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35,302 | 6458abcd434b65936053be8c56249e6f91c327c1 | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican military has arrested the son of a top drug cartel lieutenant, the government said Thursday. Authorities present suspect Vicente Zambada Niebla to the press Thursday in Mexico City. Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as "El Vicentillo," was arrested Wednesday along with five subordinates, Mexico's defense department and attorney general's office said in a joint release. The men were acting suspiciously and had military-grade weapons, officials said. Zambada is the son of Ismael Zambada García, known as "El Mayo." The elder Zambada is a top lieutenant in the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, officials said. Senior defense official Luis Arturo Oliver Cen and Jose Ricardo Cabrera Gutierrez, a top official with an attorney general's task force on terrorism and security, announced the arrest in Mexico City. Guzman, the alleged cartel leader who escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001, was named in this year's Forbes magazine report on the world's billionaires. He ranked 701. Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border blame Sinaloa and other cartels for a surge in violence in the region. Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora expressed outrage at Forbes for listing a major drug suspect. About 6,500 people died in the drug war in Mexico last year, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said last week. Defense official Oliver said authorities confiscated three rifles, three luxury automobiles, 67,480 pesos ($4,845) and $866 in U.S. currency. A video on the Universal newspaper Web site shows a dark-haired Zambada and other men being led away in handcuffs. Zambada sports long sideburns, beard stubble, a black sports coat and a striped shirt. CNN's Melanie Whitley contributed to this report from Atlanta, Georgia. | Vicente Zambada Niebla and five subordinates arrested, government says .
Zambada is son of Ismael Zambada García, lieutenant in Sinaloa drug cartel .
Authorities blame Sinaloa and other cartels for a surge in violence in the region . |
156,369 | 5625c519e0019d044ac3b9be3c659f583ba88ff7 | You had better watch where you tread in this household with 19 puppies running free! Snowy the Great Dane from York Haven, Pennsylvania, gave birth to the near-record litter three weeks ago and has been non-stop ever since. Her owners, Brandon and Aimie Terry, said it was quite a 'shock' when the large pack arrived. Scroll down for video . Got her work cut out: Snowy the Great Dane from York Haven, Pennsylvania, gave birth to a near-record litter of 19 three weeks ago and has been non-stop ever since . The couple told WHTM news that they knew Snowy was pregnant and were expecting a litter of eight - the average size for a Great Dane. But when they went to a veterinary appointment, an X-ray revealed 15 tiny spines. Unexpected delivery: Snowy's owners, Brandon and Aimie Terry, described her pregnancy as a 'shock' Not what we bargained for: The couple expected a litter of eight - the average size for a Great Dane . Affectionate: Brandon Terry gives one of the puppies a nose rub . The other four puppies went unseen on the scan. Shortly after, Mr Terry was out in the yard when he kept hearing a noise similar to a kitten's mewing. When he looked, he found Snowy with her first puppy. The expectant mother was taken inside where she gave birth to six more. The rest of her brood were born at an animal hospital. The delivery came one week earlier than expected. 'We were not prepared,' Mrs Terry said laughing. In good hands: Some of the puppies were born at home, while the rest were delivered at an animal hospital . Growing quickly: The dogs recently opened their eyes for the first time . Boisterous: 'Right now they’re into exploring and playing, fighting with each other,' Mrs Terry said . Her daughter has also been helping look after the puppies. They are now crawling about and recently opened their eyes. 'Right now they’re into exploring and playing, fighting with each other,' Mrs Terry added. The family is hoping to find new homes for the dogs before they grow too big. Their eventual height will be around three feet. They are currently listed for $850 each on puppyfind.com, ready for pick-up one week before Christmas. According to the website kennel.com, the largest known litter of puppies for a Great Dane is 23. | Snowy the Great Dane from York Haven, Pennsylvania, gave birth to the near-record litter three weeks ago .
Her owners, Brandon and Aimie Terry, described the arrival as a 'shock'
They are hoping to find new homes for the puppies before Christmas . |
109,606 | 19496979acfc260f3248b0e90690d03335483c2c | A rescue helicopter crashed yesterday when it tried to take off with too many Iraqi refugees on board. The pilot died and several children were injured in the drama on Mount Sinjar, where Yazidi and Christian civilians are besieged by Islamic State maniacs. The helicopter, which had been mobbed by desperate families, was brought down by sheer weight of numbers. Other aid flights – including one run by the RAF – have come under intense fire from the jihadi gunmen. Scroll down for video . Tears of relief: An Iraqi Air Force helicopter emergency aid delivery turned into a rescue mission today in northern Iraq . The RAF Hercules plane was shot at as it brought food and water to the refugees on Monday night. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, who are helping the refugees escape the mountainside, said the small-arms fire missed the cargo plane. Thousands of people have been trapped for more than a week on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq in blistering 50C heat without shelter, food or water. They have fought to scramble aboard the few helicopters bringing humanitarian supplies. In one case, a father and a mother threw their two young daughters across a crowd on to a helicopter which took the children to safety, leaving the two parents behind. And a man clung desperately to the side of another helicopter before losing his grip and plunging to his death. Desperate: A woman clings on to a departing aid helicopter . The dramatic footage shows the moment a desperate woman clung onto an aid flight as it departed Mount Sinjar following the delivery of aid . Special forces are believed to be on the mountain with British and American intelligence officers in direct contact with leaders of the refugees. Special phones were dropped from a Hercules in the first RAF mercy mission, on Saturday. When switched on, they connect directly to Kurdish-speaking British or US agents. A source said: 'They are talking to the people on the mountain, and the questions they are asking are: Where are you? How long can you survive? How much water do you have? Where are the IS fighters?' Mirza Dinnay, a UN relief worker, told the BBC yesterday: 'It's a genocide. You find what looks like hundreds of dead people. Fleeing: The military helicopter crashed on a mountain as it tried to provide aid to the 500,000-strong Yazidi population in Sinjar (pictured), near the Syrian border, as they flee Sunni militants of the Islamic State . Horrific: The refugees are trying to find safety after Isil gave them the ultimatum: convert to Islam or die . 'Thousands of people are trying to save themselves. 'You can imagine what it is like when you land among 5,000 people and can take only ten or 20, and everybody tries to get on the helicopter. 'It's a dangerous situation because everybody pushes each other. Many haven't eaten for around nine days and they are living under the hot sun. 'Three days ago one man tried to get into the helicopter but he couldn't manage it. 'He then clung to the side as we took off but we couldn't help him get inside and within one or two minutes we were flying at around 100 metres, he fell down. Like in a Hollywood film, he died.' On another aid flight, there were chaotic scenes as an Iraqi army helicopter pilot agreed to let a handful of refugees on board but then relented and let 50 people including young children rush on – even though the aircraft has a passenger capacity of 15. The weight was too great for the helicopter to take off, until five men got out. The pilot, Major General Ahmed Saadi, told ITV News: 'I thought, God will be with us.' The picture was the same elsewhere on the mountain when a helicopter delivered food, shoes, nappies and condensed milk to a group seen waving makeshift white flags. It took away just 20 refugees, many seen weeping for loved ones they were forced to abandon. Some of those fleeing spoke of dozens of unburied bodies of people on the mountain who lost their battle for survival. The second RAF aid drop, on Monday night, contained more phones and also GPS equipment to help organise future aid drops. The RAF and Americans have between them delivered 20,000 gallons of water and 85,000 meals, plus 1,000 solar lanterns that can also be used to recharge mobile phones. Last night a government source said ministers were 'hardening up' plans to evacuate Mount Sinjar: 'We are working as fast as we can. It's a complicated operation.' | Russian-built Mi-17 helicopter crashed as too many tried to climb aboard .
Pilot killed and 20 injured in the crash on mountain in Sinjar, remote Iraq .
Yazidi Iraqi MP and a New York Times reporter among the injured .
Comes after Islamic State seized Sinjar, told residents: 'convert or die'
Yazidis follow ancient religion with connections to Zoroastrianism . |
169,458 | 674321454616a451de284a9111cc8d14a92fb3be | Bayern Munich defender Dante doubts he will play for Brazil again and says he wants to become a German. Dante tells Sport-Bild magazine he would like to stay in Germany after his career ends, and 'that would be easier with a German passport.' Dante was in the Brazil lineup that was humiliated 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semi-finals this summer and has 13 caps. Bayern Munich defender aims to become a German as he hopes to stay in the country once he retires . The 30-year-old was part of the Brazil side that was humiliated 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup this summer . The centre back has not featured for Brazil since the thrashing by Germany and doubts he'll be picked again . The 30-year-old defender says new Brazil coach Carlos Dunga has to change things, and 'I don't necessarily think I'll be back in the national team.' The defender hasn't featured for Brazil under Dunga, who have won all their matches since the World Cup. Dante has played in Germany since 2009, and is contracted to Bayern to 2017, who currently sit undefeated at the top of the Bundesliga after seven matches. Dante lifts the German Bundesliga trophy, which he has won twice since joining Bayern Munich in 2012 . | Bayern Munich defender has not played for Brazil since the World Cup .
Dante was part of the 7-1 humiliation by Germany in the semi-finals .
The 30-year-old is settled in Germany and wants to stay when he retires . |
86,328 | f500d9da4962d7f93f28b534d5d7a8a2c97e2e5d | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 12:03 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:34 EST, 15 November 2013 . Jonathan Martin could sue the Miami Dolphins for big money under a variety of workplace laws - and could turn to his own legal eagle mother for advice. The employment legislation makes employers liable for bullying, harassment and discrimination - even if the team's hierarchy didn't know about it, according to several legal experts. The NFL's special investigator, Ted . Wells, plans to meet in New York today with Martin, who has been with his family in Los . Angeles and is receiving counseling. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also . plans to meet at a later date with Martin. Interestingly, Martin's . mother, Jane Howard-Martin, spent almost 20 years practicing employment . law and wrote numerous articles in legal journals on such issues as . workplace discrimination and harassment. It's not known whether she has . any role in her son's decisions; Howard-Martin is now assistant general . counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. in Los Angeles. Scroll down for video . Player Jonathan Martin, pictured in New York today, arrives to speak with the NFL investigator over claims he was bullied at the Miami Dolphins . Jonathan Martin arrived at the office of the NFL lawyer investigating the team's bullying scandal on Friday. The league is trying to gather information about the harassment Martin says he was subjected to by teammate Richie Incognito. Martin and a companion arrived at lawyer Ted Wells' Manhattan office building and were met by a crush of reporters. The offensive lineman smiled but did not respond to questions while entering the building. Suing the Dolphins could be more . successful than bringing criminal charges against offensive lineman . Richie Incognito, who was suspended by the Dolphins after fellow lineman . Martin left the team two and a half weeks ago. Martin's attorney, David Cornwell, says Martin was repeatedly harassed . by Incognito and others in ways that 'went far beyond the traditional . locker room hazing'. Miami Dolphins Tackle Jonathan Martin left the team over allegations of bullying . For Martin to win a lawsuit, Nova Southeastern University law professor Bob Jarvis said he'd have to show precisely that. 'It . will be crucial for Martin to convince a jury that even with a rough . workplace, there is a line that cannot be crossed and it was crossed . here,' Jarvis said. One path for Martin to take would be filing a grievance with the NFL players union or a complaint with the NFL itself. Aside . from that, legal experts say there are several avenues he could take to . sue the Dolphins. Cornwell did not respond to an email asking for . additional comment on any of these options. Two labor-employment lawyers at Venable . LLP in New York, Michael Volpe and Nicholas Reiter, said in a written . analysis of the Martin matter that employers can face lawsuits related . to bullying if the harassment involved a victim's race, religion, sexual . orientation or disability. Richie Incognito is accused of bullying his teammate Jonathan Martin . Claims can be made for harassment, infliction of emotional distress and negligent supervision. One voicemail that has surfaced from Incognito to Martin, who is black, included a racial slur and other Dolphins players have said use of the slur in the locker room was not out of the ordinary. In addition, Volpe and Reiter said that Martin could claim that he was essentially forced to leave the Dolphins because of workplace harassment. 'Even if the Dolphins were unaware of Incognito's alleged behavior, which may be the case, the organization could still face claims of liability,' they said. There have also been reports that Incognito was told by coaches to 'toughen up' Martin, which could show the team did have knowledge about the harassment, the two lawyers said. Still, it's no slam dunk for Martin. For example, one allegation is that Martin forked over $15,000 for veteran Dolphins teammates to take a trip to Las Vegas that he did not attend. That could be viewed in court as being a willing participant and make a harassment lawsuit harder to prove. If, Jarvis said: 'Martin seemed to be going along with the conduct willingly, then Martin cannot now change his mind and decide that he didn't want to be part of the culture.' For Incognito himself, the main issue would likely be his future NFL playing career. The NFL players' union announced Thursday that Incognito has filed a grievance over his indefinite suspension by the Dolphins. The union statement says that Incognito is requesting an expedited hearing so he can resume playing football immediately. Tamara Lave, a law professor at the University of Miami, said the current national focus on bullying and hazing in schools and at the workplace would figure in Martin's favor should he take legal action. Especially, she said, because he is a physically imposing NFL player — 6-foot-5, 312 pounds — who is typically perceived as having few weaknesses. 'The fact that you have a 300-pound man who feels so threatened and uncomfortable that he leaves, that's an indication of how serious it was,' Lave said. From the criminal standpoint, former prosecutor David S. Weinstein said it's possible but not likely that Incognito could be charged with extortion if he made threats to force Martin to pay the $15,000 for the Vegas trip. Another option would be written threats to do bodily harm, based on Incognito's texts to Martin making threats about his mother. 'However, I don't really see the (state prosecutors) going after Incognito, but I could be wrong,' Weinstein said. Florida does have an anti-hazing law, but Jarvis said it applies only to educational institutions and not adult workplaces. | NFL special investigator, Ted .
Wells, plans to meet today with Martin, who is with his family in Los .
Angeles and is receiving counseling . |
133,707 | 38e5f7646930cea4cb2d269c7aab77627ae28390 | By . Pa Reporter . Blackburn have told Hull they have no intention of selling striker Jordan Rhodes after rejecting two offers from the Premier League club. The Tigers' initial bid, believed to be around £8million, for Scotland international Rhodes was instantly turned down on Thursday and their follow-up enquiry has also met a dead end. And Rovers released a statement on their official website on Saturday morning which read: 'We have recently received two official bids for the services of Jordan Rhodes from Hull City FC, both have been respectfully and categorically rejected. Transfer: Jordan Rhodes has been the subject of two separate bids from Premier League side Hull City . 'The owners of Blackburn Rovers wish to reassure fans that their intention is not to sell Jordan Rhodes as they, along with the manager and board of directors, feel that he is integral to our bid to gain promotion back to the Premier League.' The news will come as a blow to Tigers manager Steve Bruce, who said on Saturday morning that the two clubs remained in negotiations for the 24-year-old. 'I knew last night that there were conversations going on between the two clubs; that's as far as I know really so far,' Bruce told Sky Sports News. 'It's something that we're trying to progress, if that's possible. It's always difficult when you're talking about other people's players but there has been a bid lodged. 'I believe the first bid was refused but I do believe the two clubs are still talking.' FFP: Blackburn were worried they would have to sell Rhodes to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations . However, the subsequent statement from Rovers suggests Bruce will have to search elsewhere as he looks to replace Shane Long following his sale to Southampton. Blackburn paid a club-record fee of £8million to sign Rhodes from Huddersfield in 2012 and he only signed a new contract last month to takes his deal at Ewood Park up until the summer of 2019. Rovers fans feared the need to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations could see Rhodes jettisoned, though, with the east Lancashire club having posted pre-tax losses of £36.5m for the 2012-13 season. But Saturday's statement from the club stressed that Rhodes, who has scored 53 goals in 99 appearances, remains an integral part of Gary Bowyer's team. Tally: The Scotland international has scored 53 goals in 99 appearances for Championship side Blackburn . The statement continued: 'Despite the necessity to comply with and address the pending restrictions of FFP regulations, the owners feel it would be a detrimental step to lose our top goalscorer and such an icon of this football club. 'We made our intentions clear this summer when we rewarded Jordan with a new-and-improved contract and we stand by that. 'We want to give Gary Bowyer and the team the best possible opportunity to get back to the top flight and Jordan has been and remains a significant part of that aim. 'It is also important to acknowledge that Jordan has acted, unsurprisingly, in a totally professional manner during this period of speculation.' Rhodes is set to make his 100th appearance at Ewood Park later on Saturday when Rovers host Bournemouth. It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . | Blackburn say striker Jordan Rhodes is not for sale .
Hull City have two bids for him rejected .
Steve Bruce keen to replace Shane Long, who moved to Southampton .
Gary Bowyer sees Rhodes as key to winning promotion to Premier League . |
115,494 | 2109975786e0cdd9a658b6d7c8065c9ca65b94ca | By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 06:42 EST, 21 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:16 EST, 21 March 2013 . Outside court: Claire Moore booked an appointment for lip filler and three Botox jabs worth £490 . A 40-year-old wife visited a beauty salon for wrinkle-busting Botox injections in a bid to impress her husband - and then ran off without paying, a court heard. Claire Moore had booked an appointment for last October at the National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinic in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for lip filler and three Botox jabs worth a total of £490. But she asked the doctor to stop after just one dose of the wrinkle-curing treatment and dashed for the exit, Alex Dabson, prosecuting, told Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court. Moore told staff she had left her bank card in her car and would return with £180 for the treatment - but never did. She knew she had to pay ‘on the spot’ but ‘dishonestly made off’, the court heard. Mrs Dabson said: ‘She made an appointment for herself and a friend, went to the clinic, and gave her details using her maiden name. 'She was supposed to have three injections but only had the one. When it came to paying, she said she had to get her purse from the car. 'She left but came back saying she did not have her keys, and asked her friend - who was still waiting for treatment - to go. She simply ran out of the clinic and did not pay. 'In police interview, she admitted going to the clinic and having the injection. She said she intended to pay but then thought “Sod it!” and decided not to. ‘She said she gave her maiden name because she did not want her husband to find out she was having the treatment.’ Location: Moore had booked an appointment at the National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinic (left) in Portsmouth . Kate Rowe, defending, said: ‘When she . went to her car to get her card she was intending to pay. However, she . did not go back to pay. Obviously, she was under a duty to do so.’ 'She left but came back saying she did not have her keys, and asked her friend - who was still waiting for treatment - to go' Alex Dabson, prosecuting . Moore stood expressionless in the dock as she admitted one charge of making off without payment. She has previous convictions for theft and making a false statement to obtain benefit, dating back to 1993 and 2001 respectively. Magistrates gave her a one-year conditional discharge, and ordered her to pay £180 compensation, £85 court costs, and £15 into a fund for victims of crime. | Claire Moore had booked appointment at Portsmouth clinic last year .
She had asked for lip filler and three Botox jabs worth a total of £490 .
But she asked doctor to stop after one dose and fled without paying .
Claimed she was going to car and would return with £180 for one dose . |
208,715 | 9a408a116df4140407b6be21dd1c19c6d291afb1 | They are known as man's best friend and to John Stortz, his dog is also the ultimate travel companion. The illustrator loves nothing more than exploring the US with his trusty dog Wolf in tow and has spent years hiking in mountains, canyons and across deserts with his pet. The white husky dog even takes the starring role in Stortz's photos, often posing looking out across America's most spectacular landscapes. The artist adopted the dog - full name Wolfgang - from a shelter and has spent the past two years travelling with him around the US. The illustrator, who sells his photos and prints of his illustrations, defines himself as having 'steady hands, wandering feet'. He has photographed his four-legged companion in some of the most beautiful places in America, from Angeles National Forest to the ghost towns of Nevada. Stortz keeps track of his travels on his Instagram page, with his dog pictures earning him more than 38,000 followers, and even sells prints on his tumblr blog. John snapped his patient dog sat in the middle of the road in Death Valley National Park, near the border of California and Nevada . Wolf looks happy soaking up the rays among the snowcapped peaks of Angeles National Forest in California . Wolf looks back at the camera while sitting on the edge of Bryce Canyon in Utah, famed fro its spectacular red-coloured rock formations . Back in 2012, John and Wolf went exploring among the wsnowy peaks of Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park, Colorado . Wolf looks out of the dramatic landscape of the Anza-Borrego Desert, within the Colorado Desert of Southern California . Wolf appears to love nothing more than bounding over the reflective Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah . An overcast day doesn't seem to affect Wolf's enthusiasm as he explores Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming with John . Twin Lakes, in Colorado, seems to be the perfect spot for Wolf to take a dip while on his two-year trip with John . John captured Wolf looking eager to explore on a foggy morning in the Anza Borrego desert . The untouched snow and low sun create the perfect pictures for Wolf and John in Angeles National Forest . John adopted Wolfgang from a shelter and has spent the last two years touring the US with his trusty dog in tow . | John Stortz adopted his dog Wolfgang from an animal shelter and has spent two years travelling with him .
The pair have hiked across some of America's most spectacular landscapes .
White husky stars in the series of travel photos looking out over iconic scenes . |
192,799 | 8598bbb2dcc246aa459158d2f037fc937237a7e0 | Mauricio Pochettino was in Milton Keynes to witness Manchester United’s embarrassing defeat, which offered him a timely insight into the perils of games you are expected to win and a close-up look at Danny Welbeck. Tottenham are among several clubs interested in signing the England striker, who wants regular football away from Old Trafford. Pochettino, who clinched the signing of Federico Fazio for £8million from Sevilla on Thursday night, is also keen on Jay Rodriguez but the Southampton striker will not be fit until January and relations between the clubs were soured by a failed swoop for Morgan Schneiderlin. VIDEO Scroll down for Mauricio Pochettino dismisses rumours of Soldado leaving . Done deal: Tottenham have completed the signing of Sevilla defender Federico Fazio in an £8million deal . New boy: Fazio poses at Tottenham's training ground have signed a four-year deal with the club . However, the idea of Welbeck appeals to others at Tottenham, especially on loan. Spurs boss Pochettino confessed United’s 4-0 Capital One Cup defeat to MK Dons was a handy reminder ahead of tonight’s Europa League play-off clash against AEL Limassol, which Spurs lead 2-1 after the first leg. He said: ‘I was there, I watched the United game. It is a good example for us to be ready. We got a good result in Cyprus but we need to be focused.’ On the move? Pochettino is eyeing a loan move for Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck (above) Michael Dawson has been sold to Hull but the arrival of Argentine defender Fazio means Spurs are still loaded with centre-halves. They now have Fazio, Younes Kaboul, Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen and Vlad Chiriches, who is fit after a back problem and in tonight’s squad, plus young players like Zeki Fryers and Milos Veljkovic. ‘We need to give balance to the squad,’ said Pochettino, who is open to making more signings. ‘I don’t talk about names, never. I always say not to expect a lot of movement but it is possible that we add some players, yes.’ Shock: Pochettino was in the crowd to watch United lose 4-0 to minnows MK Dons . Spurs have to sell to create space for Pochettino to achieve the blend he desires, but are finding it hard to sell the ones they want, at the prices they want. Roberto Soldado, not in the squad to play AEL because of a bad back, is on AC Milan’s short-list, though the Italians appear to be making progress with a loan deal for Fernando Torres from Chelsea. Lewis Holtby has emerged as a possible departure, with Hamburg interested in the midfielder. Kaboul and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris are the main contenders to replace Dawson as club captain, though Pochettino will not make a decision until the transfer activity is over. Safe hands: Hugo Lloris is one of the main contenders to succeed Michael Dawson as Tottenham captain . Asked if he wanted to succeed Michael Dawson as captain, Hugo Lloris said: 'I don’t really need to wear the armband to feel like a leader for the team. I am very proud to the captain for the French national team. 'For Tottenham it is just the manager’s decision. I am not expecting something about that, I am just trying to do my job in the best way, and I try to help the team to have the best performance. 'And after, in the changing room, I know that I have my place, and I try to be an example for everyone, and especially for my young team-mates because in the squad there are a lot of young players.” VIDEO Top of the table no concern for Pochettino . | Mauricio Pochettino eyeing loan move for Danny Welbeck .
