over the six-week stretch that her mother was gone. When they finally reunited, her mother noticed a change. "She told me, 'I just wondered why you were kind of withdrawn and weren't the happy child you used to be,' " Hope said. But the angry, bewildered child didn't tell tell her mother what had happened, and no one put the pieces together. Not long after, Hope went to live with her grandmother in San Diego, where she did well in school and became accustomed to a "normal" life. Read the first installment of this three-part series . But five years later, another catastrophe struck -- literally. She was hit by a delivery truck as she was riding her bike to a dance lesson. Hope nearly died. As it was, she needed two reconstructive surgeries on her face and was partially paralyzed for four months. Yet, she survived. The 11-year-old found strength in stoicism. '"That was good and bad. I mean, it was heartbreaking to be a kid like that," she said. "To realize, there's not gonna be a magical fairy that shows up. 'Bad news, kid, no one's saving you.' And that was a big turning point." Seemingly against all odds, she pulled her body and mind back together. She became fascinated by notions of human potential, the way the mind works. And she asked herself the big questions. "I wanted to make sense of it all." It took years, however, to reach out to Mithoefer. Her plan: to see whether she could free herself from torment by taking a drug called MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy. Party drug and forbidden substance . The compound known as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, was first synthesized in Germany in 1912. No one quite knew what to do with it. It was studied by the military in the 1950s and eventually emerged from the lab in the late 1970s. The first report on its effect in humans was published in 1978 by independent chemist Alexander Shulgin and David Nichols, a professor of pharmacology at Purdue University. At the same time, Shulgin was churning out the drug in his lab and sharing it with a handful of psychiatrists and therapists who saw MDMA as a lever for human growth. Dr. George Greer helped Shulgin make an early batch and offered it to interested couples and individuals. "MDMA reduced the fear response, so people could talk about the things that made them afraid or upset," he recalled. At the same time, "people were able to have normal cognitive function, and the insights they had were able to translate to everyday life." A few people had mild panic attacks, says Greer, "but in general, it was well-tolerated." He described his experiments in a paper, detailing the experiences of 29 people. Not everyone was so careful. By the mid-'80s, Ecstasy was also in use as a party drug. In the spring of 1985, the alarm was sounding, and Ecstasy was making headlines. Congress held hearings, and the Drug Enforcement Administration put MDMA on the list of forbidden substances alongside heroin and LSD. The uproar left the small community of MDMA therapists shaken. Greer submitted testimony asserting the drug's safety to the DEA, but to little avail. Rick Doblin, a soon-to-be Harvard graduate student who would later found the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies -- a group wanting to turn mind-altering drugs like Ecstasy into prescription medicine -- saw the writing on the wall. Shortly before MDMA was banned, he persuaded Nichols to synthesize two kilograms for researchers, for the cost of materials. "Doing science that gets reported, that's an idea we can sort of leverage," Doblin said. To win broader acceptance for MDMA -- and for cousins like LSD and psilocybin, the mind-altering compound in so-called magic mushrooms -- "the medical route was the only route. Everything else was blocked." That meant a formal plan for drug development: study protocols, institutional review boards and the rest. Mithoefer, a University of Virginia-trained clinician who specializes in trauma and had a long-running interest in MDMA, was the perfect partner. Before taking Hope's call, Mithoefer had spent nearly three years navigating the federal bureaucracy to win approval for his small experiment, designed to test a simple question: Is MDMA, used in a clinical setting, safe? 'I got to survive. But for what?' As a teenager, Hope marched with a precocious sense of purpose. At age 13, she moved across the country to live with family friends in New Jersey. A year later, she was back in California, where she found a full-time secretarial job while completing her high school coursework. She built a strong relationship with her father, who had separated from her mother when she was an infant. By the time she was 17, she was back with her mom but supporting herself financially. She was wary of relationships but wanted a family, and at 19 she found a like-minded colleague who agreed to co-parent a son. They moved to Hawaii, because she had fond memories of a childhood vacation. "I think there was a part of me that thought I could run away from all that crazy horrible stuff," she said. "I was trying to find ways to be okay." But the peace was fragile. When her father died in 1991, Hope became so depressed, she fell into a stupor. She was hospitalized, and for the first time, a psychiatrist listened as she talked about her childhood abuse. It was eye-opening, but therapy offered limited relief. She grew well enough to leave the hospital but found little joy outside. In 1998, she suffered another breakdown after learning from a friend that the man who'd sexually abused her was under investigation for molesting another girl. Under the weight of stress and emotion, Hope's carefully constructed shell began to crack. "I started having these outrageous flashbacks, and body memories," she recalled. "The first time, I thought someone slipped me a drug. Because it would be these unstoppable, full-body blackout memories, and people would tell me later, 'You were just screaming for an hour.' " She stopped sleeping. Her stomach problems worsened; she vomited every time she ate. Once again, she checked herself into the hospital. Once again, it was all the doctors could do just to tape the pieces back together. "I became like a survival machine. And I'm kind of blessed, because I didn't become violent or hostile or self-destructive," she said. At the same time, a "normal" life felt out of reach. "It was kind of like, 'OK, I got to survive. But for what?' " To be continued in Monday's story . | Rachel Hope says her childhood was the stuff of nightmares .
She weathered childhood trauma but suffered breakdowns as an adult .
She reached out to a South Carolina psychiatrist in 2005 .
Dr. Michael Mithoefer is studying whether MDMA, or Ecstasy, is safe in a clinical setting . |
181,293 | 76b457a2e7ad6af0e6bc68270e8fa4c78a7f4427 | By . Snejana Farberov . PUBLISHED: . 09:50 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:02 EST, 11 July 2013 . The wife of a heroic New York City police officer who narrowly escaped death when he was stabbed in the skull last year became one of the 1,247 new recruits who were welcomed into the Police Academy this week. Standing in a packed Queens auditorium Wednesday, 27-year-old Dina Loor raised her right hand and repeated the words of the oath administered by Commissioner Raymond Kelly, officially making her a probationary police officer. The wife and mother-of-two knows better than most people the inherent dangers associated with a career in law enforcement. Protect and serve: Dina Loor (left), is pictured with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly (right) during Wednesday ceremony welcoming new recruits into the Police Academy . Creme of the crop: Loor was among the 1,247 men and women who were sworn in by Kelly (behind lectern), becoming probationary officers . On April 17, 2012, her husband, officer Eder Loor, was stabbed through the skull while responding to a call placed by the mother of an emotionally disturbed man in East Harlem. Terrence Hale, 26, plunged the three-and-a-half inch blade deep into officer Loor's left temple. The cop pulled the knife, which had enter just above his eye, out of his head, apparently unaware he had been critically injured. Against all odds, Loor has survived, earning him the nickname ‘the luckiest unlucky man ever’ from his doctor. Mr Loor was truly fortunate: the blade . passed half an inch below an area of the brain that controls motor . functions, and another half-inch from a collection of nerves which . control vision. Close call: Terrance Hall (left), 26, has been charged with attempted aggravated murder stemming from the April 2012 incident that nearly cost officer Eder Loor (right) his life . Deadly weapon: Hall allegedly plunged this 3-and-a-half-inch knife deep into Loor's temple, narrowly missing an area of the brain that controls motor functions and nerves that control vision . On his side: Dina Loor stood by her husband during his slow recovery process . Loor's . alleged assailant, who suffers from schizophrenia and a bi-polar . ordered, has been charged with attempted aggravated murder, assault and . criminal possession of a weapon, according to CBS New York. This past March, the courageous cop was promoted to detective, but his injuries have left him unable to continue his service. Her husband's extremely close call, followed by a slow recovery, has not deterred Mrs Loor from pursuing her dream of joining the force. If anything, the ordeal has steeled her resolve to join the force. ‘After my education at John Jay College, I would say that I wanted to pursue this career more than I’ve ever anticipated,’ she told the New York Post. ‘I have passion for the law and to enforce it and to protect the community as well.’ The new recruit said that her husband stands behind her decision. ‘He’s always telling me to follow my heart and this is where my heart has been,’ she said. Passing the baton: Eder Loor (left) has been unable to continue his service on the force due to his injuries, but he has been supportive of Dina's plan to pursue a career in law enforcement . Happy family: The Loors have two young kids, a 6-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy . Mrs Loor added that her spouse has offered her some words of advice as she embarks on her risky career path, namely to always be alert and ready, and to trust her partner. The aspiring cop said that her 6-year-old daughter was excited to learn that she is going to be a police officer. The Loors also have a 2-year-old son. Mrs Loor said she is grateful to the NYPD for the support the agency has shown her. The recruit is one of 225 women joining the Police Academy. On Friday, the 27-year-old and her fellow probationary officers will report to the New York City Police Academy in Manhattan to begin their training. | Officer Eder Loor was stabbed in left temple with 3-and-a-half-inch knife in April 2012 .
Doctors were able to save his life, motors functions and vision, but he was unable to continue his service .
Dina Loor, 27, graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice .
Couple have 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son . |
143,737 | 45e078d51424330488634272ce6a12d1893dc6d4 | By . Leesa Smith . AFL fans are calling for controversial football commentator Brian Taylor to be sacked after he made further homophobic remarks live on air. Social media has blown up about the outspoken broadcaster calling Geelong defender Harry Taylor a ‘big poofter’ on live television despite his apology during the half-time break. The comment came as footage was shown on Channel 7’s Saturday Night Footy panel show of Harry Taylor being chaired from the field last weekend after his 150th game when the popular Cat player did an unusual wave to the crowd. Scroll down for video . The chair lift that prompted commentator Brian Taylor to call Geelong footballer Harry Taylor (centre) a ' big p**fter' This is the second time Brian Taylor has been slammed this year for homophobic remarks - he also described his 3AW colleague Seb Costello's dress sense as 'gay' earlier in the season . ‘I don’t know whether you guys down there can hear me or not. I am up here getting ready for the game and I’ve just seen that crap from Harry — he’s a big poofter,’ Taylor said.‘You can’t be doing the old royal wave, next thing you’ll have your mum and dad out there.’ Laughter came from the panel which consisted of Luke Darcy, Cameron Ling, Sam Lane, Matthew Richardson and Mick Molloy, The Herald Sun reported. The former Richmond and Collingwood full-forward is known for being a long-time critic of players celebrating ‘minor’ milestones. Taylor then apologised during the half-time break.'In the pre-game show I said something that I regret, and I sincerely apologise in regard to Harry Taylor and anyone — and particularly Harry and any of his friends — that were offended by my remark,' he said. 'I apologise for that and I sincerely regret any harm that I have caused. So, sorry for that.' This is the second time this year that Taylor has been slammed for making remarks that could be seen as homophobic. ‘I don’t want to offend his upbringing or his parents ... but he looks gay. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just a look as sophisticated is a look, as daggy is a look. You look gay,’ he said when describing his 3AW colleague Seb Costello’s dress sense. Some of the panellists on the show with Taylor laughed when he made the remarks but the fans are outraged . AFL fans have expressed they have had a gutful of his offensive comments and are calling on Channel 7 to fire the commentator with his remarks being described as disgraceful and shameful on Twitter. ‘Can someone please tell Brian Taylor he is a flog! He is the WORST commentator on tv ever! He needs to find a new job.’ Timothy Sim saidKyran Wheatley said the comment did not help the reputation of the game. ‘With Brian Taylor calling someone a big poofter on the Channel 7 pre game 'comedy' show, I can't imagine why no players have come out,’ Kyran Wheatley . While Dann de Wolff M.B.E. is capitalising on a possible job opportunity. ‘I really feel like Channel 7 are missing out by not having me as a football commentator. I could pretty easily replace Brian Taylor.’ | Football commentator Brian Taylor called Geelong AFL player Harry Taylor a 'big p**fter' live on air when he was being chaired after his 150th game .
Taylor then apologised during the half-time break .
The broadcaster also described his 3AW colleague Seb Costello’s dress sense as 'gay' earlier in the season .
Disgusted fans have called on Channel 7 to sack Taylor for his comments . |
64,867 | b834a7d544bb27f3261c55c4a70466bd232da57d | By . Associated Press Reporter . A pistol and other possessions belonging to a one-time Old West outlaw who later ran for governor of Oklahoma and also became an actor are going up for auction next month. The .45 Colt revolver owned by infamous outlaw Alphonzo 'Al' J. Jennings could go for as much as $30,000 during an auction June 5 in Woodward, said Ira Smith, auctioneer with Smith & Co. Auction and Reality Inc. Jennings was born in Virginia in 1863 and moved to El Reno, Oklahoma, where he became the prosecuting attorney for Canadian County, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. Scroll down for video . Al Jennings - pictured here in the Winter of 1913-1914 - was an attorney in Oklahoma Territory who at one time robbed trains. He later became a silent film star. A pistol and other possessions belonging to him are going up for auction next month . Prized possession: The .45 Colt revolver owned by famed outlaw and one-time candidate for Oklahoma governor Alphonzo 'Al' J. Jennings before his death in 1961 will under the hammer in Woodward on June 5 . In 1895, he joined his two brothers in a law practice in Woodward. Later that year, one brother was killed and another wounded in a shootout with a rival attorney. Jennings later formed an outlaw band that attempted to rob trains and general stores before he was captured and sentenced to life in prison. One of his brothers got his sentence reduced, and Jennings was released just a few years later. He ran unsuccessfully for Oklahoma governor in 1914 and then moved to California, where he appeared in at least two westerns before dying in 1961. 'Al Jennings is probably one of the most enigmatic characters in Oklahoma history,' Oklahoma Historical Society executive director Bob Blackburn said. 'He was a potential candidate for governor, so he had a professional side to him — an ambition to be accepted by the community — and at the same time, he had this urge to get rich quick. 'He was not successful at either one.' In 1897 Jennings and joined a gang of bandits and robbed trains, general stores and a post office, with little monetary success. In 1899 he was sentenced to life in prison but, due to the legal efforts of his brother John, the sentence was reduced to five years . Blackburn said Jennings was probably most successful at getting into the movie business. After . Jennings' death, his possessions, including the pistol, trickled down . through family members, who have now decided to put up the items at a . public auction. Other items . include a picture of Jennings attending Wyatt Earp's funeral, a poster . from his failed attempt to become governor and a book signed by . President Harry Truman, said Karen Rampy, Jennings' great-great niece. The auction will be streamed online, too, Smith said. 'It's . hard to put a value on this thing, but in my mind — which I've been in . this business 32 years so I've watched this happen before — that gun . could easily bring $20,000 to $30,000. '(But) you never know at a public auction,' he said. See one of Al Jennings' silent films here . | Alphonzo 'Al' J. Jennings was a real cowboy who gained notoriety in turn-of-the-century Oklahoma .
by robbing banks and trains .
He claimed to have killed 18 men by shooting them in the throat .
In 1914, Al decided to run for the post of Governor of Oklahoma, but lost .
After being caught and imprisoned several .
times, he turned 'straight' and journeyed to Hollywood to make movies, .
becoming not only an actor but also a producer .
He died in 1961 in California aged 98 .
Some of his possessions will be auctioned off in Woodward on June 5 . |
64,743 | b7debb2db6c67fbd79dd509fdf601be6d23f394d | By . Emily Crane . An Australian couple's idyllic beachfront wedding photos were foiled when two groomsmen had to strip down and rescue a fisherman who capsized his boat and drifted out to sea. Jo-Anne and Aaron Easterbrook were posing for photos with their wedding party on a jetty in Palm Cove, north of Cairns, on Monday when they saw the dinghy overturn close to nearby rocks. The two groomsmen, Dougal Grey and Clayton Deane, immediately stripped down to their underwear and swam towards the out-of-breath fisherman. Exhausted: A fisherman collapsed on dry ground after being rescued by two groomsmen posing for wedding photos after his boat capsized at Palm Cove, north of Cairns, on Monday . Bride Jo-Anne Easterbrook and new husband Aaron pose for photographs after the rescue: Heroic groomsmen Dougal Doogs Grey and Clayton Deani Deane are seen, centre, in their underpants along with bridesmaids Sarah Clements and Kate Webster . They pulled him back towards the shore with his dinghy and then dragged him the rest of the way on to dry ground where he crashed on the sand due to exhaustion. More... Here comes the bride! Kylie Gillies celebrates 25 years of marriage with an '80s flashback wedding photo - and gets a gift from Prada to celebrate the big day . Will she wear Lanvin to her wedding? Kim Kardashian reveals she's picked THE dress for big day amid buzz it's by favored designer . They'll be next! How George Clooney took new fiancée Amal Aladmuddin 'to pal's wedding in Mexico' 'I think he was a bit shocked… exhausted but grateful,' Mrs Easterbrook told the Cairns Post. 'The fisherman wasn't in the water for very long, he was still afloat and conscious.' The groomsmen then swam back out to pull the dinghy in the rest of the way. Rescue: Groomsmen Dougal Grey and Clayton Deane are pictured running towards the sea after spotting a dinghy capsize in Palm Cove, north of Cairns in Queenslands, on Monday . Swimming out to sea: The two groomsmen approach the fisherman who is pictured clinging to his overturned dinghy . Help at hand: The two groomsmen help the fisherman gain control of his capsized dinghy before dragging them both towards the shore . Pictures of the dramatic rescue were caught on camera by wedding photographers and their aerial camera drone. The men were captured lugging the boat's outboard motor onto the beach, as well as helping to drag the weathered dinghy to shore. Wedding party photos resumed after the rescue, albeit with two very wet groomsmen in their underwear. The couple, who live in the Northern Territory, met seven years ago through their love of fishing in Nhulunbuy, east of Darwin. They leave for their honeymoon in Fiji on Wednesday night. Caught on camera: The three men work together to drag the dingy back towards the shore as the wedding photographer captures the dramatic rescue . Finally made it: The two groomsmen bring the dingy into shore as the fisherman follows closely behind . Groomsmen Dougal Grey and Clayton Deane gather up their suits which they'd left abandoned on the beach as others help to bring the dinghy on to dry land . All's well that ends well: Newlyweds Jo-Anne and Aaron Easterbrook went back to posing for some more wedding photographs after the rescue before heading off to their reception . | Groomsmen dive into water after fisherman capsizes dinghy near Cairns .
Shocked fisherman drifted dangerously close to rocks before rescue .
Entire ordeal was caught on camera by wedding photographers . |
38,194 | 6c013ad2c7ff54f237131ff8b96b80b80dbf22da | Half of today’s 20-year-olds will never marry, striking research reveals. Instead, couples are increasingly choosing to cohabit without ever deciding to commit. A report published today using the latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals a generational shift away from the institution of marriage, with youngsters far less likely ever to wed than their parents and grandparents. The research by the Marriage Foundation shows that, for a variety of reasons, 47 per cent of women and 48 per cent of men aged 20 will never marry. Half of today's 20-year-olds will never marry, new data suggests. Instead they will cohabit without ever deciding to fully commit . The baby boomer generation – born between the end of the Second World War and the early 1960s – has maintained a healthy level of marriage, with 87 per cent of men and 92 per cent of women having married at some stage. But subsequent generations are facing a sharp decline in marriage rates. Half of 40-year-olds today are already married, but they are not expected to reach the levels set by their parents. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: 'One of the starkest findings of this report is that young people’s aspiration to marry so outstrips achievement. 'We should respond by asking what stops them from doing so - looking at how we can remove any barriers that currently stand in their way, and ensuring they have the opportunity to realise their aspirations. 'This government has already funded marriage preparation and relationship education for over 6,000 couples, but there is undoubtedly more to do. 'I firmly believe in the importance of strong families as the foundation of a healthy society, and that marriage has a powerful role to play in securing the relationship that lies at their heart. 'We know that stable loving families offer children the best possible start in life, so it is right that this government has taken steps to ensure families have the help and support they need to flourish. 'From action to reduce the couple penalty left by Labour to the provision of relationship education and the recognition of marriage in the tax system, it is clear that we are unashamedly pro-family.' 47 per cent of women and 48 per cent of men aged 20 will never marry for a variety of reasons, data shows . According to current trends, only 61 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women aged 40 today will ever marry. However, the greatest decline in marriage has taken place among those in their twenties. In 1970, the peak year for marriage, 564,818 men and women aged 25 got married. In 2010, just 56,598 did, a fall of 90 per cent. Today, only 5 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women aged 25 are married, as compared to 60 per cent of men and 80 per cent of women 44 years ago. When current trends are applied to today’s 20-year olds, figures show that only 52 per cent of those men and 53 per cent of women are expected ever to marry, despite strong aspirations to do so. Researchers blamed a number of factors, including early cohabitation, which makes people less likely ever to tie the knot, celebrity divorces, and decades of undermining of the institution of marriage by the state. Harry Benson, research director for the Marriage Foundation, said: ‘What we’re seeing is the devastating trickle-down effect of the trend away from marriage. ‘At the moment, we have high proportions of parents and grandparents who have got married at some stage and for the most part stayed together. 'They provide role models for the next generation. They also show what can be gained from making a marriage work in terms of the stability it provides for a family. ‘However, fewer of today’s 40-year-olds will be in a position to demonstrate the positives of a stable household cemented by marriage. ‘Their children’s generation, currently in their twenties, will suffer twofold; first from a higher level of family breakdown when they themselves are young, and secondly from the lack of familiarity with the benefits of marriage as they look to start their own families.’ Mr Benson said that the argument for marriage is ‘not a moral or religious one, but based on concrete facts’. ‘Cohabiting couples account for only 19 per cent of parents but 50 per cent of family breakdown. Among parents who stay together until their children reach 15, a tiny 7 per cent are cohabiting couples,’ he said. In its 13 years in power Labour was accused of undermining marriage, and the UK is almost alone in Europe in failing to recognise traditional family structures in the tax system. In last week’s Queen’s Speech, the Government confirmed its intention to restore a recognition of marriage in the tax system. Married couples where one partner pays no income tax will be able to transfer £1,000 of their tax allowance between them, saving them £200 a year. The Marriage Foundation was founded by Sir Paul Coleridge, a High Court Judge, moved by his personal experience in 40 years as a barrister and judge specialising in family law. Theresa May yesterday put the brakes on a feminist campaign to reform ‘sexist’ marriage certificates. Officials working for the Home Secretary said that changing the documents, used by thousands of register offices and churches, would be ‘complex and costly’ and that no modernisation is imminent. It followed reports yesterday that Lib Dem Equalities Minister Jenny Willott was preparing to push through a change to the certificates – which demand that the bride and groom record the names of their fathers but not their mothers. The campaign to add mothers’ names has been gathering pace, helped by an online petition which has reached 35,000 signatures. Green MP Caroline Lucas and Tory MP Chloe Smith both backed a Commons motion which said: ‘Our law should not perpetuate the offensive and outdated message that marriage is a business transaction between fathers ... change is needed so that mothers are no longer erased from important historical records’. | Sharp decline in young people getting married, ONS data suggests .
47 per cent of women and 48 per cent of men aged 20 will never marry .
Only 61 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women aged 40 today will wed .
For WWII baby boomer generation, 92 per cent of women had married . |
267,146 | e606889772ff2f0c487410b283a7a0e4ef0a3e57 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 13:41 EST, 26 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:41 EST, 26 February 2013 . This young kangaroo proves what it means to bounce back from adversity. Blue Gum was orphaned by recent raging Australian bushfires but is gradually being nursed back to health at a wildlife centre. And carers hope the four-month-old will soon be on the mend and jumping for joy. Bouncing back: Blue Gum was rescued from the pouch of his dying mother during sweeping bushfires . Orphan: The baby kangaroo's mother did not survive and he is being cared for at Wildhaven Wildlife Centre . Blue Gum was rescued by a passer-by from his mother's pouch as the Donnybrook fire swept through Melbourne's northern suburbs. However, the joey's mother did not survive the blaze and he was taken to the Wildhaven wildlife shelter. Carer Stella Reid said without the man's intervention, Blue Gum would have died as well. She said: 'If a member of the public hadn't been out checking their own animals and spotted his legs sticking from his mother's pouch, he would've died.' The Donnybrook fire started on February 18 and the grassfire soon became out of control. Peek-a-'roo: Blue Gum, pictured swathed in blankets, is on the mend but suffered a broken leg in the trauma . Playmates: The tiny kangaroo is dwarfed by a banana and a wombat also being cared for at the centre . It eventually burned more than 5,000 acres of land as it headed towards the suburbs. It took 170 firefighters and 40 trucks to battle the flames into submission. But despite his traumatic start, Blue Gum is already bonding with other animals at the 104-acre shelter. Pictures show Blue Gum cosying up to a small wombat as the pair relax in blankets. He will now stay with Stella for the next two years until he is old enough to be set free. Relaxing: Blue Gum will be cared for at the wildlife centre for two years. In the wild he would have stayed in his mother's pouch until he was at least eight months old . Deadly: Thousands of livestock and unknown numbers of wildlife have perished in the devastating bushfires . The Australian bushfire season has been one of the worst in living memory spurred on by an intense heatwave. The country experienced some of the hottest temperatures in history last month and a new record of 40.33C was set on January 7. At least five people died in the fires on mainland Australia and Tasmania and the bushfires also killed thousands of livestock and unknown numbers of kangaroos and other wildlife. | The four-month-old kangaroo was rescued from its mothers pouch .
A passer-by saw it as fires spread near Melbourne this month .
He will stay at the wildlife shelter for two years until he can be released . |
254,675 | d5ab65f458adf0baa5a433a9021257e9d2b944c8 | (CNN) -- An Egyptian couple has been charged with putting their child at risk and attempted smuggling after security officers at an airport in the United Arab Emirates found their 5-month-old boy hidden in a small handbag. Police said the baby was discovered by an X-ray screening at Sharjah International Airport as the couple was traveling through the airport. The infant is in good condition, police said. According to Sharjah police, the couple arrived in the UAE last Friday but were not allowed to enter the country because they didn't have a visa for the infant. Missing baby locked in chest for 12 hours . The parents were told they had to wait two days at the airport until the visa office reopened so the boy's documents could be processed. On Saturday, the impatient father persuaded his wife to put the baby in their hand luggage in the hope airport security wouldn't notice, police said. "We were very surprised. This is the first time we have seen something like this," police officer Abdel Rahman Shama told CNN. "Even if you are in a desperate situation, how can you put your child in a bag?" The parents remain in the UAE under police questioning. Argentine 'miracle' baby found alive in morgue . | The infant, who was in a small handbag, appears to be OK .
The Egyptian couple didn't have visa for the child .
Police are questioning the parents . |
270,259 | ea046c88485ca777222d1c374fdeb9d738cb7dd9 | A small stone container unearthed half-century ago has now been recognised as further evidence of a Viking or Medieval Norse presence in Arctic Canada. The discovery was made when the interior of a container, which was unearthed in Baffin Island, was found to contain bronze as well as small spherules of glass. Archaeologists believe the stone vessel was a crucible for melting bronze by a metalworker, likely in order to cast it into small tools or ornaments, during the centuries around 1000 AD. A small stone container unearthed half-century ago has now been recognised as further evidence of a Viking or Medieval Norse presence in Arctic Canada . Scientists claim this is the earliest evidence of high-temperature metalworking north of Mesoamerica – an area that describes Central America and Mexico before the 1500s. Scientists believe indigenous peoples of northern North America did not practice high-temperature metalworking. Instead, archaeologists believe Norse seafarers travelled via Greenland to parts of Arctic Canada where they came into contact with the Dorset people. Baffin Island, in the territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world . The discovery was made when the interior of a container, which was unearthed in Baffin Island (pictured), was found to contain bronze as well as small spherules of glass . The Dorset were hunters who occupied parts Greenland and the Canadian eastern Arctic 2,000 years before Inuit moved in from Alaska. They survived on sea mammals such as seals and walrus, often lived on the coasts in skin-covered tens and made ornaments from bone, ivory, or wood. Up until now, the view of the Dorset culture had been that they were a very isolated people with very little contact with anyone. Bronze Age beads (left) in Denmark matched the blue glass found in Tutankhamun's death mask (right) Another northern European discovery this week unearthed previously unknown trade routes for glass between Egypt, the Middle East and Denmark in the Bronze Age. The discovery was made after Bronze Age beads found in Denmark matched the blue glass inlays found in Tutankhamun's gold death mask. Twenty-three blue beads unearthed in an Ølby grave, south of Copenhagen, were analysed using a technique known as plasma-spectrometry, . The method allowed researchers to analyse the fragile bead and compare the chemical composition of trace elements with material from Amarna in Egypt and Nippur in Mesopotamia. The comparison showed that the chemicals matched exactly, marking the first time that Bronze Age Egyptian and Middle Eastern cobalt glass has been found outside the Mediterranean area. Researchers from the National Museum in Denmark and the Institute of Archaeomaterials Research in France say the latest study shows that as well as amber, Denmark and Egypt traded glass 3,400 years ago . They also believe it links two ancient sun cults, based on the fact that sunlight is able to penetrate the surface of both amber and glass. 'The crucible adds an intriguing new element to this emerging chapter in the early history of northern Canada,' said lead author Dr Patricia Sutherland, an honorary research fellow at the University of Aberdeen. Dr Sutherland has spent 15 years recovering other specimens in Arctic Canada that resemble those used by Europeans of the Viking and Medieval periods. 'It may be the earliest evidence of high-temperature nonferrous metalworking in North America to the north of what is now Mexico,' she said. Archaeologists believe Norse seafarers travelled to parts of Arctic Canada where they came into contact with the Dorset. These were hunters who occupied parts Greenland and the Canadian eastern Arctic 2,000 years before Inuit moved in from Alaska . | The Baffin Island container held bronze and small spherules of glass .
It may have been used as a crucible for melting bronze by a metalworker .
It could have belonged to Norse seafarers who travelled to Arctic Canada .
Up until now, the indigenous Dorset hunters were thought to have been a very isolated people with very little contact with anyone outside of tribe . |
81,644 | e759a5eb773b54a98d1e0235092c5c9d243371f4 | By . Sam Greenhill . PUBLISHED: . 09:40 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:11 EST, 12 December 2012 . A woman leapt to her death from a City rooftop restaurant after a Facebook stalker exposed her westernised lifestyle to her Muslim parents. Rema Begum, 29, plunged 80ft from the terrace of Coq d’Argent after sipping a glass of wine and climbing on to a ledge. She landed in front of horrified workers outside Bank Tube station and died instantly. Once the ‘life and soul of the party’, she had been plagued by an internet stalker who used information from her Facebook profile to send poison pen letters to her and her parents. The Coq d'Argent restaurant, where Miss Begum jumped to her death . She was also suffering depression . after losing her manager’s job at the British Library following a row . with her bosses, an inquest at City of London coroner’s court was told . yesterday. Miss Begum feared she was living an . impure life and as punishment was worried she would not be allowed into . paradise. On September 4, she went to Sir Terence Conran’s Coq d’Argent . and ordered a glass of wine. At about 6.30pm, she put down her . handbag and glass, with a note underneath it, and diners saw her climb . onto a ledge and fall eight storeys. Sir Terence Conran owns the exclusive restaurant . Including Miss Begum, four people have plunged to their deaths from the building since 2007. A post-mortem revealed she was not drunk, and the court heard she had left a string of suicide notes dating back four months. In her handbag, police found anti-depressants, a bottle of vodka and a note containing contact details for her next of kin. In the days before her death, Miss . Begum, who had lived alone in Islington, North London, confided how she . was ‘struggling’ to reconcile her Muslim faith and her lifestyle. The . day before she died, Miss Begum had been to her local hospital with her . parents after she tried to hang herself – but insisted it was a cry for . attention and promised she would not do it again. Her university friend Avril Atkins . said she had been a ‘very happy, very bubbly’ woman ‘like the life and . soul of the party’, but had become reclusive. Although she came from a . ‘traditional Muslim family’ and followed some practices including . fasting, she lived a ‘western life’ independently and had non-Muslim . partners which her family had found out about, Mrs Atkins said. ‘She had some problems with Facebook. Somebody – she didn’t know who – had been sending letters to her parents . about her lifestyle and relationships.’ Miss Begum reported the abuse . to the police, before deleting her Facebook account and replacing it . with one using a different name, the inquest heard. Miss Begum, who was also grieving for a . relative, had her British Library contract terminated after falling out . with management last Christmas, the coroner was told. Her depression . began shortly after that. Mrs Atkins told the inquest: ‘Towards . the end she was having issues with one of her managers. It was causing . her a lot of stress. ‘One thing that did really worry me . was she did say to me she hadn’t been living a good Muslim life and that . she wouldn’t go to paradise and I was saying to her that she had done . nothing wrong with the way she lived her life, her family should be . proud of her.’ Miss Begum’s parents Abdul and Rufia Hakim did not attend the inquest. Coroner Paul Matthews recorded a suicide verdict. He said there was no doubt Miss Begum was suffering from depression. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details . | Rema Begum left behind string of suicide notes, inquest hears .
Miss Begum had tried to hang herself the day before she jumped . |
107,793 | 16f6515f2e57051629719e62668ff88e372ea4fe | (CNN) -- U.S. authorities are tightening up domestic security measures ahead of a possible U.S. military attack on Syria. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are warning of a higher risk of cyber attacks after months of similar disruptions by hackers known as the Syrian Electronic Army. One such attack brought down the website of The New York Times in recent days, and authorities say more attacks are likely. Warnings from Iranian officials that any U.S. attack on Syria could be met with retaliation has also prompted warnings of possible terror threats in the United States or its interests abroad, U.S. law enforcement officials said. FBI officials have asked agents around United States to focus on ongoing investigations related to Syria and the surrounding region, checking in with contacts and informants, and "redoubling their efforts," as one official said. Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have intervened in the 2-year-old Syrian civil war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The United States has blamed al-Assad's regime for alleged chemical weapons attacks that have killed scores of civilians. Hezbollah is known to have extensive fundraising operations inside the United States, and authorities often worry those assets could be used for terrorism. Unlike previous U.S. military operations against Libya and Iraq, which prompted the FBI to conduct thousands of interviews with exiles living in the United States, FBI officials say the Syrian crisis isn't prompting such a move this time. Instead, law enforcement officials say they are trying to focus on cases already under way and working to develop any new information that signals possible retaliation against the United States. The Syrian diaspora in the United States amounts to fewer than 150,000 people with Syrian ancestry, according to 2010 U.S. Census estimates. Syrian immigrant communities in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey and elsewhere tend to be longstanding. | The FBI warns of a higher risk of cyber attacks .
Hackers known as the Syrian Electronic Army have been blamed for recent disruptions .
Iranian officials have warned that a U.S. attack on Syria could be met with retaliation . |
75,521 | d62f55255de6191710e34dc660f1042ff364a647 | By . Laura Clark . Teenagers will be given an extra maths lesson a week to bring England in line with the highest-performing countries in the world. Schools will be told to devote more time to the subject to help close the achievement gap with education systems in places such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Global league tables rank England 39th out of 42 for the amount of lesson time spent on maths. Pupils will be taught an extra hours of maths a week to bring pupils into line with highest-performing countries . English will also be toughened up with a shift away from studies of celebrities and greater emphasis on writing that is more ‘substantial’. Recent English GCSEs have allowed pupils to study the rambling armchair stories of comedian Ronnie Corbett and storylines from Downton Abbey. The measures were unveiled yesterday as part of radical Coalition plans to overhaul the curriculum to combat years of ‘dumbing down’. Ministers gave further details of arrangements for English and maths to be studied by 14-year-olds from September. In maths, teenagers will study around a third more content – including new sections on ratio, proportion, vectors and conditional probability. English will also be toughened up with a greater emphasis on 'substantial' writing and a move away from celebs . They will also be required to learn by heart key formulae such as the sine and cosine rules, and the formula for the area of a triangle. Schools will be expected to lay on an extra maths lesson each week, which are usually around 45 minutes long. Ministers dismissed complaints from teachers that proposed new courses were too challenging, too large and could place ‘excessive demands’ on pupils. The Department for Education said: ‘The new courses are ‘wider and deeper than the current programme and this is intentional’. It added: ‘International comparisons of performance in mathematics show that England’s pupils have been falling behind our competitors. ‘An extra lesson each week would put England closer to jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and Singapore, which both teach an average of 138 hours a year of mathematics at secondary level.’ England, in contrast, spends 116 hours a year teaching maths, or three a week during term time. Meanwhile, one in five teachers who responded to proposals for English syllabuses complained that ‘multi-media texts’ would be omitted. But the DfE said: ‘We believe some forms of multi-media texts do not provide sufficiently rich, substantial writing to promote the development of a deep understanding and appreciation of the English language.’ Education Minister Liz Truss said: ‘The amount of time currently given to maths teaching in our secondary schools lags behind the time afforded this key subject in world-leading countries. It is essential this is corrected.’ | English pupils currently rank 39th of 42 in hours dedicated to maths .
Plans to add hour a week to bring teenagers in line with leading nations .
English will also be toughened up with focus on 'substantial' writing . |
157,043 | 570cf07f9972a912f367bc283de123e80dffbbc6 | By . Paul Sims . Updated: . 03:01 EST, 12 October 2011 . At the 20-mile mark of a gruelling, rain-soaked marathon, other runners must have been tempted. But only one succumbed. Rob Sloan flagged down a bus and was driven the six miles to the race’s closing stages. Then he jumped off, hid behind a tree until other competitors came into view and rejoined the race, crossing the finishing line in two hours, 51 minutes and one second to secure third place. He went on to tell a TV crew that he had given the race everything he could. Genuine joy: Rob Sloan shows off his winner's medal in the Kielder 10km the day before illegitimately taking the bronze in the Kielder Marathon thanks to a little help from a bus . Perhaps his thinking was clouded from his earlier exertions, but Mr Sloan failed to spot a very large problem with his plan. Well, three actually. First, the bus he caught was for . spectators following the Kielder Marathon in Northumberland and it was . likely that several of them might just notice a sweat-soaked runner . getting on. Second, the runner who had been in . third place for the whole race smelt a rat when he crossed the finish . line and was told he had come fourth. And third, as race organiser and . Olympic star Steve Cram put it: ‘He was the only runner in the whole of . the race who ran the second half of the race quicker than the first . half.’ Running into trouble: Rob Sloan (pictured in the Blue top, number 1883) appears to be making good progress in the Kielder Marathon, but he later opted to take a bus to the finish line because he was so tired . Inevitably, the truth came out and . now Mr Sloan has been stripped of his medal, disqualified from the race . and told he will have to answer questions from a probe by his . embarrassed running club and UK Athletics. Race officials said Mr Sloan, who was keeping a low profile last night, had admitted cheating. The former Army mechanic, who runs . for Sunderland Harriers, had joined 1,700 other runners at the start for . the Kielder Marathon at 10am on Sunday. Unable to carry on after 20 . miles, Mr Sloan, who had won the Kielder 10km run the previous day, took . a spectator bus to near the finishing line at Leaplish Waterside Park . and rejoined the race ahead of Steven Cairns, 43. Suspicious: Race organiser Steve Cram was baffled by Mr Sloan's remarkably fast finish to the marathon . Mr Cairns, a policeman from . Edinburgh, instantly suspected foul play. ‘I was in third place right . from the start so I was stunned when I crossed the finishing line and . the commentator said, “Here comes the fourth place runner”. ‘I approached a race marshal and . said, “Fourth? Who was third?” He pointed to this guy Rob Sloan who was . being interviewed by ITV local news. I listened to the interview. He was . saying how good a race he had run and how he couldn’t have given any . more. When the interview was over I asked him if he had finished third . and he said “yes”. ‘I then asked him where he had passed . me and he said he’d done so after the 15-mile mark, which was . impossible because at the point I had opened up a five minute gap. ‘He didn’t say anything. He just . turned away and walked off. I informed race organisers of my suspicions . and they said that a couple of other people had seen this guy get on a . bus, get off a bus and run down towards the finish. He was then seen . hiding behind a tree before rejoining the race.’ He added: ‘At the end of the day, as . funny as it seems, he’s stolen my spot on the podium, my TV interview . and my third place medal.’ Mr Sloan, who is married, initially . called the accusations ‘laughable’. ‘I’m upset and angry that someone . wants to cast these aspersions,’ he said. But Kevin Carr, the chairman of . Sunderland Harriers, said: ‘It’s blatant cheating as far as I’m . concerned and as a club we’re going to come down really hard on him.’ | Sunderland Harriers competitor was 'too tired' to run whole way .
At first, he 'categorically denied' cheating, but later confessed . |
211,559 | 9df773a039143bbae7d61eadae2da502b6383d49 | Jennifer Lopez experienced her first real heartbreak when the Academy Award winning actor and star of Gone Girl, Ben Affleck called off their very public engagement in January, 2004. The pain, tears and frustration only intensified when she realized that not only was the love affair over but so was the fairy tale family dream she had held onto throughout the intense media scrutiny that dubbed the couple ‘Bennifer.’ She hated that name. Scroll down for video . Supercouple: ‘It felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest,’ the singer/actress confesses in her first memoir, True Love . Hint hint: Affleck's eyes were definitely not on Jennifer in this PDA. She called him brilliantly smart, loving, charming, affectionate . Ring a ding ding: Affleck put a 6.1-carat diamond on her finger when they got engaged in November 2002 . ‘It felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest,’ the singer/actress confesses in her first memoir, True Love, published by Celebra, a Penguin Random House imprint. When asked about the man who placed a 6.1-carat pink damond on her finger she said, 'I'd probably say that he is brilliantly smart, loving, charming, affectionate. And I just admire him in every way. I respect him. I feel like he teaches me things.' Lopez, 45, started to fall apart after all the high hopes and dreams evaporated of being the perfect girlfriend, wife and mother. Months of planning had gone into her vision of a fairy tale wedding, the walk down the aisle and that anticipated moment at the altar of committing to each other forever. Affleck began dating Jennifer Garner just months after he broke it off with Lopez. When the couple married in the Turks and Caicos Islands in June, 2005, the new bride was four months pregnant with their first child, Violet. She feared being ridiculed in the press and envisioned headlines like ‘The Woman Who Has Everything But Can’t Get Love Right’! She was at rock bottom – for three days --- when record producer/singer/songwriter Marc Anthony walked back into her life. They were friends, worked on songs together and sang a duet in Spanish together, ‘No Me Ames’ or, ironically, ‘Don’t Love Me’ in English. ‘He was warm and funny, a brilliant singer and artist who knew how to make me feel special’, she writes. And he also made her laugh. Bomb: The couple met during the film of Gigli, a box office disaster, in 2002 . ‘He was so sure of everything, and at this moment, when I felt so lost, so broken and alone, there he was’. She believed maybe this was destiny stepping in and that she belonged with Marc and not with Ben Affleck. The first time she met Marc in 1998 backstage while he was performing on Broadway, his first words to her were ‘One day you’re going to be my wife’ – a good come-on. ‘The reality was I didn’t want to be alone’, she confesses, and she let herself be swept up in his charm and his arms believing he was her ‘knight in shining armor.’ There wasn’t that same passion she had with other men but she thought she could ‘build something real with him, something that would last’. Now she was back on target – and back under the dome -- for that fairy tale life she was chasing. Marc saved her from her immediate painful emotional depths and in return, Lopez believed she could love him forever. They married that same year, 2004, and she vowed that with two divorces and a broken engagement in the her past, she ‘was never going to give up on this love’. Marc was going to be her rock and they’d live happily ever after. But that only happens in fairytales…. True love: Ben began dating Jennifer Garner just months after he split with Jennifer Lopez . Baby on board: Garner was four month's pregnant with Violet when the couple married in June 2005 . Rebound: Jennifer and Marc Anthony got together just days after Ben dumped her. They were married for seven years before they split . ‘Things between Marc and me weren’t perfect – our marriage was never the kind to glide along peacefully’. ‘From the beginning, it was tumultuous, passionate, and explosive’… . She recognized there were problems but they loved each other and she was willing to try to work it through so that she could make her dream of a family come true – whatever the cost. ‘Family is most important’ – was her mantra. Seven years later, in 2011, both knew the marriage was over. ‘My own happiness and sense of self-worth depended on how happy he was. So when Marc stated so clearly that he wasn’t happy, it broke me down completely’. Back to ‘dying inside, feeling lonely and miserable and sad', she thought she might never be happy again. But she had to get her ‘mojo’ back, she writes. She was exhausted and felt like a beached whale after having the twins. She needed to get back on stage – dance and sing. Skin game: Jennifer enters the Late Show With David Letterman on November 5 in New York City . She had to abandon the Hollywood diva concept in her head and head back to the Bronx to feel her roots once more – where she started, where she emerged as Jenny from the Block to step into the world’s music spotlight. In the Bronx, a friend suggested she see a psychic. His ‘vision’ was that she should go ahead with a world tour she had been planning because there was something important to be discovered while out on the road. More insightful was therapy that helped her discover that she suffered from low self-esteem. ‘I had never truly believed I was great at acting, or anything else for that matter’. ‘I was always looking for the other person to tell me I was great so I could feel good about myself. I lived for that’. She was finally learning self-love and it was heavenly being back on stage. She finally found a new beginning. ‘No matter what else happened, I had my friends, my family, my kids…I hadn’t figured everything out yet and still had a long road ahead, but I was going to be alright’. True Love by Jeinnifer Lopez and published by Celebra is available on Amazon . | Supercouple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck met in 2002 when they starred in the box office bomb Gigli .
Months of planning had gone into her vision of a fairy tale wedding and she longed for kids with the film star .
She hated being dubbed 'Bennifer'
Three days after they split Marc Anthony came back in her live to 'save' her .
Therapy helped her discover she suffers from low self-esteem. |
115,113 | 208f7f1dca5f0c6b13c72150902d71d44fd03955 | Two teenage sisters died and two other children were hospitalized after a relative found all four unresponsive Friday from a carbon monoxide leak in their western Ohio home, officials said. Sisters Dionanna Bishop, 14, and Dejah Bishop, 13, died in an emergency room, said Dr. William Ginn, the acting Miami County coroner. He said the likely cause of death is carbon monoxide poisoning. Sisters Dionanna Bishop (above), 14, and Dejah Bishop, 13, died of possible carbon monoxide poisoning . Emergency personnel carry a person out on a stretcher from the home . The other two found at the home in Troy, about 20 miles north of Dayton, were flown to a hospital in Dayton. Troy police Capt. Joe Long identified them as 13-year-old Jakia Jones and 8-year-old Jakari Ward. He said they were in critical condition. The coroner said the children were believed to be sleeping in the same bed when they were overcome by carbon monoxide from what police officials believe was a malfunctioning furnace or heater. Long said it is believed the children were all related, possibly cousins, and lived in the house with their grandmother. He said the grandmother had been hospitalized with pneumonia, and the children had been home alone, which is why another relative came to check on them Friday afternoon. The relative reported that the children had been sick for days and now would not wake up. Police said they hadn't gone to school Friday. | Sisters Dionanna Bishop, 14, and Dejah Bishop, 13, died of possible carbon monoxide poisoning .
The girls, who live with their grandmother, were home alone with two other children the night before .
The other children, family members Jakia Jones, 13, and Jakari Ward, 8, are in critical condition . |
176,213 | 70203814f2d914af27091afb23b020758e0550dc | New laws could give Russian courts the right to seize foreign-owned assets, in a move seen as a backlash against Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. A draft submitted to parliament on Wednesday by a pro-Kremlin deputy would also allow state compensation for individuals whose property is seized by overseas courts. Italian authorities this week seized property worth about £23million($40 million) belonging to companies controlled by Arkady Rotenberg, an ally of President Vladimir Putin. Scroll down for video . The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow: A draft law submitted to parliament on Wednesday by a pro-Kremlin deputy would allow Russian courts to seize foreign-owned assets in the country . The draft law, published on a parliamentary database, would allow for compensation for Russian citizens who suffer because of an 'unlawful court act' in a foreign jurisdiction. It would also clear the way to foreign state assets in Russia being seized, even if they are subject to international immunity. Boris Nemtsov, a Kremlin critic who in the late 1990s was a senior member of government, said the bill was an attempt by Putin to shield Russian billionaires and officials from the impact of sanctions. 'What is a strongman's friendship like?' he asked rhetorically on his Facebook page. 'It is when your four villas, apartment and hotel are seized in Italy, and your accomplice in the Kremlin immediately introduces a bill to compensate for the losses from the Russian budget.' Boris Nemtsov, left, a Kremlin critic who in the late 1990s was a senior member of government, said the bill was an attempt by Vladimir Putin, right, to shield Russian billionaires and officials from the impact of sanctions . Russia and the West are locked in their worst standoff in decades over the Ukraine crisis. Western powers have introduced several sets of sanctions against Moscow, ranging from visa bans and asset freezes to caps on access to overseas capital markets for Russian firms. Russia responded by introducing food bans against EU agriculture producers and has threatened more retaliatory measures if the West presses ahead with sanctions. Russia's economy is set to stagnate in the next two years as the country pays the price for the Ukraine crisis, lack of structural reforms and uncertain economic policy, the World Bank said in a report this week. Russian laws require three readings in the lower house and the approval of the upper house before going to Putin to be signed into law. | Comes after Italian court seized £23million of property from Putin ally .
It will also provide compensation for those who have lost assets .
Critic says it is an attempt to shield Russian billionaires from sanctions . |
136,951 | 3d24c971ed2b2ff9c8b2f3380664b8d16f94fa40 | Nightmare: A senior aide to Ed Miliband (seated) described complained about Ed Balls' failure to stay on message . Labour leader Ed Miliband was today forced to deny thinking his shadow chancellor Ed Balls is a 'nightmare' to work with. Leaked emails sent reveal how the pair are deeply divided over how to respond to the economic revival. But Mr Miliband insisted he was ‘proud’ to have Mr Balls by his side as he sought to quell rumours of a damaging rift. In the emails Mr Miliband's adviser Torsten Bell describes Mr Balls's response to recent optimistic growth, jobs and inflation forecasts from the Bank of England as a ‘nightmare’. Today Mr Miliband tried to play down the idea of a rift, despite the damning criticism from one of his closest aides. ‘I think it's fair to say that people send silly emails in offices and this was one of them,’ Mr Miliband told ITV’s Daybreak. ‘Ed and I are working really well together. I'm really proud to have him as the shadow chancellor alongside me. ‘He's somebody who I think has been right in this criticism of the Government's economic policy and he's also leading the way on this cost of living crisis that we've been talking about.’ The row threatened to overshadow a major speech by Mr Miliband today on cutting the costs of childcare. Labour have struggled to find a coherent message in response to the growing economic recovery. Bank . of England governor Mark Carney declared: 'For the first time in a long . time, you don’t have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full. The recovery has finally taken hold.' A . draft statement circulated by Mr Balls’s senior advisor Alex . Bellardinelli began: ‘After three damaging years of flatlining . . .’ a . phrase Mr Miliband now avoids. Line-up: There was no sign of Mr Balls during a Labour visit to a nursery today, but he was joined by (left to right) Chris Leslie, Rachel Reeves, Gloria De Piero, Lucy Powell and Tristram Hunt . Mixed messages: Extracts from emails sent by the Balls team, top, and the Miliband camp, below . Mr Balls went on to complain about the ‘cost-of-living crisis’, called for a ‘recovery that’s built to last’ and an ‘economy that works for working people’. Forwarding the email to others in the Labour party, Mr Miliban;ds top economic adviser Torsten Bell said it was an ‘an example of why we’re having problems on EB (EdBalls) messaging’. He signed off with his own damning, one-word assessment of Mr Balls: ‘Nightmare’. The Tories seized on the revelations as proof Mr Miliband was ‘too weak’ to sack Mr Balls while other Labour frontbenchers were forced to deny the party leadership was split. Upbeat: Bank of England Governor Mark Carney declared last week that the economic recovery had taken hold, leaving Labour floundering in response . Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘With Labour's two most senior figures at each other's throats, they cannot be trusted to run the economy. ‘Miliband never wanted Balls in the post, but if he's too weak to sack his “nightmare” shadow chancellor, then he is too weak to cut the deficit, too weak to fix the welfare system and too weak to stand up for ordinary hard-working people. ‘Once again we're seeing in-fighting between a Labour leader and his shadow chancellor. It really is the same old Labour.’ But shadow health secretary Andy Burnham insisted that the Labour Party and its front bench was more united than it has been in 20 years. He accused the media of ‘scraping the barrel’ over the emails. | Emails sent last week reveal the Miliband's team think Balls is a 'nightmare'
Show Labour leader is sick of shadow chancellor's refusal to obey orders .
Row risked overshadowing announcement on childcare costs .
Mr Miliband insists he is 'proud' to have Mr Balls on his team . |
244,922 | c8fb9e90ceeaabc725e5cd81b46440dddf7f28e1 | (CNN) -- Last year on World AIDS Day, President Barack Obama said that we can achieve an AIDS-free generation "if we stay focused, and if we keep fighting," and challenged the world to "come together to set new goals" in the war against AIDS. Three decades into the epidemic, important headway has been made thanks to ambitious efforts by the U.S. government to end AIDS here and abroad. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, released in 2010, is the nation's first comprehensive road map with clear and measurable targets to be achieved by 2015: reduce new HIV infections, increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV and reduce HIV-related disparities. Over the past four years, it has prioritized funding where it will have the most impact. This World AIDS Day on December 1, marked today, we can point to successes in combating HIV in the United States. The overall number of Americans who know their HIV status increased to 84% approaching the Strategy goal of 90% by 2015. From 2008 to 2012, HIV diagnoses declined among blacks, Latinos and women nationally. The latest surveillance data show that new HIV infections have been declining among black women and injecting drug users. Importantly, AIDS diagnoses (or diagnosing people late in their disease progression) decreased among all racial and transmission groups during this time. The Affordable Care Act has enabled millions of uninsured Americans to have access to health care and get free HIV testing. The White House's HIV Care Continuum Initiative has boosted federal efforts to prevent and treat HIV. Meanwhile, a series of recent breakthroughs in HIV cure research have also brought us more clarity than we have ever had on the precise steps and tools needed to finally eradicate this disease. The federal government has prioritized cure research and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, recently upped the ante on cure research as well, setting a goal to invest $100 million in developing the scientific basis for a cure by 2020. Unfortunately, we still have work to do. About 50,000 Americans continue to become infected with HIV each year, with nearly 80% of infections among men and two-thirds of new infections nationally among gay and bisexual men. We continue to see high rates of new infections in the South, especially amongst African-Americans. Astoundingly, one third of all black gay men nationally are HIV-positive -- and they remain the population with the greatest number of infections in the black community and the only population in the black community in which new infections are increasing. Though HIV diagnoses decreased among injecting drug users from 2008 to 2012, AIDS-related deaths remain the highest in this population. And beyond our borders, we have also reached a turning point. According to the UNAIDS report that was released last week and the GAP report released in July 2014, we have five years to break the epidemic for good or risk it rebounding out of control. We have made many gains, but there is still much more work to do. The annual number of new HIV infections has dropped by 33% since 2001. And more people than ever are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, leading to historic declines in AIDS-related deaths worldwide. This progress is encouraging, but we have a chance to rid the world of the epidemic now. The United States must be a leader in this effort. The United States leads the world in its commitment to combating AIDS globally. American investments through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) as well as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) have been transformative in the global response to AIDS. PEPFAR is helping provide lifesaving HIV treatment to 6.7 million people, and has prevented countless infections among infants born to HIV-positive moters in some of the hardest hit regions. Yet challenges remain. An estimated 35 million people worldwide are living with HIV, 19 million of them do not know they are infected, and more than 2 million become infected each year. HIV medications remain out of reach for far too many globally -- more than 20 million are unable to access treatment -- and budget cuts threaten the advances that we have made and the possibility of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. We have an obligation to sustain and increase our contributions to the global HIV effort, especially since the U.S. contribution to foreign aid (including HIV prevention and other efforts) is less than 1 of our total budget. Congress must do its part by providing level funding for PEPFAR and the Global Fund in fiscal year 2015, and increasing our contribution in subsequent years. Level funding for PEPFAR alone will allow an additional 272,000 people on treatment, keep an additional 17,000 infants from being born with HIV and avert an additional 62,000 AIDS-related deaths. Although we now have the tools and the knowledge needed to end the AIDS crisis, the looming question is will we? We believe that we can and we will. We must reject budget cuts that threaten to paralyze proven lifesaving HIV interventions. Evidence continues to show that the scale-up of treatment for people living with HIV not only saves lives, but also greatly reduces the chances of an HIV-positive person transmitting the virus to others. UNAIDS recently declared that, "If the world does not rapidly scale-up [treatment] in the next five years, the epidemic will spring back with a higher rate of new HIV infections than today." Momentum is on our side. Now is not the time to slow down our efforts, or be complacent in our attitudes toward a disease that has already claimed 40 million lives and continues to ravage families and economies around the globe. Our country has led on this issue domestically and globally. We must overcome our differences, combine our strengths and our resources and unite in our quest to finally end AIDS and ensure the health and prosperity of future generations. | Barbara Lee and Kenneth Cole: Big strides made in HIV/AIDS fight .
HIV diagnoses have declined among blacks, Latinos and women, they say .
An estimated 35 million people worldwide are living with HIV, authors argue . |
218,114 | a6629b264fd5fe126e5e9a2564b710889b7a1de8 | By . Toby Harnden In Charlotte, North Carolina . PUBLISHED: . 03:23 EST, 6 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:16 EST, 6 September 2012 . Former President Bill Clinton said on Wednesday that his wife says she won't run for the White House in 2016 - but mischievously said he didn't have 'any idea' if she was telling the truth. 'You know, she — we're not kids any more,' he told NBC shortly before taking to the stage for his big speech at the Democratic convention on Charlotte. 'I don't have any idea if she'll ever run again," Clinton said. 'She says she won't.' In a rollicking, rousing address that lasted 50 minutes and ended well after 11pm, Clinton gave a full-throated endorsement to the man whose campaign portrayed him as a racist in 2008 and left considerable bitterness on both sides. Clinton's endorsement of his wife's former rival and willingness to throw his full weight behind Obama represented a public rapprochement between the two Democratic camps. His speech also set off a frenzy of speculation over the 2016 race. While Clinton was on his feet, the hash tag '#Hillary 2016' became the top trend on Twitter in the U.S. Scroll down for video of Bill Clinton's convention speech . Former President Bill Clinton looks up at the delegates before addressing the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, last night . That's my man: Hillary Clinton watches her husband's speech on television while on a visit to Asia . The trend reached its peak ten minutes after Clinton mentioned her in his speech. He praised Obama for bringing his vanquished rival into the tent: 'He appointed Cabinet members who supported Hillary in the primaries. Heck, he even appointed Hillary!' Clinton said to loud cheers and a standing ovation. He added: 'I'm so proud of her and grateful to our entire national security team.' When her husband was speaking, Mrs Clinton was 9,930 miles in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste in south-east Asia. She watched the speech via SlingPlayer on an aide's TiVo via the U.S. ambassador's home computer. A Clinton adviser told Politico's Playbook: 'From the moment the introductory video came on, she was riveted - as were the members of the travelling party who watched with her. It's safe to say that she loved every single minute of it. It's possible she did not blink even once. 'When the speech ended, she was as surprised and excited as everyone in the arena and watching at home when President Obama joined President Clinton on stage. She had no idea it was coming, she cheered and practically jumped out of her chair.' At a press conference in Dili before she watched the speech, Mrs Clinton said she had read parts of the speech and was anxious to compare the 'as prepared' remarks to those 'as delivered' - a wise precaution because he added in about 20 minutes more material. 'It is a great honour for him to be nominating the president,' she said. 'This is the first convention I've missed in many, many years.' As America's top diplomat, the former First Lady and U.S. Senator for New York cannot by tradition participate in politics. Chelsea Clinton, now a special correspondent for NBC News, led a panel on civic engagement for youth before listening to her father's speech in the convention hall. 'It was great,' Mrs Clinton told reporters aboard her plane as she prepared to leave Timor-Leste. She said she spoke with her husband during the drive to the airport. Best of enemies? Clinton and Obama hug at the end of the DNC speech... but relations have not been so close in the past . Family affair: Chelsea Clinton moderates a town-hall style meeting called 'Conversations With The Next Generation' in Charlotte before watching her father's speech at the convention . After his early reference to Obama's appointing her, Clinton didn't mention . his wife again, but the subtext was clear - the Clintons remain the most powerful force within the Democratic Party. Characteristically, Clinton took his time, using the 50-minute speech both to reaffirm his . support for Obama and to remind voters of the robust economy he presided . over during two terms in the White House with Mrs Clinton by his side. In . nominating Obama as the Democratic standard-bearer, Mr Clinton said . the president began the long road to recovery and has laid the . foundation for a stronger economy. As Obama listened with delegates to the Democratic convention, Mr . Clinton said Americans have a choice between the winner-take-all society . supported by Republicans and a Democratic vision of shared . responsibility and prosperity. Clinton, . rebutting the Republican contention that the economy has worsened under Obama, said Republicans would return to the failed policies of the . past. He posed his own version of the Republicans' 'Are you better off?' question: 'What kind of country do you want to live in?' Clinton . said that is the most important question facing the nation as it . decides whether to return 'r Obama to the White House or replace him . with Republican Mitt Romney. 'If . you want a "you're-on-your-own, winner-take-all" society, you should . support the Republican ticket,' Mr Clinton said. 'If you want a country . of shared prosperity and shared responsibility - a . we're-all-in-this-together society - you should vote for Barack Obama . and Joe Biden.' Brothers in arms: Barack Obama and Mr Clinton smile at delegates after the ex-president's 50-minute speech . Heroes: Mr Obama and his Democratic predecessor bask in a prolonged standing ovation . Enlarge . Clinton said Obama inherited a damaged economy and 'put a floor under the crash'. He said he then laid the foundation for a more balanced economy that will produce millions of jobs, new businesses and riches to innovators. The former president appeared at the convention as Obama's top validator - an antidote to Republican claims that Mr Obama has made the economy worse and a reminder of a recent period in history when the economy boomed. The Obama campaign sent out a fundraising email under Mr Clinton's name yesterday. The message: 'It is absolutely urgent we win this election.' Earlier, Clinton told NBC News he was not trying to promote another presidential campaign for his wife, who will be 69 in 2016. The former president said: 'We're not kids any more. I don't have any idea if she'll ever run again. She says she won't.' Clinton's popularity has soared since her bruising campaign against Obama, and she would begin the 2016 nomination contest as a heavy favourite if she were to pursue it. After Clinton finished his speech, several of his former aides hugged and slapped high-fives in the back of the arena. Long-time adviser Harold Ickes beamed with pride. He said: 'He knows how to make the case. I've seen him make the case even when he doesn't have much to work with. He has a lot to work with. He made a very powerful case for re-election.' | Former President set off speculation that his wife might run for White House in 2016 in interview before his DNC speech .