Pochettino has signed £8million defender Federico Fazio .
Tottenham boss was in Milton Keynes to watch MK Dons defeat Manchester United . |
36,110 | 6674db40ce1fd09b70afdd4d8ae977cf79108dbb | Saugus, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The image is still vivid after 65 years. Bob Attubato and his fellow sixth-grade classmates rushed to the window just in time to see a crippled twin-engine bomber trailing smoke and flames over their school. "Suddenly, we heard this unearthly sound coming over the school," Attubato recalled. "It just reverberated through the building." As the class stood there and watched, the plane's wing and engine broke off and it disappeared from view. A loud explosion followed. Attubato later learned that the pilot, Army Air Force Maj. Doak Weston stayed with the B-25 until it crashed on a nearby golf course, giving his five-man crew time to bail out and missing nearby homes. The event faded with time, but Attubato never forgot that day. He and others campaigned to honor the heroic pilot. One of these was Dave Paquin, whose father was one of the surviving crew members. Sgt. Frederic Paquin parachuted from the burning plane that day, landing in a tree. Dave Paquin said his father used to joke about that being the only tree he climbed down that he never climbed up. Paquin's father died 15 years ago, but he still feels a debt of gratitude to Weston. "My father owes his life to him," he said. Recently, the mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts -- where Weston's plane crashed on the golf course -- agreed to honor the pilot's heroism. "In Massachusetts, we have many great historic events and some for whatever reason just get passed by," Melrose Mayor Robert Dolan said. "I just couldn't imagine that this individual doesn't have some remembrance for what he has done." On September 24, 2010 -- 65 years to the day of the accident -- the city held a ceremony on the eighth tee at the Mt. Hood Golf Club in Melrose, overlooking the site of the crash. Aside from the occasional golf cart passing by, it is a quiet, peaceful spot. At the conclusion of the service, Dolan lifted a sheet off a small stone engraved with the names of Weston and the crew he saved. Helping him to unveil the monument was Michael Weston, who was only 3 when his father died. He was overwhelmed by the city's gratitude. "I'm just very impressed," he said. "It's just made me very happy." Weston traveled with his family from California to attend the service. Until coming to Melrose, he said, they never had a full appreciation of what Doak Weston had done or what his sacrifice meant to this community. Weston graciously accepted the thanks given to him by the veterans and residents who lined up after the service to shake his hand. He said he knows their gratefulness is really directed at his father. They want to honor the memory of a man who gave his life for others. Michael Weston has the same feelings towards the father he never really knew. "There are lots of people who follow that instinct to do the right thing for their fellow man," he said. "That's what he stood for to me." | Maj. Doak Weston piloted a B-25 as it went down north of Boston, Massachusetts .
He stayed with the plane until it crashed, avoiding buildings and allowing his crew to bail .
Witnesses and survivors rallied to have Weston's sacrifice honored .
A ceremony was held at the crash site, 65 years to the day after the crash . |
232,588 | b9270e0a61b9978f30af5d7c6e276511ce866c8e | ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Sharon Phillips is a regular at the Anchorage Jobs Center Midtown -- grateful for the resource but a bit frustrated she has to keep coming. About 900 people a week visit the Anchorage Jobs Center Midtown. Alaska's unemployment rate is 8.3 percent. "I am one of 70 or 80 people putting in for just about every position," Phillips told us during a visit this past week. "It's been difficult." Phillips has been looking for work for more than eight months now, often using the computerized job listings at the state-run jobs center. "I put in for probably 10, eight to 10 jobs a week. I've been interviewed for about four a week. And I'm still unemployed," she said. Brad Gillespie, the Anchorage, Alaska, regional manager for the job centers, says about 900 people a week visit the midtown facility. That's up 20 percent to 30 percent from the same time a year ago. "We're a seasonal economy up here, and we're getting into winter season," Gillespie said. "So tourism is down. Construction work, too. "And the Anchorage International Airport is an international hub for freight operations, and that's been impacted by the economy turning down." New numbers released Friday show that the state unemployment rate is 8.4 percent -- up from 6.7 percent a year ago. The job market is so tight that the state now posts a caution on its Division of Employment Security Web site suggesting people not move to Alaska unless they already have work lined up. "We have a fair amount of people who think that Alaska is the promised land, and they have misconceptions maybe about what is up here. And they load up the family and head out on the Alaska highway, and we want to encourage them not to do that until they have something lined up before they get here," Gillespie said. State economist Neal Fried says Alaska is often isolated from national economic trends because its economy is so different: manufacturing is for the most part limited to seafood processing, and the economy is built mostly around the energy sector and federal spending on the military and other government installations. But the numbers don't lie. "We are part of it like the rest of the country is," Fried said. "We are and appear to be more attached, to be more affected by this recession than we've ever been in prior recessions in this country." The pain is hardest in the rural, remote communities where energy and food costs are way above the national average because of transportation costs. A recent University of Alaska at Anchorage analysis said unemployment among native Alaskans was approaching 20 percent. Carol Wren, the director of employment and training at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council's community center, says this is the toughest stretch she has seen in her 10 years of work at the center. Among native Alaskans, she said education rates tend to be lower and poverty rates higher. "We have folks that may not have the credentials or the experience," she said. "As it is more competitive, they are less likely to get those positions. So it is making it more difficult to help folks find work." The center has benefited from some federal stimulus money to help families with training, child care and other costs. But Wren, while grateful for that assistance, still sees a tough stretch ahead. "I think we are just starting to feel it here," she says of the recession. Democratic Sen. Mark Begich believes stimulus money is helping to cushion the blow. "If you drive around town you will see some roads paved, some construction projects," said Begich, a former Anchorage mayor. He said the state received about $1.6 billion in stimulus funds, about a quarter of which he said is being spent on Alaska military installations. "A lot of that I think buffered us at the right time," Begich said. Republican Gov. Sean Parnell agrees stimulus money has helped the state, but he says he would prefer Washington take steps he says would bring longer-term improvements. Tax cuts aimed at job creation is one wish, a faster decision on proposals for new exploration leases on the outercontinental shelf is another. "Outercontinental shelf development is 35,000 new jobs," Parnell said. "I have some concerns about delays and that we have companies awaiting many federal permits, and we'd like to see them move forward." As for the stimulus money, Parnell said, "When they try to pump up the states for a year or two with, you know, new Medicaid funds, to then cut the states off two years later leaves every state trying to patch that, or fix that hole. "That's the problem with stimulus funds is that they¹re great when they come in but it's horrible when they¹re gone. So, it's a dependence that gets created that doesn't lead to any more freedom or prosperity in the long run." Looking ahead, Parnell is pushing new tourism marketing incentives to help buffer what, at this early point, looks like another tough tourism season next summer. And while he believes Alaska will not be as hard hit as many other states, Parnell voices the concerns of many here in saying that the fact that the recession arrived here late leads to worries it could linger too long. "Alaska tends to trail the rest of the United States when it comes to the economy. So when the rest of the economy is headed up, it takes Alaska some time behind it," he said. | Recession hurts tourism, construction work, freight operations in Alaska .
State's unemployment rate is 8.4 percent, up from 6.7 percent a year ago .
Alaska is often isolated from national trends because its economy is so different .
Governor worries that a recession that came late will linger longer . |
232,140 | b89b0460b405e8c0a07ff95bc0389ef78c9935f1 | Alexandria, Virginia (CNN) -- Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on 11 counts of corruption. Jefferson was also ordered to forfeit more than $470,000 after his conviction for using his office to solicit bribes. He will also have to pay $1,100 in special assessments. The case against the former nine-term Louisiana Democrat included allegations of influence-peddling and the discovery of $90,000 in cash in his freezer. Judge T.S. Ellis will determine at a hearing next Wednesday whether Jefferson will remain free pending appeal. Until then, he is free. "The court's sentence today reaffirms the principle that all people -- no matter what their title or position -- are equal before the law," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman in a statement. "In a stunning betrayal of the public's trust, former Congressman Jefferson repeatedly used his public office for private gain. The lengthy prison sentence imposed on Mr. Jefferson today is a stark reminder to all public officials that the consequences of accepting bribes can and will be severe." Jefferson's family was in the courtroom when District Judge T.S. Ellis handed down the sentence. He had faced up to 150 years in prison. "This sentence should be a clear signal that our society will not tolerate bribery," U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride said in a written statement. "It's not just another cost of doing business in government. "Mr. Jefferson's repeated attempts to sell his office caused significant damage to the public's trust in our elected leaders. This sentence will begin to repair that damage and to restore that trust. "Mr. Jefferson is well-known for the $90,000 found in his freezer. It is our hope that he will now be well-known for the tough sentence handed down today, showing that no one -- including our elected officials -- are above the law." Jefferson, of New Orleans, still faces the forfeiture of nearly $500,000 -- money a jury said is linked to criminal activity for which he has been convicted. On August 5, a jury found Jefferson guilty on four bribery counts, three counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud and one count of racketeering. He was acquitted on five other counts, including wire fraud and obstruction of justice. He had remained free prior to Friday's sentencing. Jefferson was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 4, 2007, about two years after federal agents said they found the money in his freezer. Authorities said the cash was part of a payment in marked bills from an FBI informant in a transaction captured on video. The trial was delayed while it was resolved whether an FBI search of Jefferson's congressional office was constitutional. Defense attorney Robert Trout had asked the judge for leniency, citing Jefferson's personal history of humble beginnings and long-standing public service. Prosecutors, in turn, filed a response saying Jefferson deserved no preferential treatment since he "still chose to cheat, steal and lie." "Congressman Jefferson has still not accepted responsibility for his own criminal conduct," prosecutors wrote. He "still rationalizes his own unethical, illegal and immoral conduct." CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report. | NEW: Jefferson remains free at least until Wednesday hearing .
Ex-Rep. William Jefferson gets 13 years in prison, 3 years' supervised release .
The former Louisiana Democratic congressman faced up to a 150-year sentence .
In August, Jefferson found guilty of bribery, money laundering, wire fraud, racketeering . |
233,252 | b9fa9238d314a569af717f4c2fb334884e7a71fc | General Motors has issued another recall - this time for vehicles that could possibly catch fire without their engines even running. This latest recall is for a group of SUVs to fix power window switches that can catch fire. GM has already issued dozens of recalls for defects this year alone to set a company record. The problem is so serious that GM is telling customers to park the SUVs outdoors until they are repaired because they could catch fire when left unattended, according to a recent court filing. Recalled: A trio of unsold 2006 Buick Rainier sports utility vehicles sits in front of a Buick dealership, the vehilces have been recalled for a third time to fix power window switches that can catch fire . The very same SUVs were originally part of recall a June 30 announcement that covered 7.6 million vehicles. It covers about . 189,000 vehicles in North America, mainly from the 2006 and 2007 model . years. Models affected include the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, . Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X. GM is advising people to leave them outside until parts are ready in October, at the earliest. The automaker also has ordered its dealers to stop selling the SUVs as used cars until they are fixed. The beleagured automaker is in the midst of the biggest safety crisis in its history, touched off by the delayed recall of 2.6 million older small cars to fix faulty ignition switches. It has issued a record 60 recalls this year covering nearly 29 million vehicles. Before this year, GM had been reluctant to issue recalls, at times opting for lower-cost fixes for safety problems. It's been fined $35 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for lapses in reporting the ignition switch problems, which it blames for at least 13 deaths. After the ignition switch debacle, GM did a companywide safety review, appointed a new global safety chief and pledged to recall cars quickly. The SUV problem first appeared early in 2012 when NHTSA began investigating consumer complaints of fires in the driver's-door switches that control power windows. Also prone to risk: The 2006 Chevy TrailBlazer SS sport utility vehicle could also spontaneously burst into flames . At first, GM tried to address the issue with a 'service campaign,' where it sent letters to owners telling them that water can find its way into the switches, causing rust that can result in short circuits, overheating and possibly fires. The campaign, which wasn't a recall, extended the warranty and offered service only to vehicles that exhibited the problems. It was limited to 20 states and Washington, D.C., where salt is used to clear roads in the winter. But in August of 2012, under government pressure, GM recalled 278,000 of the SUVs in the cold-weather states and offered extended warranties to the rest of the country. NHTSA kept investigating, and 10 months later, GM expanded the recall nationwide. By then, NHTSA and GM had received 242 complaints, including 28 about fires. There were no injuries. In one complaint filed with NHTSA from October of 2008, a woman reported that the alarm sounded while her 2006 TrailBlazer was parked in her driveway. When she looked outside, it was in flames. Firefighters put out the blaze and told her it started in the driver's door. 'The fire burned the entire driver's side of the vehicle, a portion of the front passenger seat and the roof,' she wrote. People filing complaints are not identified by the agency. The fix used by GM last year was to put a protective coating around the window switch circuit boards, which is less costly than replacing the switches. But starting this April, GM received complaints that the switches malfunctioned in SUVs that had been repaired. So in June, it decided to do the third recall and replace all of the switches. 'We are recalling them because the fix that we put in did not work,' spokesman Alan Adler said Thursday. 'We're taking care of it. We're doing the right thing.' Initially GM tried the service campaign because number of incidents was low, he said. It was limited to the cold-weather states because salty water made the switches corrode quickly and incidents were few in warmer states, Adler said. Letters notifying owners about the SUV recall should be mailed soon. Owners will get a second letter sometime from October to December telling them when parts are available to fix the vehicles. | The automaker has recalled Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X models made in 2006 and 2007 .
A faulty power window switch and road salt are blamed .
GM has issued a total of 60 recalls affecting almost 29million vehicles this year - a new record-high for the company . |
196,137 | 89d6d58025e5a08ebf4198a4524d4e8db963adc8 | Victoria's Secret is synonymous with sultry femininity, and if Carmen Carrera had her way, that would include transgendered women as well. Fans have petitioned for the transgender burlesque performer and model to join the ranks of Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen and Miranda Kerr as Victoria's Secret's newest Angel. The Change.org petition, which calls Carrera "a force to be reckoned with," says such a move by Victoria's Secret would "show the entire community that they embrace trans patrons." The petition has received more than 36,000 signatures, but Carrera told CNN en Español that she has yet to hear from the lingerie company. "Trans women are a part of the female population and I think that they deserve a respectful representation," Carrera said. "It would be pretty amazing for Victoria's Secret to be that huge corporation that embraces trans women. We shop there as well. I can only hope and dream, but I think it's time. And, I meet most of the requirements and have credibility as a model. They should do it." Victoria's Secret declined to comment. Before Carrera became "Carmen," she was Christopher Roman from New Jersey. She first garnered fame on Season Three of "RuPaul's Drag Race" on the LOGO network. She began her transition to a woman after the show wrapped, and has since been signed by Elite Model Management, appeared on "What Would You Do?" and in W magazine, and worked with famed photographer Steven Meisel on a film. For five seasons "RuPaul's Drag Race" has demystified drag queens and redefined a standard of beauty. "RuPaul's Drag Race" executive producer Tom Campbell told CNN, "The first face of MAC VIVA GLAM was RuPaul, (who) was a pioneer for drag performers. Now it's Carmen Carrera's chance to break the 'beauty barrier' for trans people." While the LGBT community has made some strides around the nation, Carrera said she still comes across many people who simply don't understand the transgender community. "For a long time trans people have always been a joke. Our reputation has always been the bottom of the barrel and it's not fair," she said. Carrera confessed that her transition to a woman was both a physical and emotional uphill battle. "I run into a lot of ignorance and stupidity," Carrera said. "It gets really frustrating, but you have to take yourself out of it and realize what's happening in the bigger picture. A lot of people are still uncomfortable with this idea, I don't know why. I think most of the country and the world haven't gotten to know trans people. If you don't know me, get to know me. I'm open, honest and genuine." "It's difficult for people (who) don't know trans men and women to wrap their head around the whole thing," Campbell said. "That's why it's so important that more trans people have a chance to tell their stories and, as is the case with Carmen, to give a face ... to the trans movement." Model and designer Isis King was the first trans woman to compete on "America's Next Top Model," and said that while the petitioners' hearts might be in the right place, the petition itself might not be the best approach. "I don't want any special treatment because I'm trans unless there's a particular role made for it. I want my legacy to be that I was hard-working and good at what I did," King said, "Should Victoria's Secret have a trans model? Sure, why not. But should they be pressured into hiring one? No, I don't think it's fair." King isn't offended that the lingerie company doesn't have a trans model. She knows firsthand how difficult it is for any woman to land a spot in the elite group of Victoria's Secret models. "If trans people are going to make any strides in society it shouldn't be forced, but if anyone can make it as a Victoria's Secret model it's Carmen. She's beautiful and just did a runway show with Marco Marco and was amazing," King said. While Carrera didn't join the Angels for the Victoria's Secret runway show in New York on November 13, she said she has the love and support from those that matter most: her family, friends and fans. "I have an education, stepdaughter and go to PTA meetings. I live my life as a woman does in this country," Carrera said, "That's what people need to know." If Carrera ever does become an Angel, Campbell said she would bring RuPaul's trademark charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to Victoria's Secret, and thinks she's on the right path. But, if he had to give any advice he would say, "To quote RuPaul: I have one thing to say. You better work!" Do you think Victoria's Secret should hire Carmen Carrera? Share your thoughts in the comments. | Fans are petitioning Carmen Carrera to be Victoria's Secret's first transgender Angel .
Carrera wants trans women to have "respectful representation"
Executive producer of "RuPaul's Drag Race:" It's Carmen Carrera's chance to break the "beauty barrier"
Victoria's Secret has no comment . |
118,242 | 24a9cd2d5b9c998a5b5fa81c1e191e0bc3676472 | (CNN) -- The father of Bradley Manning, the soldier responsible for the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, says he believes his son didn't do it. He doesn't see how he could have done it, Brian Manning told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 in an interview that aired Tuesday night. "Logistically, I can't understand -- because knowing computers as well as I do -- how you could get that much data out of a room with three other people in there, you know, sitting in close proximity, where everybody could see what everybody was doing," he said. "I can't understand how that could be done." His son, a former Army intelligence analyst, was convicted last month of stealing and sending a trove of classified data to the website WikiLeaks. What's next for Bradley Manning? He was acquitted of the most serious charge he faced, aiding the enemy, which could have put Manning in prison for life without the possibility of parole. Now, he faces a maximum possible sentence of 90 years. When he entered guilty pleas on the lesser charges this year, Manning spent more than an hour in court reading a statement about why he had leaked the information. He said that the information he distributed "upset" or "disturbed" him, but none of it, he thought, would harm the United States if it became public. "I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information ... it could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan," Manning said, according to a statement from his lawyer. Is the Snowden case Manning, Part Two? Asked about those comments, Brian Manning said that he thought his son was posturing. "Yeah, I think he was grandstanding," he told CNN, adding that if his son was, in fact, responsible for the leak, he had no excuse for his actions. "I mean, I can't fathom any reason to myself why he should be -- that I should forgive him for doing something like that because it's against my creed, or code of honor," he said. Brian Manning alluded to his time in the military, saying that he never spoke about what he did and wished his son had the same character. Authorities say the younger Manning delivered three-quarters of a million pages of classified documents and videos to the secret-sharing site WikiLeaks, which never confirmed the soldier was the source of its information. The material covered numerous aspects of U.S. military strategy in Iraq, gave what some called a ground view of events in the Afghanistan war and revealed the inner workings of U.S. State Department diplomacy in leaked cables. "It's my country as well, and leaking information that's going to damage my country, and the soldiers in our military, you know, that would be very upsetting," Brian Manning said. Opinion: Manning verdict's lesson in a digital age . CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Ashley Fantz and Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report. Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here. | Brian Manning says he believes his son is innocent .
The younger Manning was convicted in the largest leak in U.S. history .
"Logistically, I can't understand" how Bradley got data out, says Brian Manning . |
70,120 | c6cda14c52b4a9faa84a50b6d514d26adc7085cc | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 11:32 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:25 EST, 29 January 2013 . Anthony Gerrard wanted his huge stash of adult pornography returned . A porn addict found with paedophile images in a massive collection seized by officers in a raid took police to court - in a failed bid to get it all back. Disabled Anthony Gerrard, 59, downloaded so much adult material it would have taken more than a month of non-stop viewing to watch it all. He also had tens of thousands of photographs - including 11 indecent ones of eight girls and three boys. Police arrested him three times on suspicion of possessing indecent child photos and seized six PCs and laptops from his home in Knowle, Bristol. But he escaped prosecution when experts revealed the child images had probably been 'unwittingly' downloaded as the adult porn was automatically sent to his computers. They said they were found on parts of the computers that four-times married Mr Gerrard could not have accessed without specialist tools or techniques. Police returned two of the computers - but retained those containing the child pornography. They took Mr Gerrard to court for the forfeiture and destruction of the hard drives they had kept which had a massive 888GB of adult movies and 2.5GB of adult photos. A district judge found in the police's favour last July, saying they could not return hard drives containing child porn because they would be distributing illegal material. Mr Gerrard appealed, claiming they could delete or transfer the child images and return his huge stash of adult pornography. The . former lorry driver claimed: 'I'm not interested in child porn. I don't . think it's fair they are keeping my computers when I haven't done . anything illegal. The father downloaded so much adult material it would have taken more than a month of non-stop viewing to watch it all . 'I paid £40 for a month's subscription to a website and I was downloading films from it day and night. I wanted to get my money's worth. 'They cost me a couple of thousand pounds in total. Every time the police took two computers away, I would buy another two.' Mr Gerrard, who is estranged from his son, added: 'The good thing about having a computer is you can switch it off when you've finished - you can't switch off a wife.' But his appeal was rejected by Judge Julian Lambert, sitting with magistrates Simon Brookes and Chris Barke, who said the police were entitled to keep the computers. They said there was no foolproof way of deleting the offending material from the computers before returning them. And the law states that if it is not 'practicable' to do that the item should be forfeited to the police. Digital evidence recovery officer Scott Eggins told the court: 'Deletion in a computer sense is a very complicated matter. 'There is no such thing as a permanent deletion on computers unfortunately - or fortunately. 'There is no way of permanently deleting it, short of putting it through a shredder.' 'I don't talk to kids or touch them - I only get out once a fortnight' PC Ben Jefferies, who arrested Mr Gerrard, said: 'The vast proportion of images that were recovered from Mr Gerrard's PC were adult in nature. The pornography that he had searched for was all adult. 'The 11 (child pornography) images had been downloaded unwittingly, probably.' The police also said that because of the sheer volume of legal porn possessed by Mr. Gerrard it would take days to transfer it to an external hard drive. That would cost up to £100 per new drive, plus police time, and Mr Gerrard had refused to pay for that. Judge Lambert said: 'We see no way, on the evidence in front of us, that the hard drives could be returned to the appellant with the images deleted so that they cannot be recovered.' Mr. Gerrard, who said he only had £100 in savings, was ordered to pay £1,533 costs. After the case he said: 'If they had just been able to delete the images and give me my computers back it would've saved a lot of court time and money. 'I'm gutted, but I've had my day in court and I thought the judge was very fair.' He said he was paralysed after breaking his neck in an accident at home but has now recovered enough to walk with a stick. Porn addict Anthony Gerrard yesterday denied any suggestion he was a paedophile and insisted: 'I hate that stuff. 'I don't download that kind of thing and I don't go to those vile sites - I want them closed down. Those children need protection. 'I don't talk to kids or touch them - I only get out once a fortnight.' | Anthony Gerrard escaped prosecution as the child images had probably been 'unwittingly' downloaded .
Former lorry driver had huge collection of adult pornography that was automatically sent to his computers .
Says computer is better than a wife as you can 'turn it off' |
165,824 | 6272a47bd7bd87b8d1fdafdc0035c2de2cb28eb7 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . It was a tough lesson for this learner driver. While first time motorists are expected to stall or hit the sidewalk, this novice managed to completely flip their car on Calvary St in Waltham, Massachusetts. Waltham Police tweeted a photo of the unfortunate Friday afternoon accident with the caption, 'First driving lesson didn't go well.' That's gotta hurt: Waltham Police tweeted this photo of a learner driver who overturned their car during their first driving lesson on Calvary St in Waltham, Massachusetts on Friday afternoon . Understatement: Waltham Police shared a picture of the overturned car on their Twitter feed . Motorist Rebecca Roeder was driving behind the learner and watched the car roll over. 'I saw this live. That's my white car behind it. They drove into a tree, and the wheels rolled up the tree causing the flip,' she tweeted on Friday. Fortunately the driver and their passenger sustained only 'very minor' injuries, according to cops. Witness: Motorist Rebecca Roeder tweeted that she was driving behind the learner motorist when the car flipped after hitting a tree . | A teen learner driver crashed into a tree and flipped the car in Waltham, Massachusetts on Friday .
The unidentified driver and passenger escaped with minor injuries . |
265,037 | e348d572c29098624c4beca6271c52e790041051 | A judge has ruled that a Long Island woman who broke up with her boyfriend can keep the $10,000 ring he gave her because he never proposed to her. The judge said Debbie Lopez of Valley Stream, New York, wasn't bound by a law requiring women to return engagement rings because it was 'given as a gift and not in contemplation of marriage.' Joseph Robert Torres, of Yonkers claims he proposed to the mother of his six-year-old son in 2010 at the Rockefeller Center and their son handed her the ring. A judge has ruled a woman can keep the $10,000 ring he gave her because he never proposed to her (file) But Ms Lopez, 48, told the New York Post: 'When he gave it to me, he said it was a gift for being a great woman, a good mother of his child.' The attorney for Joseph Robert Torres, of Yonkers, said in court papers that her client was 'stunned' by the ruling. Joseph Robert Torres, of Yonkers claims he proposed to the mother of his six-year-old son in 2010 at the Rockefeller Center and their son handed her the ring . Rules regarding the ownership of rings can vary state to state. In certain states, determining who gets the ring rests on who called off the wedding. Most courts have found that giving an engagement ring on a birthday or a holiday, just makes the ring a simple gift. Some states say engagement rings are conditional gifts that must be returned to the gift giver if the condition does not take place. Courts in some states say a gift, once given, cannot be taken back. There can be an exception in the case of family heirlooms - a ring may be returned to the husband's family if they are family in this case. Traditionally outside the court of law many people hold that if a woman returns the ring if she cancels the wedding, but keeps it if her fiancé makes the break. She said Torres asked Lopez to marry him and she said 'absolutel . Lopez wore it on her left ring finger and even told friends 'Maybe, I don't know yet,' when asked if she was engaged, according to court records. There is no uniform law in the United States regarding engagement rings. Alton Abramowitz, a New York-based attorney and president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers told CNN that laws vary by state, but many consider the ring a 'conditional gift' until the couple actually get married. In certain states, determining who gets the ring rests on who called off the wedding and some states treat an engagement ring given on a holiday differently than one given on a non-holiday. In 2013 NFL star Mario Williams, defensive end for the Buffalo Bills sued his ex-fiancee Erin Marzouki is to get back a $785,000 10-carat diamond engagement ring. Eventually the suit was settled and Williams apologized for suing her, while she apologized that text messages from him were released to the media - it is not clear who ended up with the ring. In 2013 NFL star Mario Williams, defensive end for the Buffalo Bills sued his ex-fiancee Erin Marzouki (both pictured) is to get back a $785,000 10-carat diamond engagement ring . | Debbie Lopez was allowed to keep ring following October 20 ruling .
Joseph Robert Torres claims he proposed to the mother of six-year-old son .
But Ms Lopez, 48 said 'it was a gift for being a great woman' |
77,744 | dc6814a91b67270bb978e9491002d40014618c5c | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 17:33 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:00 EST, 10 April 2013 . Respect: The Falkland Islands flag flies at half mast in front of the Visitor Centre after the death of Baroness Thatcher, in Port Stanley on Monday . David Cameron is open to the idea of renaming the capital of the Falklands in honour of Margaret Thatcher, as long as the idea is backed by islanders, Downing Street said yesterday. The Mail revealed yesterday that senior MPs are suggesting that Port Stanley, also known simply as Stanley, should be renamed Port Margaret in honour of the woman who liberated it in 1982. They include ministerial aides in the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence, and Cabinet ministers are understood to be sympathetic to the idea, if it wins the support of the Falklands government. Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger and former education minister Tim Loughton were among those backing the campaign yesterday, with the latter saying: ‘Count me in.’ There were initial discussions in Number Ten yesterday on ways to commemorate Baroness Thatcher, including renaming the Falklands capital. ‘The Prime Minister thinks it’s a good idea to think of how in due course Lady Thatcher could be commemorated,’ a spokesman said. ‘With regard to Port Stanley, it would be a matter for the Falkand Islands.’ Another Downing Street source said the Prime Minister was open to the proposal but stressed that he believed the views of the islanders had to be ‘paramount’. Stanley is currently named after Edward Smith-Stanley, who was the British prime minister three times in the mid-19th century, but never actually set foot in the Falklands. Appreciation: A group of former British paratroopers who fought in the Falklands War salute as they leave a wreath for Lady Thatcher by a street sign in Port Stanley in her name after hearing of her death on Monday . Renaming it after Lady Thatcher would . infuriate Argentina’s erratic president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, . who has been upping her rhetoric over sovereignty of the islands around . the 30th anniversary of the conflict. But bookmakers offered odds of 5/1 that islanders would agree to bestowing the honour on the woman who many still hero-worship. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said he would also like a statue of Lady Thatcher erected in the capital - though some MPs fear it could become the target for Left-wing protests. Mr Johnson insisted that the former prime minister deserved a ‘prominent’ central London memorial, and refused to rule out using an empty plinth in Trafalgar Square to honour Britain’s only female Prime Minister. Guided tour: Former prime minister Lady Thatcher (centre) looks around the Falkland Islands in January 1983 . The fourth plinth has never been permanently filled, but since 1998 it has been used to show a series of artworks. 'The Prime Minister thinks it’s a good idea to think of how in due course Lady Thatcher could be commemorated' Downing Street spokesman . Defence . Secretary Philip Hammond said: ‘I think it would be very appropriate to . have a memorial to Margaret Thatcher somewhere in London. 'I . haven’t personally given any thought yet to where that should be, but . certainly the fourth plinth could be one of the options. ‘Let’s look at that in slower time, I think these things are better thought about in slightly slower time after the event.’ Support: Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured on Monday) is open to the idea of renaming the capital of the Falklands in honour of Margaret Thatcher, as long as the idea is backed by islanders, Downing Street said . Commander John Muxworthy, a Lt Commander . on the SS Canberra during the Falklands conflict, said: ‘Let’s have a . full scale statue next to Nelson to recognise that she was at the heart . of the nation. 'I think it would be very appropriate to have a memorial to Margaret Thatcher somewhere in London' Defence Secretary Philip Hammond . 'It wasn’t just the navy that she was a champion of; she was there for all the services. She was a great Briton, let’s put her at the centre.’ Falklands veteran Simon Weston agreed: ‘I think we should celebrate all that she brought back to this country. I think it would be terribly fitting if we could remember her in a similar way to Winston Churchill.’ But he warned a statue could become the focus of protest: ‘I think that you have to be careful of the reaction of the foolhardy, the misled and the misguided who have been popping champagne corks and dancing on her photo.' | Senior MPs are suggesting Port Stanley should be renamed Port Margaret .
Change of name would be in honour of the woman who liberated it in 1982 .
Ian Liddell-Grainger and former minister Tim Loughton backing campaign . |
32,901 | 5d77ebb448db7224cef38bfb8a2e5a20100c44cc | The musical climax of the evening was provided by Sir Paul McCartney, the most successful songwriter in British history, who had the crowd singing and swaying. Smiling widely as he sat playing the piano, the British singer performed two songs: The End and Hey Jude. Towards the end of the performance he stood up and clapped his hands in the air, encouraging the audience to sing-along. He asked the men to join in - and then asked the women to get involved, before the whole stadium sang together. Click here to watch highlights from the opening ceremony . Crowd pleaser: The crowd inside the Olympic stadium were swaying and singing tonight as Sir Paul McCartney closed the Opening Ceremony . Atmosphere: The British singer asked the men to join in - and then asked the women to get involved, before the whole stadium sang together . He was watched by his daughter Stella McCartney who has played a key part in designing Team GB's costumes. Broadcast to a television audience estimated at one billion, Universal Music said an album of the ceremony soundtrack would be on sale 'within moments' of the ceremony ending. Singer-songwriter Billy Bragg tweeted: 'Impressive though (the opening ceremony) in Beijing was, they didn’t have any great pop music to play, did they?” The ceremony began gently, with Edward Elgar, the hymn Jerusalem and Danny Boy - but soon started to rock. Olympic ceremonies often play it safe. But Boyle, who brought in the electronic duo Underworld as musical . directors, gave his show a cheeky edge. The Sex Pistols, once the outrageous face of punk, were included with their song Pretty Vacant. Dancing shoes: The Arctic Monkeys played one of their early hits I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor . The group performed The Beatles song Come Together as bikers with wings cycled around the stadium . As the band performed fireworks shot up around the stadium . Spectacular: The English indie rock band who became a group in 2002 performed towards the end of the evening . Boyle even slipped in a few bars of . the Pistols’ snarling God Save the Queen (“the fascist regime”) early . on - although he respectfully did it before Queen Elizabeth II . had entered the stadium. In parts, it was like a Union Jack . jukebox - a medley of tracks from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, . David Bowie and Queen, the Specials and the Jam, the Stone Roses and . Eurythmics, and what seemed like dozens more. The list spanned generations, from . The Who’s My Generation right up to live performances from two of the . hottest homegrown acts of the moment. A dramatic section featuring 75 bikes . representing the traditional doves which were released at Games from . ancient times to signal peace, was accompanied by the music of the . Arctic Monkeys, including their No. 1 hit I Bet You Look Good On The . Dancefloor . Stand out: Bright neon colours on the dancers' costumes made an effective scene . Dancing feet: A montage of songs were played as brightly-coloured dancers took to the stage . As . they played to thousands of people in the stadium and millions around . the world, fireworks surrounding the East London arena lit up the sky. In a reflection of British humour and the East End there was a version of I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles. UK Grime MC Dizzee Rascal took to the stage singing his hit song Bonkers - he is a local boy brought up in the East End. He said: 'It is exciting to be part of . the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. It is a good time for . the UK and I am glad they asked me to perform one of my greatest tracks . to represent the country. 'Huge respect to all the athletes who are taking part and let's get the party started.' Emeli . Sande who sang the hymn Abide With Me said: 'I am extremely proud and . humbled to be part of the amazing ceremony which will allow the world to . see some of the best up-and-coming and established talent the UK has . produced.' It was written by Henry Fancis Lyte in 1847 and he died three weeks after completing it. The hymn has been sung at every FA Cup final since 1927. It is also a regular tune heard at Rugby League internationals. Singing to millions: Emeli Sande sang the hymn Abide With Me - it was written by Henry Fancis Lyte in 1847 . National treasure: UK Grime MC Dizzee Rascal took to the stage singing 'Bonkers' The musical melange continued during . the athletes parade, with members of the 204 national teams circling the . track to everything from West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys and . Rolling in the Deep by Adele. The British squad entered to a roar . of applause - and Bowie’s anthem-like Heroes, while Pink Floyd played . during the fireworks display. A thousand drummers beat out their . rhythm across the stadium and 80 musicians, aged from seven to 17, . captivated the crowd as they joined the London Symphony Orchestra for a . performance of Nimrod by Edward Elgar. A young male chorister moved the audience to tears last night with a stunning solo during his choir’s rendition of Jerusalem. Despite a global audience of four . billion, he kept his composure as he led the Dockhead Choir, from . Southwark, South East London. Dressed in yellow striped tops, the . choir sang a note-perfect version of the song, often associated with . patriotism and based on the short poem by William Blake. Looking bored: The London Symphony Orchestra played Chariots of Fire as Mr Bean - actor Rowan Atkinson - took to a keyboard . The Bean way: Half-way through the performance Mr Bean took out his phone and then proceeded to sneeze, while playing one . key repetitively . Musician Frank Turner took to the . stage with a band before the opening ceremony. The English singer folk . singer played 'I Still Believe' as actors dressed in period clothing . walked out on to the green scene. He had previously practiced twice at the venue this week before he made his Olympic debut to the crowd. Another act during the night was funnyman Mr Bean. The London Symphony Orchestra took . centre stage playing Chariots of Fire as Mr Bean - British actor Rowan . Atkinson - took to a keyboard. The performance cut to a video of Mr Bean running down the beach made famous in the opening scene of the 1981 film. British ceremony: God Saave The Queen was sang by the Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children . Singing out: The pyjama-clad choir ranged from young children to teenagers . Past bedtime: Artists perform on beds during the Opening Ceremony . Oscar winner Boyle, the man . responsible for the the remarkable transformation of the stadium where . the athletics will take place, said: 'Tonight's a warm-up act for the . Games. 'That's one of the things you have to keep remembering. 'You . big it up for different reasons, and you hear it bigged up or slammed . or whatever it is and you've got to keep remembering we're the warm-up . act.' First act: Folk musician Frank Turner performs under a hill with a tree during the pre-show of the opening ceremony . PART ONE . Captain Algernon Drummond, William Johnson Cory - Eton Boating Song . Elgar, AC Benson - Land of Hope and Glory . The Jam - Going Underground . Muse - Map of the Problematique . Big Ben Chimes . Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen . The Clash - London Calling . Simon May - EastEnders Theme . The Shipping Forecast . Sir Hubert Parry, William Blake - Jerusalem . Elgar - Nimrod . Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba . Eric Coates - Dambusters March . Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks . Monty Norman - James Bond Theme . Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells . Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo . Vangelis - Chariots of Fire . BBC News 1954 . Arthur Wood - The Archers Theme . Winifred Atwell - Black and White Rag . PART TWO . Sugababes - Push the Button . OMD - Enola Gay . David Rose - The Stripper . Lionel Bart - Food Glorious Food . Irwin Kostal, Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman - Bedknobs and Broomsticks . Rizzle Kicks - When I Was a Youngster . Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight . Colin Tully - Gregorys Girl Theme . William Pitt - City Lights . The Who - My Generation . The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction . Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop . The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night . The Beatles - She Loves You . Mud - Tiger Feet . Led Zeppelin - Trampled Under Foot . The Specials - A Message to You Rudy . David Bowie - Starman . Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody . Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant . Duran Duran - The Reflex . New Order - Blue Monday . PART 3 . Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax . Soul II Soul - Back To Life . Happy Mondays - Step On . Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony . Prodigy - Firestarter . Underworld - Born Slippy . Jaan Kenbrovin, John William Kellette - Im Forever Blowing Bubbles . Blur - Song 2 . Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers . Tigerstyle - Nacnha Onda Nei (contains Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure and Ilaiyaraaja - Naanthaan Ungappanda) Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor . Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse - Valerie . Prodigy - Firestarter . Radiohead - Creep . Muse - Uprising . Kano & Mikey J - Random Antic . Tinie Tempah - Pass Out . MIA - Paper Planes . Coldplay - Viva La Vida . The Chemical Brothers - Galvan . PART 4 . Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out . Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot . Roll Deep - Shake a Leg . Adele - Rolling in the Deep . Oasis - The Hindu Times . Oasis - Wonderwall . Emeli Sande - Heaven . William Monk/Henry Francis - Abide With Me . Pink Floyd - Eclipse . The Beatles - The End . The Beatles - Hey Jude . David Bowie - Heroes . Eric Spear - Coronation Street Theme . Ron Grainer - Doctor Who Theme . John Philip Sousa - Monty Python Theme/The Liberty Bell . David Bowie - Absolute Beginners . VIDEO: Reaction to the show after the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony! | The Arctic Monkeys played one of their early hits I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor .
UK Grime MC Dizzee Rascal took to the stage singing his hit song Bonkers .
Brit musician Emeli Sande sang the 1847 hymn Abide With Me .
Other artists played during the show included Muse, The Beatles, Sugababes, The Rolling Stones, Prodigy and The Sex Pistols .
Singer-songwriter Billy Bragg tweeted: 'Impressive though (the opening ceremony) in Beijing was, they didn’t have any great pop music to play, did they?'
Universal Music: Album of the ceremony soundtrack would be on sale 'within moments' of the ceremony ending .
1,000 drummers beat out their rhythm across the stadium and 80 musicians, aged from seven to 17, captivated the crowd as they joined the London Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Nimrod by Edward Elgar .
Director Danny Boyle tweets 'Proud to be British' |
106,384 | 1534604cdcb6a45455771ec52eb5832d202cb016 | A woman who has been charged with rape after allegedly performing oral sex on a minor has stepped down from her position on a local school board. Molly Shattuck has resigned from her job on the board of the Baltimore School for the Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. Disgraced Shattuck was indicted on Monday on two counts of third-degree rape, four counts of unlawful sexual contact and three counts of providing alcohol to minors. Scroll down for video . Going down: Molly Shattuck (above), 47, has been charged with rape after allegedly performing oral sex on a minor . No job: Now, Shattuck is stepping down from her position on the board of the Baltimore School for the Arts (above) She was released on $84,000 bond after an arraignment on Wednesday at Sussex County Superior Court in Georgetown, Delaware. A spokeswoman for Baltimore City Public Schools told Fox News that Shattuck resigned from the board on Wednesday . The ill-feted relationship had begun at the end of May when Shattuck - the estranged wife of billionaire businessman Mayo Shattuck III - commented on a photo of the teen on Instagram. The victim replied with a private message of thanks, but Shattuck's son then forwarded his mother's cell phone number, saying, ‘You should text my Mom, she is obsessed with you,’ according to court records. The pair first met a month later while the teen was visiting a friend in her neighborhood, reports DelawareOnline. The inappropriate sexual relationship between Molly Shattuck, a former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader, and the 15-year-old boy reportedly happened in August 2013. Above Shattuck is pictured with her estranged husband Mayo and their three children . The meeting ended with a hug but no other physical contact between the 47-year-old mom and 15-year-old boy, court records said. Things soon moved up a gear as the pair started to meet for regular private trysts in Shattuck’s Cadillac Escalade. Court records show that a meeting at an AMC movie theater followed by another in a school parking lot. During July, Shattuck picked the teenager up from summer school ‘five or six times’ at lunchtime and they would ‘talk and eat and then get in the back of the car and kiss or make out,’ police said. It was during one of these incidents that Shattuck allegedly touched the teenager's penis. ‘Between their encounters, Shattuck asked for pictures via text message’ and he would send pictures of himself shirtless and one in his underwear, the victim told police. For Labor Day weekend Shattuck rented this beach house in Bethany Beach where she is alleged to have plied her 15-year-old victim with beer before performing oral sex on him at least twice . A holiday to remember? Shattuck tweeted about her trip to Bethany Beach over the Labor Day weekend . For Labor Day weekend Shattuck took her children and some of their friends - including the victim - to stay at a rented beach house in Bethany Beach. 'Sometime around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, they drove to a liquor store and (Molly) Shattuck purchased a 12-pack of Miller Lite and a 12-pack of Bud Light for them,' state the court documents. Once back at the house, Shattuck is alleged to have performed oral sex on the boy at least twice - first outside the home while walking the dog and then again in her bedroom. The documents state '(the boy) described the undergarments (Molly) Shattuck was wearing when he entered her bedroom.' Shattuck is alleged to told the boy 'if he wanted to have sex she would. The boy opted out. He decided to leave. At that point, she told him to come back later but he did not go back.' The next day the boy's father collected him. Shattuck was released on $84,000 bond after an arraignment on Wednesday at Sussex County Superior Court in Georgetown, Delaware . Molly Shattuck is separated from billionaire business executive Mayo Shattuck III, 60, the current chairman of energy provider Exelon . Shattuck is also alleged to have sent the teen pictures through Instagram of him taken at the beach over the Labor Day weekend. On September 26, the boy's family reported Shattuck to the police who executed a search warrant at her $2.5 million home on October 1. The search warrant led investigators to seize her cell phone and her computer. Detectives also specifically sought a pink lace bra and panties that the victim described her as wearing in the bedroom of her beach house. The grand jury indictment against Shattuck reveals that the two counts of rape in the third degree are for 'putting her mouth on his penis.' There four counts of unlawful sexual contact in the second degree are 'touching his penis,' causing or allowing the teen to 'touch her breasts with his mouth,' causing or allowing the teen to 'touch her vagina with his hand,' and for causing or allowing the teen to 'touch her vagina with his penis.' The three counts of providing alcohol to minors are for providing alcohol to three different minors. Shattuck is also a fitness consultant and advocate and published a book in February called Vibrant Living . Shattuck is separated from Mayo Shattuck III, 60, the billionaire former CEO of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Nuclear Group and the current chairman of Chicago-based Exelon Corp., also an energy provider. The couple have three children - Spencer, 15, Lillian, 11, and Wyatt, 8. 'This is a difficult situation for everyone involved,' her lawyers told DelawareOnline. In 2005, Baltimore native Shattuck became the oldest NFL cheerleader in history up to that time when the Ravens selected her for the squad on her first tryout. She cheered for two years and was a part-time coach for six more years. Police executed a search warrant at Molly Shattuck's $2.5 million five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom Maryland home on October 1 . Shattuck is also a fitness consultant and advocate, who published a book in February called Vibrant Living. According to her website, which is currently in 'maintenance mode', she has implemented a 21-day plan for health and improved living with people, companies and groups across the U.S. for the past several years. A cached version of her biography on the site says she is an ambassador for the American Diabetes Association and works with the American Heart Association and United Way of Central Maryland's Access to Healthy Food Initiative. She's a trustee of the United Way of Central Maryland, and a member of boards for the Baltimore School for the Arts, the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the National Children's Museum. In 2008, Shattuck appeared on an episode of the ABC-TV reality show Secret Millionaire and gave away $190,000 to people helping the poor. Shattuck was released on $84,000 bond after an arraignment on Wednesday in Sussex County Superior Court in Georgetown, Delaware . According to online Maryland court records, Molly and Mayo Shattuck filed for divorce September 29 in Baltimore County. The Baltimore Sun reported in March that the couple had separated, although Molly Shattuck demurred to the newspaper about when the breakup occurred, saying, 'It's been awhile.' | Mother-of-three Molly Shattuck was arrested and charged in connection with a sexual relationship involving a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday .
The 47-year-old and 15-year-old would meet for make out sessions in her Cadillac Escalade .
She allegedly performed oral sex on him at least twice over the Labor Day weekend, after first plying him with beer .
The boy opted out of her offer to have sexual intercourse and called his dad to collect him the next day .
She has been indicted on two counts of third-degree rape, four counts of unlawful sexual contact and three counts of providing alcohol to minors .
Now, Shattuck has also resigned from her position on the school board of the Baltimore School for the Arts . |
228,047 | b346aca497cb8cbbc2f4ed8b328b11f846e1d02f | (Entertainment Weekly) -- After all the anticipation and hubbub, the weekend is coming to an end and the box office results are here: "Watchmen" (No. 1) grossed $55.7 million during its first frame, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers. "Watchmen" led the weekend box office, grossing $55.7 million during its first weekend. That's a solid sum, to be sure, although it's certainly on the low end of most projections. "Watchmen" premiered in more theaters (3,611) than any other R-rated movie in history, and it averaged an impressive $15,413 per venue, despite a potentially problematic long running time. It also scored the biggest debut of 2009 so far. Nonetheless, the movie's $55.7 million take (including $5.5 million from 124 IMAX screens) is substantially smaller than the $70.9 million that 300, the last R-rated graphic-novel movie from director Zack Snyder, earned on its opening weekend two years ago. And aside from that theater-count statistic (which almost any film could break at any time, really), there will be no major records to report on this weekend (for example, "Watchmen's" debut was just the fifth-best opening ever for an R-rated movie). I'd argue, in fact, that this opening is a bit soft, considering the great expectations that came with Snyder's adaptation of Alan Moore's landmark comic book -- not to mention "Watchmen's" hefty grosses from screenings at midnight on Friday and throughout its first day. After attracting some major initial interest, banking $25.1 million on Friday, the film's audience dropped off dramatically during the weekend: It grossed $19 million on Saturday and is expected to bring in just $11.5 million on Sunday. These are all big numbers, don't get me wrong, but, when combined with the fact that the film got a lukewarm CinemaScore grade of B from an audience that was largely comprised of older men, it all points to a rapid downward trend that may be difficult to reverse in the weeks to come. Elsewhere -- yes, there were other movies playing at the multiplex this weekend! -- a number of films continued to do what "Watchmen" must now aspire to, perhaps in vain: They stayed strong deep into their long runs. Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" (No. 2) grossed $8.8 million on its third weekend; the film, Perry's biggest yet at the box office, has banked $76.5 million to date. "Taken" (No. 3) also moved along like the unstoppable force it has been for more than a month now, earning $7.5 million and bringing its six-week sum to $118 million. Best Picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire" (No. 4) was next with $6.9 million, which boosted its domestic haul to $125.4 million. And "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" (No. 5) took its eight-week total to $133.6 million thanks to another $4.2 million gross. iReport.com: What did you think of 'Watchmen'? Meanwhile, "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" (No. 9) completely fell off the map, dropping a staggering 78 percent to gross just $2.8 million. According to Box Office Mojo, that's the 15th biggest second-weekend decline of all time. Overall, the cumulative box office was up nearly 8 percent over the same frame a year ago, when 10,000 B.C. opened big, making this the fifth consecutive "up" weekend at the multiplex. So, all in all, I'd say today's was a good report, indeed. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | "Watchmen" premiered in more theaters than any other R-rated movie in history .
Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" (No. 2) grossed another $8.8 million .
Best Picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire" took the No. 4 slot with $6.9 million . |
80,966 | e57936b699d7593dbb1c823e4ed7a3c2bc93f6e9 | Younis Tsouli, a convicted extremist dubbed Terrorist007. The Old Bailey heard today that he sent a letter from jail calling for jihad . A convicted extremist dubbed Terrorist007 sent a letter to his father from a maximum security jail calling for jihad, a court heard today. Younis Tsouli, 31, sent the letter and was also caught with a copy of al-Qaeda magazine 'Inspire' in his cell, just two months before he was due to be released from prison, the Old Bailey has heard. The letter, which was written in Arabic and sent to his Moroccan homeland, was intercepted when he was an inmate at Long Lartin jail before he was moved to HMP Woodhill. In the letter, Tsouli states: ‘This is a letter of advice to those members of my family who will learn their lesson.’ The letter also includes rants about Islam for several paragraphs and adds: ‘Allah gives quick rewards for those who go out for jihad. He goes on to explain that the soldiers of Islam will be ‘granted victory or paradise' and adds, ‘there is no better action than jihad. Prepare for war, since its flames are rising.' He also adds that those who go to fight in Syria are not fanatics and should be praised and that the people of Syria had been ‘showered with rockets.’ ‘For two years the world has been playing while the children of Syria have their body parts cut in the street,’ he rants. Meanwhile when he was asked about the al-Qaeda magazine found in his cell in HMP Woodhill, Tsouli said: ‘Its part of my legal papers. I’ve had it for ages.’ Prison officers also recovered several screwed up pieces of paper which were internet printouts showing pictures of ‘extreme Islamic nature,’ the court was told. Tsouli simply shrugged his shoulders when asked about the papers and said ‘Do what you with it.’ When he was interviewed, Tsouli refused to comment. He told detectives: ‘I should be the one asking questions, not being asked questions.’ The copy of Inspire was an exhibit in a previous terror trial, changing hands between convicted extremists Mohammed Chowdury and Omar Latif before somehow reaching Tsouli. The magazine name-checked Tsouli himself, using a variation of his nickname, ‘Brother Irhabi 007’, in an article listing ‘Muslim prisoners’. Tsouli admitted he had been given the copy of ‘Inspire’ magazine in ‘secret’ when he was at Long Lartin and it had been transferred with him when he was moved to Woodhill. But he refused to say who had passed it to him. Tsouli wrote the letter to his father calling for jihad while he was a prisoner at Long Lartin jail, pictured, in Worcestershire . He explained: ‘I could not name the individual and put someone in a position where they are liable for prosecution.' Tsouli came to Britain with his father in 2001 and became involved with Muslim extremists. He said he went protest marches over the Iraq war which he regarded as illegal. He trained in IT and started designing and running websites for terrorists. ‘It was alleged I had assisted in the creation and maintenance of websites that allowed insurgents to upload and disseminate material,’ he said. The material ranged from religious offerings to reports on terrorist atrocities. Tsouli added: ‘I didn’t voice an opinion. I just allowed a platform to be available for the insurgents groups to show what was happening on the ground. He agreed that people who looked at the site might want to get involved in similar attacks. Tsouli admitted a series of offences at Woolwich Crown Court including incitement to commit acts of terrorism, including murder in 2007. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment - a term later increased to 16 years by the Court of Appeal. He had been moved to HMP Woodhill pending his release as moves were made to deport him back to Morocco. Tsouli denies possessing a document likely to be useful to persons committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The trial continues at the Old Bailey, pictured . He said he initially did not want to be deported when he was released because he feared being tortured when in his homeland. He wanted to remain in Britain, even though he did not like the food, weather and found regional accents difficult to understand. ‘As a convicted terrorist I would have been under a lot of scrutiny. There were rumours about torture being used,’ he said. ‘If I had been deported I would have been under severe and continuing danger.’ He said when he was given the Inspire magazine he was told it might be ‘of interest.’ His name as 007terrorist was given in a list of prisoners under the headline ‘Oh Allah free the Muslim prisoners.’ ‘It was disappointing my name was still featuring in the Al Qaeda publication,’ said Tsouli. ‘I wanted to move on from this offence, having served a nine year sentence. ‘The last thing you want is any mention like this in a publication related to Al Qaeda.’ Tsouli said he had the magazine for about six months before he went to Woodhill. He was asked to explain several times why he had not thrown it away. ‘It was evidence and it might have been of interest. It was of concern in relation to my deportation,’ he said. ‘I can’t give you answer. I just kept it for some reason or another. ‘I just don’t necessarily throw stuff away that might be of use.’ But he then decided he wanted to be deported back to Morocco because he was told if his immigration status was not resolved he could be made to stay in jail and serve his entire sentence. ‘I had not read the document since I had been at Wood Hill. I would have got rid of it,’ he said. ‘There was no way I could have left the prison with that document.’ Tsouli, of no fixed address, denies possessing a document likely to be useful to persons committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Younis Tsouli sent the letter to his father while an inmate at Long Lartin jail .
Letter said 'there is no better action than jihad' and to 'prepare for war'
Was written in Arabic and sent to Moroccan homeland but was intercepted .
Tsouli was also found with a copy of al-Qaeda magazine 'Inspire' in his cell .
Admitted he was given the magazine but refused to say who gave him it .
Tsouli had been sentenced to 16 years in prison for inciting terrorism .
Now denies possessing a document likely to be useful to persons committing or preparing acts of terrorism .
The hearing continues . |
242,057 | c545876e0fe983fd8a63a3d7e597b1d488e13f85 | A daring man in New Zealand has been caught on camera surfing on a couch while holding onto the back of a hatchback car. Police were left baffled by the thrill-seeker, who managed to hold on to his precious cargo while a woman drove the car. Other motorists were stunned to see the car towing its unusual cargo around Dunedin and managed to capture the whole thing on video. Scroll down for video . A daring man in New Zealand has been caught on camera surfing on a couch while it was being towed behind a hatchback . Onlookers claim the man was laughing as the vehicle travelled up London St before turning onto Stuart St. The man clung on to the vehicle for dear life, as another woman sat in the back seat of the car holding the boot of the car open. As sparks erupted from the bottom of the couch, the vehicle pulled over near Otago Boys' High School on Arthur St. At about 5.30pm, the couch surfer then decided to load the couch on to the roof of the white car, realising that his first method was ruining his beloved couch. The man hung his head out of the window of the car and held on to the couch as it proceeded down Arthur St and into Elm Road. Half of the man's body can clearly be seen outside the car, with both of his hands grasping the couch. Police were left baffled by the thrill-seeker, who managed to hold on to his precious cargo while hanging of the back of the vehicle, leaving sparks in his wake . The couch surfer then decided to load the couch on to the roof of the white car, realising that his first method was ruining his beloved couch . Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, Acting Senior Sergeant Jared Kirk, of Dunedin said the three individuals travelling in the car 'failed to engage the brain'. 'It never ceases to amaze me the lunacy of some individuals who have failed to engage the brain. 'The risks there are obvious to the people involved ... and other motorists and pedestrians. I mean, what would happen if someone had to slam on the brakes in an emergency?' Sergeant Kirk said penalties for such actions could result in infringement notices and court appearances. The man hung his head out of the window of the car and held on to the couch as it proceeded down Arthur St and into Elm Road. Half of the man's body can clearly be seen emerged on the outside of the car, with both of his hands grasping the couch . | A man has been caught surfing on a couch while being towed by a car .
The New Zealand thrill-seeker left sparks in his wake .
Police say he 'failed to engage brain cells' |
26,262 | 4a7126ad8fd6a711eb9ff41e151bc90ebfb05cb3 | By . Belinda Robinson . Six small monkeys have been found dead at a zoo in Portland just two days after they first arrived. The cotton-topped tamarin monkeys were part of a group of nine that arrived at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, United States on May 22. They were being kept in quarantine because they were new, according to Zoo spokesman Hova Najarian. Exotic: Six small monkeys (similar to this one pictured) have died at the Oregon Zoo in Portland just two days after arriving at the facility . But just two days after they arrived, veterinary staff found six of the monkeys dead but the remaining three appear to be healthy. The healthy monkeys include a five-week-old baby, who is being monitored closely. Mr Najarian said that the deaths could be attributed to necropsy, however, results were inconclusive and the zoo awaits a pathology report on tissue samples. Metro spokesman Jim Middaugh told The Oregonian that the monkeys came from the East Coast, but he did not know exactly where from. The Oregon zoo has faced a series of problems in recent months. Kim Smith, the director of the zoo and veterinarian Mitch Finnegan were fired in early May following an investigation that found sloppy mistakes in the treatment of an orangutan that died in January. Tamarin monkeys: The cotton-top monkeys (similar to these ones) are thought to have died from necropsy, however, results were inconclusive . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | The cotton-topped tamarin monkeys were part of a group of nine that arrived at Oregon Zoo in Portland on May 22 .
But just two days later, veterinary staff found six of them dead .
An investigation has been launched into their deaths .
It is thought that they died from necropsy, however, results are inconclusive . |
57,309 | a261bbcb9e5abdc0c9ec980536f134dbca090069 | By . Simon Walters . PUBLISHED: . 17:51 EST, 18 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:51 EST, 18 May 2013 . David Cameron has threatened to pull the rug from under his Coalition with Nick Clegg after a series of bitter rows that have rocked the Government. The Prime Minister said he is prepared to run the country without his Deputy PM unless Tory-Lib Dem feuding that has paralysed his administration ends. Mr Cameron added he hopes to cling on to his ailing alliance with Mr Clegg as they tackle the economic crisis and other vital issues together. Cameron said that he will govern without Clegg if the feuding doesn't end . But in a move that could trigger an early General Election, he said: ‘The best way to do that is to continue with the Coalition, but if that wasn’t the case then we’d have to face the new circumstances in whatever way we should.’ The innocent-sounding ‘new circumstances’ he refers to are the sensational prospect of an end to the Coalition. It is the first time Mr Cameron has publicly aired his fears his political marriage to Mr Clegg, sealed with sunny optimism at their Rose Garden joint press conference in Downing Street three years ago, is about to end in divorce. Revealing his frustration in a candid interview in Total Politics magazine, Mr Cameron said: ‘I’m here to deliver good government for the country and we’ve still got important work to do – paying down the deficit, turning round the economy, and all the rest of it. ‘What matters to me, though, is can we get things done? Can we improve the state of the country? Can we fulfil our manifesto?’ If not, he continued, he was ready to ‘face the new circumstances’ – in other words, break up with Mr Clegg and run a minority Tory Government. Potentially, that could cause far more chaos than any Coalition infighting. But Cameron added that he would rather be with Clegg when attempting to solve the economic crisis . It was the lack of a Commons majority in 2010 that forced Mr Cameron to team up with Mr Clegg. Without the backing of Lib Dem MPs, there are insufficient Conservative MPs to get Mr Cameron’s legislation through Parliament on their own. In turn, that could force Mr Cameron to ask the Queen for permission to call an early General Election, instead of waiting until 2015, a key part of his 2010 pact with Mr Clegg. Alternatively, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg could agree to an amicable divorce, with the Lib Dem leader stepping down as Deputy PM but supporting the Tories on some issues, making it possible for Mr Cameron to cling on to power – for the time being. It would allow them both to pursue their own separate manifestos in the run-up to the Election.There are advantages to both leaders in a friendly split. Mr Clegg would get the chance to repair his battered reputation with Lib Dem activists. And Mr Cameron, although weakened, would be freed of constant bickering between Tory and Lib Dem Ministers and aides. Mr Cameron’s comments follow reports that both he and Mr Clegg are facing up to going it alone in the run-up to the next Election. In the Total Politics interview with Tory MP and author Rob Wilson, Mr Cameron vented his fury over the root cause of the Tory-Lib Dem schism – Mr Clegg’s U-turn on a pledge to back parliamentary boundary changes that would have made it easier for the Conservatives to win the next Election. ‘That was immensely frustrating,’ said Mr Cameron. ‘The Coalition has its frustrations, there’s no doubt about it, and we have disagreements. Sometimes those disagreements mean you can’t take actions in the areas that you want to.’ Mr Wilson said the PM’s comments could be a clear warning to Mr Clegg that he may be about to call an Election. A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Coalition will continue until 2015.’ Ed Miliband's economic policy has been savaged by his former guru as a ‘beg, steal and borrow’ approach, writes Glen Owen. Lord Glasman told a private audience of activists the Labour leadership was showing ‘tin-eared contempt for the public’ by sticking to the left-wing belief that the Government should borrow billions to fund schools and hospitals. And the Labour peer quoted The New Seekers’ 1972 Eurovision Song Contest entry Beg Steal Or Borrow to bolster his argument against Mr Miliband and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls. Lord Glasman said that the Labour leadership have showed a 'tin-eared contempt for the public' He said: ‘I think our position is like that 1970s terrible song . . . We’re going to beg, then we’re going to steal and then we’re going to borrow to get the money – that’s going to further humiliate people.’ Last night the Conservatives seized on the remarks as a sign of a ‘choreographed move’ at the top of the party to unseat Mr Balls – amid renewed speculation in the party about Mr Miliband’s leadership. Lord Glasman’s remarks emerged days after a poll showed that Mr Miliband’s lead over the Tories had fallen to only three points. Lord Glasman, one of Labour’s most influential thinkers, made his remarks in a private discussion on ‘reforming the public services’ at last week’s Progress conference, at which senior party figures gathered to discuss tactics for winning the next Election. Lord Glasman quoted the New Seekers 1972 Eurpvision entry Beg, Steal or Borrow . He condemned the Miliband- Balls approach for showing ‘this tin-eared kind of contempt for the public that still permeates – no, no, no, if you spend more it will be better’. He added: ‘I think the State should be helping you help your mum – not we will help, we will take care of your mum. We’ve got to partner up with people.’ His intervention comes as Mr Miliband faces increasing pressure to flesh out the party’s economic policies. He admitted for the first time three weeks ago that Labour would have to borrow billions of pounds to fund its policies. When The Mail on Sunday contacted Lord Glasman last night, he burst out laughing and said: ‘It just came to me suddenly – beg from the IMF, steal from the poor and borrow the rest.’ Asked if he realised his comments would be seen as a direct attack on the Miliband-Balls economic strategy, he said: ‘Well, we don’t even know what that is. | Prospect of minority government could trigger early General Election .
Prepared to go without Clegg unless Tory-Lib Dem feuding ends .