Hash tag '#Hillary 2016' becomes top trend on Twitter in the U.S. during speech .
Trend reached a peak ten minutes after he mentioned Hillary in speech to Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina .
His hug with Obama was public show of reconciliation after years of emnity . |
183,005 | 79056abafa898810946be67aa8d62aeef8e91645 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:33 EST, 17 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:35 EST, 18 May 2013 . A single tear rolls down her face as she hesitatingly explains what 'those men' made her do. The 12-year-old girl is just one of 100,000 children estimated to work in the terrifying sex trade of the Philippines where virginity is sold for $250 to foreign men. Although the tales she tells are horrifying, in many ways this child is lucky - she is one of 15,000 young girls saved by anti-trafficking . organisation Visayan Forum. Horrifying: A single tear rolls down her face as she hesitatingly explains what 'those men' made her do. The 12-year-old is just one of 100,000 children are estimated to work in the terrifying sex trade of the Philippines where virginity is sold for $250 to foreign men . Harrowing: In the documentary Cecilia takes the camera crew to a safe house in an undisclosed location. Three 12-year-old girls explain their harrowing plight at the hands of the sex traffickers . Set up by Philippine human rights pioneer Cecilia Flores-Oeband in 1991, the charity managed to recruit Philippines' biggest star, Manny Pacquiao, to join them as a fighter in the battle against modern-day slavery, reports CNN's Freedom Project. Manila, the capital of the Philippines has a booming sex trade and money is passed between adult prostitutes and punters freely. But there are also thousands of young children who are forced to work the streets. Outreach: Cecilia and Visayan Forum run halfway houses for girls all over the country, four support centres for domestic workers and one safe house, a home for those worst affected . Cause: Cecilia blames part of the problem on sex tourists who visit the area to pick up prostitutes . Cecilia blames part of the problem on sex tourists who visit the area to pick up prostitutes. 'If no Westerners go to that area there is no business for this in the Philippines,' explains Cecilia. In the CNN documentary titled The Fighters, Cecilia is seen talking to Maria, a young girl who had been forced into the trade, . By the time she turned 15, several dozen men had paid to rape her. 'She was told she was going to a restaurant but when she arrived it was a house with 16 girls staying on the second floor,' explains Cecilia. Some of the sex slave prisoners were younger than Maria at just 13 or 14-years-old. The girls in the house which doubled as a brothel were forced to serve 14 customers per day and virgins provided large cash injections for the sex traffickers. Abuse: Cecilia is seen talking to Maria, a young girl who had been forced into the trade. By the time she turned 15 several dozen men had paid to rape her . Saved: A raid lead to rescue of 30 Filipino girls who were reportedly on the way to be trafficked to Syria. The picture is taken at the police station where girls were brought for investigation after the rescue . 'They . are some that actually ask for virgins' explains Cecile. Visayan Forum raided the house and managed to recover 'around 23 more girls.' The brothel owner and Maria's recruiter were taken to court, but the judge dismissed the case. Cecilia and Visayan Forum run halfway houses for girls all over the country, four support centres for domestic workers and one safe house, a home for those worst affected. In the documentary Cecilia takes the camera crew to a safe house in an undisclosed location. It houses thirty girls whose ages range from 12-20 years old. 'If you could live off love, the center of hope would be a palace,' explains Cecilia. But Cecilia explains that the charity is in desperate need of furniture, food and medicine - she said that some of the girls suffer from STDS. Star boost: In February 2012, Pacquiao delivered a speech to congress in which he outlined the necessity to stop human trafficking . Helping out: Pacquiao has lent his name and his vision to become an ambassador for the poor . At the safe house three 12-year-old girls explain their harrowing plight at the hands of the sex traffickers. Although they are now being looked after the damage is evident - one of them wakes up in the night screaming in fear in case the traffickers find her. Another one of them continually vomits without warning - a psychologist told the charity it is a physiological reaction as she remembers what she was asked to do by the sex traffickers. They had been forced to perform sexual acts in a video chat room for a number of foreign men. As they tell the camera crew their horrifying stories - one of the children covered her ears in shame. Some of the men - who they say were American - demanded they perform sexual acts with men pulled off the street, drink their own urine and other even more degrading acts. The girls have subsequently developed a fear of American men and label them as 'maniacs.' Although the battle is long, there is hope for the future. Haven: 'If you could live off love, the center of hope would be a palace,' explains Cecilia about the safe house . Pacquiao has lent his name and his vision to becoming an ambassador for the poor. In February 2012, Pacquiao delivered a speech to congress in which he outlined the necessity to stop human trafficking. 'During my visit to the Visayan Forum I talked to children as young as 9-years-old who are trafficked for prostitution,' Pacquiao told Congress. 'As politicians, we need to be true to our words and actions. We need to send a clear message; that Filipinos are not for sale.' And it seems his drive is working - a few months ago Philippines's President Benigno Aquino III, signed the Anti-Trafficking bill Pacquiao had been championing, into law. 'A few years from now I might not be in boxing anymore but my fight is to continue to support Cecile and the Visayan Forum to stop human trafficking,' explains Pacquiao. The Fighters: A CNN Freedom Project documentary’ airs on CNN International, Friday 17 May at 9pm (part one) & Saturday 18 May at 9pm (part two) | Anti-trafficking organisation Visayan Forum have saved 15,000 young girls .
Organisation is headed by human rights pioneer Cecilia Flores-Oeband . |
183,164 | 793ee45a28d43cbc489bd60fc1102df148de8d3b | By . Chris Spargo For Mailonline . Authorities have released an age progression photo of a young boy on the anniversary of his disappearance, eight years ago. Trenton Duckett was just two-years-old when he mysteriously vanished from his home in Leesburg, Florida. His mother, Melinda Duckett, reported on August 27, 2006, that intruders had broken into the family's home by cutting through a screen window while her husband was away, and she never saw her son again. An age progression photo of Trenton Duckett, who disappeared eight years ago from his Florida home when he was just two-years-old. Just two weeks after her son's disappearance, tragedy struck the family again. Melinda agreed to a televised interview with Nancy Grace and, after coming under scrutiny and being slammed by the former prosecutor for her lack of information and specifics about her son's disappearance, she killed herself the next day. In her suicide note, the 21-year-old mother wrote, 'I love [Trenton] and only wanted him safe in my arms. You created rumors and twisted words. Usually I am strong and what others say does not affect me. However I am young.' 'Nancy Grace and the others, they just bashed her to the end,' Melinda's grandfather Bill Eubanks said at the time. 'She wasn't one anyone ever would have thought of to do something like this. She and that baby just loved each other, couldn't get away from each other. She wouldn't hurt a bug.' Melinda's family and estate later brought a lawsuit against Grace, and CNN, for inflicting emotional distress on Duckett with her interrogation about the missing boy. The suit was eventually settled and required Miss Grace to establish a $200,000 trust dedicated to finding Trenton. Trenton's mother Melinda Duckett, who committed suicide after being slammed on air by Nancy Grace for failing to provide more information about her son's disappearance and coming under public scrutiny . A photo of Trenton in 2006 (pictured left) and what he might look like as a nine-year-old (pictured right) If Trenton is not found alive by his 13th birthday, money in that trust will be transferred to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the Daily News, friends and family plan to hold a vigil for Trenton tonight in Lake County. They are hoping this new photo, which depicts what Trenton might look like as a nine-year-old, may turn up some new leads of information about his disappearance. If you have any information about Trenton's disappearance, please contact the Leesburg Police Department. | Trenton Duckett was reported missing on August 27, 2006 .
His mother, Melinda Duckett, claimed that intruders broke into the family's home while her husband was away .
Melinda later committed suicide after coming under scrutiny during a televised interview with Nancy Grace . |
124,749 | 2d3d915af9d8578bf1a323b287619d56da4e8fc4 | Ludogorets defender Cosmin Moti was forced to go in goal for the Bulgarian champions and made two penalty saves to send his side through to Champions League group stage back in August. Former Southampton and Stoke defender Wayne Thomas kept a remarkable clean sheet for Conference North side Worcester on Saturday. The 35-year-old, who has played over 500 professional games, started the 2-0 victory over Harrogate on the bench. However Worcester were left without a recognised goalkeeper after Jose Veiga picked up a knee injury just 30 seconds into the match, prompting Thomas to take the gloves. Defender Wayne Thomas, in action during his time at Southampton, turned out in goal for Worcester . Thomas (far right), in a photoshoot whilst at Doncaster, managed to keep a clean sheet on Saturday . The 35-year-old, back in his Burnley days, was in goal after Worcester's only keeper picked up an injury . Nathan Vaughan, their first-choice keeper this season, was sidelined with a groin injury, leaving Worcester without a replacement on the bench on Saturday. 'We've got two good keepers,' Worcester manager Carl Heeley told BBC Hereford & Worcester. 'And 99 times out of 100, when you have a spare keeper on the bench, he's not used but that's the way it goes.' 'So I got the boys together and asked 'How many of you have ever played in goal?' - that was the selection process. Tommo put his hand up and off he went,' added Heeley. Thomas' career, spanning over 18 years, has taken the defender from Luton over to Greece, with spells at Stoke, Southampton and Burnley. Thomas celebrates scoring against Arsenal at Highbury in the FA Cup in 2005, before Stoke eventually lost 2-1 . | Wayne Thomas has played for Stoke, Southampton and Burnley .
The defender now plays for Conference North side Worcester .
Thomas, usually a defender, volunteered to go in goal after an injury forced Worcester's only keeper to withdraw after only a minute of action .
The 35-year-old kept a clean sheet as Worcester beat Harrogate 2-0 . |
116,301 | 221ef37b63eb749d18c0f15296329bff14be0353 | NBC's Bob Costas said Tuesday that his anti-gun rant, which he delivered during Sunday night football programming, was largely misunderstood. Costas told sports radio host Dan Patrick that 90 seconds wasn't enough time for him to 'flesh out' what he meant to say when he criticized U.S. gun laws as too lenient, and suggested that those laws are to blame for the murder-suicide of the NFL's Jovan Belcher. 'What I was trying to say was, that if you want some perspective on this, there are a number of issues related to [Belcher's murder-suicide] that we could begin to talk about and think about,' Costas said. 'The problem was that I didn't have enough time to get to many of them. And that, I think, was my mistake to be quite honest.' Scroll down for video . Unexpected: Bob Costas, who has been on the air for NBC Sports television since the early 1980s, angered viewers after advocating for gun control during a Sunday night football game . Costas went on to say that he meant to bring attention to domestic violence issues as well as gun rights issues. 'I'm thinking I can't address all of . the possible aspects of this,' he said. 'Domestic violence - the . possibility of athletes, especially athletes who play a violent sport . are more prone to domestic violence than people the same age elsewhere . in society. 'The possible connection between football and this particular . tragedy. We know that football is connected, and it's effects are . connected to other situations. We don't know yet whether it's connected . to Belcher, but that's certainly a question that could be asked. The . easy availability of guns is another.' Costas said he made the mistake of . breaking one of his cardinal broadcasting rules, which is to avoid delving into . touchy subjects unless there is enough time to flesh them out. 'I had maybe 50 seconds total for . this -- my implication was a bit of perspective, here's one aspect of . it,' he said. 'So I think that my mistake there was that I left it open . to too much interpretation.' In his initial remarks about guns . that sparked outrage among supporters of gun rights, the 60-year-old . Queens, New York, native paraphrased and quoted from a piece by Fox . Sports columnist Jason Whitlock, formerly of the Kansas City Star. Murder-suicide: Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, shot and killed his girlfriend and then himself on Saturday morning . Costas praised the emotive column . and told his viewers, ‘In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and . their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But . here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. ‘If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.’ On Saturday, December 1, Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend Perkins, 22, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter. Belcher . then drove to Arrowhead Stadium, his team’s home stadium in Kansas . City, Missouri, and shot himself in the parking lot of its practice . facility. Family and friends said the two had endured a 'strained relationship' that had intensified after the birth of their daughter. The online reaction to Costas' remarks came fast, with many viewers criticizing the sportscaster for voicing his personal and political opinions on a program meant for entertainment. ‘The Media Left at Halftime: Bob Costas pushing gun control, quoting...who else?..a sports writer on ridding the country of the 2nd Amendment,’ wrote television host Lou Dobbs, who uses the Twitter handle @loudobbsnews . ‘Bob Costas, who’s gotten rich thanks in part to a sport that destroys men’s bodies and brains, gives us a little civics lecture,’ wrote Fox commentator Andrew Levy, who uses the Twitter handle @andylevy . ‘Yes, Bob Costas, guns are the problem. Nicole Brown Simpson would be alive today if OJ hadn't shot her with that knife,’ wrote Twitter user @ToddKincannon . ‘NRA gonna' be PISSSED at Bob Costas,’ wrote Twitter user @JeremyStahl . Judging from about 100 tweets, more than 95 per cent of those quickest to respond to Costas' remarks expressed annoyance and outright disagreement, with only a few in favor. National Post sports columnist Bruce Arthur, who uses the Twitter handle @bruce_arthur, was one of the few on the micro-blogging site to agree with the remarks. ‘Bob Costas just quoted Jason Whitlock, and the whole thing made perfect sense,’ he wrote. Costas has been on the air for NBC Sports television since the early 1980s. Watch video here: . | Costas summarized a recent column in favor of gun control during a Sunday night football game and said that if Jovan Belcher hadn't possessed a firearm, he and his wife would both be alive today .
Reactions online came fast and furious with many viewers criticizing Costas for his remarks .
Costas said he didn't have enough time to 'flesh out' his argument . |
24,494 | 45777dc4ba24fe99c8f8955185ebdad1e1d28b3b | (CNN)Five teenagers are in custody after the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Sarre-Union, France, Saverne prosecutor Philippe Vanier said Monday. The minors, all between the ages of 15 and 17, grew up in the Alsace region of France and have no criminal records. Police took the teens into custody after a 15-year-old turned himself in, saying he had damaged the cemetery with four other teenagers, the prosecutor said. One of the teens denied the attack was anti-Semitic, Vanier said. The teens thought the graveyard was abandoned and didn't notice the graves were Jewish until after they had begun to vandalize them, the prosecutor said, recounting what one of the teens told police. They are charged with desecration of graves and with organized damage on property for the public benefit, Vanier said. They each face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Though it wasn't noticed until the weekend, it appears the damage occurred late Thursday afternoon. About 250 graves were damaged, with most of the damage consisting of headstones being overturned and columns uprooted. Photos from the cemetery showed gray stone and glossy marble headstones lying on the ground as if they'd toppled over. "We express the strongest condemnation of the desecration of hundreds of graves in a Jewish cemetery," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a news release. "Everything will be put in place to identify, arrest and send to justice the perpetrators of these ignominious acts," he said. "The French Republic won't allow another act against our values." Calling the site "an image of desolation," Philippe Richert, president of the Alsace region, told Agence France-Presse why he felt the damage was the certain work of vandals: "One doesn't knock over heavy steles like that dating from the 19th century very easily. It was a deliberate act of destruction." Prime Minister Manuel Valls sent out a tweet calling the destruction "a vile, anti-Semitic act, an insult to the memory" and promised "everything will be done to find those responsible." This is not the first time the Sarre-Union cemetery, located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of the German border, has been targeted. In 1988, about 60 Jewish headstones were knocked over, and 54 grave markers were damaged in 2001, AFP reported. The vandalism comes within weeks of other Jewish cemeteries being targeted around the world. In Warsaw, Poland, on January 31, someone wrote "Jews for slaughter" on the fence outside one of the continent's largest Jewish burial grounds, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. And in Dunedin, New Zealand, on Saturday, a vandal spray-painted a swastika on a headstone and knocked over two others, breaking them, in the Jewish section of the Southern Cemetery, the New Zealand Herald reported. The cemetery attack in France comes after two high-profile acts of violence against Jews in Europe. Following last month's attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a gunman killed four Jews in a kosher supermarket in Paris. Over the weekend, a gunman attacked a free speech forum in Copenhagen before shooting several people outside a synagogue. CNN's Laura Akhoun and Margot Haddad contributed to this report. | 5 teens in custody; one says attack not anti-Semitic, prosecutor says .
Prosecutor: About 250 headstones were overturned, columns uprooted .
This is third time since 1988 cemetery was targeted, according to AFP . |
114,076 | 1f2b7732854112b46864b4bd70d93da53927b63e | (CNN) -- Pilots of the British business mogul Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways have broken with tradition and voted in favor of the picket line over a pay proposal, a first in the airlines' history. "We are naturally disappointed with the result of the ballot but remain committed to further talks with our pilots' representatives to find a solution," Virgin Atlantic said in a statement issued Tuesday. Representatives from the British Airline Pilots Association, the main union for the United Kingdom's commercial pilots, claim Virgin Atlantic pilots have not had a pay increase since 2008. Pilots do not want to strike, but are being driven to strike and are hugely disappointed by the company's approach, said Jim McAuslan, general secretary for the pilots association. He added that pilots were offered increases below inflation for the next two and a half years. Union representatives said 97% of the pilots who voted were favor of a strike, and 94% of the membership voted. "The size of the poll and the huge majority for action should send a clear message to Sir Richard Branson," McAuslan said. "There has been no UK pilot strike for 32 years. But there comes a time when even moderate people say 'enough.'" Virgin Atlantic representatives said they have made an offer to the pilots union that is double the national average for a UK business. "We value our pilots enormously and that is why we have offered three guaranteed pay rises in the next two and a half years and a share of company profits," Virgin Atlantic said in a written statement. Airline representatives said they were optimistic that once the union communicated their offer to the pilots, a strike would be averted. But the British Airline Pilots Association stood firm. "Time is running out," McAuslan said. "If damage is to be avoided and passengers not inconvenienced, then Sir Richard needs to act now." Virgin Atlantic representatives said contingency plans are in place to minimize the impact of a strike on consumers. | "There has been no UK strike for 32 years," a union official says .
The overwhelming majority of pilots vote in favor of a strike .
Virgin Atlantic says its offer is double the national average for a UK business . |
39,763 | 703f0b3d5dc51620c9f2a465296e2e905223ba14 | (CNN) -- Don Price's passion for military airplanes flows through his veins, passed down from his father's stories of piloting Boeing B-17s in World War II. These days, Price restores those planes and, in doing so, rekindles a connection with his father. Restoration is a complicated and expensive process -- Price worked on one plane for five years -- but he says the payoff is worth it. "As a kid, you look at war more romantically. It's good versus bad, like cops and robbers," he said. "But as you get older and you realize what they physically had to go through, the hardships, it changes your perspective." So when he learned a restored B-17 known as the Liberty Belle was consumed by fire after making an emergency landing in an Illinois cornfield Monday, Price felt as though he had lost a family member. The seven people aboard the Belle escaped with minor injuries but the plane, which cost more than $3 million to restore, was reduced to a charred shell as firefighters struggled to put out the fire. The passengers aboard were all members of the Liberty Foundation, which owned the plane. The Belle toured the country offering paid flights to World War II veterans and aviation enthusiasts. "The Liberty Belle was the first B-17 that I got to ride on," Price said. "It's a huge loss." Though the plane had been grounded for maintenance issues over the weekend, it was cleared for flight on Monday. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said an inspection will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire. "From what I can tell from the pictures, the pilot made a spectacular landing," Price said. "He got the landing gear down and found the best field possible. If they had crash-landed it, no one would've gotten out of the plane." He said he vividly recalls looking at the massive Boeing B-17 with wide-eyed wonder on a family trip to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum. Price, then 4 years old, crawled through the shiny aluminum plane out the back door and into his father's arms. "This is the plane I flew in the war," his father told him. Growing up, Price heard people call his dad a "gifted" pilot. He knew he'd flown what was dubbed The Flying Fortress during the war. But Price said never thought of Lt. William M. Price III as much more than dad -- until he was much older. As history laid bare the harsh realities of WWII, Price said, he decided to record his father's experiences. "I decided to interview him because I started to realize he was one of the heroes that they made movies about," he said. "During the time he was flying, he had a one in four chance of finishing a mission alive." He completed 25. Lt. Price was assigned to the 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 8th Air Force at the height of the war. During one of his early missions, he and six other airmen bailed out of their plane over the English Channel after it became apparent that their bullet-riddled bomber wouldn't make it back to England. They were rescued by an English fisherman. Price was also one of the 43 wounded airmen to return from an air strike on a German ball bearing company during what military historians christened "Black Thursday." The Air Force lost 600 men and 60 planes over enemy territory that day, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Price survived. More than 60 years after the end of World War II, Don Price refurbishes military airplanes in honor of his father. As a volunteer member in the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, Price worked for five years to restore a B-17 known as the Texas Raiders to flying condition. Since 1967, Commemorative Air Force has spent more than $1.1 million to restore Raiders to flying condition, in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration specifications. The most recent restoration work on the plane was completed in October 2009. Price described the Raiders' first flight after that as nerve-wracking because he knew the plane hadn't left the ground in seven years. "It was definitely an adrenaline rush to take off and know that it was finally flyable," he said. "It was an even happier moment when we landed and knew we could go back up again." After Monday's crash, both of the Gulf Coast Wing's B-17s were grounded as a precaution and will undergo inspection of their fuel systems. Retired naval pilot Felix Usis called the loss of the Belle devastating because the plane was in pristine condition. During World War II, he said, 12,371 B-17s were built. As of Monday, only 14 flight-worthy planes were left. "We now have one less," he said. After retiring from years as a commercial airline captain, Usis began volunteering as a military historian at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He lamented not only the loss of a historic artifact, but also the Liberty Foundation's loss of a major investment. "In 1944, the cost per delivery of a B-17 was $204,370. If you multiply that figure by the 12,000 that were delivered you can start to see that the cost of war was very expensive even back then." Sandra Thompson, spokeswoman for the Gulf Coast Wing, noted that most of the B-17's parts are no longer manufactured. "When you restore a part that is broken or cracked and corroded, you have to create a part that is no longer produced," she said. The process, called "forgery," can take years of scouring the globe for a company willing to recreate a single part. Generating all the materials necessary to completely restore a plane can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Thompson said the driving force behind all of the hard work and money lies within the volunteers. "There is a passion many of us have in seeing the past being given life again through the restoration," she said. And in seeing families, like the Prices, brought back together again. "There are so few World War II veterans living today, and when we reintroduce this aircraft with those veterans, it brings tears and old memories back into perspective," Thompson said. "That makes it very worthwhile for the volunteers who restore these planes." World War II service members were always recognized for their contributions to freedom, Price said. But when Vietnam made the military unpopular, his father stopped telling stories. "I asked him if I could record some of his stories and he was amazed and touched because he thought no one would care about what he'd done," he said. "It took a while for people to figure out that their fathers, uncles and brothers did heroic deeds worth being thankful for." The World War II generation is often remembered as this nation's greatest war generation but Price said it's important to not to forget the men and women in uniform who are still sacrificing for America. "Part of the hope is that by keeping the history alive and maintaining records of what it took to overcome a totalitarian dictator, we won't make some of the same mistakes we did before," he said. "Learning more and more from my dad and about him made a world of difference in my world view. I became proud of my country and my father." | Don Price restores military airplanes as a way to connect with his father .
Lt. William Price III flew B-17 bombers during World War II .
Monday, the restored bomber Liberty Belle crashed in Illinois minutes after take-off .
All seven aboard the plane escaped with minor injuries . |
206,539 | 9769d17073b8365d13380e89c0d198cca19fe509 | A British couple on holiday in Los Angeles have told how they drank, showered and brushed their teeth with water from a rooftop tank at a hotel – where a woman’s body had been decomposing for three weeks. It was only when the bloated body of 21-year-old university student Elisa Lam was discovered this week that they found out why the hotel water tasted ‘funny’. Sabina Baugh, 27, spent eight days with husband Michael, also 27, at the Cecil Hotel in downtown LA. 'Sick to the stomach': Michael and Sabina Baugh said the water at the hotel 'tasted funny' The area has one of the highest crime . rates in the city, so rather than go in search of bottled water at . night, they drank from the tap. Yesterday Mrs Baugh, a piano teacher, . said: ‘The water did have a very funny, disgusting taste. We never . thought anything of it. We thought it was just the way it was here.’ Mr Baugh, a guitarist and music . teacher, added: ‘The moment we found out, we felt sick to the stomach, . quite literally. We’re not well mentally. It’s the psychological stuff. If you think about it, it’s not good.’ The couple also said water at the . £52-a-night hotel, given a two-star rating on review site TripAdvisor, . had been trickling from the tap. Other guests reported flooding. The . couple, from Plymouth, are now staying in another part of the city and . the authorities are testing the water in the area for contamination. Mystery: Los Angeles fire fighters peer down at the water tanks on the roof of the Hotel Cecil as they try to figure out how to remove the body of a young woman found inside . Michael Baugh said they felt unwell 'mentally' after they heard the body of Elisa Lam was in the water tank . Police confirmed yesterday that the . body was Elisa Lam, a student at the University of British Columbia in . Canada, who was travelling to Santa Cruz in northern California when she . disappeared at the start of the month to the distress of her family. Police don’t know how Miss Lam died or . how she ended up in the tank on the roof of the hotel, which is . protected by locked doors and an alarm. The . hotel built in the 1920s but . refurbished several years ago was the once occasional home to serial . killers Richard Ramirez - nicknamed the Night Stalker - and Jack . Unterweger responsible for the death of nine prostitutes in Europe and . the U.S. Found: Lam was found wedged in the water tank above the Cecil Hotel by a maintenance worker after guests complained of low water pressure . Police say there have been reports of continuing crime at the hotel. Her body was discovered in one of . four large water tanks after a maintenance worker went up to investigate . reports of low water pressure, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman said. Bernard Diaz, 89, who has lived at . the Cecil for 32 years, told the LA Times that he heard a 'tremendous' racket on his floor above him the night Lam disappeared. He said the floor also experience flooding that night. | Sabina and Michael Baugh drank water at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles .
Body of Elisa Lam, 21, was found in the water tank by a maintenance man .
Hotel Cecil outside Skid Row was former home to serial .
killers Richard Ramirez - nicknamed the Night Stalker - and Jack Unterweger . |
62,262 | b0e1ac1a7c57c66b38282a4d1c1ac2fc728608ef | Ferries are set to sail between Florida and Havana once again more than 50 years after services were halted at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Around half a dozen companies have expressed interest in reviving the once-popular route following the historic easing of travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba earlier this year. Ferries to Cuba were immensely popular during the 1940s and 1950s but services ended on February 8, 1963, when President Kennedy imposed travel restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba. Catamaran broker Brian Hall hopes to start a high speed service between Marathon Key and Havana . One firm keen to exploit the new developments is Fort Lauderdale-based CubaKat which is planning to run a high speed passenger catamaran service beginning in December. Boats would leave from a private marina in Marathon key, about 135 miles (217 km) from Havana, offering a high-speed $338 round-trip ferry service with a capacity for about 190 people, as well as some vehicles. CubaKat president Brian Hall said the crossing would take around four- hours and cost $169 one way or $338 round trip. He said: 'My partners and I are ready to start operating as soon as we get the go-ahead. A former U.S. Air Force C-130 pilot from Atlanta Hall is based in Jacksonville, Florida, where his family also owns two pizza restaurants. Golden years: Cars are seen boarding a passenger ferry from Florida to Havana in these 1950s pictures . A view of Havana taken from the deck of a passenger ferry before the Cuban Missile Crisis resulted in Kennedy imposing restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba . He said he flew his own plane to Havana in January without a Treasury license, risking arrest and fines, to meet Cuban port officials. 'We were met with open arms,' Hall said. Mr Hall is currently working with with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to work out certain technical issues including how to prevent Cuban stowaways from hiding on board and coming to the U.S. General U.S. tourism travel to Cuba remains banned with travel restricted to family visits, educational or religious trips, humanitarian efforts, journalism or government business. However the federal government has no way to enforce it and last year some 650,000 people visited Cuba from the United States, a figure some experts predict will race past 1 million in the next few years. At least half a dozen Florida companies are seriously considering ferry ventures, with plans to seek licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department. Among these is Miami-based United Americas Shipping Services - part of a major shipping group with passengers and cargo operations, including Baja Ferries on Mexico's west coast, and Unishipping, a privately-owned, Paris-based company. General U.S. tourism travel to Cuba remains banned with travel restricted to family visits, educational or religious trips, humanitarian efforts, journalism or government business . United Americas President Joe Hinson said the company has met with officials from south Florida's three main ports in Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. It plans to offer a 10-hour, overnight service with sleeping cabins and dining facilities. Another Florida company, Key West Express, already runs a daily ferry service between Fort Myers Beach and Key West, and has expressed interest in extending the route to Havana. On December 17 last year, the United States and Cuba announced their intention to restore diplomatic relations. Last month, the Obama administration made some moves to loosen some travel and trade restrictions. While charter airlines already run scheduled services to the island, no licenses for ferry service to Cuba have been issued, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which enforces sanctions. U.S. officials have not commented on the status of requests for ferry licenses. Granma, Cuba's official Communist Party newspaper, published an article on Feb. 11 by two Cuban foreign ministry officials saying Obama could use his executive authority to permit ferry services between the two countries. | Several companies have expressed interest in reviving once-popular route .