But added he hopes to cling on to his ailing alliance with Mr Clegg . |
81,820 | e7da196f6fc2a6197003487b16e9a98cb4e46075 | While Ligue 1 and La Liga held a minute’s silence at every game after the terror attacks on Paris last week, English football wrapped itself up in its cosy blanket of arrogance, ignorance, insularity and insensitivity and carried on doing the appalling things with which it is now sadly synonymous. A footballer convicted of rape, still serving his sentence and on the sex offenders’ register expected sympathy when he moaned about ‘mob rule’ stopping him having a career (he could flip burgers under the golden arches if he is so keen to work rather than live off the money he takes from the family of the girlfriend he showed no respect to when he raped another woman). A Premier League manager turned into one of the country’s finest legal minds when he declared he’s done what he claims few others have, and studied the Ched Evans case in detail and he’s decided the rape conviction isn’t safe. The Barcelona team held a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the terror attacks in Paris ahead of Sunday's La Liga match with Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp . Toulouse players form a huddle to remember the 17 victims of the Paris attacks before their match in Lyon . Fans of Nice display a 'Nous sommes Charlie' banner in solidarity with the victims of the shooting at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, ahead of their Ligue 1 match with Lorient on Saturday . He concluded Evans has a good chance with his ‘appeal.’ Except it’s not an appeal because the court decided not to give him leave to appeal. It’s a case review. But then Steve Bruce actually doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. He’s just got a special 'football friend' who he wants to support (Bruce and the Oldham chairman Simon Corney are pals apparently) and so Bruce has taken his size 11 feet, put some massive heavy hobnailed boots on them and trampled all over the sensitivities and feelings of the rape victim, the rape victim’s friends and family, all women across the world and all decent, right-thinking men by talking utter garbage. Meantime, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Gordon Taylor, who has been in his job for 35 years, decided he’d make a comparison between Ched Evans and the Hillsborough victims. It’s not just the fact that Taylor thinks he can pre-empt the outcome of the Criminal Case Review (Taylor & Bruce Legal Services – remind me never to use these two if ever I’m in need of legal representation), no it’s worse than that. Ched Evans, seen here with girlfriend Natasha Massey, was unable to secure a move to Oldham Athletic . Hull City manager Steve Bruce, claiming he'd studied the Ched Evans case in detail, came to the conclusion that the convicted rapist had a good chance with his 'appeal' (which is actually a case review) PFA chairman Gordon Taylor compared the Evans case with the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster . How the Daily Mail reported Taylor's comments . To lump the Liverpool fans at Hillsborough that fateful day in with Ched Evans, someone who it has been established beyond doubt cheated on his girlfriend by having oral sex with a girl who was completely drunk (part of Evans’ failed defence was that the victim was so drunk she had forgotten she’d consented and ergo consent was given, rather than not been in any fit state to consent - he really did try to argue that in court) who he had never met before he entered the hotel room, then had sex with her (watched by one friend who was also in the room and filmed by others who were outside) and left via the fire escape. Appalling from Taylor, and what a class act Margaret Aspinall CBE, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, is to accept Taylor’s apology. This is one very special woman. Worse to follow: the Football Association decided it didn’t need to intervene in the Ched Evans situation. That’s right, the governors of our beautiful game had absolutely nothing to say about a convicted rapist, out under licence, still claiming his innocence and because of that showing no remorse for his crime, and not apologising for his crime, potentially playing for a professional football club under its governance. The FA, who champion equality, who are promoting women’s football massively, who do so many good things for so many good causes in this country, had nothing to say about the Ched Evans situation. How is that possible? Oldham Athletic chief executive Neil Joy reads the statement confirming the club won't be signing Evans . Oldham fans make a protest about the 70,000 plus people who signed a petition against them signing Evans . Oldham boss Lee Johnson (right) was left to get on with preparing his team as the Evans affair rumbled on . The worrying outcome is that clubs are left rudderless, unable to guide themselves, and so you’ll get a manager claiming he’s a legal expert, you’ll have a chairman thinking it’s fine to employ someone on the sex offenders’ register at a football club which positions itself at the very heart of a diverse community and actively encourages families, women and children to go to see what is on offer at Boundary Park, and you’ll end up with a PFA chairman who really should know better, talking so thoughtlessly that he insults thousands of still grieving people on Merseyside. Football in England is still a sickening mess of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and ignorance. 'Don’t sign too many black players because they’ll form a clique and get you the sack,' a former manager told me. 'When can the lads take a sh*t on your face?' a professional footballer who has played in the Premier League once said to a female reporter as she prepared to interview him. The club effectively swept it under the carpet, her male bosses did the same. 'What’s Anelka done wrong?' so many people screamed after his quenelle gesture. Those who were so ignorant they had to ask such a crass question must now be looking at the Jewish community fleeing Paris like the Jews did in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and feel ashamed of themselves. Nicolas Anelka's anti-Semitic 'quenelle' gesture caused controversy back in February last year . I’m generalising here of course, and it’s worth saying that so many people within the game are wonderful people who give up their time and money for the good of football, charitable causes and the community. But the bigger picture is that football in England is a whole bowl of wrong. And events last week showed just how backward the game is in this country when it comes to a question of what is right and decent. A thoroughly sickening time for English football ended with nobody at the FA, the Premier League, the Football League or any individual clubs giving a second thought to the horrors in Paris. Arsene Wenger spoke eloquently on the subject in his press conference while the Arsenal and Stoke players all wore black armbands. Bafetimbi Gomis, who’s from Toulon, held up a Tricolore after Swansea scored and AFC Bournemouth tweeted a photo of their French player Yann Kermorgant holding a poster which read 'Je Suis Charlie' in support of those who suffered in Paris. There may have been other individual marks of respect, but no directive was sent down from the football authorities and no game held a minute’s silence. Swansea City's French player Bafetimbi Gomis holds up a Tricolore after scoring against West Ham . Bournemouth's French midfielder Yann Kermorgrant holds a 'Je Suis Charlie' sign in support of the victims . With more than 40 French players here, that is a disgraceful fact that does not reflect well on English football. Common decency seems to be impossible for some people who hold responsible positions in football in this country. That needs to change and some proper leadership is required to make that change happen throughout our game. Is it wrong for me as a lover of football to want the game to be decent? No, actually I want more than that – I want the national game to be one of the beacons of what is good about England. To show the way, to set an example, to be pure and wholesome. Not to spit-roast girls and treat them like pieces of meat. Not to show ignorance or indifference to political and religious hate. Not to be totally insensitive towards people who have suffered the most appalling tragedies and horrors. So while Spain, France and others across Europe showed respect, England didn’t. In a country that will hold a minute’s silence for people who haven’t even died, no decision-makers thought the tragedies in France warranted any kind of collective respect from English football. To paraphrase Morgan Freeman in Bonfire of the Vanities, a film about a man who unexpectedly has to suffer the consequences of his appalling actions: 'Be decent football, be decent.' | There was a minute's silence at Ligue 1 and La Liga games after Paris .
But English football continued to show its ignorance and insensitivity .
Ched Evans complained that 'mob rule' was stopping him finding a club .
Thousands signed a petition against convicted rapist signing for Oldham .
Hull manager Steve Bruce claimed Evans had a good chance with 'appeal'
PFA Chief Gordon Taylor compared the Evans case to Hillsborough .
English game a 'mess of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and ignorance' |
191,019 | 8360a579f22923e43c55d109ea635786cb43d7af | Baghdad (CNN) -- "Significant differences" remain between world powers and Iran in negotiations over its nuclear program, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday. But, Ashton said, "it's clear that we both want to make progress." The parties "agree on further discussions to expand common ground," she said, and have a clear direction going forward. Negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany -- will continue next month in Moscow. Iran's top negotiator, Saeed Jalili, asserted Iran's right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy in his remarks to reporters. Later, in an interview with CNN, Jalili said there was progress. "In two days, we exchanged viewpoints regarding those issues," he said. "It showed both sides are serious in order to move forward in the talks." Western powers fear that Iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons, despite its insistence that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The West has been using sanctions and diplomacy to try to stop Iran from producing nuclear arms. Jalili told CNN that the removal of "hostile measures" would increase cooperation. "We have always said the thing that could break this deadlock is the attitude and cooperation," he said. "The current strategy of pressure could make the talks come to an end. The time for and the strategy of pressure is over, but we still have time for talks and new strategies that can bring a new horizon if (there is) cooperation." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the sanctions will remain in place. "Iran now has the choice to make," she said. "Will it meet its international obligations and give the world confidence about its intentions, or not." The announcement of further talks followed two days of intense negotiations in Baghdad. The discussions, scheduled to take a day, were extended into Thursday after reaching an apparent stalemate a day earlier. Speaking after the talks wrapped up, Ashton said the world powers remain "firm, clear and united" in seeking a swift diplomatic swift resolution to their concerns over the "exclusively peaceful nature" of Iran's nuclear program. "We expect Iran to take concrete and practical steps to urgently meet the concerns of the international community, to build confidence and to meet its international obligations," she said. The world powers laid out "clear proposals" to address the issues at hand and in particular the question of 20% enrichment. Meanwhile, Iran came with its own five-point plan, which included an assertion that the world recognizes its "right to enrichment," she said. "It's clear that we both want to make progress and that there is some common ground," she said. However, "significant differences remain." Diplomats will arrive in Moscow on June 17, for talks on June 18 and 19 which will be based on "a step-by-step approach and reciprocity," Ashton said. The resolve to continue talks may signal a change in tone, coming after past negotiations that have been marred by threats and allegations of foot-dragging and unreasonable demands. Wednesday's meeting appeared to yield little result, with each side submitting dueling proposals. Iran rejected calls during talks to stop the high enrichment of uranium that can be used for weapons, while the international powers refused Tehran's demand for an immediate end to sanctions crippling its economy. Iran threatened this year to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping lane, if sanctions were imposed on its exports of crude oil. Israel, which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal, has said it may attack Iran to try to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The talks come at a critical time for Iran. The country's economy has been crippled by sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Because 80% of Iran's foreign revenues are derived from oil exports, an embargo by the EU set to go into effect in July will put further pressure on its economy. On Wednesday, the six world powers made Iran an offer for stopping its processing of medium-enriched uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons, EU officials said. The proposal also called for Tehran to prove its nuclear program is being used for peaceful purposes as it claims, and comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to a Western official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Asked whether relief from the tough Western sanctions imposed on Iran will be on the table, the same Western official said: "There is no expectation it will happen as a result of this meeting. Iran would need to take significant concrete action first," the official said. Iran's counter-proposal included five areas of nuclear and non-nuclear cooperation, state-run IRNA reported late Wednesday. A British Foreign Office spokesman said world powers are offering support for Iranian economic and agricultural development and the country's civilian nuclear program in exchange for cooperation. Another idea on the table is an updated version of an earlier offer to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, European Union officials said. There had been a proposal to swap most of Iran's low-enriched uranium for fuel rods to power a medical research reactor in Tehran. The proposals address the world community's "concerns about the nature of their nuclear program," said Mann, the spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Ashton. "Obviously, you have various U.N. Security Council resolutions and reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency that have found suspicions that they may be developing a military program, so our proposals on the table address those concerns," Mann said. "We hope that they will come back and react positively to those proposals that we've made and that we can really talk about the substance and get things moving." Mann said 20% uranium enrichment "is one of the issues that's addressed" in proposals Ashton put on the table. Uranium enriched at 20% is typically used for hospital isotopes and research reactors, but is also seen as a shortcut toward the 90% enrichment required to build nuclear weapons. Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said all parties should be commended for returning to the negotiating table. "A feasible solution is to match tangible, verifiable Iranian concessions with a delay of the impending European Union oil embargo," Parsi said in a statement. "This would add time to the negotiation clock and buy both sides some breathing space." CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom in Baghdad, Matthew Chance in London and Reza Sayah in Islamabad contributed to this report. | Iran has critical choice to make, Clinton says .
Iranian negotiator touts "cooperation" over "pressure"
"Significant differences" remain between world powers and Iran on its nuclear program .
Iran and world powers have agreed to meet next month in Moscow for more talks . |
269,483 | e90f17bd177eb987970ea355cbea71a6a50f6ec9 | An Australian man has been charged with brutally beating a 17-year-old girl in the Philippines and attempting to flee the scene. Ali Ali, who has more than 100 criminal convictions in Victoria, was arrested in central Dumaguete City on the southern Negros Island on Sunday after an extensive search. Police say he is responsible for savagely beating Alona Alvarez and leaving her naked body on the floor of a hotel room, reports The Age. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . A mug shot of Australian tourist Ali Ali, who is accused of the brutal murder of a teenage Filipina girl . Alona Alvarez was found inside Antonio's Pension House, a hotel in Dipolog City, in a room that Ali had been renting since January 28 . Ali, 42, told police Alvarez had bitten him on the genitals and had attacked her in a bid to get her teeth off his penis. He is also facing drug charges after reportedly being found in possession of marijuana. The teenager was found inside Antonio's Pension House, a hotel in Dipolog City, in a room that Ali had been renting since January 28. A judge told Ali during the sentencing 'your assault was so extreme even experienced criminals were sickened by the conduct'. Local police said Ali was arrested with a bandaged hand, which was likely injured when he was attacking his victim. Ali holding up the bloodied boots (left) he used to stomp and jump on fellow inmate Michael Tully's (right) head in Melbourne Custody Centre in 1999 . Ali completed a 15-year prison sentence for beating Tully so badly he was left in a wheelchair with brain damage . Ali was seen with the teenager on CCTV footage, as well as Facebook posts and money transfer receipts. In one Facebook post, he wrote to her: '(sic) U can have anything you want. Your ambitions in time will happen.' 'im in love ali,' he said in another. He had recently completed a 15-year prison sentence for beating a man so badly he was left in a wheelchair with brain damage. Michael Tully was beaten to a bloody pulp . Ali was seen with the teenager on CCTV footage as well as a series of Facebook posts . Ali stomped and jumped on fellow inmate Michael Tully's head in Melbourne Custody Centre in 1999. He had also been convicted for causing injury intentionally or recklessly, assault with a weapon, and drug, dishonesty and driving offences. It is believed that Australian custody officials are currently assisting Ali, who was initially non co-operative with police interviews. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Ali Ali was arrested on the southern Negros Island on Sunday .
Police say he is responsible for savagely beating Alona Alvarez .
She was found inside a hotel Ali had been renting since January 28 .
Ali, 42, told police he attacked her after she bit him on the genitals .
He had been jailed for beating a man so badly he was left in a wheelchair . |
8,018 | 16aa727f941822ead36fab81837855f4c5a3da54 | By . David Wilkes . Turning the semi-derelict medieval farm into a charming rural home has gobbled up her £600,000 life savings and a decade of her time. But widow Lorna Sowrey has now been told she will have to tear it down...because she should be sharing it with turkeys. The 500-year-old building in a remote hamlet on north Dartmoor is a very rare example of a Devon longhouse with a partially uncovered ‘shippon’ - an indoor area for livestock. Defeat: Lorna Sowrey's renovations to her home in Devon could be gobbled up if she refuses to keep turkeys . Disputed area: Mrs Sowrey in the farm's medieval 'shippon', which always had an agricultural use . The arrangement was common in the medieval period, when humans and animals lived together under the same roof. Dartmoor National Park Authority insists that half the shippon should have been kept for ‘agricultural use’ to preserve Middle Venton Farm’s ‘cultural significance’. Dispute: Mrs Sowrey is up against national park laws . Mrs Sowrey, 77, told the Mail: ‘I asked what I could do with the shippon if it was agricultural. I was told I could keep a cart-horse or turkeys – but they would be 6ft from my dining table. ‘It’s ridiculous, they want me to create a museum that no one will ever visit. My house is not open to the public, and I don’t want to start turkey farming at my age.’ Yesterday the authority refused her application for retrospective planning permission for the restorations. Having spent £100,000 on the shippon alone, she now faces having to spend even more undoing her hard work. If the authority has its way, half the dining area could be carpeted, but the rest of the room would have an earth floor and an unglazed window. Planning officers said the survival of half the shippon before the work was a ‘crucial feature’ when it was awarded a Grade II*-listing in 1988 – meaning it is a ‘particularly important building of more than special interest’, the next category down from a Grade I-listing. Mrs Sowrey bought the cottage in Drewsteignton, near Exeter, in 2003 for £400,000 with her husband John, a retired RAF Air Commodore and an ace fighter pilot in the Second World War. They were granted planning permission in 2009 after submitting an application which retained the agricultural character of the shippon. Before he died aged 90 in 2010, Mr Sowrey asked her to finish the restoration as his last wish. Preservation: Mrs Sowrey's home in the Dartmoor National Park pictured the way it used to look... ... and how it looks now after she spent £600,000 converting it. Her retrospective planning application failed . When the couple bought the house, part of the shippon had rush matting over an earth floor. Mrs Sowrey then laid concrete over the 15ft by 18ft area, which she uses as a storage space. But the authority says this amounts to it being used for domestic purposes and diminishes its ‘historic interest’. Last night a spokesman said unauthorised works without the prior grant of Listed Building Consent is a criminal offence under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. A future meeting will consider whether remedial action must take place and if so, what specific works and over what time scale. Planning consultant John Milverton said: ‘I’ve never seen such a bizarre situation. To try to turn the clock back like this makes no sense whatsoever.’ Orders: Planning authorities say parts of the home including this one should be dug up again and changed . Rare: There are five or six unconverted shippons on Dartmoor and fewer than 20 converted ones . | Lorna Sowrey, 77, turned rare 500-year-old Devon longhouse into a home .
But Dartmoor National Park Authority insisted it keep an agricultural use .
They said she could keep a cart horse or turkeys 6ft from her dining table .
She said: 'It's ridiculous... I don't want to start turkey farming at my age' |
266,503 | e52f29a31529db508bfdf722db37905138227a07 | David Cameron last night ordered an inquiry to establish the ‘full facts’ of a vicious spat between two of his most senior Cabinet Ministers. Simmering tensions between Michael Gove and Theresa May over Islamist extremism exploded into open warfare late on Tuesday evening. Mr Gove was given a dressing-down by the Prime Minister for triggering the row – prompting speculation he could be moved in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. Feud: Mr Gove, left was given a dressing-down by the Prime Minister for triggering the row with Mrs May, right . There was particular anger that Mr Gove started the damaging spat on the eve of the Queen’s Speech, but senior officials also raised concerns about the ferocity of the attacks on the Education Secretary by allies of Mrs May, which were described as an ‘extraordinary over-reaction’ by one source. The Prime Minister now wants to know the exact role played by the warring ministers and their special advisers. In particular, the inquiry is likely to focus on why the Home Office published a letter from Mrs May, that was deeply critical of the Education Department, in the early hours of yesterday. The letter fanned the flames of the row by suggesting Mr Gove’s department had ignored warnings about the ‘Trojan horse’ infiltration of Birmingham schools by Islamist extremists. The details of the dispute date back to a meeting of the Government’s extremism task force last November. Mr Gove wanted to broaden the definition of extremism so that more hardline organisations would be covered. When Mrs May refused, saying the move risked pushing individuals into feeling persecuted and more susceptible to being radicalised, Mr Gove took his case to the Prime Minister. Earlier this week, after becoming frustrated by his failure to change the Home Office’s position, Mr Gove opted to make the dispute public via a toxic briefing to The Times newspaper. Anger: David Cameron is said to be furious over the row. Mr Gove and Mrs May later issued a joint statement on No 10's instruction . Over lunch with the paper’s editor, he is understood to have criticised Mrs May and her senior counter- terrorism adviser Charles Farr, who is the architect of anti-extremism policy. When Mrs May’s aides learned of the briefing, they made a stinging attack on Mr Gove. One said of his department: ‘Lord knows what more they have overlooked on the subject of the protection of kids in state schools. It scares me.’ In the early hours of yesterday, the Home Office made public the letter from Mrs May to Mr Gove, concerning the ongoing investigation into whether Muslim hardliners had tried to seize control of 21 schools in Birmingham. She wrote: ‘Is it true that Birmingham City Council was warned about these allegations in 2008? ‘Is it true that the Department for Education was warned in 2010? If so, why did nobody act? It is clear to me that we will need to take clear action to improve the quality of staffing and governance if we are to prevent extremism in schools.’ As the fight threatened to spiral out of control, Mr Gove was contacted by Ed Llewellyn, the Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff, and ordered to end hostilities. He was also spoken to by Mr Cameron personally. Silent: Charles Far, pictured, has conducted his relationship discretely. As a civil servant, he is unable to answer criticisms in public . Mrs May and Mr Gove issued a joint statement, on the instruction of No 10, promising to work together in future. Sources say there is irritation in Government that Mr Gove again opted to make an internal dispute public – gifting Labour the opportunity to portray the Tories as divided. It is the second time in weeks that the Education Secretary has been forced to put on a show of unity after a public spat with a colleague. Last month the Prime Minister stepped in to defuse a spat between Mr Gove and his Liberal Democrat deputy, David Laws, over free school meals. Of the latest dispute, one Cabinet source said: ‘The Prime Minister thinks Michael is a very talented minister and when the history books are written, he’ll go down as one of the great education reformers. But this was not seen as helpful.’ If Mr Gove is shifted from Education Secretary, possibly to become Tory chairman, schools minister Elizabeth Truss is tipped as his successor. However, some senior Tories were taken aback at the aggressive nature of the Home Office’s response to Mr Gove’s criticisms. The highly unusual publication of Mrs May’s barbed letter in the early hours of yesterday morning caused particular surprise. ‘This is internal Cabinet correspondence and the Home Office decides to put it out at 2 o’clock in the morning? I’m afraid it looks like the sort of rush of blood to the head that Theresa May is normally very good at avoiding,’ said one minister. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘For two such senior ministers to launch a vitriolic public blame game in this way is appalling and irresponsible when they should be working together to sort out such serious problems. ‘Too often both Michael Gove and Theresa May resort to public blame games rather than taking any responsibility themselves or working together with others. ‘This is bad government and David Cameron should sort it out.’ There are long-standing differences between Mrs May and Mr Gove over counter-terrorism strategy, and also simmering tensions over the future leadership of the party, with Mr Gove understood to be opposed to Mrs May taking over. He favoured first Boris Johnson then George Osborne as a so-called ‘Stop Theresa’ candidate. His blast against Mrs May coincided with polls showing she is the clear favourite to replace Mr Cameron. In the open: Nick Robinson mentioned the relationship between Charles Farr and Fiona Cunningham (pictured) on the Today programme . BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson yesterday highlighted a relationship between two of Theresa May’s top advisers – shedding more light on the spat between the Home Office and the Department for Education. Charles Farr, 54, and Fiona Cunningham, 40, were thrust into the spotlight when Mr Robinson told Radio 4’s Today programme their relationship was a ‘complicating factor’ in the battle between Mrs May and Michael Gove. Mr Robinson appeared to suggest Miss Cunningham was responsible for anonymous quotes in The Times from a ‘Home Office source’ attacking Mr Gove, who the newspaper said had been ‘particularly critical of Charles Farr’. Mr Robinson told listeners: ‘The complicating factor is that Charles Farr is in a relationship with Theresa May’s special adviser [Miss Cunningham] who was behind many of the quotes that are in the newspapers today. ‘So there is a personal element, but let me stress: that’s not the key to this story.’ | Tensions have simmered over handling of 'Trojan Horse' extremism plot .
Started with Education Secretary criticising Home Office counter-terrorism .
Home Office responded by making public a damaging letter to Mr Gove .
Prime Minister stepped in and ordered his Minister to make a show of unity .
Now he has ordered an inquiry to get to the bottom of the damaging feud . |
270,306 | ea1569e99b94a84fcb590564f314ca8e56737922 | By . David Kent . Jenson Button has been left baffled by Lewis Hamilton's 'strange' performance during a collision-fuelled German Grand Prix. The two former McLaren team mates got in a tangle as Hamilton attempted a pass on lap 30 during a charge up from 20th on the Hockenheim grid to a third place finish behind Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg. It was the last of three separate incidents involving Hamilton and ended up Button running over the left-wing endplate of his fellow Brit's car. VIDEO Scroll down to ride on board with Lewis Hamilton around the German GP circuit . Nudge: Debris comes from Lewis Hamilton's car as the two Brits collided on lap 30 in Germany . Crash course: The two former team mates exchanged word after the coming together . Smash: The damage may have ensured that Hamilton failed to finish second . When Hamilton eventually passed Button on the following lap, he held up his right hand by way of an apology, later claiming he felt the 34-year-old was letting him through. Hamilton said: 'I had a little bit of a collision with Jenson. 'I honestly thought he was opening the door to let me past. He's been a bit like that in the past, for example, so my bad judgement there.' Button was left surprised by Hamilton's remarks as he said: 'Why would we let anyone through? Success: Hamilton holds the trophy above his head after a podium finish and (right) Button . Partial retraction: Button later tweeted and said he may have 'overreacted' VIDEO Rosberg uses local knowledge to triumph . 'I don't know if you've noticed, but a lot of drivers do that line to get a good exit from the corner. 'I think the problem with Lewis is he expected me to let him past, but I don't think I'm the only person he drove into. 'It's strange, but when the car's so much quicker you'd think he wouldn't get into so many fights, but there you go. 'He drove into my rear wheel, that's all I've got to say and I don't know much else about it. 'I'm out there doing my race. It would make it boring if we all let him past when he was coming through the field.' Sort that out: Hamilton's Mercedes gets some TLC after the bash it took during his attempted overtake . | Hamilton battled up from 20th on the grid to finish in third .