Catamaran service from Marathon Key could make crossing in four hours .
Follows improvements in diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S.
Ferries to Cuba were immensely popular with holidaymakers in the 1950s .
However travel restrictions were imposed by President Kennedy in 1963 . |
257,151 | d8d243bb26ffdb7d5cbab6e3ab997edc16d8a263 | Washington (CNN) -- Increased fighting in Afghanistan has caused a drop in morale among U.S. soldiers while the reduction in combat in Iraq has bolstered morale, according to a new U.S. Army report released Friday. The report summarizes two surveys of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan taken earlier this year. New statistics from the Army also show suicides are up in the entire service. Produced every two years by the Army's Mental Health Advisory Team, this latest report comes just over a week after a U.S. soldier went on a shooting rampage at a U.S. Army base in Texas and possibly just days or weeks from an announcement from the Obama administration to send more troops to Afghanistan, where fighting has gotten more intense in recent months. Authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting. The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan but had told his family that he wanted to get out of the military. "Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face stress from multiple deployments into combat but report being more prepared for the stresses of deployments," Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army Surgeon General told reporters Friday. Not surprisingly, the report showed that soldiers with multiple deployments, three or four tours of duty to Iraq or Afghanistan, had much lower morale and more mental health problems than those soldiers who have one or two combat deployments. Increased time at home, however, resulted in improved morale among troops sent back to the field. The updated survey of soldiers in Afghanistan found post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression in soldiers at the same levels of the survey in 2007, but still about double that of the 2005 survey results: 21.4 percent in 2009, 23.4 percent for 2007 and 10.4 percent in 2005, according to the report. In Iraq, where the survey has been done every year, lower numbers were attributed to the decrease in combat action there. The 2009 numbers showed 13.3 percent of soldiers suffering from mental health problems, compared to 18.8 percent in 2007 and 22 percent in 2006. Army officials said that with the push of more than 20,000 additional troops into the Afghan theater of battle over the last few months, there have been fewer mental health professionals in the field to help. Army officials said the ration was about one mental health professional for every 1,120 soldiers. To combat the falling morale and lack of mental health professionals in the field, Army officials said the service needs to more than double the number of mental health providers and hopes to have at least 65 more of those providers in the field by December, making the ratio one for every 700 soldiers. The mental health assessment teams also conducted interviews with soldiers and found a drop in unit morale in Afghanistan to about half of what it was in 2007 and 2005, when about 10 percent surveyed gave top ratings to unit morale. In 2009, that number was 5.7 percent. The report also showed soldiers are seeing more difficulty at home with an increasing number reporting they are getting or considering getting divorced, according to the report. The overall report was based on almost 4,000 soldiers who filled out anonymous surveys in Iraq and Afghanistan between December 2008 and June 2009. In Iraq, 2,400 soldiers were randomly selected and the results were studied by a mental health assessment team in the combat zone. About 1,500 troops in Afghanistan took the survey, Army officials said. The survey was different from previous years when all types of soldiers were surveyed together. The 2009 survey questioned combat troops and support troops separately, though Army officials said there were few differences in the results. On Friday, the Army also released its latest suicide statistics. They show an increase in the number over this time last year. The Army reported 133 suspected suicides as of October; there were 115 as of October 2008. Of the 133, 90 have been confirmed, and 43 are pending confirmation, according to an Army press release. Last year the Army totaled 140 suicides in its ranks, the highest the service has recorded. "Stigma continues to be one of the most difficult challenges we confront," said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, the director of the Suicide Prevention Task Force for the Army. "The more we educate our Army community about the need to get help, the need to get it early, and that a full recovery is often possible, the less stigma we'll see." The Army has implemented a number of suicide prevention programs over the past year, including training, a suicide prevention task force and a day off official duties to focus on suicide prevention. | Report summarizes 2 surveys of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan taken this year .
Results attributed to increased fighting in Afghanistan, less in Iraq .
Army hopes to increase number of mental health providers in the field . |
41,935 | 764311a63ccbf6d4fc161a5f34db28c8b4b75829 | (CNN) -- North Korea has raised political tensions on the peninsula with a barrage of bombastic comments directed at its enemies South Korea and the United States. Even by North Korean standards, the series of threats during the past six weeks by enigmatic young leader Kim Jong Un have been incredibly provocative, making the situation worrisome for analysts. Here's a look at Kim's escalating rhetoric and his country's actions since he came to power after his father's death in 2011: . March 2012 . As South Korea hosts world leaders at an international nuclear security summit in Seoul, North Korea moves a long-range rocket toward a launch pad. Pyongyang says it plans to carry out the test in mid-April as part of a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the nation's founder and Kim's grandfather. April 2012 . Defying warnings by U.S. President Barack Obama that Kim has nothing to gain from provocations, Pyongyang launches the rocket. It breaks apart and falls into the sea. August 2012 . Kim visits the same military unit behind a 2010 attack on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, where he reminds the troops to be ready to fight a "sacred war" against Seoul. The North Korean leader makes the veiled threat just ahead of an annual war games exercise conducted on the Korean Peninsula by the United States and South Korea. The dictator calls the joint Seoul-Washington military exercises a "war rehearsal" to invade. October 2012 . North Korea claims to have developed missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. December 2012 . Kim announces plans to launch another long-range rocket in a renewed effort to send a satellite into space. Two days after the government announces the launch window is being pushed back because of technical issues, the rocket lifts off from the west coast of North Korea. Pyongyang declares the mission a success. January 2013 . North Korea announces it is planning a new nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches, all of which it says are part of a new phase of confrontation with the United States. The threats come two days after the U.N. Security Council approves the broadening of sanctions in response to the rocket launch in December that apparently put a satellite in orbit. February 2013 . North Korea carries out an underground nuclear bomb test on February 12. The test is designed "to defend the country's security and sovereignty in the face of the ferocious hostile act of the U.S.," the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency says at the time, referring to new U.S.-led sanctions. "This nuclear test is our first measure, which displayed our maximum restraint. ... If the U.S. continues with their hostility and complicates the situation, it would be inevitable to continuously conduct a stronger second or third measure." March 2013 . Angered by U.N. Security Council sanctions over its nuclear test, North Korea threatens for the first time to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the U.S. and South Korea. It's one of a series of provocative threats and, in some cases, actions by North Korea that begin with Pyongyang saying it is scrapping the 1953 truce that effectively ended the Korean War. At the same time, it cuts off its direct phone links with South Korea at Panmunjom, the abandoned village that sits on the border between the two countries. North Korea then doubles down on the threat, saying it is nullifying the joint declaration on the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. One of the country's top generals, according to published reports, claims Pyongyang has nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles that are ready to be fired. Although U.S. officials don't believe North Korea is in a position to strike the United States, the Obama administration responds to the threat by announcing plans to deploy additional ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast. U.S. officials also say B-52 bombers are making flights over South Korea as part of annual, joint military exercises this month that have enraged North Korea. Pyongyang releases a new propaganda video that shows an imagined missile attack on U.S. government buildings in Washington, including the White House and the Capitol. The roughly four-minute video is posted on the YouTube channel of the North Korean government website, Uriminzokkiri. North Korea threatens to attack U.S. and South Korea bases, putting its troops on alert. It announces through state-run media that the military is ready for combat. The threat follows claims that U.S. B-52 bombers again made flights over South Korea. Later it's revealed that F-22 Raptors and B-2 stealth bombers also take part in the U.S.-South Korea drills. Pyongyang says it's readying rockets aimed at U.S. targets, releasing photos that show Kim meeting with military officials with strike plans on U.S. maps visible in the background. The North also cuts its last military hotline with South Korea. April 2013 . North Korea begins the month pledging to restart its Yongbyon nuclear complex, including a uranium enrichment plant and a reactor that was shut down under an agreement reached in October 2007 during talks among North Korea, the United States and four other nations. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry responds by warning the United States will not accept North Korea as a "nuclear state." Later that week, Pyongyang warns that it cannot guarantee the safety of safety of embassies and international organizations in the event of armed conflict. It comes as a U.S. official tells CNN that two medium-range missiles have been loaded onto mobile launchers along North Korea's east coast. Tensions then move to a joint industrial complex that serves as an important symbol of cooperation between the two countries. The Kaesong Industrial Complex sits on the North's side of the border but houses operations of scores of South Korean companies. Pyongyang blocks the entrance of hundreds of South Korean workers to Kaesong, where more than 50,000 North Koreans work, producing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods each year. Soon after, North Korea warns foreigners to secure shelter or evacuate in case of hostilities, as Japan moves its missile defense systems into place at three sites around Tokyo. A U.S. official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the information, tells CNN recent intelligence suggests that a missile test could be "imminent." Meanwhile, North Korea's state media published articles that described festive events, suggesting a much less fraught situation inside the country. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that various sporting events were happening or scheduled to take place to mark the 101st anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea and the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. "The ongoing sports tournaments make the country seethe with holiday atmosphere," KCNA said. Kim Il Sung's birthday, known as the Day of the Sun, is a major public holiday in North Korea. CNN's Elise Labott, Jethro Mullen and Brad Lendon contributed to this report . | U.S. and South Korean officials believe Pyongyang poised on a missile test .
North Korea warns foreigners in South Korea to leave, following similar advice to diplomats .
Pyongyang blocks workers from entering joint commercial zone operated with South . |
93,710 | 047da18d7b51160fa211f0e08c811aaad8c6af57 | Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel went into the clash against Bournemouth walking a disciplinary tightrope. Securing a place in the Capital One Cup semi-finals would have been paramount in the Liverpool duo's mind. But so was Sunday's crunch Premier League clash against Arsenal, with the pair just one booking away from a suspension. It didn't stop the Liverpool skipper throwing himself into a dicey lunge on Simon Francis inside the opening 10 minutes. Steven Gerrard, challenging Yann Kermogant, was committed as ever despite walking a disciplinary tightrope . He only lives round the corner, so it was no surprise Tony Pulis was at Dean Court on Wednesday night. The 56-year-old was doing some punditry work for BBC 5Live for Wednesday's quarter-final. Pulis has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace just days before the start of the Premier League season. Knowing Pulis, he'd much rather be in the dug out than the press gantry. Former Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis was doing punditry work at his old club Bournemouth for BBC 5Live . While some saw this tie as the opportunity for another slip-up by Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, their victory at the Goldsands Stadium had a sense of inevitability about it. That might be down to their impressive goalscoring record at this stage of the League Cup. The Reds had scored in 14 of their last 15 League Cup quarter-finals - Raheem Sterling and Lazar Markovic struck early on to extend that record and help them reach the last four. Discipline starts at an early age at Bournemouth. The Championship club have enforced a set of strict rules for their academy players, one of which is a £20 fine for inappropriate posts on social media sites. Other fines include £10 for having a mobile phone switched on in the dressing room, and £20 for a breach of curfew. Sportsmail's Neil Ashton snapped this photo of Bournemouth's youth team fines at the Goldsands Stadium . No matter the outcome, Bournemouth knew they were making history against Liverpool. The encounter was the Cherries’ first League Cup quarter-final. The way Eddie Howe’s side are performing at the moment, it may not be too long before their next. Top of the Championship with promotion looking a real possibility, it seems the only way is up for this very promising Bournemouth side. | Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel were a booking away from missing Liverpool's Premier League trip to Arsenal .
Reds skipper was as committed as ever against Bournemouth .
Former Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis attended game at Dean Court .
Wednesday's clash was Bournemouth's first League Cup quarter-final . |
90,900 | 00e83e39b4cf759a26e998d5af92e730ecab43f8 | (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday will sign an executive order outlining standards that companies operating critical infrastructure should follow to protect from cyberattacks, a source informed of the planning told CNN. The order will also include an information-sharing provision to enable data exchange between the private sector and the government, the source said. Obama has been considering such an order since last year, after Congress failed to move forward on cybersecurity legislation. Administration officials have said that the failure to pass legislation has given the executive branch the incentive to fill in the gap with an executive order. The administration still wants the Department of Homeland Security to regulate critical infrastructure and for Congress to pass legislation, the source said. | The order will provide standards for companies operating critical infrastructure .
It also aims to enable data exchange between the private sector and the government .
Source says the administration still wants Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation . |
166,837 | 63bcdc18c0e0388fefa2afe8a72e336a4773aeba | (Health.com) -- We get it: You want to lose the jiggle but don't want to blacklist your favorite eats, count every single calorie, or overdose on gym hours. The great news is, you can drop weight without dieting: Experts say making small change-ups to your day is one of the best ways to lose. We grilled health and fitness pros for the tweaks that will help your shape the most. Road test a few, and you could shed 5 (this week!), 10, or even 20-plus pounds without a whole lot of effort. Power up PB . "Buy natural varieties of peanut butter and pour off the oil sitting on top. Each serving will have 20 fewer calories and 2 to 3 fewer grams of fat. It's a small difference that'll add up to a couple of pounds per year." -- Amelia Winslow, personal chef in Los Angeles and founder of the healthy food blog Eating Made Easy . Health.com: 25 ways to cut 500 calories a day . Pop to it . "Skimping on fiber will make you gain weight. Forget the pretzels and go for a bag of low-fat popcorn. It has five times the fiber and only 90 calories for six cups, so it's filling and satisfying. A recent study found that when women doubled their daily fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams, their bodies absorbed 90 calories less per day. You could lose almost 10 pounds in a year!" -- Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss . Dance your butt off . "Kick up your heels and go dancing with your girlfriends -- or have a solo dance session at home. Fast-tempo dances are not only a blast to do, but in an hour you'll torch 400 to 500 calories. That's equivalent to light jogging on the treadmill, but it's way more fun!" -- Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food: Lose the Fake Food and Kickstart Your Weight Loss . Health.com: Diet tricks the pros tell their friends . Switch things up . "At the gym, lift one set of heavier weights than you're used to. And on your walk or run, add backward walking and sideways shuffling in one-minute bursts. You'll challenge your muscles in new ways, work them at a variety of angles, and improve your balance. These things will tone you up and burn extra calories." -- Gunnar Peterson, celebrity trainer to A-listers in Beverly Hills, California . Nix nighttime eating . "Cutting out after-dinner snacking is a quick way to help you shed 5 pounds in a week. At night, we're usually scarfing down junky foods in front of the TV -- and it's easy to consume a meal's worth of calories, plus belly-bloating sodium. If you're typically hungry before bed, it might mean you're eating dinner too early, so push it back. Snack on fruit at 3 p.m. Then at 5 p.m., have a snack bar. At 7:30, you'll be ready for dinner, and you'll be eating late enough to stay full for the rest of the evening." -- Heather Bauer, RD, author of Bread Is the Devil: Win the Weight Loss Battle by Taking Control of Your Diet Demons . Health.com: 25 diet-busting foods you should never eat . Be a crunch monster . "Fill your plate with crunchy, chewy foods like carrots, apples, and whole grains. They take more time to chew, and their fiber makes your body work harder to digest them -- so you'll burn more calories during your meal. Eating this way can increase your total calorie burn by 5 percent throughout the day!" -- Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Sports Medicine . Keep it simple . "Just focus on cooking wholesome food; you'll eat well and could even lose 5 pounds in a week. For breakfast, have yogurt and some fruit; for lunch, eat a soup and a winter salad with tuna and walnuts; at dinner, fill your plate with 3 to 4 ounces of fish or chicken, a couple of veggies, and a piece of fruit. And feel free to use a bit of butter or olive oil -- you don't have to deprive yourself." -- Mireille Guiliano, author of The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook . Health.com: Best superfoods for weight loss . Beat booze bloat . "Downsize your wine glass to cut calories. Wine glasses today are giant goblets, so it's easy to pour 6 ounces, or one-and-a-half servings, without noticing. That means those two glasses a night might actually be closer to three (almost half a bottle!), adding up to 300 calories. Instead of drinking this way every day, have a regular-size 4-ounce glass a couple of times a week. You could drop more than 20 pounds this year." -- Tim Church, M.D., director of preventive medicine research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana . Try upside-down . "Season and butter the bottom of foods. For example, butter the bottom of toast, and salt the bottom of potato rounds. This sounds weird, but it really helps with weight loss. When you eat foods this way, the flavor hits your tongue right away, and you actually taste more of it. Ultimately, that means you can cut out at least half the belly-bloating salt or butter." -- Devin Alexander, chef and host of FitTV's Healthy Decadence and author of The Biggest Loser Quick & Easy Cookbook . Health.com: Little ways to lose big pounds . Dine in slow-mo . "Make sure you're the last one to start eating and also the last person to finish. I do this, and it helps me slow down and chew my food properly instead of inhaling what's on my plate -- and more. Eat this way and you'll take in fewer calories at your meals." -- JJ Virgin, Ph.D., author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy: The 5-Step Plan to Sleek, Strong, and Sculpted Arms . Dress the part . "Make a few changes to your party outfit, and you'll beat the temptation to overindulge. At a cocktail party, carry a clutch instead of a purse. With a cocktail in one hand and your handbag in the other, you won't be able to reach for too many hors d'oeuvres. And wear a form-fitting dress -- it'll be your biggest reminder to not revisit the food table for seconds." -- Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet: 10 Steps to a Thinner, Healthier You . Health.com: Thinner by dinner: how to dress 10 pounds lighter . Go by the numbers . "Stop eating when you're at a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is famished and 10 is Thanksgiving full). When you stop at 5 or 6, chances are 20 minutes later, you'll feel like a 7 or 8. This tactic is great for parties and vacations -- and could save you lots of calories per meal." -- Ellie Krieger, R.D., host of Cooking Channel's Healthy Appetite and author of Comfort Food Fix . Play hard . "Slip exercise into everyday life, and make it fun. Head outside and go ice skating with friends or shape a snowman with your kids. You can even stage a pillow fight in your living room. That burns 82 calories in 20 minutes, plus you'll laugh the entire time!" -- Missy Chase Lapine, author of "The Speedy Sneaky Chef" Copyright Health Magazine 2011 . | Experts say making small changes to your day is one of the best ways to lose weight .
"On your walk or run, add backward walking," says trainer Gunnar Peterson .
Dr. Tim Church recommends downsizing wine glasses to cut calories .
Author Missy Chase Lapine says, "Slip exercise into everyday life, and make it fun" |
6,124 | 1155ca83a45f4d9a9ede0438d16d0798592c9f98 | Boasts: Jihadists fighting with terror squads in Iraq are using social networking sites to lure young Muslim teenagers from the UK into joining the Islamic State fanatics, such as British IS fighter Reyaad Khan seen posing with a man tied to railings . British jihadists fighting with terror squads in Iraq are using social networking sites to lure young Muslim teenagers from the UK into joining the Islamic State fanatics. The extremists, who boast of ‘slaughtering’ innocent Yazidis and ‘taking their women as slaves’, are advising 15-year-olds that they are ‘not too young’ to die fighting for Allah. Asked by a British 18-year-old girl if she is too young to join, one of them replied: ‘I know sisters younger than you. I heard of maybe 16-year-olds being here from UK. You aren’t too young.’ They are informing their British ‘brothers and sisters’ every day how to make their way to Iraq, claiming they are ‘ordered’ to defy their parents and fight jihad. After one British teenager wrote of having a ‘bad feeling I can’t hack it there and my family will want me to come back’, British jihadist Abu Farris replied: ‘We’re all bros here. Trust me, don’t be scared. 15-year-olds can hack it bro, so why can’t you. It is from Allah.’ And the chilling posts reveal they are advising them down to the smallest detail on how to prepare for travelling to the region – from where to get guns and bulletproof vests to what trainers they should bring and how to avoid being bitten by bugs at night. The revelations raise urgent questions for the security services over whether enough is being done to prevent the spread of radical Islamic ideology among British teenagers. Young British Muslims are now known to be among the IS terror squads besieging the area around Mount Sinjar where thousands of refugees are trapped, the Mail can reveal. Intelligence officers have identified UK nationals as being part of the fanatical IS army that has swept across northern Iraq, carrying out a horrifying catalogue of medieval war crimes. Scroll down for video . Before they fled: Jihadists Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana (circled) hand out food to the needy in Cardiff last year. Both have been tweeting about their involvement with IS while on the front line . The . British IS fighters, who refer to themselves as the ‘Baadiya Boys’ after their original base in Syria, include Reyaad Khan and Nasser . Muthana, the 20-year-olds from Cardiff who notoriously featured in a . jihad recruitment video for the group. The former Catholic college students . have been joined on the frontline by young Muslim men and women from . across the UK, including a group of five friends from Portsmouth, two of . whom have already been killed. Using Twitter, social media site Ask.fm and smartphone apps, the jihadists are posting disturbing updates on their progress. Uploads . have included pictures of mass executions, beheadings, child soldiers . and selfies with men captured and tied to railings in the oppressive . heat. A British girl who has gone to Syria also posted a picture of . herself in the area, wearing a niqab and with a gun by her side. Some of the British jihadists command followers to ‘make hijrah’ – an Arabic term meaning emigration. They boast about what weapons they are using and offer advice on how to get into Syria and where to buy guns. If those messaging them appear serious about joining IS, they send private messages on mobile apps Kik and Surespot, which they claim are encrypted and impossible for authorities to monitor. It is thought about 500 British nationals have travelled to the region. United Nations War Crimes investigators said they are monitoring Islamic State online postings. A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment last night. Ask.fm and Kik were unavailable for comment. A spokesman for Surespot said: ‘Any technology has the potential for abuse by nefarious individuals. ‘For example, digital cameras can be used for child porn but they can also be used to take lovely pictures. Are we then to stop selling them? ‘In the same vein, are we supposed to give governments access to all of our private information?’ The Home Office said it is aware of the IS propaganda online and is working with social media companies to remove extremist material. A spokesman added: ‘We do not tolerate the existence of online terrorist and extremist propaganda. ‘We work with the internet industry to remove terrorist material hosted in the UK or overseas.’ One British fighter, Abu Farris, took to the website Ask.fm – criticised for failing to crack down on harmful content – to convince radicalised youths to join him. Here are some of his slang-filled posts from his question-and-answer session: . Q: Don’t you miss your mum? Why don’t you just be a British Muslim and live in peace? A: Of course I miss my mum, I’ll see her in jannah [paradise] if Allah accepts me. Regardless of how we feel, its obligatory. This is more important than my family. Q: Since u left have ur family been more understanding or confused? A: To be honest, my family think IS are extreme. They think I was brainwashed. By the grace of Allah I’m not upset. I know that if Allah accepts me I’ll intercede for them and show them who was right on judgment day. Q: I have a bad feeling I can’t hack it... A: Trust me, when ur here you will have ur brothers to talk to. Don’t be scared. 15-yr-olds can hack it bro, so why can’t you? Ask Allah for help. Q: How much British have you met over there? A: So many. Q: Would you advise people going over to learn Arabic first? A: You’ll pick it up here inshallah [God willing]. You can even study here. Q: I’m 18. Do you know any 18-year-old sisters from the UK? I think I am too young. A: I heard of maybe 16-year-olds being here from UK. You aren’t too young. Q: Do u find a spouse in advance? A: There are bros here that wanna get married and sisters out there that wanna get married. Just find a bro or a sis, thru friends or however. Q: Are there gun stores there? A: Yep, u can buy loads of stuff. Q: Are bulletproof vests hard to get where you are? Would a person be better buying it in Turkey and then crossing over with it? A: You can buy it here easily, like any random military store in Raqqah u’ll find it.. they’re like $100. Q: Do you use night vision goggles? A: Of course, we even have spy planes. Q: Are Nikes sufficient footwear? A: I brought one pair of Adidas high-tops. You’ll get what you need here. You won’t enter the battlefield unless ur kitted up and you have ammo etc. Q: Are there a lot of bugs there? Like if I’m sleeping, are they gonna crawl on me? Sorry if this is a weird question. May Allah reward you. A: Nope inshallah, you’ll be fine. Even if there was bugs, there’s those bug eliminators. It’s not bad, only thing is mosquitoes really. Q: Is there internet at your homes? A: Sometimes your house can be near an internet cafe so you can use internet from there. Q: Are there jobs to be an executioner, like when you capture kuffar [non-believers]? A: Yep. Q: How do you earn money? A: We get ‘pocket money’ to spend, to look after your wife, buy some clothes etc.. they give us what’s necessary. Q: Do I need to do a front-flip during training? Nope, training here isn’t as hard as u think. It’s more psychological training, like mentally training you. | Extremists posting updates on Twitter, Ask.fm and smartphone apps .
Jihadists informing British 'brothers and sisters' how to get to Iraq .
They claim teens are 'ordered' to defy parents and fight jihad .
Images of beheadings, child soldiers and mass executions uploaded .
Britons known to be among IS terror squads besieging Mount Sinjar .
British fighters include Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both from Cardiff . |
74,702 | d3c59a28ebec773010b12e92fcd1110ace6b5191 | Margaret Thatcher's hometown is divided over proposals to name a new bypass after the former prime minister. The people of Grantham, Lincolnshire, are eagerly awaiting a new relief road and supporters are clamouring for it to be named in her honour. There is no permanent memorial to of Britain's first female prime minister, who died in 2013, in the town, except for a small plaque commemorating her birthplace. Proposals to name a bypass in Margaret Thatcher's hometown in her honour has divided the town. Pictured, the former prime minister at the Conservative Party conference in 1989 . Britain's first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher visits her alma mater, Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, in Grantham in 1986 . So Ray Wootten, a Conservative councillor for Lincolnshire county council, was eager to remedy that and registered the names Lady Thatcher Way, Margaret Thatcher Way and Baroness Thatcher Way for the bypass. He said he proposed the idea in a bid to provide a fitting memorial to the town's most famous export - but he admits the town is divided over the issue. Councillor Ray Wootten thinks naming the bypass after Baroness Thatcher would be a fitting tribute . Councillor Wootten added a previous proposal to build a statue in Baroness Thatcher's honour several years ago had sparked the same controversy. He told MailOnline: 'It's certainly caused a stir. The town is divided. 'It was the same thing with the statue four or five years ago. 'I raised the idea of a statue and a tourist trail and the response was "We shouldn't commemorate her life and there are far more important people than Mrs Thatcher". 'But we need to really celebrate her life and her career. 'Mrs Thatcher certainly changed the world in which we live in today. 'She really put the great back in Great Britain.' He added: 'I have received people from Canada, Japan, France and Germany who all wanted to visit Grantham and couldn't understand why there isn't anything to commemorate Mrs Thatcher. 'Some months ago, I made enquiries as to whether anybody had registered names for the bypass - which was no. 'So I stuck my head above the parapet and registered Lady Thatcher Way, Baroness Thatcher Way and Margaret Thatcher Way.' But Labour politicians in the town are strongly against the idea, claiming it would be wrong to name the bypass after such a controversial person. Councillor Wootten's idea of a Margaret Thatcher tourist trail also sparked controversy. Pictured, her birthplace - a corner shop in North Parade, Grantham . The only memorial to Britain's first female prime minister in her hometown is a small plaque on the corner shop where she lived . | Only memorial in her hometown of Grantham, Lincolnshire, is small plaque .
So Conservative councillor Ray Wootten proposed Lady Thatcher Way as a name for the new relief road .
He says it would be a fitting tribute to Britain's first female prime minister .
But he admits his proposal has sparked controversy in the town . |
33,789 | 60159b05d0939aae90f7ec5efe3d2ed98bb4cdd7 | By . Nick Purewal, Press Association . Gloucester have appointed Ulster boss David Humphreys as their new director of rugby. The 42-year-old former Ireland fly-half succeeds Nigel Davies at Kingsholm and will now seek his own backroom staff, principally a head coach. Humphreys captained Ulster to the 1999 Heineken Cup, overseeing the Irish province's run to the 2012 final. Moving on: David Humphreys has left Ulster to become new director of rugby at Gloucester . Not good enough: Nigel Davies was dismissed by Gloucester last month . Gloucester dismissed former Scarlets boss Davies last month after a lacklustre Aviva Premiership campaign, his second season with the Cherry and Whites. Gloucester chief executive Stephen Vaughan secured the signing of Wales fly-half James Hook on Tuesday, moving swiftly on to complete the deal for Humphreys. Humphreys won 72 Ireland caps in a 10-year stint with Ulster before moving into the coaching set-up first as director of operations then director of rugby. Gloucester will task Humphreys with running the playing squad's infrastructure and strategy, handing much of the daily team preparation to the eventual new head coach. | Former Ireland fly-half replaces Nigel Davies at Kingsholm .
Davies dimissed last month following poor Premiership season .
Humphreys will run playing squad infastructure and strategy . |
182,546 | 7862cb983a0bae081372a11dcdae78e84de3f33c | Mishal Husain joined Radio 4’s Today in October and brought a surge in listeners, but now 400,000 appear to have deserted the station . She initially prompted a spike in interest….but it appears the Mishal Husain effect is wearing off. The 41-year-old journalist joined Radio 4’s Today team in October last year and brought a surge in listeners with her. But between January and June some 400,000 appear to have deserted the station according to figures released by Rajar which monitors radio listener numbers. The data reveals that when Miss Husain joined the station’s flagship news show the 6am-9am slot – which the programme occupies from Monday to Friday – had a weekly audience of 6.81million. This shot up over the next three months (Oct to Dec) to 7.14million but between January and June it has fallen to 6.7m. Miss Husain, who has three children with her husband Meekal Hashmi, presents the show along with Sarah Montague, Jim Naughtie, Evan Davis, Justin Webb and John Humphrys, who she clashed with five years ago when he asked during a recording of Celebrity Mastermind whether she had got her job as a BBC 1 newsreader ‘because you are good-looking’. On joining Today as the breakfast news programme’s first ethnic minority presenter, she said: ‘I have long been an admirer of Today and am delighted to have the opportunity to join the team.’ BBC director general Tony Hall said: ‘She is a first-rate journalist. She will be an excellent addition to what is a very powerful and strong team. He added: ‘I am particularly pleased that with her appointment there will be another female voice on the programme, which I think is really important.’ Miss Husain also worked on the BBC’s coverage of the 2012 Olympics and, reported for the corporation from Pakistan – the country where her parents were born – on the death of Osama Bin Laden and the assassination of the country’s ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Scroll down for video . Miss Husain presents the show along with Sarah Montague, Jim Naughtie, Evan Davis, Justin Webb and John Humphrys (left) During the same nine month period, other BBC radio breakfast shows enjoyed significant rises, Chris Evans’s show on Radio 2 saw a gain of 562,000 in its weekly listeners, while Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 morning programme enjoyed a jump of 388,000. Radio 5 Live’s morning slot also gained 162,000 extra weekly listeners, although Radio 3 saw a decline of 7,000. A BBC spokesperson said: 'Today has a very loyal audience and listening figures traditional hover around 7 million a week, but in this quarter across Radio 4 there has been a small dip in the weekly reach.' | Miss Husain joined the flagship news programme in October .
The move bought a surge in listeners to the popular broadcast .
But figures show 400,000 listeners turned off between January and June . |
64,350 | b6b9a81c9cee3a3fd6b4f12c327f3b0b64b0bf7a | Videos purportedly showing guards abusing prisoners, including one male inmate being raped with a broom handle, have led to arrests and outrage both inside and outside the Eurasian country of Georgia. President Mikheil Saakashvili said Wednesday what occurred at Gldani Number 8 penitentiary in Tbilisi is "a horrific affront to human rights and human dignity." Georgia television stations, including TV9, broadcast the videos Tuesday night. The government has not questioned their authenticity. "The police have already arrested most of those identified as involved in these gross abuses," Saakashvili said in a statement. "Others are on the run but (are) being actively pursued by police." The faces of those being filmed were obscured. One man cries out while he is being raped with a broom handle. Another video shows an inmate being punched. The country's interior ministry on Tuesday blamed certain prison employees for the degrading treatment. The ministry said a prisoner at the facility offered "substantial reimbursement" to employees for their actions and the video recordings. Its statement did not elaborate on the prisoner's motivation. The interior ministry identified that prisoner as Tamaz Tamazashvili, father-in-law of Irlakli Garibashvili, a member of the opposition Georgian Dream party. Garibashvili said Tamazashvili's life was in danger and that he was being held "hostage" by the president. Tamazashvili had nothing to do with the taped incidents, Garibashvili said. Georgia's minister of corrections and legal assistance, meanwhile, tendered her resignation. "During my time in the office I tried my best and did everything possible to ensure the protection of human rights and to bring the corrections system, as much as possible, in conformity with the European standards," Khatuna Kalmakhelidze said in a statement. "It seems, however, that this effort was not enough, since such facts have taken place. I am very sorry about what happened and it does not matter who orchestrated these events." Human Rights Watch said Gldani Number 8 has been referred to as one of Georgia's "most problematic prison facilities." "The abuse captured in this footage is profoundly disturbing," said Giorgi Gogia, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher for the organization. "The authorities need to ensure full accountability -- including criminal accountability -- for this abuse and take measures to prevent it from ever happening again." Read more about Human Rights Watch on CNN . Victims of the abuse are entitled to legal remedies, according to Human Rights Watch. "Sexual assault on a detainee constitutes torture," Gogia said in a statement. "The prohibition on torture is absolute, and the government should ensure that the justice is done." The U.S. Embassy in Georgia said it was shocked and revolted by the images and noted the government's investigation. "Abuse of prisoners is a serious issue that needs to be addressed," the embassy said in a statement issued Wednesday. "We urge that the government conduct this investigation in a thorough and transparent manner and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice as soon as possible." | Politician defends father-in-law .
Corrections minister submits resignation .
U.S. Embassy says images shocking .
Human Rights Watch calls abuse torture . |
49,673 | 8c71492f2a3fbe7eb9c8205d65054ab14c1dbdb6 | (CNN) -- With Sharon Osbourne gone, "America's Got Talent" has tapped Spice Girl Mel B. to fill the empty seat. Entertainment Weekly reports that the singer and TV personality, whose full name is Melanie Brown, will join fellow judges Howard Stern and Howie Mandel on the NBC reality competition when it returns this summer. Osbourne announced she was leaving "AGT" last year following claims that NBC discriminated against her son, Jack. Brown, aka Scary Spice, is a veteran of reality competitions. She competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in the United States, served as a judge on the Australian version of "The X Factor" and was a guest judge on the UK's "X Factor" and "Britain's Next Top Model." "I've known Melanie since she did 'Dancing with the Stars,' and I've known her as a performer in The Spice Girls before that," Paul Telegdy, NBC's president of alternative and late night programming, said in a statement to EW. "To know her is to know a very frank, strong, enduring entertainer. Someone who has a very strong point of view. We needed somebody who was qualified for the job. She's an amazing singer, dancer and a huge personality. The contestants will get a lot of constructive feedback from her and I can't wait to see her chemistry with Howard and Howie." Mel B. might not be the only new face on the series this summer -- EW adds that the show is considering hiring a fourth judge as well. | Report: Spice Girl Mel B. is joining "America's Got Talent" as a judge .
The singer/TV personality is experienced with reality shows .
"AGT" is said to be considering hiring a fourth judge . |
154,402 | 53878dfcd137e31f38a7549b3210dbab8ab9da88 | Owners of Nobby beach holiday resort, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, are about to hit the jackpot after finally agreeing to sell the ageing properties as one. For nearly 30 years property developers have been unsuccessful in their approach to purchase Nobby Outlook. Now, almost 50 unit owners have decided to sell the iconic beachside resort built in 1966 due to ageing of the property and expenses needed to renovate. Owners of Nobby beach holiday resort, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, are about to hit the jackpot after finally agreeing to sell the ageing properties as one . For nearly 30 years property developers has been unsuccessful in their approach to the unit owners of Nobby Outlook . Bronwyn Bartal, the Melbourne-based chairperson of the body corporate, said she has many childhood memories at Nobbys Outlook unit and although she is sad to let it go, Ms Bartal understands it is time. 'Although we were reluctant we see it needs major renovation and it just can't go on into disrepair,' Ms Bartal told Daily Mail Australia. 'If you haven't been here it is very hard to appreciate what an icon it is.' Ms Bartal recalls developers in 1988 approaching the unit owners separately in an attempt to force them to sell. She said developers were calling the owners 'horrible', insisting they were trying to stop positive development. The 7284 square-metre property features 46 apartments . 'I have always been pro-active about Nobbys Outlook because my mother always said "I am not leaving Nobbys - I don't care how much money they will get us for", so I always wanted it to remain in the family. 'She has now passed away and I thought she wouldn't like to see Nobbys in the state it is in now - it will take a lot of money to just repair the outside.' 'So we decided we would rather be involved in the sale, rather than just letting it fall down.' Ms Bartal said the owners could not afford to renovate the property and it into four or five star class. Watching the units fall apart prompted owners of Nobbys Outlook to seek a joint venture partner to redevelop the site or find someone to acquire the site outright. 'We will wait and see what is proposed to us but we know this place has such a history so if it is a good offer we will take it,' Ms Bartal said. According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, in 2011 developers valued the site at more than $30 million but Ms Bartal said all the figures so far was purely speculation. Watching the units fall apart prompted owners of Nobbys Outlook to seek a joint venture partner to redevelop the site or find someone to acquire the site outright . Now, almost 50 unit owners have decided to sell the iconic beachside resort built in 1966 due to ageing of the property and money needed to renovate . Bronwyn Bartal, the Melbourne-based chairperson of the body corporate said the owners could not afford to renovate the property and it into four or five star class . She said in 2007-08 there was an 'evaluation of around $19 million but that was far too low.' 'Recently a beachfront unit block of 17 near Nobbys Outlook sold for $12 million,' Ms Bartal said. Along from Ms Bartal's family, a number of others have had strong family ties to the property for generations. The 7284 square-metre property features 46 apartments that were purchased for as little as $50,000 by unit owners. Jayde Pezet, of KM Sales and Marketing, is taking care of the sales and marketing process of Nobbys Outlook and said owners know it is time for this fantastic site to be redeveloped. 'The owners as a group are prepared to be flexible in negotiations and are keen to consider a variety of options, including: participating in a redevelopment, ‘cashing’ out their investment or, an outright sale,' Mr Pezet told Daily Mail Australia. Nobby Outlook is being sold by an expression of interest till October 17, 5pm. 'Although we were reluctant we see it needs major renovation and it just can't go on into disrepair,' Ms Bartal . Ms Bartal said the owners could not afford to renovate the property and it into four or five star class . Nobby Outlook is being sold by an expression of interest till October 17, 5pm . | Unit owners have decided to unanimously sell a Gold Coast beach holiday resort .
Nobby Outlook was built in 1966 and has been approached by developers for almost 30 years .
Owners admit they can not afford renovations so have decided to let it go .
The sale could see unit owners make millions . |
224,111 | ae31db328a15640be10bf190cc59a82752a631f8 | As if travelling at Christmas wasn’t stressful enough. Ryanair has now unveiled a festive version of its notoriously annoying on-time jingle. Passengers travelling on the budget airline over Christmas will be treated to a blast of trumpets accompanied by a New Year message when their planes arrive on schedule. It has been created to replace the current bugle blast played over the aircraft’s tannoy system when the flights arrive on time. The airline expect to carry 3.5million passengers over the Christmas period. The music is accompanied a message that says: ‘Happy Christmas from all of us at Ryanair. ‘We wish you and your family a healthy and prosperous New Year. See you on board in 2015.’ The new landing music has been unveiled in a festive video made by the airline’s staff. The video was shot at Ryanair’s Dublin HQ and features employees from the company dancing to the music. On time: Ryanair plays the First Call bugle blast every time one of its flights arrives on schedule . There is even a cameo role from Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary, who jokingly despairs at the music. Passengers thought they would soon be hearing the end of the jingle after the airline announced it was scrapping the bugle blast following an online survey. It was in May this year that the flier gave in to people power after holding a vote via Twitter over whether or not to keep the annoying refrain, whose official name is First Call and is used in the army. Customers overwhelmingly voted to ditch the tune, a taped version of which is played over the speakers each time a flight lands on time. Over the years, customers of the Dublin-based carrier have regularly complained labelling the end of flight bugle call as 'annoying' or 'cheesy'. Huge criticism: Ryanair asked on Twitter whether it should stop playing the noise on flights that land on time . Ryanair said it would drop the bugle following the Twitter vote, but have now announced they will replace it with another tune next year. The move to drop the bugle comes as part of a massive charm offensive to change the airline's famously belligerent attitude to criticism. It has also followed some of its budget rivals by allowed allocated seating, fewer restrictions on luggage and an improved website for bookings. Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely said in a statement: 'We asked our followers on Twitter to vote on whether we should change it. 'The people have spoken and after hundreds of votes, they've voted for change, so we're looking forward to unveiling our next customer improvement soon.' | Passengers will be treated to a blast of trumpets and a New Year message .
The jingle will be played every time a Ryanair plane arrives on schedule .
The video features Ryanair employees dancing to the music .
Comes after customers voted to scrap the original bugle blast in May . |
6,003 | 11077b6cb5e0ec20ed913d30cdc089159895cbbe | A husband whose wife was stabbed to death has spoken of his anguish saying police are still trying to find out a motive and the man responsible for her murder. Nicole Laube, 29, of Washington County was stabbed on August 19 while working at the Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill. The mother-of-two managed to run for help and spoke to a tenant before collapsing and dying. Nicole Laube, 29, (pictured with her husband Chris Laube) of Washington County was stabbed on August 19 while working at the Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill . 'The hard part is there's so many unanswered questions,' said husband Chris Laube told Fox 12. 'My head is constantly going through what happened, you know different scenarios. And you just don't have answers for it.' Before she collapsed, Laube reportedly told a woman who lived in one of the apartments she had been stabbed and that her attacker was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and camouflage pants, said Sgt. Bob Ray, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. She had been stabbed in the chest. The mother-of-two managed to run for help and spoke to a tenant before collapsing and dying. Pictured: Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill where she was stabbed . Before she collapsed, Laube reportedly told a woman who lived in one of the apartments she had been stabbed . Deputies told FOX 12 they recently re-examined the field behind the apartment complex where Laube was killed. They said that during a search of the area they discovered items which they consider to be evidence. They would not comment on what that evidence is, or if it's suspicious in nature. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter and a toddler son as well as two step-daughters. The private reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case is now over $11,000, according to Dan Blackstone, who started the fund. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter Avia and a toddler son as well as two step-daughters . | Nicole Laube, 29, of Forest Grove, was stabbed on August 1 .
She reportedly described her attacker to a tenant before she collapsed .
Laube had a nine-year-old daughter and a toddler son . |
249,842 | cf5c439dc6a56b76176bdea5b4979f66084eb404 | Burnley boss Sean Dyche insists his side have the character to bounce back from their growing streak of disappointments and beat the odds by securing Barclays Premier League survival. The Clarets go in search of their first top-flight win at their ninth attempt against Everton at Turf Moor on Sunday. A second-half lapse cost his men dear against West Ham last week but Dyche is adamant there is still the desire within his camp to turn things round. Sean Dyche (above) admits Burnley are learning as they go, but has praised players desire to improve form . Dean Marney (above) could be available for Dyche as an alternative option in midfield after injury recovery . Dyche said: "We are having to learn as we go. "There is no doubting the players' physical power, their energy, their endeavour and belief - but it comes down to quality and awareness and experience. "We haven't got a very experienced Premier League squad and we have had some tough lessons already. "We believe this group is honest enough to keep learning and not be broken by it. You just get dented and you take the knocks and come off the ropes and get ready to take it again. "We hope to use that mentality wisely over the season and the next step is to use it to learn how to win." It has been a tough season already for Burnley supporters, whose side are nineteenth in the Premier League . Dyche hopes midfielder Dean Marney will be fit to return after missing three games with a hamstring injury while Steven Reid is also pushing for a recall. Despite Everton's inconsistent start to the season and a midweek trip to France in the UEFA Europa League, Dyche is under no illusions about the difficulties of finally claiming a three-point haul on Sunday. Dyche added: "They have had an indifferent start to the season by their standards but they are a great club with a great manager and these are the kinds of challenges we wanted last year. "The players want it and the town wants it. We have gone up to a different level and we are creating chances. it is all about delivering that cutting edge that we know is there." | Burnley boss Sean Dyche admits his side are 'learning as they go'
They play Everton on Sunday at home, Dyche feels they will turn it around .
Dyche helped by return of midfielder Dean Marney, Steven Reid could play . |
113,425 | 1e664a7a3937943277c3a3f1f6d2547a77b09791 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Furniture made infamous by crime scene photos shown in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor go on the auction block in Beverly Hills Saturday. The table where Jackson's sedatives sat and the rug on which paramedics tried to revive him are among more than 500 pieces of fine art and home furnishings that filled Jackson's rented mansion, the house where he died on June 25, 2009. Julien's Auctions has been careful not to call it a Michael Jackson auction out of legal and public relations concerns, instead marketing it as by the mansion's now-famous address -- 100 North Carolwood Drive. Jackson did not own the beds, chairs, clocks, paintings, dishes and other items, but their value may skyrocket because of the personal touch added by the pop icon and his children in the months before he died. Without the connection to Jackson, the property might bring $400,000, Nolan said. But with it "the sky's the limit," Julien's Executive Director Martin Nolan said. A chalkboard left behind in Jackson's kitchen may have cost a few hundred dollars, but what his children wrote on it makes it a very valuable object, Nolan said. The note, handwritten on the black board attached to a 26-inch-tall ceramic rooster, reads "love Daddy/ I (heart) Daddy/ Smile it's for free." It sat in the kitchen where, according to testimony in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson would eat lunch each day with Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson. It was not known which child wrote the chalk note, but Nolan said his research suggested it was from Paris, who was 11 when her father died. Another striking piece is Victorian revival style armoire from the Jackson's master bedroom. On the mirror, presumably where Jackson looked each day as he dressed, is a handwritten message of inspiration: "Train, perfection March April Full out May." The wax-pencil note is significant, considering that Jackson was battling the calendar as he prepared for his "This Is It" concerts set to premiere in London in July 2009. Dr. Conrad Murray's defense lawyers argued during the trial that the intense pressure on Jackson to rehearse for the 50 shows put him in a desperate fight for sleep, which led to Dr. Murray administering the surgical anesthetic propofol nearly every night in the last two months of his life. Julien's Auctions backed away from selling the bed in which Jackson received the fatal dose of the propofol after a personal request from his mother, Katherine Jackson, Julien's Executive Director Martin Nolan said. The auction house's recreation of the bedroom where Jackson died -- euphemistically called "the medicine room" by the company -- features a bed-sized memorial covered with love notes from Jackson fans instead of the death bed. The nightstand seen next to the death bed in coroner's photos, bearing numerous bottles of sedatives and other drugs, is for sale. the "French occasional table" is listed for between $300 and $500. The room-size oriental rug that covered the floor where Jackson was placed when paramedics tried to revive him is listed in the auction catalogue for between $400 and $600. The couch and chairs where Jackson likely sat with show producers worried about his health in the days before his death are for sale. One chair in Jackson's bedroom has a stain which Nolan suggested was make up spilled by the star as he sat in front of a mirror. None of Jackson's relatives have expressed an interest in any of the items, Nolan said. He pointed out that they had a chance to take whatever they wanted from the house in the months after his death. The notes and posters brought to the auction house by Jackson fans and placed on the "medicine room" memorial will be sent to Jackson's mother and children, he said. Jackson's relationship with Julien's turned sour in the last months of his life when he filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of furnishings from his Neverland ranch. The singer sued the auction company, claiming he did not authorize the sale of items that were removed from Neverland after he sold the ranch. The suit was settled in April 2009 when Julien's canceled the auction and later returned the items to Jackson. | Auction includes a chalkboard love note from Jackson's children .
The bed he died in will not be sold at Jackson's mother's request .
The rug on which paramedics tried to revive Jackson is on the auction list .
Julien's will auction more than 500 items from 100 North Carolwood Drive on Saturday . |
222,611 | ac2d2cdfec71eb0c053857c6a13aea02d00ddc39 | Norway has been crowned the most prosperous country in the world for the fifth year running. But the U.S. has dropped out of the Legatum Prosperity Index's top ten for the first time to 12th position. According to the annual survey, which benchmarks 142 countries worldwide, the UK has continued to lag, retaining its place 13th in the list. Norway, pictured, has been crowned the world's most prosperous country, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index . However, the U.S., pictured, has dropped out of the global index for the first time, falling to 12th place . Scandinavian countries have continued to dominate the top of the global index, which takes measurements from across eight categories: economy, education, entrepreneurship & opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, safety & security and social capital. 1 - Norway2 - Denmark3 - Sweden4 - Australia5 - New Zealand6 - Canada7 - Finland8 - Netherlands9 - Switzerland10 - Ireland11 - Luxembourg12 - U.S.13 - UK14 - Germany15 - Iceland16 - Austria17 - Belgium18 - Hong Kong19 - Singapore20 - Taiwan21 - France22 - Japan23 - Spain24 - Slovenia25 - Malta . Norway, Denmark and Sweden are ranked first, second and third place respectively. In Europe, overall prosperity has risen, with the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany climbing the rankings into eighth, tenth and 14th position. However, more than two thirds of European countries have seen their Economy score fall in the index since 2009 as economic woes sweep across the region. A new generation of Asian 'Tiger Cub' countries has emerged, with Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia all performing well. They are edging closer to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, which all sit in the top 25 countries. Jeffrey Gedmin, president and chief executive of the Legatum Institute, said: 'The Legatum Prosperity Index allows us to paint a comprehensive picture of what makes a country truly successful. 'It encompassing traditional measures of material wealth, as well as capturing citizens’ sense of wellbeing – from how safe they feel, to their perceived personal freedom. GDP alone can never offer a complete view of prosperity. 'We believe that by measuring the quality of education, healthcare, social capital and opportunity, our Prosperity Index gives the clearest view of how countries are prospering today and how they are likely to prosper in the future.' Vietnam, pictured, is one of a number of Asian 'Tiger Cub' countries climbing the Legatum Prosperity Index . The index is based on eight categories: economy, education, entrepreneurship & opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, safety & security and social capital . | Norway has topped the list of the world's most prosperous countries, followed by Denmark and Sweden in the annual rankings .
The U.S. has dropped out of the Legatum Prosperity Index's top ten for the first time to 12th position .
The UK has kept its place 13th in the global index . |
200,402 | 8f689b284d413e0ea0cc7a39a42a39f4971fa897 | (CNN) -- Juan Martin Del Potro has begun training again, raising hopes he may be fit to defend his U.S Open title at Flushing Meadows later this month. The Argentinean has been out of action since the Australian Open in January after having surgery on his right wrist but was included in the list of entrants for the New York tournament, which starts on August 30. He denied a rumor last month that he was already back on the court, but a picture posted on Del Potro's Twitter account showed the 21-year-old practicing again - racquet in hand. See Juan Martin del Potro back in action . He wrote: "How beautiful it is to come back and hit the ball, I can tell you it was a light session but I had the racquet in my hand once again." Del Potro had been battling with his injury for a long time before opting to go under the knife after his fourth round defeat by Marian Cilic at the Australian Open. His solid form last season led to him climbing to number four in the rankings, largely thanks to landing his maiden major title at the U.S. Open. Del Potro beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinal before he denied Roger Federer a sixth straight title by beating the then world number one in a five set thriller. After that he made the final of the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London but fell to Nikolay Davydenko in the final, before his fourth round exit in Melbourne. Del Potro has already confirmed he will play in the Thailand Open in September, but now he faces a race against time to regain full fitness before the U.S. Open begins. | Juan Martin del Potro returns to training after recovering from wrist surgery .
Del Potro faces a race to be fit to defend his U.S. Open title later this month .
Argentinean posts picture of himself in training on Twitter . |
179,336 | 742c7d4ef0de29ba9dabb9351db3a68da557fcc4 | By . Travelmail Reporter . While swingers aren't exactly likely to do it themselves, not with real names anyway, the Spice European Lifestyle Awards are shouting about the evening escapades of this surprisingly popular sub-culture from the rooftops. Finalists for the awards honouring the best in Euro swinging - the first of their kind - have been unveiled with the best clubs, travel agents, fashion labels and outlets, and more being honoured. For the team from Spice Lanzarote, the ‘adult’ resort that markets itself as a ‘paradise for naturists, libertines and genuinely curious couples', swinging is anything but taboo and goes far beyond plucking car keys in a bowl. In the swing: Finalists for the swinging industry's Spice European Lifestyle Awards have been announced . (Picture posed by models) The hotel and entertainment complex embraces sexual freedom and with the awards they're keen to honour those who make the lives of those engaged in 'The Lifestyle' - the preferred blanket term for swinging-related terms including but not limited to libertines, partner swapping and 'open' relationships - that little bit better. The finalists for best lifestyle club including London-based Ab Fab Parties, facing stiff competition from the Netherland's Fun4Two, Spain's Oops!, Germany's Schloss Milkersdorf and Italy's Fashion Club. The finalists have been decided by swingers across Europe who are among Spice's 5,000-member online community - they will decide the majority of the winners in categories that also include best lifestyle blog and best lifestyle fashion label. Party time: The awards are the first to honour those who enhance swingers' lives (picture posed by models) Embracing it: The grand opening of the Venus Erotic Fair in Berlin, a nominee for best lifestyle expo . An exception has been made for the . best lifestyle couple photograph gong, the judging of which has been . handed over to the professionals, London-based boudoir photographers . Faby and Carlo. 'That . Twitter avatar of your backside will not cut it this time, this is an . art award, we want your best looks, not out of focus images of your . un-groomed extremities,' the organisers say. Italian job: Among the best club nominees is Fashion in Milan . Rear view: Giant inflatable nudes fly high above attendees at Erotica London . Grand plans: The awards are the brainchild of Spice Lanzarote, an adult resort in the Canary Islands . Anyone . can get involved in the voting process by registering at . www.europeanlifestyleawards.com, with all participants entered into a . draw to win one of five all-inclusive holidays for two to Spice . Lanzarote. Spice director . Tracy Isted said: 'The lifestyle is hugely misunderstood and awards such . as this can bring greater awareness and consideration to our sector, . one that is not representative of, dare I say, the more traditional . adult entertainment industry. Three's a crowd: Awards categories include best club, best blog and best photo (Picture posed by models) 'People . from all over the world come to Spice - successful, professional . couples who want to try something less ordinary, from experienced . swingers to curious couples, our community is vast but they tend not to . shout about it from their rooftops of course, so hopefully these awards . can do some shouting for them! 'We get hundreds of inquiries daily from new couples looking to their first lifestyle experience.' Voting continues until October 30 with the winners to be crowned during a series of celebratory events at Spice Lanzarote throughout December. Do you come here often? Voting is open until the end of October (Picture posed by models) | Spice European Lifestyle Awards are first of their kind .
They recognise clubs, travel agents, fashion labels and organisers .
London's Ab Fab Parties is among the top five finalists for best lifestyle club . |
30,095 | 558cfd1a838ba80e533acd4d0e58f4b88d01755e | The western US will face increasingly severe mega-droughts later this century if no action is taken to curb climate change, researchers have warned. They say that 'unprecedented drought conditions' - the worst in more than 1,000 years - are likely to come to the Southwest and Central Plains after 2050 and persist because of global warming. It is the first study to predict that the coming intense dry spells could exceed the decades-long mega-droughts that occurred centuries ago and are blamed for the demise of certain civilisations in the late 13th century. Researchers say the current mega-drought in the US is going to get worse. They say there will be more and more droughts starting in 2050. And there's an 80% chance one could last at least 35 years. Pictured is a warning buoy sitting on the dry, cracked bed of Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, California . 'Nearly every year is going to be dry toward the end of the 21st century compared to what we think of as normal conditions now,' said study lead author Dr Benjamin Cook, a Nasa atmospheric scientist. 'We're going to have to think about a much drier future in western North America.' According to the study, published in the journal Science Advances, there is a more than 80 per cent chance that much of central and the western US will have a mega-drought lasting at least 35 years later this century. 'Water in the Southwest is going to become more precious than it already is,' said study co-author Dr Toby Ault of Cornell University . Since the year 2000, seven western states in the US has seen their driest periods in centuries. These states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming . And scientists in California have warned that the region may be experiencing a century-long 'mega-drought'. The warnings came after sediment studies showed California is currently experiencing the driest spell since 1580, and that the regular rainfall seen during the last century is likely to have been a temporary deviation in a cycle of droughts and very occasional rainfall over the last 3,000 years. In 2013, California received less rain than in any year since its formation as a state in 1850. However droughts lasting more than 100 years are far from unheard of in the state. Looking back over several thousand years, droughts have been known to last over a decade, and in some cases they can last a century. And the patterns tend to repeat, meaning another drought of this length will probably happen again in the future. 'I was honestly surprised at just how dry the future is likely to be.' 'I look at these future mega-droughts like a slow moving natural disaster. We have to put mega-droughts into the same category as other natural disasters that can be dealt with through risk management.' The study is based on the current increasing rate of rising emissions of carbon dioxide and complex simulations run by 17 different computer models, which generally agreed on the outcome, according to the researchers. The regions looked at include California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, most of Iowa, southern Minnesota, western Missouri, western Arkansas, and northwestern Louisiana. Looking back in records trapped in tree ring and other data, there were mega-droughts in the Southwest and Central Plains in the 1100s and 1200s that lasted several decades, but these future ones will be worse, Dr Cook said. Those were natural and not caused by climate change, unlike those forecast for the future. 'Natural droughts like the 1930s Dust Bowl and the current drought in the Southwest have historically lasted maybe a decade or a little less,' said Dr Cook. 'What these results are saying is we're going to get a drought similar to those events, but it is probably going to last at least 30 to 35 years.' Because of changes in the climate, the Southwest will see less rain. But for both regions the biggest problem will be the heat, which will increase evaporation and dry out the soil. The result is a vicious cycle: The air grows even drier, and hotter, Dr Cook said. Nasa scientists used tree rings to understand past droughts and climate models incorporating soil moisture data to estimate future drought risk in the 21st century (shown) 'We're going to have to think about a much drier future in western North America,' said study lead author Dr Cook from Nasa. Pictured, a woman looks at a pier once surrounded by the waters of Lake Buchanan on 12 March 2014 in Burnet, Texas . Scientists had already figured that climate change would increase the odds of worse droughts in the future, but this study makes it look worse and adds to a chorus of strong research, said Dr Jonathan Overpeck, co-director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona. 'These results are not surprising, but are eye-opening nonetheless,' said Dr Overpeck, who wasn't part of the research. The risks and dangers are worse today because of the larger population and greater dependence on water resources, scientists warned. 'We are the first to do this kind of quantitative comparison between the projections and the distant past, and the story is a bit bleak,' said Dr Jason Smerdon, a co-author and climate scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. 'Even when selecting for the worst mega-drought-dominated period, the 21st century projections make the [previous] mega-droughts seem like quaint walks through the Garden of Eden.' Shown is a representation of the summer moisture in the US Central Plains and Southwest. The brown line represents the variation in dryness since the year 1000; the lower the line on the graph, the drier the conditions. Coloured lines to the right side of the graph represent what climate models see ahead . Currently the western United States has been experiencing a drought for about 11 of the past 14 years (stock image shown). The risks and dangers are worse today because of the larger population and greater dependence on water resources, scientists warned . Researchers also projected a continued rise in emissions of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, and looked at a scenario in which actions were taken to cut back on greenhouse gases resulting in lower emissions. Both approaches raised concern for the future. 'The results... are extremely unfavourable for the continuation of agricultural and water resource management as they are currently practiced in the Great Plains and southwestern United States,' said Dr David Stahle, professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas, who was not involved in the study. Currently the western United States has been experiencing a drought for about 11 of the past 14 years. The dry area spans California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma and other parts of the region, directly affecting more than 64 million people. | Researchers say mega-droughts in the US are going to get worse .
They say there will be more and more droughts starting in 2050 .
And there's an 80% chance one could last at least 35 years .
These droughts are caused by climate change - while ones in the past were due to natural processes .