But his race was him involving in three collisions, one with Button .
Fourth-placed Button expresses surprise at Hamilton's claims that he let him through .
Button has earlier run over fellow Brit's left-wing endplate . |
42,404 | 779305dd2106d2f3d8fd8a34dd944705d8551642 | (CNN) -- Beloved photo app Instagram turned 3 years old on Monday. In tech startup years, that's the equivalent of becoming a teenager. Like most teens, it seems it's time for Instagram to start pulling some of its own weight and earning money. Last week, the company announced it will begin dropping ads into photo streams in the United States. The advertisements will roll out gradually sometime in the next two months. Some people are upset about the commercialization of their favorite free Internet service. But either because it's difficult to complain in the form of desaturated photos, or because the announcement has been expected for quite some time, the outrage is muted. People have become used to free online services adding ads. The shock of Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr's "selling-out" by adding advertising have trained people to expect some sort of business plan to pop up eventually. If successful, ads could be quite a lucrative plan. Instagram could be pulling in more than $400 million annually from ads three to four years from now, according to Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne Agee. Facebook purchased Instagram a year ago for around $700 million in stock. At the time, some critics said the cost was too high for a company not yet making money. "In hindsight, the Instagram acquisition was brilliant," said Bhatia. "In today's market, if Instagram was still independent, they would have to pay much more for it." Instagram will have to tread lightly with its ads. The mobile-based photo-sharing service has seen explosive growth in recent years and now has 150 million people checking in at least monthly. Still, there are plenty of eager new social apps ready to pick up any dissatisfied customers. "These companies have to really worry about the user experience. Once you lose the user base you won't get any revenue from advertisers," said Bhatia. Instagram has experienced push-back from its audience before. Nine months ago, it updated its privacy policy and terms of service to include some new language that mentioned advertising. There was outrage and confusion over whether users' photos could appear in ads without permission. The company had to dial back the language and issue a clarifying follow-up post. Quality and volume of ads will be key to avoiding another uprising. Instagram is easing its audience into the new reality with some very lovely descriptions of what it will feel like to experience an ad on Instagram. People will see a handful of "beautiful, high-quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community," the company said in a blog post announcing the ads. Though they haven't been able to buy ads on Instagram, many brands, including Burberry, Nike and Starbucks, already use it extensively as a marketing tool. The quality of Instagram ads will likely be higher than what fills Facebook. The clip-art awfulness of many Facebook ads makes them easy to spot and dismiss. Ideally, Instagram ads will require advertisers to submit high-quality photos and videos that blend into the regular flow of sunset, baby, food and vacation photos in a stream. One out-of-place "One weird trick" weight-loss ad with cartoon art would be jarring. "Our aim is to make any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already enjoy from your favorite brands," said the post. You can already feel the warm glow of a gently served advertisement washing over you. | Instagram is turning 3 years old and introducing ads to its free service .
The company plans to roll out ads slowly in the U.S. over the next two months .
To avoid alienating users, the service will have to control the quality and amount of ads . |
106,659 | 159899fec7084aab1f1083ae52a16e1d5c8cec1c | (CNN) -- Jameel Algibhah lives in the Bronx, but his wife and three daughters are in Yemen. He has not been able to see them for seven years. Awais Sajjad lives in New Jersey, but his grandmother, who raised him after his mother passed away, lives in Pakistan. He has not been able to see her for more than two years. Both long to visit their loved ones, but they cannot -- they were placed on the no-fly list years ago. Algibhah and Sajjad don't pose, have never posed and have never been accused of posing any threat to an airplane's safety. Unfortunately their stories are not uncommon. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has placed thousands of individuals on the no-fly list. They have tried to pull themselves out of this Kafkaesque web. The government has created a so-called TRIP process for challenging one's placement on the no-fly List. You fill out an online form with basic information such as your name, birthday and flight number, and wait for the standard response: The agency has completed its review, and "no changes are warranted at this time." But there is hope for change for people who are stuck on the list without reason: A federal court in Oregon ruled this summer that the TRIP process was unconstitutional and criticized the government for failing to provide people with a meaningful opportunity to contest their no-fly list designation. In response to the court decision, the government stated this month that it would reform the process in an "endeavor to increase transparency." These changes are long overdue. The no-fly list has existed for more than a decade in a shroud of secrecy with little accountability and even less oversight. And as Sajjad's and Algibhah's stories illustrate, the lack of an effective redress mechanism has had a devastating impact on individuals and their loved ones. But improving the redress process is only the first step. It is imperative also to look at the way watch listing authority is being abused. According to Algibhah and Sajjad, FBI agents privately offered an alternative option to get off the list. The FBI -- which in the post 9/11-era measures success by the number of informants it can list -- told them if they were to spy on their neighbors and community, they might get off the no-fly List. As the CLEAR project and the Center for Constitutional Rights alleged in a recent lawsuit, FBI agents repeatedly pressured Algibhah, Sajjad and two other men in this manner. "I do not want to become an informant, but the government says I must in order to be taken off the no-fly List," Sajjad told us. "How can the government tell me that the only way I can see my family again is if I turn my back on my community?" The FBI's response to the lawsuit has been, among other things, that its agents should be immune from suit. But that agents might be able to abuse the no-fly list in this manner is no surprise. Recently, the government's internal guidelines for placing someone on the no-fly list and other watch lists were leaked to the public, revealing for the first time just how prone to abuse the secretive list can be. Two things are clear from the 166-page document: First, nearly anyone can end up on the no-fly list, as the criteria for placement are shockingly broad and ill-defined. Second, the decisions of agents who nominate people to the list are accorded a significant amount of deference. The government recently admitted in a court filing that the screening center rejected just 1% of nominations last year. The no-fly list has expanded exponentially under such permissive rules. According to documents obtained by the digital magazine The Intercept, under the Obama administration, the number of people placed on the no-fly list has shot up to 47,000 people, a tenfold increase since the President took office. No one questions the need to secure aviation safety -- but stories such as Algibhah's and Sajjad's should give us all pause. There is a need to examine seriously the way in which law enforcement agencies are so easily able to abuse a powerful tool such as the no-fly list. While creating a more robust redress mechanism is an important first step, until the rules governing placement on the no-fly list are reviewed, and officers held accountable for unlawful tactics, we will all remain vulnerable to the whims of law enforcement agents. | Writers: Two men find themselves on U.S. no-fly list for no apparent reason .
Writers say government rejected men's challenge of status but gave option to spy on others .
Government says it will reform process, but authors say it must also address abuse of list .
No-fly list a powerful security tool, and officials must be accountable for its use, they say . |
201,525 | 90ee31f2b1a885e92ac75f74fbc69074ba7b268b | Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN) -- Michele Mbala Mvogo, a 17-year-old high school student, left home to go to school one morning, and she never came back. On Friday, police found Michele's corpse with four other bodies dumped outside a kindergarten school. Fighting back tears, Deborah Ngoh Tonye described what was left of her sister's gruesome corpse. Someone had removed Michele's genitals, tongue, eyes, hair, and breasts. Michele's bizarre murder is believed to be part of a wave of killings linked to occult rituals that has triggered panic in Yaounde, the capital city of more than 2 million people in the West African nation of Cameroon. In the past two weeks police have found 18 bodies dumped along the streets. Authorities said all of the bodies had been mutilated. Officials have not said if the female victims among the 18 bodies had been raped. State security officials said Tuesday the bodies have been identified. The victims, who are between the ages of 15 and 26, are mostly Yaounde high school students, police said. They said a number of suspects have been arrested in the case, but so far no one has been charged. State intelligence officials have launched an investigation to track down the killers, said Communications Minister Tchiroma Bakari. In some regions of the country, traditional healers claim eyes, genitals, tongues and other organs have mystical powers. Some occultists believe such organs hold the keys to gaining wealth and other good fortune. Until the 1970s, ritual killings were a common cultural practice in Cameroon, before education became more widespread. Signs of its gradual resurgence beginning last year have shaken much of the city. The fear is most noticeable as evenings approach. Many families lock themselves indoors beginning in the late hours of the day, while young men band together in vigilante groups, roaming the streets looking for killers. Police have shut down dozens of bars that are suspected as hangouts for criminals. Security officials warn pedestrians, especially girls, to walk in groups. Fears about occult groups and human organs gained strength in late 2012 when Health Minister Andre Mama Fouda fired a laboratory technician and four mortuary attendants. They admitted to trading organs harvested from dead bodies stored in the mortuary of the state regional hospital in Douala, Cameroon's largest city. In Yaounde's public hospitals, dozens of relatives have complained to administrators about mutilated corpses, said the minister of public health. Taking organs for such uses represents a "gross violation of human rights," said Cameroon human rights advocate Rosine Djoumessi Masonwa. Local authorities must work "to end the mutilation of human bodies through strong laws and widespread education programs." As she grieves for her sister, Tonye, like so many others, is frightened and worried that more isn't being done. "There is laxity in the forces in ensuring security in the capital," she said. | Police find 18 mutilated bodies from suspected ritual killings in the past 2 weeks .
Scared families hide indoors while vigilantes patrol the Cameroon capital .
Ritual killings ended in the 1970s, but are now resurging .
Suspects have been arrested, police say, but not charged . |
230,211 | b61b2d379f14bfb928a1d91039d833d88df4306d | She may only be 16 months old but with a style icon for a mother and a fashion designer for a father, it was clear that North West was going to be one fashionable tot. After showcasing her fashion credentials at Paris fashion week, Kim and Kanye's daughter cemented her status as a global style icon. In fact her A-list parents are taking Nori's new status so seriously that they've reportedly hired a personal tailor to ensure that Kim and her daughter always coordinate. Scroll down for video . Mini me! North West may not be happy about it, judging by this picture, but Kim Kardashian has called in a personal tailor to ensure she and her 16-month-old daughter always coordinate . A source told Grazia magazine: 'Kim has hired North her own personal tailor whose sole job is to make mini versions of Kim's designer outfits and ensure that they always coordinate. 'The tailor, who is also paid to act as North's stylist, works with Kanye and Kim's styling team to create the toddler's looks. Some are collaborations or commissions to designers themselves, and others created in-house. Matching on the frow: North and Kim were coordinated at the Givenchy show, which was apparently planned well in advance by the star's team of stylists . The white way: Kim Kardashian and baby North West had lunch at Nate 'N Al of Beverly Hills Delicatessen dressed in matching white outfits last week . 'Her wardrobe is planned well in advance with regular meetings to discuss looks for the family's public appearances, and North has versions to match a lot of what Kim wears, from dresses to handbags and shoes.' The mother daughter duo were the talk of the town in Paris as they hit the fashionable front rows in matching outfits. They wore coordinated outfits at the Givenchy SS15 PFW show, and even stepped out wearing matching white styles for lunch upon their return to LA. The small fashion icon has even already made her modelling debut, and of course she wore Chanel for her first foray. Next to the photo was a quote from the brand's creative director Karl Lagerfeld, which says: 'It is never too early to care about fashion.' Stylish family: A source told Grazia that North's wardrobe is planned well in advance with regular meetings to discuss looks for the family's public appearances . Do YOU and your child co-ordinate outfits? Send us your pictures, names, ages and where you're from to [email protected] and we will feature the best ones here. | North, 16 months, apparently has her own tailor .
Tailor ensures she and Kim co-ordinate for public appearances .
Plan outfits months in advance . |
197,194 | 8b3b5967df2cd9ad94f933d9253180eead922ba7 | (CNN) -- When talking about so-called family values, pastors, popes, and politicians routinely quote the Bible as if it were an unassailable divine authority -- after all, they assume, God wrote the Bible, and therefore it is absolutely and literally true. But that is a misconception. As the Bible itself makes clear, its authors were human beings, many of whom are named: David, Isaiah, Luke, and Paul. These human writers wrote over the course of more than a thousand years, and their writings reflect their own views and the values they shared with their contemporaries. So it's not surprising that inconsistencies are frequent in the Bible, both trivial and profound. Although Jews and Christians, individually and collectively, have for the last 2,000 years accepted the Bible as authoritative in principle, in practice many of its values have been rejected. On issues such as slavery, no one today would maintain that slavery is acceptable, even though, according to the Bible, it was a divinely sanctioned institution. In the debates about slavery in the 19th century those opposed to its abolition cited the Bible in support of their position, but despite such biblical warrant, their views were renounced. According to biblical law, a father could sell his daughter as a slave, and the last of the Ten Commandments lists as off-limits a neighbor's possessions -- his house, wife, slaves, and livestock. But the majority of modern Jews and Christians no longer accept the biblical view of women as men's property and hence subordinate to them, as they have also abandoned the biblical practice of polygamy. In current debates about family values, most of which have to do with sex, opponents of abortion and advocates of a woman's right to choose both cite the Bible in support of their conflicting views, even though the Bible in fact says nothing specifically about the issue. And with regard to same-sex marriage, although the few biblical writers who mention same-sex relationships, especially between men, were unequivocally opposed to them, many contemporary believers would argue that, as with slavery and the status of women, it is time to recognize that the values of the biblical writers are no longer necessarily our own. Opponents of same-sex marriage cite Leviticus, which says that when a man sleeps with a man as with a woman it is an abomination. They're right: It does say that. But it later calls for the death penalty for such activity, which only the most rabid opponents would insist on. The Bible also calls eating pork and a woman wearing a man's clothes abominations, yet many would no longer enforce such prohibitions. Individual biblical texts should not be appealed to selectively: Such cherry-picking is all too easy because of the nature of the Bible as a multi-authored book. Rather, as with another formative text, the Constitution, one needs first to understand it historically -- what did its words mean when they were written -- and then attempt to determine what its underlying values are, not just what it says in a specific passage. Only in this sense can the Bible be considered to have timeless relevance that transcends the historical particularities of its authors. What are those underlying values? I would argue that they are rooted in love of neighbor, which Jewish and Christian commentators over the ages have identified as the essential and enduring message of the Bible. Here are three of them. The great Rabbi Hillel, who when asked what the basic principle of the Torah was, replied: "What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor: That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary." His words are echoed both by his near-contemporary, another rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, who put it this way: "Whatever you wish people to do to you, so you should do to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets," and by an early leader in the movement that Jesus started, the rabbinically trained Paul, who pronounced that "Love is the fulfilling of the law." So, I suggest, the essence of the Bible -- its ultimate authority -- is not in its individual pronouncements, but in its underlying message: equal, even loving, treatment of all persons, regardless of their age, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Michael Coogan. | Michael Coogan: Bible seen as unassailable divine authority, but it was written by men, not God .
Written over course of 1,000 years, each writer reflecting values of his day, he writes .
Much in Bible rejected: Slavery, women as property, pork as abomination, Coogan says .
Coogan: Bible's true timeless message is equal, even loving, treatment of all people . |
271,789 | ec0d3d5d4af515a6056ef5df1b94b55761a288f1 | By . Emma Lowe . PUBLISHED: . 19:40 EST, 11 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:15 EST, 13 October 2013 . House proud: Kirstie Allsopp said the Swedish home store is good at what it does but hampers traditions . Ikea is creating a ‘throwaway culture’ that has destroyed the art of homemaking, according to Kirstie Allsopp. The 42-year-old TV presenter said families no longer passed down furniture to the next generation and instead were too quick to dispose of household items. ‘I have nothing against IKEA but ultimately it encourages this buy and throwaway culture which we live in,’ she said. ‘It also encourages people to have homes which all look the same’. Miss Allsopp hosts Location, Location, Location, in which she scours the country in search of the perfect home for buyers. She said Ikea was ‘very good at what it does’, but had helped kill the tradition of passing on furniture. ‘At one time people would get married or move in together and a member of family would give you an item or a piece of furniture to start your home,’ she said. ‘It was never a case of we will buy all new, and it is a shame. ‘The great thing about handing things down is the history and the story behind objects. ‘I would be horrified if any of my children felt the need to go and buy a chest of drawers because they would have absolutely no need. ‘They have been brought up to appreciate great furniture so I hope they would never shop there.’ She said there is ‘something wonderful’ about unearthing furniture in antique stores, second hand shops or at auction. Miss Allsopp, has two sons – Bay, seven, and Oscar, five – with her partner, property developer Ben Andersen, 51. They also share custody of his sons from his previous marriage, Orion and Hal. The family live in London during the week and spend weekends at a rural retreat in north Devon. Speaking to promote B&Q’s Textile Trade In, in which shoppers can donate unwanted cushions and curtains that will be passed on to the British Heart Foundation, she also confessed to having obsessive tendencies on all matters home-related. ‘I’m very particular about where I have cushions in my home and how plumped they are,’ she said. ‘With the cushions, my partner and the kids are allowed to touch them but I like to encourage otherwise. Blasted: Ikea is known for its affordable, flat-pack furniture and home sets. But Kirstie is not such a big fan . Miss Allsopp - who has two sons with her partner and shares custody of his other two - prefers heritage . ‘With the sofa, I will sometimes get an idea of where I want it in the middle of the night and you will find me moving it around. ‘I think my OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] ways are challenged by toys – I want to keep them all in boxes in a particular corner. However I have accepted over time that it isn’t going to work that way. ‘My wardrobe is coded in terms of styles, I have certain styles of dresses which have to hang together. So if I have the same dress in a variety of colours they all hang together. ‘I also have a thing about straightening picture frames. Always straightening picture frames. ‘I suppose I am just extremely house proud.’ IKEA first opened in 1958 in Sweden and has become popular in Britain with its affordable, self-assembly furniture. The Location Location Location presenter said: 'I would be horrified if any of my children felt the need to go and buy a chest of drawers because they would have absolutely no need.' She raised them to 'appreciate furniture' Miss Allsopp has written two books – Kirstie’s Homemade Home and Kirstie Allsopp Craft – on how to create furniture and fabrics for your home. Her advice on interiors ranges from how to make a canopy for your bed out of a wedding veil, to how to make a memory box out of an unused cabinet. In her interview she said she would give up her work ‘in a heartbeat’ for the sake of being a mother. ‘My home will always be more important than my role on the television,’ she said. ‘I have a team of five people around me helping me ensure I fulfil that role at home. ‘If I had to give it all up because my children missed out on their mum I would because they are more important to me. I am incredibly lucky that I don’t have to work, I choose to.’ | 42-year-old presenter said families do not pass furniture down generations .
She said: 'IKEA ultimately encourages this buy and throwaway culture' |
127,496 | 30cbd5323c1160e5cf953078f9135192bb0da507 | By . Associated Press . A University of Wisconsin Whitewater professor Sally Vogl-Baui is suing a former graduate student Anthony Llewellyn for 'defamation' A University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor is suing a former graduate student who posted online comments and videos that the teacher considers defamatory. Anthony Llewellyn took a class last year from communications professor Sally Vogl-Bauer, but the experience didn't go well, the Janesville Gazette reported on Thursday. Llewellyn posted comments on professor-rating sites accusing the teacher of criticizing his academic abilities, grading him unfairly and causing him to fail out of school. He said he spoke with her in April about his concerns, two months before he was told he had failed her class. Vogl-Bauer contends the comments amount to defamation, while Llewellyn says his goal was simply to inform the public about how the professor treated him. Tim Edwards, the attorney representing Vogl-Bauer, said the comments could be especially damaging to someone in a small professional community. He said he and Vogl-Bauer agree that students should be allowed to express their opinions, 'but when you go so far beyond that, into a concerted effort to attack somebody's reputation because things didn't go your way, that's much different.' Edwards and Vogl-Bauer asked Llewellyn to take down his online comments and videos. They filed the lawsuit after he refused. Llewellyn said it's important for the videos and comments to stay online so the public can remain informed. He has dedicated several blogs to his arguments with the professor he claims treated him unfairly. 'I don't feel I've (gone) too far with my videos and comments because everything posted basically communicates exactly how Sally Vogl-Bauer treated me,' Llewellyn said. Vogl-Bauer has denied all claims made by her former student. The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and attorney and trial fees. The case is scheduled to go a jury trial in September. It's not clear how successful the lawsuit will be, but a similar case in Minnesota ended with a ruling in favor of the person who posted the online rating. In that case, a doctor took offense when a patient's son went on a rate-your-doctor website and called him 'a real tool,' slang for stupid or foolish. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in January 2013 that the comment wasn't defamatory because it was an opinion protected by free-speech rights. Anthony Llewellyn posted an animated video on Youtube in which he demonstrates his professors 'abusive' behavior . | Anthony Llewellyn took a class last year from communications professor Sally Vogl-Bauer and posted her 'inappropriate behavior' in videos online .
She allegedly graded him poorly on purpose and told him he doesn't belong in college .
Vogl-Bauer asked Llewellyn to take down his online comments and videos and filed the lawsuit after he refused .