'We're going to have to think about a much drier future in western North America,' said study lead author Dr Cook from Nasa . |
26,630 | 4b9acf5981dd334c2d97654940b45dfcf90be1a7 | Webcam girls are paid to strip off and put on erotic shows for internet viewers, and they make quite the comfortable living doing it. According to BetaBeat, one of the most popular cam girls - who goes by LittleRedBunny - rakes in $4.99 per minute. Top earners like her can end up making an impressive $1million a year, says a Jasmin.com spokesperson. While some of the pay comes from free chat rooms, where the women dance on camera in a 'public area,' the real money is earned through private sessions in which viewers pay extra by the minute while the camgirl indulges their personal fantasy. High flying: LittleRedBunny (pictured) is one of the top-earning cam girls on the internet, raking in up to $4.99 per minute - which can potentially add up to an impressive yearly salary of about $1million . LittleRedBunny, who claims to be a New Yorker and yet speaks with a heavy French accent, has been camming for five years and is one of the best-paid LiveJasmin stars. She justifies her expensive price tag by explaining just how hard she has to work for it, sometimes performing in private sessions that last up to 19 hours. 'I know some girls [ask for tips],' she said. 'I feel like it's like begging, personally. I just have fun, and I give myself 100 percent in free chat. I never ask for tips… what's important is [viewers] have a good time.' KatieKays, a 19-year-old student studying early childhood development, launched her camming career a year ago. She charges $2.99 per minute for her shows, and 'a couple dollars extra' if the viewers want to chat to her. Making a living: KatieKays, a 19-year-old student (pictured), launched her camming career a year ago. She charges $2.99 per minute and puts ten to 15per cent in savings . 'Sometimes I get tips in free chat because people like to,' she said. 'I don't ask for tips or anything. I just try to get to know people and care about their lives and stuff, and I guess I get rewarded.' 'I give myself 100% and I never ask for tips - what's important is viewers have a good time' Despite their impressive paychecks, both women say they are acutely aware that theirs is not a sustainable lifetime career. '[Camming]'s . not something you can do forever, so to me, you've got to be smart . about it,' said LittleRedBunny, explaining that she saves most of her money and uses some of it to fund her career. 'You don't know what you're going to do . after - [you might make] much less, and you might end up in trouble,' she added. Perfectly content: While keeping mum about exactly how much she earns each year, KatieKays said: 'I make a decent living. It puts me through college without student loans' Another obstacle that keeps them from overspending is keeping the details of their work private from family members. For now, however, both LittleRedBunny and KatieKays are perfectly content with the way things are. While keeping mum about exactly how much she earns each year, KatieKays said: 'I make a decent living. It puts me through college without student loans.' | One of the most popular cam girls, LittleRedBunny, rakes in $4.99 per minute. Top earners like her can end up making $1million a year . |
125,707 | 2e804399861dc33cf2aa7a8336c4ef6dfd73a532 | Money doesn't grow on trees because if it did, universities like the University of Michigan wouldn't have to spend almost half-a-million dollars on transporting an old oak. A 250-year-old burr oak tree, the oldest on Michigan's campus, will cost $400,000 to move just 100 feet to a new home in a couple of weeks. There's a 20 to 30 per cent the tree won't survive during the move but school officials are still willing to take a chance, reports Mlive.com. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Expensive by nature: The costly, months-long process of uprooting a 65-foot-tall, 250-year-old tree will culminate later this month as the University of Michigan has set a move day sometime in the coming weeks . The move: A crew began the $400,000 process of excavating and moving the legacy burr oak tree in July in order to make way for the school's $135 million, donor-funded expansion at the school . Large cargo: Crews have already placed pipes beneath the 700,000 pound tree's roots and will lift the tree from the center of the ground and then transport it to a new home . The burr oak tree stands at 65-feet tall and carries with it 250 years of history. The incentive to move the tree came after it stood in the way of expanding the M. Ross School of Business as part of a $135 million donor funded project, reports The Washington Post. Funding was made possible in part by real estate tycoon Stephen M. Ross for whom the business school was named. 291 students and faculty signed a petition to save the oak. 'As I see it, the rationale for preserving the (legacy burr oak) tree is about history, tradition, pride and respect,' petition signer Jenny Cooper told the Ann Arbor News. 'The tree is a symbol of strength and resilience and far predates the university as part of the landscape.' The University of Michigan hired specialists from a company called Environmental Design to oversee the project to increase the chances the tree will survive. Big spender: The expansion of the M. Ross School of Business as part of a $135 million donor funded project is helped much in part by real estate tycoon Stephen M. Ross (right) for whom the school is named . A piece of cake: Crews are planning to isolate the ground where the tree stands and remove it like the center of a piece of cake onto another plot of land on campus . Moving land plots: The plan is to move it from its place in a courtyard at the north side of the Ross complex, facing the School of Education, to a lawn area off Tappan Street on University of Michigan's campus . History: A 250-year-old oak tree, the oldest on Michigan's campus, will cost $400,000 to move just 100 feet to a new home in a couple of weeks after students and faculty signed a petition to keep the tree alive . Expanding: Tree is being moved in order to make way for the school's $135 million, donor-funded expansion at the school , specifically the M. Ross School of Business . Crews have already placed pipes beneath the 700,000 pound tree's roots and will lift the tree from the center of the ground. Once they've isolated the tree, workers will transport the tree to a rolling platform and they will then place the tree in its final destination on October 25. Despite some critics saying $400,000 is a waste of money to move a tree that may not survive, more people than not are happy the campus appreciates trees and the nature surrounding the school. The University of Michigan released a press release describing announcing the endeavour. 'The transporter has approximately 100 wheels, which all operate independently. This gives us the flexibility to turn the tree as many different directions as needed to safely relocate the tree,' said Paul Cox, vice president of Environmental Design in the release. 'We expect the process of relocating the tree to take all day Saturday, again, weather permitting.' he added. Cox explains that the cost has less to do with the act of moving the tree and more with keeping it alive. 'It’s very much like the Egyptians moved the blocks for the pyramids,' Cox told Fox News. 'The driver of the cost is the amount of weight being moved. When you move things that are 700,000 pounds — which is equivalent to moving 300 average size cars at the same time — that’s what’s driving the cost of it.' | A 250-year-old burr oak tree, the oldest on University of The Michigan's campus, will cost $400,000 to move just 100 feet to a new home .
There's a 20 to 30 per cent the tree won't survive during the move but school officials are still willing to take a chance .
The tree is being moved because it stands in the way of the school's donor funded $135 million expansion of the M. Ross School of Business .
Funding is made possible in part by real estate tycoon Stephen M. Ross for whom the business school is named .
291 students and faculty signed a petition to protect the tree . |
272,881 | ed6e43325a7d734ecaf66da9441b216e0cbfb233 | Monday, January 17, 1966, will forever be a day of embarrassment for the US Air Force, and one of infamy for the village of Palomares on Spain’s Andalucian coast. It was on that day that a giant B-52 bomber from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, was completing a 24-hour global patrol at the height of the Cold War. Nestling in the bomb bay was a deadly cargo: four 1.5 megaton Mark 28 thermonuclear hydrogen bombs, each about 70 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima. Devastating: On January 17 in 1966, two US Air Force planes collided mid-air and dropped four nuclear bombs over Palomares on the Andalucian coast . On the last leg of the flight towards home, during refuelling at 31,000ft with a KC-135 tanker, disaster struck. An official investigation later concluded that the B-52 overran in manoeuvres to hook up with the trailing fuel boom and rammed the tanker. There was an explosion and a huge fireball engulfed both aircraft. All four men on the tanker and three of the bomber’s crew died instantly. Four others managed to eject before plunging into the sea where they were rescued by Spanish fishermen. And the H-bombs? Mercifully there was no detonation. But while one splashed into the Mediterranean and a second drifted down on its parachute and landed intact in a dried-up river bed, the remaining two bombs split open upon impact, scattering plutonium and covering the tomato fields of Palomares with a fine and deadly radioactive dust. The rest of the world has mostly forgotten – or simply doesn’t care. Today’s holidaymakers are as oblivious to this brush with Armageddon as they are ignorant of the ancient history of these beaches where Hannibal’s war elephants once landed. The reality, however, is that Spain’s so-called Costa Bomba is scarred for ever – and that the toxic legacy is getting worse, not better. There are 1,600 residents in this tiny farming and fishing village, half of them expatriate British, and they are understandably alarmed about the vast acres of ‘no-go’ farmland where, even now, men in masks drill deep down to search for the decaying remnants of H-bombs. No go area: A sign warns against entering one of the still-contaminated areas near the village of Palomares . Deadly legacy: American sailors recover one of the H bombs, still wrapped in its parachute, that fell into the sea, in April, four months after the crash . They are dismayed that America’s promises to clean up the mess they made have never been fulfilled, despite continuing pressure from the Spanish government. And they are furious that while America has fined BP £2.5 billion for violating US environmental and pollution laws after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, it has so far paid the residents of Palomares a pittance of £353,000 for the ruination of their livelihoods and, quite possibly, their health. The nuclear accident was not on the agenda when US President Barack Obama met Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in January, despite assurances made by the American Secretary for Energy, Ernest Moniz, that he would personally ‘look into the matter in detail’. ‘The Spanish government has been negotiating with the Americans for years without success to return and get rid of the radiation threat,’ said 70-year-old Ken Lee, originally from Stock, near Chelmsford in Essex, who now lives near Palomares. ‘It’s alarming when more hot spots keep being found that blight the land on which the farmers depend for their livelihood.’ His wife Carole, 71, added: ‘We’re disgusted at the way the Americans have been bullying the British over the Mexico oil spill disaster. ‘There’s little sign of that “special relationship” and no sign of President Obama fulfilling the promise to clean up the H-bomb mess in Palomares.’ Georgette Hurcomb, another local expat, who is from Islington, North London, said: ‘America’s lack of effort to come and clean up the nuclear poison is a disgrace. Many farming families have given up and left because they’re banned from growing crops in certain areas.’ Indeed, the passage of time has only made the problem more deadly still. Nearly five decades on, the plutonium has degraded to become americium, a substance that emits lethal alpha particles. ‘I would be very surprised if local people haven’t suffered already some increased risk of cancer, or leukaemia or lymphoma,’ explained British scientist Dr Christopher Busby. ‘They should be very concerned. ‘In 1966 it wasn’t appreciated how dangerous this stuff was. Then the emphasis was mainly on external radiation and gamma doses. But after years of research, we know that internal radioactive particles, like plutonium, are singularly hazardous.’ Dr Busby, who serves on the European Committee on Radiation Risk, said: ‘Hot particles would burn a hole through your gut causing colon or lung cancers, or if they were small enough would pass through the lymphatic system causing lymphomas and leukaemia.’ Environmentalists accuse Spanish and American scientists of secrecy about health checks among Palomares residents. Each year 150 are sent to Madrid for physical examinations. The Spanish government claims only small levels of radiation have been detected though in several cases plutonium has attached itself to their bones. ‘I think the public has a right to know if this disaster has had consequences for their health,’ said Francisco Castejon, of Ecologists in Action. ‘The type of radiation now being emitted after almost 50 years is totally different.’ It is true that, back in the 1960s, America originally spent more than £10 million recovering the intact bombs from the Mediterranean and the dried-up river bed. The authorities shipped out 4,810 barrels of radioactive soil for burial at the Atomic Energy Commission headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina. More radiological ‘hot spots’ have recently been discovered around the village and sealed off, along with a large area right in the centre of the village and others by the local cemetery and in neighbouring Villaricos. In nearby foothills, where lettuce had been grown for many years, Spanish scientists have made a grim discovery. Masked and wearing protective clothing, they were drilling to establish whether alpha particles had leached underground into the water table. Instead they located two trenches 30ft wide and 100ft long emitting high radiation levels. They also found the area was contaminated with americium, the disintegrating product of plutonium. Buried here are thought to be remnants . of the two H-bombs that broke open and wreckage of the two planes that . collided and crashed. At . some point, and at massive expense, the debris will have to be dug up . and shipped across the Atlantic back to the United States as it should . have been in 1966. America . stands accused of secrecy about the location of the trenches. US . Department of Energy officials admit knowing about their existence, but . not exactly where they are, claiming no proper notes or maps were kept . back in the 1960s. Now the governments in Washington and Madrid continue to squabble over the best way forward. Scientists . from CIEMAT, the Spanish Centre for Energy, Environmental and . Technology Investigations, want a complex three- year plan that would . involve vacuum-sealed tents and compacting contaminated soil and debris . into bricks. The B-52 bomber from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, has been on global patrol over Europe loaded with ur 1.5 megaton Mark 28 thermonuclear hydrogen bombs when it collided with a tanker mid-air . It’s an operation that could cost more than £20 million. The Americans disagree, saying the fastest and most cost-effective solution would be to shovel the debris into barrels and ship them out for burial in South Carolina. But the scientists concede that once the land has been surgically cleaned, radiation will still persist and still have to be monitored. Plutonium is one of the most toxic materials and as it degrades into americium it takes 24,400 years for even half of a given amount to dissipate. This is the reason why, since 1966, air monitors have been installed in and around Palomares, crops and animals are regularly examined, and why over 1,000 villagers have had to undergo more than 4,000 physical examinations. Although test results have never been made public, they reveal that five per cent of those screened by doctors are carrying plutonium in their bodies, which is attached to their bones. However, none of the villagers affected have been told about this, only that their annual medical check-ups are satisfactory. After 20 years, an estimated 75 per cent of the plutonium will remain in their bodies. The official view has always been that the population was exposed to only small levels of plutonium. There are suspicions, though, that some of those in the area died young after the H-bombs fell. Some farmers and their families have spoken about deaths from cancer and other mysterious illnesses following the accident. General Franco, the Spanish dictator, was in power at the time and medical records were destroyed or suppressed. He was enraged that the disaster should threaten what was then the country’s fledgling tourism industry. Today, two of the H-bombs, battered and bruised, rest in peace thousands of miles away at the US Atomic Museum in New Mexico, safely stripped of their lethal plutonium contents. The original decontamination involved 7,000 American troops who burned crops and scraped up three inches of topsoil. As is now all-too clear, however, the operation was far from complete. After almost half a century, Palomares’s nuclear nightmare is set to continue – for centuries to come. Christopher Morris is a former BBC TV News correspondent and author of The Day They Lost The H-Bomb. | Two US Air Force planes - a B-52 and a tanker collided mid-air in 1966 .
B-52 carried four nuclear bombs, three fell over Palomares in Andalucia .
Non-nuclear explosives in two of the weapons detonated upon impact .
The explosion contaminated a 0.78 square mile area with plutonium . |
226,264 | b0fd7f0733843e0ab5f691bedfbc548c9742d800 | The Oxford English Dictionary will change the defintion of marriage now a law allowing same-sex unions has been passed . The leading authority on the English language has confirmed that the definition of the word 'marriage' will be changed now a law allowing same-sex couples to get married has been passed. Language experts at the Oxford English Dictionary said the definition did not change overnight but they will monitor how the word marriage . changes over the next year. An Oxford University Press . spokeswoman said: ‘We continually monitor the words in our dictionaries, . paying particular to those words whose usage is shifting, so yes, this . will happen with marriage.’ As it stands, OxfordDictionaries.com defines marriage as being a ‘formal union of a man and a woman, typically as recognised by law, by which they become husband and wife.’ In a reference, it says marriage could also be ‘(in some jurisdictions) a union between partners of the same sex’. Gay marriage was passed by Parliament on . July 17 despite fierce opposition from some Tory MPs and grassroots . members, who were angered by the Prime Minister prioritising the issue . over economic problems. ‘We are constantly monitoring usage in this area in order to consider what revisions and updates we may need to make,’ the Oxford University Press spokeswoman told the Gay Star News. ‘It’s worth pointing out that, as the OED is distinct from other dictionaries in being a historical record of the language, meanings of the past will remain, even while language changes and new ones are added.’ Other countries that have changed the definition of marriage are France, where dictionary Larousse changed the definition to a ‘solemn act between two same-sex or different-sex persons, who decide to establish a union’, and Canada. Language experts at the Oxford English Dictionary said the definition did not change overnight but they will monitor how the word marriage changes . A lesbian couple kiss each other outside the Civil Register Office in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other countries that have passed legislation have changed dictionary definitions . | Oxford English Dictionary confirms it will amend the definition after law .
Spokeswoman said: 'We continually monitor the words in our dictionaries . |
51,333 | 9153b7f1532c914b236bad25fd2d0c61ce9d0a9a | Washington (CNN) -- Iran's foreign minister denied reports Sunday that his country could be planning a retaliatory strike against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad if the United States launches a military strike against Syria. "Iran will take no action against its ally and brother -- Iraq -- and I believe all these allegations are there to justify any military strikes, which are a danger for those planning them," said Mohammad-Javad Zarif, according to the Iranian state-run news agency INSA. "Iran has no plans to act against its friend and brother, Iraq," the minister added. Last week, a senior U.S. official told CNN the United States has obtained intelligence indicating that Iran "may be planning" such a retaliatory strike. He said that Iran has "a lot of Shi'a friends" in Iraq that would be willing to carry out an attack. The official was responding to a Wall Street Journal report that the United States intercepted an order from Iran to militants in Iraq to attack the embassy "and other American interests in Baghdad," if the United States strikes Syria militarily for alleged chemical weapons use. The State Department had no comment on the report but added it had not taken any action in terms of security at U.S. diplomatic posts in Iraq. Zarif, who spoke during a one-day visit to Iraq, called for a "peaceful and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in Syria. "We should not beat on the drums of war in the region, since beating will only start a fire that would spread to all countries in the region. Those who insist on beginning a war are about to start a fire that will take over the entire region," the minister said, INSA reported. CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report. | "Iran will take no action against its ally and brother -- Iraq," says Iran's foreign minister .
He calls for a "peaceful and diplomatic" resolution to the Syrian crisis .
U.S. official: Intelligence pointed to planning for possible retaliation if strike is ordered . |
244,905 | c8f75c9d2b555ae0b183ec93844c9f3137ce624f | (CNN)Desperately pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran, scrapping old positions and offering new concessions at a mind-boggling pace, the Obama administration has lost sight of what this regime represents and why the United States and its allies have focused on its nuclear program to begin with. For more than a decade, U.S. leaders vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring or developing the technology and know-how of nuclear weaponry for a simple reason: we did not want one of the world's most dangerous regimes to possess (and potentially use or distribute) the world's most dangerous weapons. That's why, starting under President George W. Bush, Washington rallied the international community around increasingly tough sanctions that would remain in place until Tehran comes clean about its nuclear program and the world could rest assured that it would not develop nuclear weaponry. To his credit, President Barack Obama led global efforts to further tighten the screws on Iran, which threatened that nation with economic collapse and coaxed Iranian leaders to the negotiating table. Nevertheless, the President now seems prepared to ink a deal that would put Iran on the cusp of nuclear weaponry and eventually lift all sanctions, raising the same specter of a very dangerous regime with the most dangerous weapons -- even though the regime has not changed its ideology, its motives, or its behavior in any significant way since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. As Obama has suggested in public comments, the administration envisions that, with a nuclear deal, Iran can emerge from the isolation in which the sanctions have put it and take its rightful place as a responsible player in the Middle East, working with other nations to stabilize the region. From its earliest days, however, and through two Supreme Leaders and multiple Presidents, the regime in Tehran has been expansionist in the region and beyond, destabilizing of its neighbors, murderous in its activities, and, most fundamentally, anti-American in its approach. "Death to America" has remained a popular chant at parliamentary sessions and government-orchestrated public rallies. Nothing of late suggests that Tehran will change for the better after a nuclear deal. In fact, a deal of the kind that U.S. and Iranian negotiators are pursuing, which will delay the onset of Iranian nuclear weaponry rather than prevent it, will give the regime greater leverage to pursue its dangerous activities. For starters, Iran remains the world's most aggressive state sponsor of terrorism, as our State Department continually attests, fueling the murderous efforts of Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other groups that have killed Americans, Europeans, Israelis, and others. And according to London's Asharq Al-Awsat, it has worked with al Qaeda since 2007 to target U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Under the emerging deal, Iran has not vowed to stop sponsoring those groups. Indeed, nuclear weaponry will position Iran to even more effectively rebuff U.S. and other outside pressure to halt its terror sponsorship, and it will enable the regime, if it chooses, to put nuclear weapons in the hands of those groups. Meanwhile, Iran's leaders continue to threaten to eliminate Israel, the region's lone democracy and America's closest ally, and, under the emerging deal, Tehran has not promised to halt those threats. Nuclear weaponry, when combined with Iran's growing ballistic missile program (which the emerging deal will not affect), will position Tehran to make good on its threats -- or to hold that threat over Jerusalem when it seeks to confront Iran-backed terrorists who are launching rockets, building tunnels, or killing soldiers across its borders. Finally, Iran continues to pull out all stops to protect Syria's murderous dictator, Bashar al-Assad, by sending forces to help Syria's army fight the U.S.-backed rebels. It's also extending its reach in the region by, for instance, backing the anti-American Houthi rebels who recently overran Yemen's capital and forced its U.S.-backed President to resign. Iran, it seems, is unwilling to abandon its hegemonic dreams, which threaten America's position in the region. By better protecting Iran from outside pressure, a nuclear deal also will strengthen the regime at home, enabling it to further crack down on activists who seek a more democratic government. That, in turn, will extend the time during which the world's most dangerous weapons will remain in the hands of a regime that's driven by fervent anti-Americanism. By speeding blindly toward a deal, America's leaders are, put simply, ignoring the many real dangers that Tehran presents to U.S. interests. . | Lawrence Haas: Nuclear deal would strengthen Iranian regime at home .
Nothing of late suggests Tehran will change for better after a nuclear deal, he says . |
52,974 | 96461d2edbfbb9303d34583c988031ada2844075 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 07:36 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:25 EST, 25 July 2013 . A British backpacker is lucky to be alive after breaking his neck and spine in an accidental plunge at a Central American waterfall, and being told he only had whiplash. Ben Street, 26, was trying to climb beside the beauty spot in Nicaragua when he slipped and fell nearly 20 feet into the water below and cracked his head on a rock. He surfaced with blood pouring from a wound and was given 100 stitches and painkillers by local doctors who told him he would be fine once his 'whiplash' had worn off. Ben Street (left, after receiving stitches following the fall, and right, with girlfriend Jess Bains by the waterfall) was told he was lucky to be alive after doctors misdiagnosed his broken neck for whiplash . Mr Street spent two days recovering at the local hospital before resuming his holiday, in a neckbrace, with girlfriend Jess Bains, 23. They made their way to the capital city of Managua where he asked for another examination as his injury failed to clear. It was here that X-rays and CT scans revealed he had suffered a compression fracture in his spine and a broken neck. Mr Street was told he was lucky not to be paralysed, or even dead, because the slightest wrong movement could have caused irreparable damage. Mr Street spent two days recovering at the local hospital before resuming his holiday in a neckbrace . The waterfall which Ben Street fell from and fractured his spine . He was put in special back and neck restraints to fly the 5,450 miles back to Britain where doctors said it was a miracle he is still alive. Mr Street, from Norwich, Norfolk, has been ordered to spend five hours a day in bed to avoid any movements which could paralyse the right side of his body. He said: 'When I hit my head and came up I was just so confused because I had hair in my eyes. Ben Street pictured in Nicaragua after he had been treated for the accident with stitches . 'Then I realised my scalp had just been pulled forward by the impact. 'Every time I talk about it I still get that little chill. I didn't lose consciousness but I took a real hit to the head. 'The look on my girlfriend's face when it happened was of the most complete horror and shock. 'She kept telling me it was just a bump but I could just see loads of blood in the water. 'I really thought that was it. When I came up out of the water I couldn't breathe and there was just a shooting pain down my back. 'I got taken to a local charity hospital and they started to stitch me up. They didn't have any anaesthetic and trust me I felt everything. 'There was about half an hour of surgery and I had 70 dissolvable stitches inside my head and 30 outside. 'I was there for about two days. They took X-rays but came back to me and said I had whiplash. They gave me a soft neck brace and let me go. 'When I got to the capital I went to see a private specialist and had some CT scans and things. 'It was there that I got told that I had a broken neck and a compression fracture in my spine. 'I was one knock away from being paralysed down my whole right side. 'When I was out there I was twisting and turning but now when I take the brace off to shave or something I hardly move. 'Every doctor that I have seen since then has said that I am lucky to be alive.' Mr Street had trekked through Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras when he arrived in Nicaragua at the beginning of July. Mr Street on holiday in Nicaragua before the horrific accident . The accident happened as he and student nurse Ms Bains visited the stunning waterfall at the Tisey Estanzuela Natural Reserve. Mr Street will find out in two weeks if he needs to have metal pins fitted to help reset his spine and neck. He is the drummer in rising band The Coasts, whose music has featured in Made in Chelsea and was one of the theme songs in the coverage of Euro 2012. Mr Street, pictured before the accident, has since been ordered to spend five hours a day in bed to avoid any movements which could paralyse the right side of his body . | Ben Street slipped and fell nearly 20ft while climbing at beauty spot .
Doctor gave him 100 stitches and painkillers and said he had whiplash .
But it was found he had compression fracture in his spine and broken neck . |
160,117 | 5af2cb98baac443aadd6b7adc903dda99fc57e25 | Kylie Bretag was locked up in a detention centre in Mexico since October 20 and finally arrived home to her family on Monday . An Australian woman who was on 'the trip of a lifetime' to celebrate her birthday and graduation, who then got locked up in a Mexican detention centre has finally returned home to her family. Kyle Bretag arrived in Canberra on Monday after more than a week spent in appalling conditions at the detention centre in Tenosique, a small town north of Guatemala. The 30-year-old from Melbourne was arrested by Mexican officials while passing a checkpoint on a bus on October 20 after she was caught travelling in the country without a visa. Ms Bretag crossed the border from California into Mexico on foot to celebrate her 30th birthday with friends early last month, but her passport wasn't stamped so it essentially made her an illegal. She spoke to The Project on channel ten on Tuesday about her ordeal , where she was forced to spend 11 days in cramped jail cells with 20 other woman and children. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . Kylie Bretag (pictured) appeared on The Project to talk about her ordeal in a Mexican detention centre . The 30-year-old (right) was meant to meet her close friend Natalie Wayt (left) in Cancun when she was arrested . Ms Wayt said her friend had crossed the border from San Diego to Mexico on foot after hearing that it was cheaper than flying online. She was then arrested while on a bus in Tenosique, north of Guatemala . ‘There were a lot of moments when I thought it would just go on for a lot longer than it did,' she said. Ms Bretag said being back on home soil was incredible. 'It is a little bitter sweet, but it’s more sweet than bitter.’ ‘Being with mum and dad is fantastic and just the relief of being on home soil is fantastic.’ Seemingly not too angry about her ordeal now, she did say while in the cell a language barrier proved difficult to cope with. ‘They were just trying to do their job and I was just in this cell with a lot of other people and nobody spoke English so I was very isolated and I was devastated, I read a lot.’ And communication was frustrating. ‘Everyday I would speak to the lady at the embassy and she would say this is probably what's going to happen today to the best of her understanding,' she told The Project. 'Then I would have the immigration people tell me in broken English, a completely different plan of what would happen that day or when I was going to leave and each day that would be changed to the next day or the next afternoon .’ ‘Being with mum and dad is fantastic and just the relief of being on home soil is fantastic,' said Kylie Bretag (pictured) on returning home from her ordeal . Kylie Bretag (pictured) said she's wasn't scared for her life but was worried about what was going to happen because communication in the detention centre was frustrating . Ms Bretag was on 'the trip of a lifetime' to celebrate both her 30th birthday and graduation from her communications degree . ‘The eleven days that I was there felt like a lifetime.’ When asked if she was scared of her time spent in the Mexican detention centre, Ms Bretag she never felt in that position but was worried about what was going to happen. 'I was completely powerless to do anything about it,' she said. As for whether she will venture back to Mexico for another holiday, no doubt. 'Absolutely, I have to finish what I started, I was having such a good time.’ Natalie Wayt, a friend of Ms Bretag's who was on her way to meet the recent graduate in Cancun before she was locked up, earlier told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Bretag had crossed the border between San Diego and Mexico on foot in order to save money. 'Some travel websites says that if you want to save money go to San Diego and walk the border.' 'It's actually very common, people from the US do it all the time. They just go down there and have lunch and then come back,' Ms Wayt said . Ms Wayt said her friend had asked an official to stamp her passport when entering the country but, 'he didn't say anything, just waved her on' Natalie Wayt tried to get Kylie Bretag (pictured) out of jail with a plea on social media . Kylie Bretag (pictured) talked exclusively to The Project on her ordeal and said she was glad to be home . 'She even asked an official down there, because she had her passport in her hand, she asked him where she could get it stamped and he didn't say anything, just waved her on. There was a massive language barrier.' Fortunately for Ms Bretag, during her ordeal she was able to keep in contact with Ms Wayt and her family at home via a mobile phone. Ms Wayte put Ms Bretag's situation on social media in a bid to help her get out of jail although that didn't have much pull with Mexican authorities. While held in the detention centre, she said her friend just wanted to go home. 'She told me: 'I just want to go home, I'm living a nightmare',' Ms Wayt said. Both her mother Colleen and Ms Wayt said staff at the detention centre continued to promise Ms Bretag that she will be deported and relocated on certain dates, and yet she continued to be held in Tenosique. On conditions in the cell, Ms Bretag told Ms Wayt that she was sleeping on one of the numerous small mats that line the ground in a row on the floor, . She also said she had little time to bathe in the facility with no privacy and described the shower as 'a box with a hole in it' with the water being supplied in buckets filled with recycled water from the sinks. It's believed while she was locked up the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided consular assistance to Ms Bretag, according to The Age. Ms Bretag was being kept in a crowded cell with up to 20 other women, no clean water to bathe with and is sleeping on a thin mat on the floor . Ms Wayt has begun a media campaign in order to ensure and speed up her friend's release from detention . | Kylie Bretag, 30, returns home to Canberra after spending more than a week in a Mexican detention centre .
'Just the relief of being on home soil is fantastic,' she said .
Ms Bretag was locked up at a detention centre in Tenosique, a small Mexican town north of Guatemala .
She was kept in a crowded cell with up to 20 other women and children, no clean water to bathe, sleeping on a thin mat on the floor .
Despite her ordeal, Ms Bretag says she plans to return to Mexico . |
131,099 | 358869c6ce4afebb49b14d25623e6b44729020a8 | The BBC played into the hands of terrorists when it carried an interview with an Islamic State fanatic, it was claimed last night. Newsnight broadcast the rants of the Briton who claimed to have joined IS fighters in murdering prisoners in Iraq. He defended attacks on British soldiers and was given airtime to declare his hatred for the UK and threaten a bombing campaign here. Scroll down for video . Armed: UK-born fanatic 'Awlaki', who claims to have joined IS fighters, told Newsnight that atrocities were allowed under Islam. He said he would only return to the UK to 'plant a bomb' Former security minister Dame Pauline Neville-Jones said the interview should not have been aired. ‘We can perfectly well be informed about their views and attitudes without giving them access to mainstream media on a corporation that has a reputation to preserve,’ she added. ‘It gives them a degree of access and a status and an importance they should not be accorded.’ Tory MP Michael Ellis said: ‘This interview was unnecessary and gratuitous and gave free air time and the oxygen of publicity to vile views.’ Nigel Evans, a fellow Conservative, said: ‘Newsnight has done a great disservice by giving these insane terrorists the oxygen of publicity. Apart from brutal murders, it’s what they seek most. ‘They are playing into the hands of these terrorists by giving them the opportunity to speak directly to a small group of vulnerable people who may be seduced by their fundamentalist and extreme messages.’ The interview was broadcast on Wednesday night following news of the beheading of American journalist John Foley, apparently by a British national. The report was introduced as an examination of the mindset that would lead a Briton to join Islamic State and kill in its name. Former security minister Pauline Neville-Jones said the interview should not have been aired . Reporter Secunder Kermani said he had been ‘in correspondence’ with the British IS recruit over several months. The fanatic, who said he was a 27-year-old British Pakistani, called himself Awlaki – after Anwar al-Awlaki, the dead Al Qaeda preacher. The BBC published pictures of him posing with his weapon. Awlaki laughed when asked if reports of Islamic State fighters beheading their enemies was true. ‘Yeah we kind of beheaded some guys as well,’ he said. ‘I believe there was about maybe four, three or four guys that we beheaded.’ Awlaki claimed to have travelled to Syria to fight the Assad regime but then joined IS because it was ‘the only group fighting for the return of the caliphate’. He said he had been shot and injured while fighting near Aleppo in northern Syria. At one point Kermani asked what his response would be to US air strikes and Awlaki was allowed to rant in what even the interviewer admitted sounded like ‘pure propaganda’. Awlaki said: ‘Bring your soldiers, your American soldiers, your British soldiers, bring them all to ISIS. We’ll send them back one by one in (sic) corpses. Also America doesn’t need to attack ISIS in Iraq for us to attack them back.’ He insisted atrocities committed against captured soldiers were ‘permissible’ under Islam ‘just as it is permissible for our brothers in the UK to execute British soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan’. This was an apparent reference to the horrific murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich. He said: ‘I hate the UK. The only reason why I would intend to return back to the UK is if I want to go plant a bomb somewhere.’ After playing one Awlaki rant, Kermani commented that despite his ‘angry and violent tone’ the fanatic was, in their exchanges, often ‘softly spoken’. A BBC spokesman said: ‘We have given great consideration to our reporting of the murder of James Foley and made it clear that these views would be intolerable to the majority. ‘We utterly refute any suggestion that Newsnight offered a platform for extremist views. We have a responsibility to both report on the story and try to shed light on what is happening in Syria and Iraq, particularly with British citizens fighting there. ‘An interview with a British IS fighter offered insights into this crime. The interview was given context by our reporters and the subsequent discussion where contributors discussed the ‘barbaric behaviour’ of the group.’ | British Pakistani 'Awlaki' said atrocities were 'permissible' under Islam law .
Interview shown on Wednesday, following beheading of journalist John Foley .
He told BBC: 'The only reason I would return to the UK is to plant a bomb'
Former security minister said interview should not have been aired .
BBC said it 'refutes suggestions' that it 'offered platform for extremist views' |
91,775 | 02108170530213eb747458545dea601e2ab8841d | By . Lucy Thackray For Daily Mail Australia . For the second time in a week, the University of Technology Sydney's library has been evacuated due to a bomb threat. At 3pm this afternoon the Haymarket campus was cleared of students and staff, including the adjacent UTS campus building, Building Five. Evacuation sirens sounded 'continuously' after NSW Police were alerted that the library had received a bomb threat. It's exactly one week since emergency services closed the campus after a bomb scare. Details about the bomb threat or any possible suspects are unknown. Students are evacuated from the Haymarket campus at the University of Technology Sydney, after the second bomb threat in a week. The bomb threat was to the library and adjacent Building Five . Mounted police arrived to evacuate the crowds from the university and nearby shopping centre Market City, telling people to leave the vicinity as quickly as they could in response to a bomb threat. The busy inner city streets quickly looked like 'a ghosttown' as hundreds of people were evacuated, with NSW Police reacting to the second bomb threat to the UTS library in a week . NSW Police were on site and allowed people to re-enter the Library and Building Five at around 5.45pm, almost three hours after the emergency evacuation. Police have called it a 'precautionary operation' and tell Daily Mail Australia 'the police operation has been finished and nothing was found.' The exclusion zone cordoned off the surrounding areas near the busy innercity campus, leaving the area 'like a ghost town' according to witness, UTS student David Barden. NSW Police suspended the light rail service at Haymarket, closed nearby Ultimo Road and pushed the exclusion zone past the Entertainment Centre. Students and staff were updated about the bomb scare through the University of Technology Sydney's various social media accounts . The Haymarket light rail was suspended as police cordoned off the area. A bystander writes on Twitter: 'this area was full ten minutes ago.' 19-year-old UTS Journalism Law student David Barden was evacuated from Building Five during both police operations. Mr Barden says this afternoon during the second bomb scare, people were more panicked and the police seemed more concerned than they were during last Monday's evacuation. 'Police seemed really worried this time. The exclusion zone they set last Monday was only 10-15 metres, but this time they told us to leave the vicinity straight away and get as far as we could from the general area. The exclusion zone pushed everybody in the area out towards the Capitol Theatre.' Mr Barden says that the 'atmosphere was so different this time', with everyone leaving the site almost immediately. 'People are definitely concerned. At first, students were thinking maybe it was just a hoax. But when the sirens didn't stop and more and more police arrived, including mounted police, people got quite panicked and weren't willing to wait around,' said Mr Barden. The university could not be reached for comment but stayed in contact with students through their Twitter accounts and the university email. Emergency services shut the area off for almost three hours as they investigated the university's second bomb threat in a week. | University evacuated after receiving second bomb threat in a week .
Students told to 'leave the area quickly', campus closed for three hours .
Students say sirens were 'constant,' with 'so many' police at the scene .
Exclusion zone was 'much bigger' than last Monday's evacuation .
Student tells the Daily Mail Australia that 'this time police looked worried'
Within ten minutes, hundreds of people fled, leaving 'a ghost town' |
89,778 | fefcbbbcf203899178bca9e73bd0eeda8a665154 | By . Dan Bloom . A BBC reporter has been attacked live on air by an 'angry Israeli' as he reported from the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Feras Khatib was speaking from the Israeli city of Ashkelon this morning when without warning he was hurled sideways by an unidentified assailant. Colleagues of the BBC Arabic correspondent restrained the man and pulled him out of shot as Mr Khatib regained his composure, continuing to speak within just one second. Scroll down for video . Attacked: Feras Khatib (left) was speaking from Ashkelon when he was attacked by an 'angry Israeli' (right) The attacker soon left and was not arrested, while the reporter - who was speaking Arabic during his broadcast at 10.30am British time - was unharmed. The incident highlights the level of tension in Israel as international outrage builds over the two-week war which has so far killed more than 600 Palestinians and 29 Israelis. Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 609 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, while the U.N. office of humanitarian affairs estimates at least three quarters were civilians, Reuters reported. An Israeli soldier was killed today in fighting in southern Gaza, raising the number of Israeli troops confirmed dead to 27. Two Israeli civilians also have been killed. Mr Khatib was wearing a prominent blue flak jacket with 'press' printed across it when he was attacked. Prominent: Mr Khatib was wearing a blue jacket with 'press' printed on it and speaking Arabic in the broadcast . Force: The man entered the shot suddenly and shoved the reporter out of the way, but he soon continued . He has not been the only journalist to come under the pressure of the renewed conflict live on air. On Sunday Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh, who was won awards for his coverage, was overcome by emotion in the middle of a broadcast about Palestinians killed by Israeli jet fighters. Breaking off his account mid-sentence, he began to weep before walking out of view of the camera. A BBC spokesman told MailOnline: 'While reporting live from inside the Israeli city of Ashkelon this morning BBC Arabic reporter Feras Khatib was manhandled by an angry Israeli. 'Feras was unharmed and will continue reporting as normal.' Mr Khatib, an Arab Israeli citizen, came to the Corporation over a year ago from Sky News Arabia after studying global media in London, the spokesman added. Off camera: Mr Khatib's voice could be heard continuing to report as colleagues restrained the attacker . Aftermath: The camera then panned left to show Mr Khatib - who kept a wary eye on his colleagues out of shot . | Feras Khatib was speaking from Ashkelon near border of Israel and Gaza .
Without warning he was hurled sideways by an unidentified assailant .
He paused for just one second before continuing to talk off-camera .
Fighting has killed more than 600 Palestinians and 29 Israelis in two weeks . |
283,059 | faa64a203bd989a17a813ba95d812c667571a07b | (CNN) -- A bond hearing is scheduled for Friday in the case of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida, the court said Wednesday. The new judge in the case, Kenneth Lester Jr., will preside, according to the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. The previous judge in the case approved a motion Wednesday to disqualify her after it was revealed that her husband works with a CNN legal analyst who has commented on the case. Seminole Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler said in her decision that while the findings on each basis were "legally insufficient" for disqualification, "the cumulative effect of the events and the totality of the circumstances provides a legally sufficient basis for this court to grant the motion to disqualify," a statement from the court said. New judge 'no soft touch' This week, Recksiedler is on temporary assignment from the Florida Supreme Court and is hearing oral arguments at the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, court spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday. Wednesday's order directed the case to be returned to the chief judge for reassignment, who in turn ordered that Lester be appointed to preside over the Zimmerman case. Zimmerman, 28, fatally shot Martin in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, a killing he has said was in self-defense. The case has stirred civil rights activists nationwide and drawn intense publicity. The city of Sanford has scheduled a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at a church to provide members of the public an opportunity to discuss the incident, according to the Sanford mayor's office. Mayor Jeff Triplett will be among officials attending, the office said. Case divides Sanford . Recksiedler said last week that she would entertain motions to disqualify her from the trial because her husband is a law partner of Mark NeJame's. Zimmerman approached NeJame about representing him. NeJame is now a CNN contributor, providing analysis on this case. NeJame said Zimmerman "contacted my office, attempting to reach me, and wanted to hire me to represent him" on March 13. One of his law partners relayed that request to NeJame, who declined. He explained later that he knew how taking on "big national cases (can) take a lot out of you" and wanted to have more time to spend with his children. "I decided simply not to," the Orlando lawyer said. NeJame acknowledged Tuesday, "it's an appearance of a conflict, an appearance of an impropriety" for Recksiedler to preside over the case. But he said he thought she did nothing improper by waiting for a request from attorneys instead of offering to recuse herself first. "I don't think she did anything out of the ordinary for this extraordinary situation," he said. Meanwhile, media organizations, including CNN, petitioned Recksiedler Monday to reverse an order sealing court records in Zimmerman's prosecution. Prosecutors did not object when Zimmerman's attorneys asked Recksiedler to seal records last week. The judge ordered the court filings and other records sealed "without giving the public and press an opportunity to oppose closure," the media said in its motion. Florida law requires a judge to consider whether the records closure is needed to "prevent a serious and imminent threat" to justice, the media members argued. The court must also find that there is no alternative to sealing the records that would provide a fair trial and that the action would not be "broader than necessary to accomplish this purpose," they said. In addition to CNN, several broadcasting and newspaper companies -- including the publishers of USA Today, the Miami Herald and The New York Times -- are part of the effort to unseal the documents. Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O'Mara said Monday that he favors keeping documents sealed in this case in large part because of concerns that witnesses might be contacted and in danger if certain information is released. "(Our) overall philosophy (is) to keep the information flow concentrated within the court system," he said. "It's much better handled there." As to his client, O'Mara said he speaks "at least a couple times a day" with Zimmerman, whom he described as doing well physically but "frightened." Zimmerman is scheduled to return to court Friday for a bail hearing. O'Mara says he hopes his client will be eligible for bail after that hearing and eventually be allowed to go free until the trial. If he does get out, though, the lawyer said, there are legitimate fears about Zimmerman's safety. "There have been a lot of emotions that have come forward in this case, and some of those emotions have shown themselves in bad ways," O'Mara said. Lester has served on the circuit court since 1996. He is currently assigned to the Criminal Division but has previously served in the Juvenile, Delinquency, Dependency, Probate, Guardianship, and Mental Health divisions of the circuit court. A 2011 poll by the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers rated Lester the top judge in the county in terms of legal knowledge and diligence. He had the second-highest overall score among Seminole County circuit judges in that survey, which also ranked the jurists for impartiality, freedom from bias and demeanor. CNN's Kelly Frank and Matt Smith contributed to this report. | NEW: A bond hearing for George Zimmerman has been set for Friday .
Judge Jessica Recksiedler approves a motion removing her from the case .
The judge's husband is a law partner of a CNN legal analyst .
Chief judge orders that Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. be appointed to preside . |
260,879 | ddde86dee84e46c6979317eabb7d6a1a808ea67c | By . Leon Watson . More than half the stores that featured on the BBC's Mary Queen of Shops show have closed, it was revealed today. In the programme, screened on BBC2, 53-year-old retail expert Mary Portas tried to turn around ailing small businesses. But an investigation has found that nine of the 16 featured have shut. Scroll down for video . Makeover: Juliet and Chris Porter (left and right) with Mary Portas (centre) during a 2010 episode of Mary Queen of Shops. Their shop is the latest to close . The Sun on Sunday reported that some shops were sold while others have been replaced in the High Street by giants such as Tesco. The latest casualty was bankrupt general store Clealls of Corfe, which opened in Wareham, Dorset, in 1881. The owners Chris and Juliet Porter, who also lived there, were forced to shut it this year after financial collapse. She encouraged the couple to sell . high-quality local produce and put on a successful tasting event at the . store, with Mr and Mrs Porter handing out meat snacks and wine to . customers. However, last month Mr Porter questioned whether Ms Portas understood their customers' likes and dislikes. He said: 'We were in trouble when Mary got here and it never really picked up when she left. 'Mary didn't make herself popular in the village. She has some good ideas but she thinks everyone comes from Hampstead Heath. Closed: Clealls of Corfe shut this year after the owners went bankrupt . <br/> . 'She wants to have everyone sat there drinking lattes with top quality stock. We kept on telling her, we had a different customer base. 'We might have a few really rich people, or DFLs - down from Londons - as she called them, but then we had rural workers on £9,000 a year. 'Many people can't afford that. It's nice getting locally produced meat but you go to a supermarket and get a chicken for two quid or come here and get a breast of chicken for nine quid." He continued: 'When she left, we certainly didn't have enough choice and the locals would say that - "you used to sell this", "you used to sell that".' The couple are living in temporary council accommodation, having sold their London home to buy the shop seven years ago. Mr Porter said: 'In the end we lost everything, we were made homeless and lost our jobs.' Tasting event: Juliet Porter (right) hands out lamb snacks to a customer as Mary Portas (centre) looks on . New start: Chris Porter (centre) offers a Clealls customer some locally produced pork during Mary Queen of Shops . Shut down: The general store's website now carries a message that it is no longer in business . The couple also claimed that Portas's revamp of Clealls was cheaply done and not fit for purpose. Mr Porter explained: 'The original refit they've done on the shop was disgraceful, they used metal shelving that bent when you put three bottles of wine on it. 'When they wanted to do the follow up a few weeks later to show how things are going, I told them if they didn't come and fix the shop I would go to ITV to see if they would do a makeover show on the mess up. 'You couldn't run a business the way they'd left it. They sent down some carpenters who put some new shelves up for us - they didn't mention that on the show.' Mrs Porter, 47, added: 'It was on the premise that it was going to change our businesses. What they promised and what we got were very different. 'They ran out of finances on day two and were looking for builders in the village to help white wash the shop.' Mr Porter said: 'They don't want to spend any money on you. They used doors as shelves - its then quite easy to get someone trendy to say "that's the new trendy look". 'It's about Mary shouting at you. That's what people want, to come in and say how bad everything is to start with and then at the end get a smile out of you and say "look what I've done".' But they also point to competition from Tesco and bad weather over essential summer months as reasons for their business going bust. In summer 2011, tourists were put off by weeks of rain and the following year, Tesco began delivering to the area's campsites. Mr Porter said: 'There are 10 major campsites around the village and they all signed up to have Tesco deliver to your tent. 'That had a major impact - our business relied on the campsite. During the summer we would see the campsite people every day, maybe twice a day. 'They would come in the morning before going to the beach and come in on the way back.' Ms Portas pointed out that there are many factors that affect a shop's success. She told MailOnline: ‘This was a shop [Clealls of Corfe] that was losing £6,000 a week when I went in to help. 'I'm so sad to see it close, but over four years all kinds of factors affect sales and it's a case of constantly trying to adapt to survive on today's high street.' Her spokesman, David Wood, added that were it not for Ms Portas's help, the shop might have closed even earlier. He said: 'Losing £6,000 a week would drive any business under ground in minutes, but they kept going for another four years, so something must have worked. 'We don't give people on the show rules, it's just advice - and they could have done something else in the four years since they met Mary.' The BBC declined to comment. | Investigation finds that nine of the 16 featured on the show have shut .
Clealls of Corfe in Wareham, Dorset, opened in 1881 but shut this year .
Owners Chris and Juliet Porter was the latest, it went bankrupt .
Shop featured on a 2010 episode of BBC2's Mary Queen of Shops .
Store was losing £6,000 a week before Mary Portas gave it a makeover . |
135,173 | 3ada2ab3ffa82c6480ac9fa61b1d57afef4f22dc | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch Tarantino talking about the making of "Pulp Fiction" on The Screening Room podcast. To receive regular movie podcasts subscribe here. Quentin Tarantino's first trip to Sundance wasn't exactly a success. Tarantino's hyper-violent, super cool debut feature "Reservoir Dogs" scorched audiences and critics alike when it came out in 1992. "If you do this in real life, they're going to fire your ass," scolded cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, veteran of films like "Lethal Weapon" and "Charlie Wilson's War." The novice filmmaker was participating in a directors' workshop at the Sundance Institute -- the film trust founded by Robert Redford which also runs the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, Tarantino's mentors were just not feeling his experimental approach. The following week, a new group of mentors arrived, including ex-Monty Python member and filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Tarantino and his editor steeled themselves for the inevitable disapproval: "Then Terry Gilliam comes in and goes 'Oh, your scene. Just great!'" recalls the director. He is talking at the Cannes Film Festival Cinema Masterclass, following in the illustrious footsteps of directors like Wong Kar Wai, Sydney Pollack and Martin Scorsese. "It was just like, you know what, that's gonna be my career. People are gonna either really like me or they're really not and just get f***ing used to it 'cause this is the deal," Tarantino says. A second visit to Sundance in 1992 proved more fruitful. His debut feature, "Reservoir Dogs," a sassy, hyper-violent gangster movie, was the hit of the year. French film critic and regular on the European film festival circuit, Michel Ciment still remembers the effect it had on him when it showed at Cannes later that year: "It was a big shock. I remember it was the most striking new American film since 'Mean Streets' 30 years before." Despite the impact of his droll, assured debut, Tarantino recalls being convinced he was going to get fired in the first two weeks of production. "I just thought it was too good to be true. I couldn't help but think something like 'they don't let people like me make movies,'" he says, laughing. Follow-up movie "Pulp Fiction" was awarded the coveted Palm D'Or at Cannes two years later, cementing his reputation as a movie-maker to be reckoned with. It was filled with the dark humor and bloody violence that would become known as Tarantino trademarks. The B-movie-obsessed director admits to getting a kick out of creating humor in inappropriate situations. "I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before," he explains. He cites his "bigtime" influences as movie brats like Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma, as well as Sergio Leone and Howard Hawks. In person, he is a great raconteur and his expletive-littered speech is not a million miles away from the dialogue that's so central to his movies. "I tend to think of myself as more of a novelist who makes movies than a director per se," he declares. But he dismisses his apparent love of language as a product of writing for acting classes: "I started writing as an actor and it was all about dialogue and writing scenes to do." Before moving into directing, Tarantino studied acting for six years and says learning to act for the camera gave him an insight into how directors put a movie together -- frame by frame. That was what really taught him how to write for the movies. "All of a sudden I started seeing [film] in a whole different way. When you start doing that, then it's only a few short steps until you start composing shots of your own," he explains. Tarantino has shown himself to be one of the most music-savvy directors of this generation with his use of songs like "Little Green Bag" by the George Baker Selection in the opening sequence of "Reservoir Dogs" and Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" in "Kill Bill Vol. 1." He, not immodestly, puts that skill down to his great music collection. "The thing is, I have one of the best soundtrack collections in America," he boasts. That probably accounts for his scathing determination never to use film composers: "I don't trust any composers to do it. I would just never give anybody that kind of responsibility," he says, "Who the f*** is this guy coming in here, throwing their s*** all over my movie?" And he admits that his inner film buff enjoys the cornerstones of action cinema that some of his later movies have explored. "I love action scenes, but they are hard, and in a way that's what's fun about them. These cool little puzzles. To me, action scenes are some of the most cinematic moments that you can do in film," he says. "Kill Bill Vol. One" and "Kill Bill Vol. Two," starring Tarantino muse and Hollywood A-lister Uma Thurman, are his movie-geek nod to the kung fu genre. When he started filming "Vol. One," Tarantino hadn't made a film for six years and with typical chutzpah challenged himself to choreograph astonishingly intricate fight scenes. "If I throw my hat in the ring with the greatest action directors who ever lived ... I wanna be as good as them," he asserts. He continues to work his way through his action movie checklist. In his latest movie, "Death Proof," a homage to sleazy 70s B-movies that stars Kurt Russell as a murderous stuntman, he puts his own spin on another of action film's fundamentals -- the car chase. Tarantino is critical of CGI being used so much in film today. All the seat-grippingly tense stunts in "Death Proof" are real and he specifically cast a stuntwoman, Zoe Bell, in one of the leading roles to achieve this. It may have been ambitious, but "Death Proof," which is one half of "Grindhouse," a B-movie-referencing double bill he made with fellow director Robert Rodriguez, got a critical mauling and didn't fare much better at the box office. But then Tarantino has long been resigned to people either loving or hating his movies. | "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino talks about his films .
Tarantino realised early in his career audiences would either love or hate his films .
The movie geek's second film "Pulp Fiction" won the Palm D'Or at Cannes .
On his style: "I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before" |
183,838 | 7a21f89f57f89bb51d744381802eb00426d9f2ec | A 13-year-old boy has been fatally shot in his bed - just as his grandmother had started making plans to move him out of the neighborhood because it was too dangerous. Nizzear Rodriguez celebrated his thirteenth birthday with his grandmother at Applebee's on Saturday night, and hours later he was killed in his bedroom in Carrollton, Georgia. Witnesses heard gunfire between 1am and 3am on Sunday at the Bristol Lakes Apartments - but authorities believe the television in the home may have drowned out the sound, WSBTV reported. Nizzear's body was found on Sunday afternoon by a relative who went to wake him up. Loss: Nizzear Rodriguez, left, celebrated his birthday with his grandmother on Saturday night and just hours later he was found shot. Police said Malik Davis, right, shot him, perhaps thinking he was someone else . His family was trying to put the boy into a car to rush him to hospital when authorities arrived on Sunday afternoon. He could not be saved. Investigators are still looking at the possibility that the suspect in the killing, 17-year-old Malik Davis, intended to shoot someone else, 11Alive reported. It is not known if the boys knew each other, but investigators said that Davis was known to other residents of the apartment complex. The alleged killer was charged with murder, burglary and firearm possession after his mother convinced him to turn himself in to police, authorities said. A second suspect is still on the run. Nizzear's family and other neighbors told 11Alive that the neighborhood has been troubled by gang activity in recent years. Sweet: Nizzear was described as a top student and friendly neighbor who had lived with his grandmother since he was five. She was looking to move because of how dangerous the area has become . Fears: Neighbors said the Bristol Lakes Apartments in Carrollton, Georgia were having problems with gangs . Kanisha Osorio, Rodriguez's aunt, said that before his death, his grandmother had been making plans to move the family because the apartment complex was so dangerous. 'He seen some people pulling some guns out and the cops were out here he was crying about "I've got to get out of here",' Osorio said. Rodriguez's grandmother has had legal custody of the boy since he was five. Authorities said the police had never had any interactions with the victim, who was described as a top student who helped neighbors cut their lawns. 'Nizzear was a wonderful student, well liked and always smiling,' principal Dr. Todd Simpson said in a statement. 'This is a difficult day for this school and the entire system. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nizzear's family during this difficult time.' Davis was known to authorities, they said. | Nizzear Rodriguez celebrated his 13th birthday at Applebee's with his grandmother on Saturday night - but was killed just hours later .
His family discovered he had been shot in his bedroom on Sunday .
Malik Davis, 17, 'walked into the boy's room and shot him'
Police are investigating whether it was a case of mistaken identity .
Nizzear, a good student and friendly neighbor, had not been comfortable in the dangerous neighborhood, which was overrun with gangs . |
95,353 | 068d525297a792b67f595eae84fe04a6f7faac03 | (CNN) -- YouTube is a source of entertainment and news for billions around the world, but Pakistanis have lost access to the video site for almost a year after clips of the controversial film "Innocence of Muslims" prompted a government ban. That ban will be challenged for the first time in court Wednesday -- and activists, as well as artists, some of whose careers were launched on YouTube, are keeping their fingers crossed. Rapper, singer and songwriter Adil Omar is a musician that has relied on social networking sites to launch his career. Even without a record label, he successfully used YouTube to reach both a domestic and international audience -- collaborating with international artists like Cypress Hill, Everlast, Xzibit and guitarist Slash from Guns 'N Roses. Producer of anti-Islam film on supervised release . YouTube "has put me out there internationally. I've worked with major artists, been in the mainstream press," Omar said. But soon after the YouTube ban, response to his album plummeted. "I'm getting about a tenth of the promotion I was getting before and I have about a tenth of the sales I was initially getting," he said. Numbers on YouTube reflect his comment. Omar's last major single "Paki Rambo," released before the YouTube ban, generated more than 320,000 hits. One of his first singles after the ban got just over 30,000 clicks. Protests erupted across the Arab world last year when trailers for "Innocence of Muslims," an anti-Islam film that mocks the prophet Mohammed, appeared online. YouTube is not the only social media website that was taken away from Pakistani Web users. Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr all have been banned in the past. The recent ban on YouTube, however, is the longest-running act of online censorship in Pakistan's history. Bytes for All, an organization that fights for digital rights in Pakistan, has worked to lift this censorship -- running a poster campaign, filing petitions and writing to the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. "We do not need dictatorial nannies to tell people what to watch and what not to watch and what decision to take and how to take it. Because after all, it's a democracy. It's not a dictatorship anymore," said Furhan Hussain from Bytes for All. The ban on YouTube "is in direct violation of the constitution of Pakistan. It violates the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and freedom of access to information of the citizens of Pakistan," he said. CNN reached out for comment repeatedly to Pakistan's minister of information technology but got no response. Omar, like the activists from Bytes for All, hopes the ban will be lifted soon. "What I'd like to see happen is for YouTube to open up again. For Pakistani artists and musicians to be able to earn money again and make a living ... to be able to reach an international audience again." | A government ban on YouTube in Pakistan is being challenged in court Wednesday .
Pakistani artists who gain exposure through the video channel are hoping the ban is lifted .
Pakistanis lost access to YouTube last year after clips from a controversial film appeared on the site . |
567 | 01a543e0323a0d0f8458c512516a73372416ee2d | A skeleton of man still wearing pyjamas in bed is believed to have lain undiscovered for more than 15 years in an abandoned house. French police are trying to identify the body, found in the northern city of Lille, which is thought to be that of the elderly owner of the property. The man lived alone and appeared to have no relatives. Authorities found piles of unopened post dating back to 1996 at the house. Skeleton: The man lived alone and appeared to have no relatives. Authorities found piles of unopened post dating back to 1996 at the house (file picture) He was of Spanish origin and born in 1921, according to French reports. ‘The state of the house suggests it was a peaceful death of someone who died in his bed,’ public safety official Didier Perroudon said. He added that no concerns had been raised about the man’s absence, and told French news agency AFP: ‘He was in his bed, in his pyjamas.' Mr Perroudon said: ‘There was no mess. The house was locked from the inside. Nothing suggests a criminal act.’ Find: French police are trying to identify the body, found in the northern city of Lille (file picture), which is thought to be that of the elderly owner of the property . The unidentified man’s body was taken away for an autopsy to be done. 'He was in his bed, in his pyjamas' Didier Perroudon, public safety official . He was found dead last Friday when a health safety inspector commissioned by the city visited the house. Mr Perroudon added: ‘For the moment, we do not know anymore. 'The investigation starts. It will take some time to discover where he comes from, what he did and what his connections were.’ | Health safety inspector found body inside house in Lille, France, last Friday .
French police trying to identify man of Spanish origin who was born in 1921 .