'I don't feel I've (gone) too far with .
my videos and comments because everything posted basically communicates .
exactly how Sally Vogl-Bauer treated me,' Llewellyn said . |
189,530 | 816dc92d7dc1495a9186b3ad57420558fdee20c8 | A 22-year-old man has been arrested following a 'gang-related' high school shooting in Oregon that left three students injured and a 16-year-old girl in a critical condition. The unnamed gunman, who is believed to have gang ties, reportedly gunned down the students at a street corner outside Rosemary Anderson High School in Portland at noon on Friday. He then allegedly fled the scene by car, but was stopped by police at North Interstate Avenue and Going Street at around 1.30am on Saturday. A handgun was found in his vehicle. Taylor Michelle Zimmers remains critically injured in hospital following the shooting, while 20-year-old David Jackson-Liday and 17-year-old La'Braye Franklin are said to be in a fair condition. A fourth victim, Olyvia Batson, also 17, was treated at the scene after a bullet grazed her foot. Scroll down for videos . Victims: Taylor Michelle Zimmers (left), 16, remains critically injured in hospital after she was shot outside a school in Portland, Oregon, on Friday. La'Braye Franklin (right), who was also shot, is in a fair condition . Wounded: David Jackson-Liday (left), 20, is also a fair condition after the shooting at Rosemary Anderson High School, while victim, Olyvia Batson (right), 17, was treated at the scene after a bullet grazed her foot. Scene: A 22-year-old male suspect has been arrested following the 'gang-related' shooting at noon on Friday . Speaking to The Oregonian, student Sierra Smith said she saw one of the male victims being helped by a teacher inside the alternative high school, describing the scene as 'scary'. 'He was laying on the ground. He had blood coming out of his stomach,' the 17-year-old said. Another student, Oliviann Danley, 16, told the newspaper she saw a boy run into the school and shout, 'Oh my God, did I just get shot?' Emergency services were scrambled to Rosemary Anderson High - an alternative institution for dropouts and other at-risk or homeless students - within minutes of the shooting. The attack is believed to have occurred following a dispute. The assailant and two other people fled, while the wounded students went to the school for help, a police spokesman said. In a statement on Friday night, Sargent Pete Simpson, of Portland Police, 'There was some kind of dispute between the shooter and some people. Aftermath: Speaking to The Oregonian, student Sierra Smith said she saw one of the male victims being helped by a teacher inside the school, describing the scene as 'scary'. Above, the scene is cordoned off . Shocked: The gunman, who is believed to have gang ties, reportedly gunned down the students at a street corner outside Rosemary Anderson High School at noon. Above, a student speaks to a trauma consellor . A woman hugs her daughter after the shooting (left), while students express their shock at the attack (right) 'We don't know if it was (with) all the victims or one of the victims. Based on the investigation thus far, the shooting appears to be gang-related.' Police gang investigators 'feel comfortable saying this is a gang-related shooting based on some of the people involved,' Mr Simpson added. He said the shooter is believed to have gang ties, but declined to say whether any victims might. Following the shooting, parents were quickly summoned to the school to collect their children, while a nearby high school and community college were put on lockdown. After authorities tracked down the suspect in the early hours of Saturday, officers were dispatched to search the man's an apartment, about five blocks east of the shooting. Shock: Following the shooting, the man then allegedly fled the scene by car, but was stopped by police at North Interstate Avenue and Going Street at around 1.30am on Saturday. A handgun was found in his vehicle . High school: Police and students are pictured outside Rosemary Anderson High School - which is an alternative institution for dropouts and other at-risk or homeless students - after the sudden attack . Response: Police will release the suspect's name and charges after he is booked into Multnomah County Jail . Police will release the suspect's name and charges after he is booked into Multnomah County Jail. The victims are students at the high school or in affiliated job training programs, the force said. On Friday night, Portland Mayor, Charlie Hales, wrote on Facebook: 'My heart goes out to students and staff at Rosemary Anderson High School, which today experienced a terrible tragedy. 'It was heartwarming to see the community wrap its arms around victims' friends and families. I know we'll all be holding our loved ones a little closer tonight. Go home and hug your kids.' According to Rosemary Anderson High's website, 190 students annually are enrolled at the north Portland location. The school also has a second location in Gresham. Near-fatal: In a statement on Friday night, Sargent Pete Simpson, of Portland Police, 'There was some kind of dispute between the shooter and some people.' Above, police at the corner where the shooting occured . Scared: Police investigators 'feel comfortable saying this is a gang-related shooting based on some of the people involved,' Mr Simpson added in an interview. Above, students and relatives speak on their phones . Paying tribute: On Friday night, Portland Mayor, Charlie Hales, wrote on Facebook: 'My heart goes out to students and staff at Rosemary Anderson High School, which today experienced a terrible tragedy' Gang violence in Portland is not a new phenomenon. Some of the violence occurs between rival gangs, but bystanders have also been hurt. 'We've made a lot of progress in addressing the gang problem, but we haven't eradicated it,' Mr Hales said in a statement on Friday. 'Today's really a sad reminder that it's still with us.' Over the summer, Portland police have apparently seen a spike in gang crime - a problem they have complained they do not have adequate resources to address. Fighting for life: Taylor, pictured in a Facebook photo, remains critically injured in hospital . Recent violence includes a man killed in a drive-by-shooting and another shot dead in a separate shooting. A five-year-old boy also was shot in the leg while playing at an apartment complex. A Multnomah County report on gang activity released in June said crime in the county that includes Portland actually decreased from 2005 to 2012. As inner-city Portland gentrifies, the report said, criminal activity is shifting from northern neighborhoods to areas farther east, including the city of Gresham. The north Portland neighborhood where the shooting occurred exemplifies the trend. Before Friday, the place once known for gangs had not had a shooting with injuries in nearly four years. 'It brings up a lot of old wounds,' Mr Simpson said. Dani Gonzales, 64, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, said it generally safe but there has always been some gang activity. 'Kids just get silly and get crazy ideas. I don't know what goes on in their heads,' Mr Gonzales said. There was another school shooting in the Portland area in June, but it was not gang-related. A freshman killed another boy in a locker room, and a bullet grazed a teacher before the shooter went into a bathroom and died from a self-inflicted gunshot, police said. The attack came just two days before the two-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, when gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults in Newton, Connecticut. Police are investigating the latest shooting. Leaving: Ralena Gaska (left) and mother, Deinda (right), leave Rosemary Anderson High School on Friday . Waiting for their children to emerge: Following the shooting, parents were quickly summoned to the school to collect their children (pictured), while a nearby high school and community college were put on lockdown . | Taylor Zimmers, 16, in critical condition in hospital following shooting .
David Jackson-Liday, 20, and Labraye Franklin, 17, are in fair condition .
Fourth victim, Olyvia Barson, 17, treated on-site after bullet grazed foot .
On Saturday morning, police arrested man, 22, and found gun in his car .
Police and medics sent to Rosemary Anderson High School on Friday .
Alternative school caters for dropouts and at-risk or homeless students .
Detectives are investigating; they believe shooting was 'gang-related' |
247,899 | ccca7feea8952ebc9a28f2635d55ab591334a809 | It's starred on Jeopardy, helped with cancer research and even worked in a call centre but now Watson’s next job is in the public’s hands. In February, the IBM Watson team asked firms to design mobile apps that take advantage of its supercomputer's processing power. Hundreds of submissions have now been narrowed down to 25 finalists, including an app that lets you speak to an avatar of a famous person, and one that offers advice for expectant mothers. The three winners will be awarded 90 days access to the complex computer’s developer platform. The IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge invited teams to design mobile apps using Watson's, pictured, cognitive computing capabilities. The 25 finalists will now submit prototypes for judging, after which only five teams will present proposals to IBM. Three winners will get access to the Watson's developer platform . The IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge was launched at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It invited teams to design mobile apps using Watson’s cognitive computing capabilities to ‘analyse, discover insights and learn from Big Data’. The 25 finalists will now submit prototypes for judging, after which only five teams will present proposals to IBM. The three winners will get access to the API as well as consultations from IBM Interactive design services. The finalists are a mix of entertainment, health and innovation. For example, the Azoft team want to build an app ‘for anyone who wants to talk to an interesting and smart person, politician, scientist or celebrity’. Ultramatics: Offers personalised answers to the most important health questions. Voyager Innovations: Lets users shop surely and quickly. Ringful Health: Lets patients have informed conversations with their doctors on healthcare decisions. Majestyk Apps: A cognitive companion that improves education. GenieMD: Lets users take a more active role in managing their health. Red Ant: A sales trainer that lets employees easily identify individual customers’ likely interests. BrightMinded: A virtual personal trainer that follows users through all aspects of their fitness experience. 9W Search: The next-generation approach to the consumption of financial information. Strategia Tecnologia: Helps family farmers get answers to their questions about agriculture. Acute Dynamics: Lets users view, execute and track activities related to their work. CrayonData: Helps consumers simplify choices in every aspect of life. GoGoHealth: Lets doctors diagnose and treat patients remotely, using evidence-based protocols. Kutir: Lets hiring managers and recruiters identify potential hires and alerts candidates to openings. InXero: Lets reseller businesses more efficiently reach customers on their offerings. Instancy: A revolutionary personal learning guide. Azoft: Lets users connect with any interesting and smart person, politician, scientist or celebrity. Rumble: Newspaper and magazine apps with the highest level of user experience and personalization. Inteliwise: A user-friendly AI-powered app that connects citizens and local city councils. Biovideo: Puts the most helpful information for new and expectant mothers at their fingertips. Activepackets: A personalized automobile research app. Unified . Computer Intelligence Corp: Lets users quickly order fresh ingredients . from best-priced sources for delivery within hours. Flexport: Makes international trade more accessible and affordable. Ontodia: Concierge service lets users ask detailed questions about local government and private resources. Sense.ly/MyIdealDoctor: Lets individuals and doctors quickly access information for unmatched healthcare. Xoriant: Lets rural customers access microfinance organization and related data on the go. They propose that Watson will be able to find answers to questions asked to a users’ idol that are found in public access pages, publications, interviews and books, but which are not easy to find through standard search engines. Earlier this year Watson became a call centre worker. This graphic explains how the scheme worked . The team said: ‘Because we can focus Watson on particular sets of source materials to prepare answers and make Watson learn, it will produce an ultimate product that gives everyone a gift of real-life communication through Q&A with someone they’d only dreamt of talking to.’ ‘Users can immediately ask questions or initiate conversations with people of their interest as in a regular instant-message service. ‘At later stages, we can implement speech recognition and text-to-speech ability. Meanwhile, the Biovideo App has been designed to ‘provide the best help for new and expectant mothers at their fingertips.’ It uses the Baby 101 searchable database and plans to make the service available to all – it is currently limited by location. ‘Providing the power of Watson to the Baby 101 program provides unlimited information, insight and reach to new parents,’ explained the proposal. ‘A mother with a sick child can ask Dr. Watson what’s wrong with her baby and get a 100 per cent accurate response from data Watson has pulled from trusted sources on the internet, including scientific journals.’ Elsewhere, the GoGoHealth app would let doctors and specialists diagnose and treat patients remotely. Patients would log into their provider app, and the app makes a call to the Electronic Health Record system the doctor is using, pulls all history data, and asks the patients to specify their symptoms. In 2011 IBM's Watson computer competed against Jeopardy's two most successful contestants, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. During the practice match Watson was given the same questions as the other contestants and could virtually press the buzzer to answer. In the majority of cases Watson beat both contestants . Based on the symptoms and history, the app would ask each patient questions to accurately assess the condition. There are also fitness apps among the finalists, such as Brightminded. According to the team behind the plans: ‘Watson can be the perfect fitness trainer, and to achieve that it needs to be with users during all aspects of their fitness journey: when they are at the gym, at the track or at the supplements shop. ‘We want to use Watson’s cognitive abilities to learn from users’ daily data - gathered from manual entry and wearable sensor technology, latest medical research and available online fitness expertise to determine what works for a user’s metabolism, physical structure, fat distribution, and hormonal profile.’ They said the Watson-powered app could change its recommendation as training progresses, or goals change. It could also recommend the best supplement products based on reviews and requirements, for example if the user is allergic to dairy. | In February, IBM asked teams to design apps for its Watson computer .
Hundreds of submissions have been narrowed down to 25 finalists .
These include an app that lets you speak to an avatar of a famous person, remote doctors, personal training apps and advice for expectant mothers .
These finalists will submit prototypes for and five will present to IBM .
Three winners will then be awarded 90 days access to Watson’s API . |
240,043 | c2c141592a92deab14861ab09be348a88bad0341 | The elderly man was pushed into the garishly lit room. In front of him, a smartly dressed man in a frock coat held out his hand. Instinctively, the elderly man shook it, briefly noting the absurdity of formally greeting his executioner. However, his attention was distracted by the sight of a long black table in the centre of the room, attached to which were buckles and straps. And, rising above the table, hanging menacingly high, was a huge silvery-black blade. Within a few moments, the condemned man was bound face-down on the table and a steel rod was pressed on to his back. With his face looking into a basket, his nostrils detected the smell of dried blood over the stench of disinfectant and sawdust. Grim discover: The Nazi guillotine which was used to kill thousands of people during the Third Reich . This, he knew, was the very minute of his death. But the man had other plans. Thanks to a glass vial of cyanide hidden in his mouth, he would cheat the guillotine and take his own life. The Nazis may have sentenced him to death — but he would control his final moment. Above him, the executioner whispered: ‘Now!’ The man bit down on the capsule, but as he did so, he could hear the rushing sound of the blade falling. For an agonising split second, he knew that he had left it too late: the blade would claim him before the poison. As his head landed in the basket, his decapitated torso convulsed, pushing itself up against the straps. For a few moments, the executioner’s assistants held it down. Then, everything was still. This gruesome scene comes from a classic 1947 novel by Hans Fallada called Alone In Berlin. Though fictional, it is based on the tragic true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, a working-class couple who were guillotined in Berlin’s notorious Plotzensee Prison in 1943 for distributing anonymous postcards denouncing the regime. Victim: Sophie Scholl, student at Munich University and a member of The White Rose, an anti-Nazi resistance movement, was found guilty for treason on April 22 1943 and executed by guillotine on the same day . Today, we associate the guillotine with the brutality of the French Revolution, when 16,549 men and women were executed by the device. However, the Nazis were equally devoted to it. They are thought to have beheaded almost as many victims as the French Reign of Terror during their 12 horrific years in power. The Nazis’ use of the guillotine came disturbingly to light again over the weekend, when the guillotine used to chop off the head of one of the regime’s youngest and bravest opponents was re-discovered in the basement of the Bavarian National Museum in Munich. Experts have concluded that the guillotine, which has been hidden in a store room for decades, was responsible for the beheading of the 21-year-old Sophie Scholl on February 22, 1943. Her ‘crime’ was to have been a leading member of the White Rose movement, which had peacefully resisted the regime by writing anti-Nazi leaflets and distributing them around university students in Munich. Sophie was the first of her fellow conspirators to be led to her death, which took place within just three hours of being found guilty by the rabidly Nazi judge, Roland Freisler, in his People’s Court, notorious for its kangaroo trials. Sibling: Hans Scholl, Sophie's brother, also a member of the White Rose, and was beheaded in February 1943 . At 5pm that day, she was led from the cell she shared with her brother Hans and their friend Christoph Probst, also members of the White Rose movement. According to one account, Sophie walked proudly across the yard to a small building, which contained the guillotine. Before being strapped down, Sophie is said to have uttered these, her last words: ‘How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause? Such a fine sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?’ Within seconds, the young woman’s head lay in a bloodied basket. She was just one of the 3,009 people despatched by Nazi Germany’s leading executioner, Johann Reichhart, who was later to claim that Sophie was the bravest person he had killed. Within the hour, Reichhart had also beheaded Hans Scholl and Christoph Probst. Hans is reputed to have shouted ‘Long live freedom!’ as he was marched across the prison yard. Soldiers: Hans Scholl (right), pictured with Alexander Schmorell (left), a fellow resistance fighter who was executed in the summer of 1943 . It is often forgotten that, when the Nazis took office, they were initially cautious about using the death penalty. Their grip on power was not as firm as it would come to be and they were aware that public opinion might turn against them if they executed too many of their own citizens. At Plotzensee Prison, for example, where the execution described in Hans Fallada’s novel takes place, only 45 people were put to death from 1933 to 1936 — a figure that would be dwarfed in years to come. In those early years of the Nazi regime, Hitler was concerned by the idea that, across Germany, methods of judicial execution varied. There was the guillotine, but also hanging, shooting, and perhaps most medieval of all, the axe. Hitler therefore established a commission to standardise the way in which he would put supposedly miscreant citizens to death. At first, the Fuhrer was reluctant to use the guillotine, as it carried with it the alarmist image of the French Reign of Terror. He preferred to remove people to the concentration camps. ‘At least we have not set up a guillotine,’ Hitler said in a news-paper interview at the end of 1933. ‘Even the worst elements have only needed to have been separated from the nation.’ However, in October 1936, acting on the advice of his justice minister, Franz Gurtner, Hitler decided that the guillotine should be Nazi Germany’s preferred method of execution. Twenty guillotines were secretly ordered — and distributed to prisons across the Reich. Last act of defiance: Hans (left), pictured with his brother Werner, is believed to have shouted 'Long live freedom' before he was killed . Over the following eight-and-a-half years, some 16,500 souls were killed with the device. Though it was talked of as a supposedly painless way to die, there is anecdotal evidence that the brain still functions within the severed head for at least 90 seconds after the blow. Nevertheless, one Nazi doctor was to claim absurdly that a trip to the ‘dentist was worse than the guillotine’, because the severance of any nerve endings in the beheading meant the brain would not feel any pain. Those who were killed came from all walks of life — and all age groups. The youngest to be beheaded was Helmuth Hubener, who was just 17 when he was guillotined for distributing anti-war leaflets around Hamburg. After he had been sentenced to death, Helmuth said to the judges: ‘Now I must die, even though I have committed no crime. So now it’s my turn, but your turn will come.’ The sentencing of a child to death appalled many. Even members of the Gestapo appealed for clemency. However, at 8.13 on the evening of October 27, 1942, Helmuth was beheaded. For executioners such as Sophie Scholl’s killer Johann Reichhart, the Nazi boom in the use of the guillotine made them wealthy. Those who dropped the blade were paid 3,000 Reichsmarks per year — and received a 65 Reichsmark bonus per execution. Reichhart made enough to buy a villa in an affluent Munich suburb. Fallen: Willi Graf, another member of the anti-nazi resistance movement, was found guilty for treason and executed by guillotine in 1943. Cruelly, the Nazis even charged the families of those they had imprisoned and beheaded. For every day that a prisoner was held, a fee of 1.50 Reichsmarks was charged. The executions cost 300 Reichsmarks. Even the 12 pfennig cost of posting the invoice was demanded back by the Nazi state. On October 12, 1943, another member of the White Rose sat in his prison cell waiting for the guillotine. His name was Willi Graf, and he had acted as a recruiter for the group. He wrote to his family that morning. ‘On this day I’m leaving this life and entering eternity,’ he wrote. ‘What hurts me most of all is that I am causing such pain to those of you who go on living.’ They had no idea that Willi had been beheaded and found out the truth only when a letter they sent to him was returned, stamped with the bald word ‘Deceased’. His own letter reached the Graf family a few days later. It is likely that Willi met his fate on the same guillotine as Sophie Scholl. In fact, several hundred — perhaps more than 1,000 — died on this piece of macabre machinery. Today, the Germans are divided as to what to do with the instrument of death and misery unearthed from the Munich museum’s basement. Some think the guillotine should form the centrepiece of a new exhibition about those who resisted the Nazis. Franz Josef Muller, on the other hand, the last surviving member of the White Rose, feels that it should stay locked away. ‘No, this should not go on display,’ the 89-year-old Muller says. ‘No entertainment must be made of their violent deaths. The memory of Sophie and Hans is deep within me. I think of them every day.’ | We associate the guillotine with the brutality of the French Revolution .
Nazis are said to have executed the same number with the technique .
Third Reich's use of the blade came to light again at the weekend .
Guillotine used to behead Sophie Scholl found in a museum basement .
Her crime was that she was a member of a peaceful resistance movement . |
282,630 | fa1273fd4fef67bcea387d8084f60da134ba47d8 | Washington (CNN) -- John Kerry got Swift-boated. Jimmy Carter had his re-election chances decimated in the Iranian desert. Then there was Michael Dukakis and that tank photo. It is a tradition of presidential politics in recent decades that Democrats get accused of being soft and inexperienced on military and foreign policy issues, and Barack Obama was no different in 2008. However, a string of foreign policy successes -- including the killings of terrorist leaders Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, and now the toppling of the Gadhafi regime in Libya without the loss of any U.S. service members -- have made Obama seemingly invulnerable to the quadrennial Republican attack line. The question is whether it will matter a year from now, when voters decide if he should get a second term. To analysts interviewed Monday, the president's policies and actions during almost three years in power have helped him shed the knee-jerk, anti-war reputation affixed to Democrats since the Vietnam era. They cite increased drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, including the one that killed the U.S.-born al-Awlaki, as well as the Special Forces mission that raided a compound in Pakistan housing bin Laden. "Those actions demonstrate a degree of toughness that insulates him from the charge of being soft on defense," said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. However, voter dissatisfaction with 9% unemployment and crawling economic recovery is likely to overwhelm any benefit the president gets from foreign policy successes, said David Gergen, a CNN senior political analyst. According to Gergen, the association of Democrats with liberal pacifism dates back decades. In the middle of the 20th century, he noted, Democrats were the party of international engagement willing to "bear any burden" to defend the nation and its interests, as President John F. Kennedy put it at his 1961 inaugural address. Then the Vietnam War deeply divided the country, with Democrats becoming inextricably linked to the fervent anti-war movement by nominating liberal South Dakota Sen. George McGovern for president in 1972, according to Gergen. In subsequent decades, the perception persisted of Democrats as liberals who were soft on communism and unwilling to use military force. In 1980, the failure of a military mission in Iran ordered by Carter to rescue 52 Americans held hostage since the revolution the previous year cemented his image as a weak leader. Crashed helicopters in the desert became the foreign policy symbol of a presidency that helped orchestrate the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. Carter then was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the presidential election that year. Eight years later. Dukakis saw his campaign against then-Vice President George H.W. Bush undermined in part by a photo that sought to prop up his military credentials by showing him riding a tank. However, the image of Dukakis in what appeared to be an over-large military helmet with his name affixed to the front, his tie and business shirt visible beneath military outer garb, instead prompted ridicule. The "soft on war" legacy for Democrats continued in 2004, when Kerry came under fierce, privately funded attacks that accused him of falsifying his account of a battle that earned him a Silver Star as a Swift boat operator, as well as making false claims about misconduct by other U.S. forces in Vietnam and Cambodia. The campaign against Kerry coined the phrase "swift-boating" in reference to an acute, partisan and not necessarily truthful political attack. It also turned what should have been a benefit for Kerry -- his war record compared to the non-service in Vietnam by Republican incumbent George W. Bush -- into a controversial issue. Kerry lost the election. For Obama, what was perhaps his greatest foreign policy triumph -- the covert mission to send U.S. special forces into Pakistan after bin Laden -- came close to the kind of failure that plagued Carter's rescue mission 31 years earlier. One of the U.S. helicopters involved became disabled, forcing a change in how the mission was carried out. This time, though, the U.S. forces were able to infiltrate bin Laden's compound, kill him and fly out with his body. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, called Obama's decision to launch the mission one of the most courageous he ever saw a president make. If the bin Laden mission had failed, West and Gergen noted, Obama would likely find himself in the same position as Carter -- an incumbent candidate labeled as weak and ineffective. "They would have tried to turn Obama into Jimmy Carter," West said, adding: "People would have said that even though the mission was ambitious, the execution was flawed and that this would reflect poorly on presidential leadership." Instead, "I don't think it's going to be possible for Republicans to Swift-boat Obama," West said. The president's actions "demonstrate a degree of toughness that Jimmy Carter didn't have." Both Gergen and West said Obama's strategy seeks to exert U.S. influence while minimizing the nation's long-term commitment to overseas conflict and any loss of American lives. That strategy was most evident in the Libya campaign, which was launched by the United States under a U.N. resolution authorizing establishment of a no-fly zone to protect civilians from attack by Gadhafi's military. Eventually, the campaign shifted to NATO control, with U.S. forces playing a supporting role for air strikes that targeted Gadhafi forces. In the end, the total cost to the U.S. government is expected to be under $2 billion with no loss of American lives, compared to the more than $800 billion in costs and more than 4,000 U.S. fatalities in the Iraq War launched by the Bush administration. Some Republicans have tried to defuse credit for Obama's policy, complaining it lasted longer than necessary because the administration withheld the full might and leadership of U.S. forces throughout the Libya campaign. But to West, the successful completion of the mission -- with Gadhafi gone and no long-term U.S. commitment or cost -- will bolster Obama in next year's election. "I've seen that a lot of people are arguing foreign policy is not going to be relevant in 2012," according to West. "I think those interpretations miss the leadership Obama has displayed in foreign affairs." Gergen warned that Obama remains vulnerable to problems in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the president is ending or reducing long-running U.S. wars. Last week, Obama announced that virtually all U.S. troops would leave Iraq by the end of the year, which would fulfill a campaign pledge from 2008. At the same time, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is being decreased following an earlier surge ordered by Obama, with the goal of ending the war by the end of 2014. Republicans such as veteran Sen. John McCain of Arizona -- who lost to Obama in 2008 -- have criticized both moves, saying they undermined the long-running missions by providing U.S. enemies with an end date to the nation's military commitments in those countries. "I do think he's fortified himself against these Republican attacks," Gergen said of Obama, but he added that "Iraq or Afghanistan or both could become a crisis between now and the election. Overall, though, the president has strengthened his standing as commander-in-chief, Gergen and research assistant Michael Zuckerman wrote in a CNN column last week. Obama's foreign policy approach will "bolster a campaign argument that may resonate not only with his base, but also with swing voters increasingly wary of foreign engagements: that Obama wields force much more prudently and surgically than the reckless GOP -- that he has wound down Iraq and helped win back international respect, all while delivering strong results," the column said. | Foreign policy wins fortify the president against Vietnam-era criticism of Democrats .