He lived alone, had no relatives - and unopened post was found from 1996 . |
12,411 | 23296709683eb150a2aaea605e62adcb981f4f83 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 08:37 EST, 26 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:22 EST, 26 September 2013 . A new square in one of the UK's busiest areas has been officially opened to signal the completion of a £550 million scheme. The 75,000sq ft King's Cross Square in London is a public space designed for use by local people as well as those using the nearby King's Cross and St Pancras main line and Underground stations. Marked by the pulling of a Victorian railway signal lever and an explosion of streamers, the opening was performed by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Network Rail chief executive Sir David Higgins. Scroll down for video . King's Cross comes alive: London Mayor Boris Johnson (pictured) opened the square with Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Network Rail chief executive Sir David Higgins . Grand opening: People walk across the 75,000 sq ft King's Cross Square which opened today as part of a £550 million development . More than a dozen familiar characters from London’s street performing scene, including James Bond, Charlie Chaplin and Sherlock Holmes, greeted commuters as they walked across the newly opened square. Other performers were dressed in Victorian-themed costumes in a nod to the station’s 160-year heritage. The square is part of . the £550 million development of the King's Cross station area which has . seen the old station rebuilt and the former concourse demolished. King's Cross was once a notorious red light district. Now, the redevelopment has helped to attract £2.2 billion of private investment into a previously largely derelict and disused 67-acre site, including 2,000 new homes. Major international businesses are set . to move into the area along with some 45,000 people who will work, live . and study at King’s Cross. 'The coronation of King's Cross': Mr Johnson described the new square as a 'whole new vibrant district' Greeting commuters: Performers dressed as familiar London characters Fifteen Victorian-themed living statues were part of the opening of the newly redeveloped square and a nod to the 160-year heritage of the station . Celebrating new space in Central London: Many performers were involved in the opening of the square, part of a development of the entire King's Cross station area which has seen the old station rebuilt and the former concourse demolished . Ribbon cutting: Once a notorious red light district, the King's Cross Station is now a 'destination in its own right' Freeze frame: A modern-day police woman jokes around with performers at the opening of one of the government's top infrastructure projects . Ribbon cutting: Mr Johnson pulled a Victorian railway signal lever as an explosion of streamers went off at the opening . Mr McLoughlin said, 'I have been travelling to and from my Derbyshire constituency for years and I remember when King's Cross and St Pancras were not places you would hang around. Now it is a destination in its own right. 'The official opening of King's Cross Square marks the completion of one of the largest station modernisation projects across our national rail network and one of the Government's top infrastructure projects. 'With more platforms, a redesigned concourse and improved facilities, work at this iconic station has transformed the experience of thousands of rail passengers travelling into London for the better.' London travel: The opening is the first stage of the redevelopment which will add more train platforms and transform the 'experience of thousands of rail passengers travelling into London for the better,' said Mr McLoughlin . New era: Mr Johnson said the project created a 'fantastic open space' while Sir David said that today marked 'the coronation of King's Cross' Lucrative opportunity: The redevelopment has helped attract £2.2 billion of private investment into a previously largely derelict and disused 67-acre site, including 2,000 new homes . Mr Johnson described the new square as 'a fantastic open space which has led to the creation of a whole new vibrant district', while Sir David said that today marked 'the coronation of King's Cross'. Matt Tolan, Network Rail said: 'As we reveal London’s newest open space to the public today, King’s Cross Square joins the list of impressive and iconic public spaces our capital has to offer, and what better way to greet the first passers-by than with a celebratory performance from the Square’s first entertainers.' Features of the square include two improved entrances to London Underground, two new retail units, an area dedicated to public art, 19 new trees and solid granite benches. The statues will be returning to perform at the Victorian weekend festival at King’s Cross Square on September 28th and 29th. Back in the day: King's Cross was a rural area on the fringes of London until 1820 when the Regent's Canal was built. The canal was actually the first transport infrastructure rather than the train line . Destination in its own right: King's Cross Station (pictured between 1870-1900) is one of the largest modernisation projects across the national rail network . Dusty beginnings: King's Cross Station (pictured c1870-1900) was built on the site of The Great Dust Heap, a huge pile of soot, ash and dirt, which was shipped off to Moscow during Queen Victoria's reign to help Muscovites make bricks to rebuild their war ravaged city . Packed with excitement: Holiday crowds are seen at King's Cross railway station in London in August 1925 . On the move: In April 1933, a line of LNER locomotives are seen on the main line to the north of England ready to cope with the holiday crowds at Kings Cross . Turn around: The London and North Eastern Railway Class P2 locomotive, No. 2001, Cock o' The North, on the turntable at King's Cross in June 1934. The new engine had arrived from the LNER works in Doncaster . High life: In August 1936, workmen are seen restoring the clockface at King's Cross station, which has been there since 1851. There is also a brave worker balanced on the weathervane . Extinguished: In March 1946, firemen put out the last of the blaze at King's Cross station in Central London . In the Fifties: The exterior of King's Cross station is pictured in Central London in August 1956 . Royal ride: Queen Victoria was the first royal to embrace rail travel, travelling to Scotland from King's Cross in 1851 (pictured c.1968-1972) Recent frontage: Police on duty at King's Cross railway station in July 2006, before it was redeveloped . | New square opened outside King's Cross and St Pancras stations .
The square is part of a development of a previously derelict 67-acre site .
The old station has been rebuilt and the concourse demolished .
The station was once notorious red light district but has been overhauled . |
231,562 | b7cf6e439ed0091baa2e74f96f5d4fd6dbff699b | Despite attempts from the Government to crack down on the industry, street monkey shows remain a popular form of entertainment in Indonesia. The performances- known locally as 'topeng monyet'- involve the monkeys wearing little jumpsuits and mimicking human activities like riding bicycles or walking on stilts. Animal rights groups have long campaigned for a ban on the shows, which they claim are cruel and exploitative. The shows are also believed to be a health risk as the monkeys have been known to carry diseases including tuberculosis, hepatitis and the bacterial disease, leptospirosis. The performances involve macaques being dressed in human attire and imitating human activities activities like riding motorbikes . Animal rights groups have long campaigned for a ban on the shows, which they claim are cruel and exploitative . The governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, ordered all roadside monkey performances in Jakarta to be banned in Jakarta last year, but they remain popular in other parts of the country . The governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, ordered all roadside monkey performances in Jakarta to be banned last year. The city government announced it would buy back all monkeys used as street buskers for $90AUD and shelter them at a preserve at Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo. They also arranged for caretakers of the monkeys to be provided vocational training to help find new jobs. Outside of Jakarta, the performances remain a popular activity, and for some, even a means of livelihood. Yuli Seperi is photographer based in Bintan, Riau, Suamtera, Indonesia. He documents local street monkey performances. 'Performing monkeys on the streets has been a regular in various regions of Indonesia. It's entertaining for the audience,' he said. Seperi said he sympathises with the animal rights groups who campaign against the shows. 'Performing like this does seem cruel and exploitative. But I think some people have grown to rely on the shows to earn their living expenses. These are people who have little means of earning an income.' Yelki said performing monkeys can generate Rp 50,000 or US $5AUD each performance. With about six performances being standard in a day, one monkey can earn around $30AUD a day. He said he was not aware of the health risks associated with the shows. 'In my opinion, this show will not cause illness to the audience. I have never heard about this.' Yelki said performing monkeys can generate Rp 50,000 or US $5AUD each performance, and up to $30AUD a day . Jakarta Animal Aid Network said Indonesian animal rights groups are striving for a national ban on the shows . Femke den Haas is the founder of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network. She told Daily Mail 'The training conditions are very long and extremely painful for the monkeys; they are starved, hang upside down, arms tied,' she said. 'There "monkey villages' are suburbs where they used to keep tens of monkeys inside dark boxes, chained. 'The monkeys were owned by one boss who would rent them out to people having to pay him for using the monkeys. All monkeys in these 'monkey villages' in jakarta have been confiscated. 'While they have only been banned in Jakarta so far, we strive for an international ban on these shows.' | The performances involve macaques being dressed in human attire and imitating human activities activities .
Animal rights groups have long campaigned for a ban on the shows .
The governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, banned the performances in Jakarta last year .
The monkeys can generate about $30AUD a day .
Animal rights group Jakarta Animal Aid Network are striving for a national ban on the shows . |
68,776 | c30845a5c57644e60039e333a9ebdca28fe37e15 | By . Bianca London . A third of brides regret their choice of wedding dress and would change it if they could turn back time, according to new research. And that's not all - more than half (52 per cent) would edit the best man's speech if they had the chance to replay it and a third (31 per cent) would choose a different honeymoon destination. A staggering 82 per cent of brides would alter at least one aspect of their big day if they could - meaning just 18 per cent have the ‘perfect day’ of their dreams. Do YOU regret yours? A third of brides regret their choice of wedding dress and would change it if they could turn back time, reveals a new survey . The findings come from a new survey of 1,000 women who were asked to list their wedding day regrets. Some 32 per cent said they ‘cringe’ when they look at their wedding dress and they would definitely choose another dress if they had a chance. A further 38 per cent would alter the way they did their hair and make-up on their big day. A third (30 per cent) would swap their wedding photographer, with many brides moaning that ‘their friends’ wedding pictures are better than ours.’ And one in six (17 per cent) would even switch their bouquet for a different floral arrangement. A quarter of brides (24 per cent) would change their wedding ring - and one in eight would swap their wedding band (13 per cent). Put the wrong ring on it? A quarter of brides (24 per cent) would change their wedding ring - and one in eight would swap their wedding band (13 per cent) One in five (21 per cent) would dump at least one of her bridesmaids, whilst 33 per cent would switch the weather on the wedding day if they could. Four out of ten brides (39 per cent) regret allowing their husband to choose their engagement ring. Even if they are happy with the final ring, brides still wish they’d had more input in the decision. And just under a third (32 per cent) wish they had spent more on the ring because they have to wear it for the rest of their lives. The biggest source of marital regret was the best man’s speech. ’Inappropriate jokes’ were the main source of disdain about the best man’s speech - chosen by 34 per cent of brides. Some brides (12 per cent) even took issue with their own father’s wedding speech - the main objection here being that he forgot some thank-yous. Other bridal regrets include the overall cost, with 34 per cent of brides wishing they had spent more because ‘it probably won’t happen again’. And one in six (16 per cent) regret their choice of music, with a poor choice of band being the biggest gripe. One in ten brides even rues the choice of the song for their ‘first dance’ - ‘too cheesy’ being the main regret. Style icon Sarah Jessica Parker claims her biggest regret is choosing a black gown for her wedding in 1997. She wed fellow actor Matthew Broderick, opting for black to avoid unwanted media attention. Yet she told Harper’s Bazaar that she would do it differently now, saying: 'White it up. I’d wear a beautiful, proper wedding dress, like I should have worn that day. Yes, I still regret it.' Oh no! The biggest source of marital regret was the best man's speech with 'inappropriate jokes' being cited as the main source of disdain . Cate Blanchett has been happily married to playwright Andrew Upton since 1997 but there’s one enduring regret about their big day. She says: 'The only moment of my life I would possibly recapture is getting remarried again, because we didn’t take any photographs. We didn’t have any money at the time, and we couldn’t afford a photographer.' Cate was 28 when the fellow Australians wed, her husband was 31. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are now divorced but she had immediate regrets after their wedding ceremony in 2011. 'My one regret at the wedding - and I’m so mad I didn’t think of this - I should’ve had a little box or a stool I stood on. There should have been a little stair, it should have been a little extra stair so I could be a little taller that day.' The couple’s marriage - when she was 33 and he was 26 - lasted just 72 days, although height difference between the bride and groom wasn’t to blame. Hopefully lessons were learnt before her wedding to Kanye West. Jeweller Vashi Dominguez, who carried out the survey, said the long list of regrets shows how many brides get it wrong on their big day. 'Most of us only marry once in our lives - why cut corners and skimp on costs? 'What seems to be really expensive today will be like a drop in the ocean in 10 years’ time. We see women every day buying very expensive diamond rings because they don’t like their engagement rings. 'Either . their circumstances have changed and they can afford a better ring now . or fashions have changed and they have previously lumbered themselves . with a ring which looks completely inappropriate a few years after the . wedding. 'My advice . to all women preparing for their wedding is to think very carefully . about the ring because the chances are you won’t get an opportunity to . change it. 'No one wants to be left wearing an engagement ring for 50 years which they don’t like.' 1. Best man’s speech: 52 per cent . 2. Hair and make-up: 38 per cent . 3. Wish I’d spent more overall: 34 per cent . 4. The weather 33 per cent . 5. Wedding dress: 32 per cent . 6. Honeymoon destination 31 per cent . 7. Poor wedding pictures 30 per cent . 8. Engagement ring 24 per cent . 9. Bridesmaids 21 per cent . 10. Bouquet 17 per cent . | Over half would edit best man's speech .
Only 18% had the 'perfect day' of their dreams .
32% ‘cringe’ when .
they look at their wedding dress .
Sarah Jessica Parker regrets black wedding dress . |
237,675 | bf9f45800c0fcd8af751b721b5aa43e432d06b21 | The mother of an off-duty police officer who was killed by a wrong-way illegal immigrant driver has written a furious letter to President Obama demanding to know why the man was not deported after being convicted of a crime. Mary Ann Mendoza, who lost her son Sgt. Brandon Mendoza in the horror crash in Mesa, Arizona in May, expressed her anger that the driver, Raul Silva-Corona, was not sent back to Mexico two decades ago after he carried out crimes in Colorado. 'The prosecutors were "lenient" on him and several charges were dismissed,' she wrote in the letter. 'When . he was convicted of these crimes (in) 1994 and the government knew he . was in the country illegally, why wasn't he deported? Why are any of . these illegal criminals in this country? Pain: Mary Ann Mendoza, pictured in May after her son was killed by an illegal immigrant in a car crash, has written a letter to President Obama demanding to know why the man was still in the U.S. 'I am furious that the Federal Government allowed this criminal to stay in this country and KILL my son!' Corona was a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who had entered the United States without permission. Court records show that he pleaded guilty to a criminal-conspiracy charge in Adams County in 1994 and prosecutors dismissed charges of burglary, assault and leaving an accident scene. Speaking to The Arizona Republic, Mrs Mendoza said that she was not planning to stop at the letter. With the help of a lawyer, she is calling for laws that would . prohibit undocumented immigrants from purchasing and registering . vehicles without a driver's license and further legislation that would remove . undocumented immigrants who are convicted of a crime. Killed: Brandon Mendoza, left, was killed when Raul Silva-Corona, right, drove the wrong way for 35 miles along freeways before smashing into his car. Corona also died in the crash . 'I have to do something in my son's memory to stop this kind of thing from happening,' she said. She added that she does not have any problems with law-abiding undocumented immigrants in the country. The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Mendoza, 32, had been driving home from work on May 12 when Silva-Corona smashed into him after driving the wrong way along freeways for 35 miles. Police received 33 911 calls as he sped along the Loop 101 Freeway, down State Route 51 and eventually to the I-10/US 60 interchange before hitting Mendoza on a freeway ramp. Mendoza, a beloved 13-year veteran of the force, was taken to an area hospital in critical condition and later died. Loss: Mendoza had worked for the police for 13 years and was driving home from work when he was hit . Fatal: Footage shows the massive fire that followed the head-on collision between the two cars on May 12 . Scene: Corona died at the scene while Mendoza passed away shortly afterwards in hospital . Officer Carrick Cook, a state Department . of Public Safety spokesman, said Mendoza likely only had seconds of . warning before the crash. Silva-Corona died at the scene and his body was so badly burned that authorities could not immediately identify him. After he was identified, police said he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24 per cent. In Arizona, a driver is presumed to be intoxicated at 0.08 per cent. Police had . frantically tried to stop him during a 30-minute chase. One officer had . smash into the vehicle to stop it, but the driver drove around him and . continued. 'We were scrambling,' Cook said. 'Nobody was really pursuing. We were just trying to intercept.' KPHO reported that Mendoza was a bachelor who had family in the area as well as a brother deployed to South Korea. President Obama, . I am writing this letter to you regarding illegal immigrants. As a tax paying, law abiding citizen of the United States, I WANT my voice heard on this issue. My son, Sergeant Brandon Mendoza, an officer who was with the City of Mesa, Arizona police department, was killed in a tragic head on collision on May 12, 2014 by a wrong way driver on our freeways. This man happened to be an illegal immigrant, was in this country illegally, convicted of previous crimes, no Social Security number, no valid driver's license BUT he had purchased a vehicle and registered it to drive in Maricopa County Arizona. The Federal Government knew he, Raul Silva Corona , was an illegal immigrant when he was convicted on crimes in 1994 in Colorado. The prosecutors were 'lenient' on him and several charges were dismissed... Why wasn't he deported? I am furious that the Federal Government allowed this criminal to stay in this country and KILL my son! [My son] was an Icon with the City of Mesa Police Department. He was instrumental in making life better for people of all walks of life in the park project he took on. He was humble, selfless, worked many hours off the clock helping disadvantaged children. I want laws to change that would not allow illegal immigrants to purchase vehicles in our country and register them to drive them in our states WITHOUT having driver's licenses to drive them legally. I want answers that make sense. I want answers from you personally as to why this criminal was allowed to stay in our country until he took my son's life. Sincerely, . Mary Ann Mendoza . Read the full letter at the Arizona Republic . | Raul Silva-Corona drove the wrong way along Arizona highways for 35 miles before smashing into a car driven by Brandon Mendoza, 32 .
Both men were killed in the fiery crash on May 12 .
Mendoza's mother has now written a furious letter to President Obama demanding to know why Corona had not been deported .
He was an illegal immigrant from Mexico but had been allowed to stay in the U.S. after pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy in 1994 in Colorado . |
120,871 | 283843c26257ecf6d5e2cf7cbcf77c6bbeea3119 | By . James Gordon . Daniel Boulud, one of New York’s most celebrated Michelin-starred chefs has been coming up short when it comes to paying his servers their appropriate wages and tips. A multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit accuses the celebrity chef of pocketing the gratuities from private events held at his restaurants, and forcing servers to perform non-tipped work on the side. The extra work sees them paid at the same low rate as if they were waiting tables and includes menial tasks such as cleaning bathrooms, taking out the garbage and vacuuming floors. Usually, a worker performing such tasks would be paid at a higher rate of $8-an-hour (the minimum wage), but they instead receive only $5 an hour for tipped work. Sneaky chef: Chef Daniel Boulud has an international food empire that includes more than a dozen restaurants and nearly as many cookbooks, yet a lawsuit alleges he has found ways to pay servers less than they are entitled . Mr. Boulud’s troubles highlight a pervasive problem in the restaurant industry. While high-end restaurants are dependent on immigrant labor, and many of those workers have advanced, most find themselves cornered in lower-paying jobs. The plaintiffs are servers, Edison Lopez, Carlos Cruz Cacildo and Justin Wands. The trio are confident that their lawsuit will stand. 'Daniel is one of the best restaurants, not only in New York or the US, but in the world,' the servers’ attorney Brian Schaffer told the New York Post. Sous chef! Daniel Boulud faces a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that claims he stiffed his servers on wages and tips . 'Workers deserve to be treated fairly,' he said, and estimated the pool of plaintiffs could eventually reach 500. The servers are seeking unspecified damages for tips and wages going back to 2008. During that time, the French chef has earned heaps of accolades, including coveted Michelin stars, yet none of the glory is passed down to those who work to keep the restuarant running on a daily basis. Meanwhile, customers pay up to $220 for a prix-fixe tasting menu at a number of Mr Boulud's restaurants. Some servers have already spoken out about the unfair payments. Graciela Roman worked as a busser at Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud between 2007 and 2012. She says she spent much of her shift doing 'side work' such as sweeping and taking out garbage. However while she was doing that, she 'was wrongfully paid the lower, tipped-credit minimum wage rate, rather than the non-tipped minimum wage.' Eponymous: Daniel, his flagship New York City namesake, was awarded three Michelin stars in the 2010 Michelin, the book's highest rating. In January of 2013, Daniel NYC was inducted into Culinary Hall of Fame . Ms.Roman also claims she was 'required to engage in a tip distribution scheme' and that she was not compensated for overtime work. Although the federal Fair Labor Standards Act does allow employers to pay their workers a lower minimum wage if those employees receive tips, the law requires that the employee’s wages and tips combined must equal at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour . If the employee does not receive enough tips to reach the standard minimum wage, the employer is required to provide the employee with sufficient wages to make up the rest. According to the lawsuit, 'The Boulud restaurants have a corporate policy or practice of minimizing labor costs by unlawfully taking a tip credit against the minimum wage rate'. It is an unfortunate fact that, in efforts to cut costs by businesses, employees are often the ones who suffer the consequences. On the line: The servers are seeking unspecified damages for tips and wages going back to 2008 . There are laws in place, though, to prevent employers from taking advantage of their employees. The wage and hour class action lawsuit was filed against the chef in 2012. In 2013 Boulud tried to end the proceedings by denying Roman’s allegations but the judge denied Boulud’s request saying that the case was too fact-intensive and could not be rushed. Earlier this year, Boulud chose to settle the lawsuit (which is separate, yet similar in nature). The chef continues to insist that he has done nothing wrong and that no laws were broken in any of his restaurants. The settlement covers about ninety employees who worked as servers in several of Boulud’s restaurants in New York and were paid the lower minimum wage of employees who allegedly should be receiving tips. Boulud, one of the world's most . respected chefs, has written numerous cookbooks and presides over a . fleet of restaurants stretching from New York and Miami to London and . Asia. His New York City restaurant Daniel, now 20 years old, holds a coveted three Michelin stars. | Servers who should have been waiting on customers were instead doing other menial tasks such as sweeping or taking out the trash .
Servers allege that as they were already being paid at the $5-an-hour rate they should not have been performing tasks that were untipped .
Untipped workers were paid the higher minimum wage of $8-an-hour .
Daniel, Boulud's eponymous restaurant in New York City was awarded three Michelin stars in 2010 . |
244,441 | c859413dced382c555438c05a462eba31a58150b | (CNN) -- It's one thing not to boast about your $100,000 yacht. It's another to be so rich, you actually forget you own one. For two years, the 10-meter-long Rinker 342 Fiesta Vee boat floated in a Swedish marina, its owner nowhere to be seen. The keys were tied to railing on the deck for all to see, adding to the mystery of the abandoned boat in the village of Stromstad, on the south Norwegian border. "You could just get on board and start it. But no, no one did," said the area's police Inspector Christer Fuxborg, on what's got to be one of the world's most honest towns. As unpaid mooring costs mounted up, fears began to grow that something terrible had happened to the owner, whom no one had ever seen. Inside the cabin were Norwegian documents dating back to 2008, one of the few clues police had to the missing sailor. They launched a Facebook appeal, which was picked up by the Norwegian press. Eventually, their mysterious Norwegian owner came forward. It seemed the boat had simply slipped his mind. "He had forgotten about it," said Inspector Fuxborg, who declined to disclose the owner's name. "I think he must be really rich to forget he owned a boat like this." "He was surprised -- he thought he'd sold it years ago." Despite being unmaintained for two years, the swish yacht was in good condition. The owner's biggest concern will now be paying the mooring fees. "As a guest to the harbor you usually pay a fee of $30 to $50 per 24 hours, during summer," said Inspector Fuxborg. "But I don't think he'll have any problem paying it." See: Stupid stunt? Sailor walks the mast . | How do you 'forget' a $100k boat? Quite easily it seems .
Luxury boat left in Swedish harbor for two years, keys on railing .
Norwegian owner comes forward, thought he sold it years ago . |
246,918 | cb898390da5f6349a74ea0e2d915cfd868ac51f3 | Orlando (CNN) -- Caylee Anthony's grandmother gave jurors in her daughter's capital murder trial a detailed glimpse of her efforts to connect with the 2-year-old girl in the weeks following her disappearance, recounting reason after reason her daughter gave for keeping the toddler away from home for nearly a month. The reasons included work meetings, a car accident and sudden plans to hang out at a hotel with a wealthy suitor Cindy Anthony said she had long heard about, but had never met, jurors in the Orlando woman's capital murder trial heard Saturday. Testimony from Cindy Anthony dominated the abbreviated Saturday session, which ended just before 1 p.m. in Orlando. Casey Anthony, 25, is charged with seven counts, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and misleading police in the death of her daughter, who was last seen June 16, 2008. Her skeletal remains were discovered were found in a wooded field in December 2008. Prosecutors say Anthony used chloroform on her daughter and then put duct tape over her nose and mouth, suffocating the girl. Anthony's attorneys argue that she did not kill Caylee, but rather that the girl accidentally drowned in the Anthonys' pool. They say Anthony and her father discovered her body, panicked, and kept the death a secret. George Anthony denied that claim in testimony Thursday. After describing her last day with Caylee, spent visiting the girl's ailing great-grandfather in a nursing home, swimming at home and then looking at pictures and videos, Cindy Anthony testified about her efforts to talk to Caylee between June 16, the next day, and July 15, when she was finally reported missing to police. "There was always a reason I missed her," Cindy Anthony said. At first, Cindy Anthony said, she believed Caylee was staying with her nanny, Zanny, while her daughter attended work meetings. Then, Anthony told her mother that she was taking the girl to Tampa, Florida, for an outing with a co-worker and her child. When they didn't return as expected, Cindy Anthony testified her daughter told her a serious car accident had left Zanny injured, and that she felt obligated to stay and care for her. When her father, George Anthony, ran into her at home on June 24, when she was supposed to be nearly 80 miles away in Tampa, Casey Anthony explained she had returned to get insurance information for Zanny and get some things from home, Cindy Anthony testified. When asked why she didn't bring her daughter home, Casey Anthony said she "didn't think about it," her mother testified. After that, Casey Anthony told her mother that she, Caylee and Zanny were staying at an Orlando hotel with a wealthy suitor, according to Cindy Anthony's testimony. When she failed to return home as expected, Casey Anthony then explained the delay by saying she was working on a closed Make-A-Wish event that Caylee could attend, but Cindy Anthony could not. On July 3, Cindy Anthony testified, she went to Universal Studios -- where she believed her daughter worked -- to confront her over a money issue. That's when Casey Anthony told her she wasn't in Orlando, but rather in Jacksonville, Florida -- at the suitor's condo. Despite what she was telling her mother, Casey Anthony was actually spending time in Orlando with numerous friends, attending parties, going shopping and hitting nightclubs, according to previous testimony and evidence in the case. For instance, on June 20, when Casey Anthony was telling her mother she was working and taking Caylee to an amusement park in Tampa with a co-worker, she was instead participating in a "hot body" contest at an Orlando night club, according to previous testimony in the case. Photos of the event shown at the trial show her dancing at the club. Casey Anthony's attorneys explain her behavior in June and July 2008 by saying she had been sexually abused by her father and was trained from a young age to hide her pain. George Anthony denied abusing his daughter in previous testimony. Cindy Anthony broke down on the stand early in her testimony, while look at pictures of Caylee's Winnie the Pooh-themed bed, depictions of her backyard playhouse and an image of her visiting the nursing home. At one point, she interrupted prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick's qustioning to ask that Caylee's image be taken off a computer screen in front of her. "I'm trying not to cry," she said. During a break following testimony in which Cindy Anthony was discussing how she and her husband, George, bought and installed an outside playhouse for Caylee, Casey Anthony could be seen crying and gesturing angrily as she spoke with her attorneys. Earlier Saturday, Casey Anthony's former boyfriend took the stand to discuss text messages between the two on July 16, the night after Anthony's daughter was reported missing to police by Cindy Anthony. In the messages, Anthony told the boyfriend, Anthony Lazarro, that she had been driving around with police looking for her daughter. "If they don't find her, guess who gets blamed and spends an eternity in jail?" Anthony texted. Anthony called herself "the dumbest person and the worst mother." "The best person in my life is missing and God only knows if I'm ever going to see her again," read another text. Prosecutors began questioning Lazarro the day after Judge Belvin Perry questioned their attempts to introduce another set of instant messages that Assistant State's Attorney Frank George said showed Anthony believed her daughter was in the way of their relationship. "... Only a few more days and you can bring your ass over anytime you want and stay any night you want," read one text message that prosecutors said was sent June 10. George said the message and others like it would help prove Anthony's motive for killing Caylee. George said the instant messages showed that Caylee's presence was stifling her lifestyle, which prosecutors have tried to paint as hard-partying and carefree. "She couldn't do what she wanted to do," George told Perry in a discussion held without the jury present in the courtroom. But Perry questioned the logic, asking why Anthony did not also plot to kill her parents. After Perry said he did not believe the evidence was relevant and would be excessively prejudicial even if it was, prosecutors withdrew their attempt to have it introduced into evidence, for the time being at least. Testimony Friday focused largely on Casey Anthony's car, a white Pontiac Sunfire found abandoned in a parking lot and later towed to an impound lot where her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, picked it up two weeks later. George Anthony and a tow company manager testified that Casey Anthony's car reeked of the unmistakable odor of a decomposing body. In all, Anthony is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of misleading police. If she is convicted of capital murder, she could be sentenced to death by the seven-woman, five-man jury. Anthony has pleaded not guilty and denies harming her daughter or having anything to do with her disappearance. Baez has said that once all the facts are known, it will become clear that his client is not guilty. The trial will resume Tuesday after a break for the Memorial Day holiday. It is expected to last another five to seven weeks. CNN's Ashley Hayes contributed to this report. Watch Nancy Grace Monday through Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET on HLN. For the latest from Nancy Grace click here. | NEW: Casey Anthony's mother detailed the weeks following Caylee's disappearance .
NEW: Cindy Anthony said her daughter gave reason after reason for keeping the girl from home .
Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter in 2008 .
Anthony's attorneys say Caylee accidentally drowned . |
232,602 | b92bc8024391da6c580220e57da895f2f83ffd6c | Washington (CNN)As Democrats close to Hillary Clinton recover from their New Year's Eve celebrations and flip their calendar to 2015, many will notice a seemingly unimportant date is fast approaching. For months, pro-Clinton Democrats have pointed to early January -- particularly Jan. 15 -- as a symbolic date for Clinton's presidential aspirations. In conversations with one another and at strategy sessions about a possible 2016 run, former aides and confidants have quietly said that if Clinton doesn't say "no" to running by the start of 2015, she is a go for 2016. "If she hasn't said 'no' by January, it will be a sign she is running," said one longtime Clinton friend at last month's Ready for Hillary strategy session in New York. The early January time frame is regularly used by Clinton supporters as a way to put off directly answering the will she/won't she questions posed by reporters. While the date itself is not totally significant, it has become a shorthand for early January. With that time frame now approaching, some in Clinton's orbit are admitting that time is running out for Clinton to say "no." RELATED: The Clinton 'announcement' you weren't waiting for . "If she is not going to do it, she can't let it drag on after January 15," said a Democratic strategist close to Clinton. "If she hasn't said something after that date, people should assume she is running." The strategist, who said this was the general sense among people close to Clinton, added, "She has two weeks to say she isn't running." The reason is simple: Clinton has, so far, sucked up all the oxygen in the Democrats' 2016 conversation. If she lets that continue well into 2015 and then decides to back out, she puts her party -- which already has a thin bench of second tier candidates -- in a tough position. While chatter about former Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden have bubbled up throughout late 2014, neither have caught fire in the polls. The latest CNN/ORC poll finds Webb at a paltry 1%, Warren in second place with 9% support and Biden in third at 8%. Hillary Clinton, by comparison, is at 66% support. Because of the uncertainty around her announcement date, groups urging Clinton to run intend to continue their work well into 2015. Ready for Hillary, the grassroots super PAC organizing on Clinton's behalf, has events planned well into March but plans to close shop once Clinton announces. Groups like Correct the Record, a communications and research shop, and Priorities USA, a fundraising and ad buying outfit, have both pledged to ramp up in early 2015. RELATED: Poll: Hillary Clinton most admired woman, Obama most admired man . Although Clinton's candidacy has long been a forgone conclusion to many of her close confidants, there are still some who hold out that she might decide not to run and has yet to make up her mind. Clinton has tried to play coy with her presidential ambitions, but began to more forcefully acknowledge her thoughts near the end of 2014. She has met with potential campaign staffers, according to her spokesman, and people close to her have begun to carefully line up a potential political operation. Clinton herself even used January 1, 2015 as a time frame for her decision. "I am going to be making a decision around -- probably after -- the first of the year," Clinton said during a September appearance in Mexico City. | Democrats have pointed to early January as a symbolic date for Clinton's presidential aspirations .
If Clinton doesn't say 'no' by early January 2015, people close to Clinton say, it will be a sign she is running .
Clinton said in September, that she will 'be making a decision around - probably after - the first of the year' |
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