Analyst: President Obama is tougher than Jimmy Carter was .
Domestic woes may trump foreign policy successes, however . |
158,866 | 59673472721ea559d88d65c5dfe7fbffccb29f80 | Juan Mata was annoyed to see his Manchester United team-mates resort to route-one football at times in Saturday's disappointing draw at Burnley. Louis van Gaal is still searching for his first win as Red Devils boss following the uninspiring goalless stalemate at Turf Moor. Angel di Maria, playing in a midfield three alongside Mata and Darren Fletcher, produced flashes of brilliance, but Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie both had off days up front and could not convert a host of chances. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Van Gaal discuss another poor United result . Frustration: Juan Mata said that he was frustrated as his team-mates resorted to long balls . United did not help their cause in the first half by launching long balls to their strikers, effectively bypassing a midfield containing nearly £100million of talent. Mata admits United lacked confidence in their build-up play on Saturday, which led them to start pumping long balls up field. 'Maybe in the build-up [there were confidence issues] as we were trying to build up from the back but sometimes we didn't do it well,' the Spaniard told MUTV. 'We played most of the time in their half which is good but, if you don't score from these chances, then it's not good enough. 'I believe, when we try to play football in the last third, we can create but we played too many long balls in the first half which is maybe why we didn't play as well.' Stalemate: Manchester United drew 0-0 with newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor . This match just how big a gap there is between United and the teams vying for the title. Chelsea tore Burnley apart in a thrilling first half at Turf Moor on the opening weekend of the season, but United failed to impose themselves on the game until late in the second half. United's faltering start has affected the team's self-belief, according to their manager. 'I don't think our confidence level was very high in the first half,' said Van Gaal, who suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to MK Dons on Tuesday. 'But I think that's normal when a club like United loses the first match and draws the second one. 'The pressure is higher and you have to cope with that. I could see in the first half that the players were very nervous to play the ball. 'We restored that in the second half, and maybe that will raise our confidence.' Debut: British record transfer signing Angel di Maria made his Premier League debut against Burnley . The one crumb of comfort for United was the influence of Di Maria, who completed his record-breaking move to United from Real Madrid on Tuesday. The £59.7million man created a couple of openings with incisive passes and his running stretched the Burnley defence in the first half when he drifted out wide. Ashley Young thinks United have pulled off a major coup by signing the midfielder, who was one of the stars of the World Cup. 'I think it makes a big statement to people out there,' Young said. 'A lot of people might say we can't attract world-class players but we've just done that with the signings of Luke (Shaw), Ander (Herrera), Marcos (Rojo) and now Angel. 'Angel is a fantastic signing. Real Madrid have other top players in their team like [Gareth] Bale and [Cristiano] Ronaldo but he's the one who stood out for me in that team. Problems: Louis van Gaal is still without a Premier League win and is already out of the League Cup . 'When you add quality to a squad that already has quality it can only help us.' Burnley manager Sean Dyche can only dream of being able to sign a player for almost £60million. The fact that the Clarets have only spent £45million on transfers in their 132-year history shows how impressive Saturday's draw was for the Premier League newcomers. 'Manchester United are in a transitional period but they are still very good,' said Dyche, who suffered defeats to Chelsea and Swansea in his opening two games. 'It's the strongest I've seen them since the start of the season so we are very happy. 'It's important we go into the international break after a really good performance and your first point on the board. 'And when the games come around again after taking stock of the season so far, we'll be ready to go hard again.' | Manchester United an Burnley drew 0-0 at Turf Moor .
Louis van Gaal's side have endured poor start to Premier League season .
Juan Mata said he was frustrated by his team-mate's long balls .
Angel di Maria made his debut in the match . |
196,280 | 8a0437555bab96bf9fe3c4ea6a31d7d7df9435a3 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 11:24 EST, 13 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:49 EST, 14 December 2012 . Law changes to make sure Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first baby can succeed to the throne are to be rushed through parliament. MPs will meet on Monday to start rewriting 660-year-old laws to ensure that if the royal couple have a girl she will become Queen, even if she has a young brother. Ministers are to prioritise the law change with the urgency usually reserved for anti-terror laws. Just a week after the Duchess of Cambridge left the King Edward VII hospital, ministers published new legislation to ensure their son or daughter becomes monarch . The Succession to the Crown Bill will stop men leapfrogging an older woman in line to the throne. It will also scrap the ban on anyone in line to the throne marrying a Roman Catholic. Ministers had insisted that a deal agreed by Commonwealth countries to change the succession rules last year would be backdated, so there was no need to rush legislation. But barely a week after Kate and William announced they were expecting their first child, the government has published legislation which it hopes to rush through before Christmas. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: ‘This Bill will bring to an end centuries of discrimination against women so that the first born is next in line to the throne, regardless of whether they’re a boy or a girl. ‘I’m delighted that all of the Queen’s realms have agreed to this historic piece of legislation, that will enact in law what we agreed back in 2011 – that if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a baby girl, she can one day be our Queen even if she has younger brothers. ‘We’re pressing ahead with this as quickly as we can – it’s clearly something the entire country can get behind towards the close of this momentous Jubilee year.’ The four-page Bill states that in future ‘succession to the Crown not to depend on gender’ and rewrites the Treason Act 1351 to replace ‘first son and heir’ to mean ‘eldest child and heir’. Other laws affected include the Bill of Rights, Act of Settlement and the Regency Act 1937. The baby will be third in line to the throne regardless of gender after Prime Minister David Cameron agreed a deal with other Commonwealth countries to change the rules on the royal line of succession which means male heirs will no longer be given priority. This means that in the 15 other countries where the Queen is head of state the rules must be changed. It had been feared there could be a constitutional crisis if the Royal couple had a baby girl before the law was changed. But today's announcement that the . Duchess of Cambridge is expecting the couple's first child - third in line to the throne - has come after the deal was agreed. In . October 2011, David Cameron announced that the 16 Commonwealth . countries where the Queen is head of state had agreed to give female . royals the same rights of succession as their brothers. 'Put . simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little . girl, that girl would one day be our queen,' Mr Cameron said. Under . the ancient rules of male primogeniture, first born royal daughters in . direct line to the throne were leapfrogged by their younger male . siblings. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the legislation would be passed 'as quickly as we can' The principle was criticised and widely viewed as outdated and discriminatory. The current law of male primogeniture only allows Elizabeth II to be queen because she did not have any brothers. Moves towards constitutional change gathered pace in the wake of the Duke and Duchess’s wedding in April 2011 in anticipation they would produce an offspring. Mr Cameron had previously warned it would take time due to on-going negotiations with the Commonwealth countries where the Queen is also head of state, but at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 2011 he confirmed the changes would go ahead. Downing Street said any attempt to alter the law would be a 'difficult and complex matter', with parallel legislation needed in all such Commonwealth nations. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's . first child will push Prince Harry into fourth place in the line of . succession to the throne - even if they have a girl. Prince William and Kate's child would move into third place, become more important than Harry and not be subject to the centuries-old law of primogeniture, which puts male heirs ahead of women. He or she will leapfrog Harry by being be the first born of first-in-line Prince Charles's first son. It is anticipated that Harry and . Pippa Middleton could be asked to be the child's godparents, if the . royal couple follow the tradition appointing the best man and maid of . honour from their wedding. Ministers have made clear the changes will apply from October 28, 2011 – the date of the Commonwealth summit where the countries agreed the plans. So close: The Duchess of Cambridge, (centre), Prince William (right) and Prince Harry (left) wave as they pass the Houses of Parliament during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June . The change needs to be legislated for . in the Commonwealth nations of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, . Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Belize, St . Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, St . Vincent and the Grenadines and Papua New Guinea. But this is regarded as assured. | A week after Duchess of Cornwall left hospital, minister publish Bill .
Nick Clegg says legislation will be passed 'as quickly as we can'
Commonwealth countries have agreed changes to line of succession rules .
The law of primogeniture had once meant boys leapfrogged older sisters .
New baby would be in third place by becoming more important than Harry . |
62,972 | b2e703cc2cf2ce01bad71afda83f17732d1d619e | The humble onion has a lot more to offer than flavouring your stew and is coming into its own as a beauty product and ALICE ROBINSON bravely applied a clothes peg to her nose and tried out some beauty recipes. SLATHER ON FOR SHINY HAIR . THE THEORY: ‘Onions are naturally acidic — if you use them in hair masques, the acidity will close the cuticle of the hair and make it look shiny,’ says consultant trichologist Iain Sallis. ‘Onions are naturally acidic — if you use them in hair masques, the acidity will close the cuticle of the hair and make it look shiny,’ says consultant trichologist Iain Sallis. THE TEST: Grind an onion with equal amounts of coconut or olive oil to make a hair rinse. Leave on for two hours. MY VERDICT: I reluctantly pick up my grater and shred an onion into a bowl. I mix the pulp with virgin organic coconut oil from a jar. The resulting oily mush is full of onion bits, and I flinch as I smear it into my hair, which feels unbelievably greasy. Bits of onion fall on the floor every time I move — it probably would have been a good idea to wrap my head in clingfilm or an old towel. I sit very carefully and sulkily at my laptop, trying not to shed onion on the keyboard. After two hours, I dash to the shower — almost retching at the acrid smell of warm, raw onion under hot water. I use my usual shampoo and vigorously brush my hair as I wash it off. After blow-drying, my hair does look and feel glossy — and thankfully doesn’t smell, not even of coconut. It would be less stressful to just pay up for a blow-dry or expensive conditioner. Nonetheless, it works. 3/5 . GROW YOUR HAIR FASTER . Make an onion hair masque for thinning hair . THE THEORY: Onions and honey have been used in recipes to counteract thinning hair for centuries. ‘In the Middle Ages, onions were prized and prescribed for the relief of headaches, coughs, snakebite and hair loss,’ says Iain Sallis. ‘There is no scientific evidence of this being effective at all.’ However, an article published in the Journal of Dermatology a decade ago showed promising results. THE TEST: Make an onion hair masque for thinning hair — mix the juice of one onion with 2tsp of honey and leave overnight. Use two or three times a week. MY VERDICT: My hair is thinning a little but I’m not sure I’d opt for this as a solution. I don’t even need to spell out how anti-social wearing eau d’onion juice is. Add in sticky honey, and it’s completely off-putting. I dutifully apply the foul mixture, wrap my head in a towel and try to go to sleep as best I can. In the morning, I gratefully wash my hair which is, of course, after just one night, no thicker. But even if it made me look like Rapunzel, I wouldn’t do it again.1/5 . TAKE THE STING OUT OF BITES . THE THEORY: ‘Many believe the effects of a bite or sting can be relieved by rubbing it with an onion,’ says Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the State University of New York. ‘This effect is believed to be due to compounds such as quercetin. This is said to inhibit the formation of prostaglandins. These are responsible for allergic response and pain. ‘Many believe the effects of a bite or sting can be relieved by rubbing it with an onion,’ says Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the State University of New York. ‘In laboratory studies, quercetin inhibits the enzymes that are involved in allergic response, though not specifically pain production.’ THE TEST: Using a slice of raw onion to help reduce the effects of insect bites and nettle stings. MY VERDICT: Clearly it is not possible to capture an insect to sting me, so I ask my husband to put on his gardening gloves and bring in a nettle from the bottom of the garden. I rub it on my hand. The moment I feel that burning and itching sensation I frantically rub on a slice of onion. To my astonishment, the pain instantly subsides. No white mark from the nettle comes up on my hand and although it starts to sting again after a couple of minutes, another firm rub of onion gets rid of it. Extraordinary, though be aware of Dr Patterson’s warnings on possible skin irritation.5/5 . REDUCE DARK SPOTS . Mix equal quantities of onion juice and fresh yoghurt and massage into your face for ten to 15 minutes . THE THEORY: ‘Onions are said to get rid of dark spots and pigmentation,’ says Dr Patterson. ‘Some peels contain an onion extract which will increase skin cell turnover. When combined with lactic acid in yoghurt, it will have a mild peeling effect. It’s pretty labour-intensive. Also, it would be hard to work out quantities and how often to do it.’ THE TEST: Mix equal quantities of onion juice and fresh yoghurt and massage into your face for ten to 15 minutes. MY VERDICT: I extract onion juice (see right) and stir it into yoghurt. Although onion yoghurt sounds like something you would be force fed in George Orwell’s Room 101, after I carefully rub it onto my face, my skin feels smooth and dewy, though I can’t yet see any change in my age spots. It’s suggested you do this daily, so if I can bear it, I might persevere.2/5 . HOLD YOUR NOSE FOR GREAT SKIN . THE THEORY: ‘Onions have been the subject of dermatological interest for many years, as it has been suggested they have both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects,’ says Dr Mervyn Patterson at Woodford Medical Clinic in Essex. A recent study showed onion juice had some effect on reducing skin scarring following Caesareans and further studies have suggested it may help with scar healing in both adults and children. So could onions help with skincare? A recent study showed onion juice had some effect on reducing skin scarring following Caesareans and further studies have suggested it may help with scar healing in both adults and children . Possibly. But Dr Patterson warns: ‘When unrefined onion juice comes into contact with the skin, there’s a risk of it becoming irritated.’ THE TEST: Make a mask with 2tbsp of flour, 1 ½tbsp of fresh onion juice, a pinch of nutmeg and ½ tsp of milk. Mix together to make a thick paste and apply to the face for up to 20 minutes. Remove by dabbing on some milk and massaging it away. MY VERDICT: It’s all very well mentioning onion juice, but extracting the stuff is harder than it sounds, especially if you don’t have a juicer. Standing with tears pouring down my cheeks, I grate two onions and press the resulting mush through a sieve and into a bowl. It reeks and takes a good ten minutes. The resulting paste looks like bread dough and stinks to high heaven. I tentatively dab it all over my face, trying to breathe as little as possible. I avoid putting it anywhere near my eyes. But on my skin, thankfully, it doesn’t sting at all. It feels cool and soothing, but I’ve never been so pleased to remove a face mask, which comes off in great gooey chunks. Once I scrape off the last bits, my skin is left feeling lovely and smooth — and not smelling of onions. 4/5 . BANISH ROUGH PATCHES ON YOUR ELBOWS . ‘Onions have anti-microbial properties which help to kill some bacteria and yeasts,’ says Iain Sallis. THE THEORY: ‘Onions have anti-microbial properties which help to kill some bacteria and yeasts,’ says Iain Sallis. ‘Clinical tests would need to be done before recommending them for any skin conditions.’ THE TEST: Wash the affected body part with an infusion of onion skins. MY VERDICT: I am thankfully low on skin disorders, but I do have rough dry skin on my elbows. There are many complicated ways of making infusions, but I simply drop a load of onion skin into a mug of hot water (interestingly this doesn’t smell too bad — like a sort of soup, though my husband flinches when I offer him a ‘cup of tea’). I dip my left elbow carefully into the mug of onion ‘tea’ and slosh it around for a few minutes. It does feel slightly less rough-compared to the other. I suspect this would need doing daily to have any real effect, and reckon a good emollient cream might work just as well.3/5 . | The humble onion has a lot more to offer than flavouring your stew .
It is coming into its own as a beauty product .
ALICE ROBINSON bravely tried out some beauty recipes .
If you use them in hair masques, the acidity will make it look shiny .
An onion hair masque is also good for thinning hair .
The effects of a bite or sting can be relieved by rubbing it with an onion .
A recent study showed onion juice had some effect on reducing skin scarring . |
53,840 | 98ac4a19f275f6d5dbcc1fe2dd548b1678033670 | By . Carolyn Hiblen . PUBLISHED: . 16:19 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:46 EST, 1 August 2013 . Lindsay Lohan just can't seem to catch a break. Fresh out of a 90-day stint at the Cliffside Malibu Rehab Center and reportedly 'doing amazing' as she spends a few days in a sober living facility as she adjusts to life back in the spotlight, she has been dealt another blow. Ahead of the August 2 release of her new movie, The Canyons, the film's screenwriter, Bret Easton Ellis, has labelled the star 'mixed up', 'scattered' and 'bossy'. Back in the spotlight: She may be freshly out of rehab, but Lindsay Lohan's woes are far from over - with Bret Easton Ellis, the screenwriter of her new film, The Canyons, labelling her 'mixed up', 'scattered' and 'bossy' In a candid interview with New York website Gawker, Bret revealed that his time on set with the 27-year-old was fraught with lateness and nervousness on the actress's part. A former drug user himself, he puts a lot of Lindsay's behaviour down to her Adderall dependency. 'She’s a very mixed up 20-something,' he says, adding of their first encounter on set, 'She was late, she was a little scattered, we had nervous small talk, and then she turned it on immediately.' Hostile co-stars: James Deen has said that working with Lindsay on The Canyons was like working with 'a child' - a sentiment echoed by the film's director, Paul Schrader . 'She was sometimes bossy - I don’t know if that’s the Adderall.' It wasn't all bad, though, with the American Psycho author admitting that he 'genuinely liked her' and she has real talent. '[Lindsay's] very knowledgeable about film and composition and lighting and hitting your mark. When she did our first table read, she blew me away,' he raved. Not all bad: Bret Easton Ellis - pictured here in 2010 - also said the actress 'blew me away', at her initial table read, and that he 'genuinely liked her' 'I don’t see her as lost. I know a lot of . 20-somethings and they’re all messed up. But when you’re out in the . public, you’re magnified 100 per cent, and I can understand how you’d go . a little bit further. But she was ultimately very nice.' However, the film's director, Paul Schrader, told a very different story of his experience working with the troubled star earlier this month. According to RadarOnline, he was quoted as saying that 'tardiness, tantrums, absences, neediness, psychodrama' plagued the shoot. Not over yet: She looked happy to leave Cliffside Malibu Rehab Center on Tuesday, but on their advice to the judge in her probation case, Lindsay must attend three 50-minute therapy sessions a week for 16 months . A sentiment echoed by Lindsay's co-star, James Deen - Farrah Abraham's sex-tape partner and porn star - who reportedly said working with the actress was akin to working with 'a child'. The bad rap from her colleagues comes just days after Variety gave the actress a rave review on July 28, saying she has a 'fascinating presence' and is 'affecting' in her role, to which she tweeted the response, 'Wow...humbled and feeling so much gratitude'. Meanwhile, Lindsay may have left rehab on Tuesday beaming from ear to ear, but it has since been revealed that staff at the rehab facility are fearful that she will return to her old ways. In a letter obtained by TMZ, Cliffside Malibu Rehab Center CEO and founder Richard Taite recommended to the judge in Lilo's probation case that she be issued with court-ordered therapy. On the home stretch: Lilo's lawyer, Shawn Holley, says it was the star's decision to have a sober companion and she is 'doing well', adding, 'She is so positive and [wants to get] her life on the right track' 'Our entire clinical team is in . unanimous agreement that if these sessions are not required by the court . and attendance verified once a month to ensure accountability, it is a . set up for almost certain failure,' was the ominous warning given to . Judge James R Dabney. In . open court this morning, the judge agreed to the recommendation terms, . which state that Lindsay must participate in three 50-minute therapy . sessions per week for the next 16 months. 'This . should be done face-to-face while she is in town and via Skype or phone . session if she is out of town,' the document specifies. Leading lady: The 27-year-old tweeted, 'Wow...humbled and feeling so much gratitude,' on July 28 after Variety referred to her as having a 'fascinating presence' and being 'affecting' in The Canyons . Speaking to E! News, her lawyer, Shawn Holley, says the star is determined to stay out of trouble this time around, adding, 'It was [Lindsay's] idea to have a sober coach with her. She is doing well. She is so positive and [wants to get] her life on the right track.' Lindsay's father, Michael Lohan, has also publicly praised his daughter, revealing he is 'very, very proud of what she's accomplished, how far she's come and how seriously she's taking her sobriety and her future'. Lindsay's three-month treatment sentence for substance abuse issues stems from a June 2012 car accident, in which she plead no contest to charges of lying to police about being behind the wheel. | Lawyer Shawn Holley claims star is 'doing amazing' and 'it was her idea to have a sober coach with her'
Cliffside Malibu Rehab Center's Richard Taite warns of 'almost certain failure' unless court-ordered therapy is mandated .
Judge orders troubled star to attend three face-to-face therapy sessions a week for 16 months .
The Canyons screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis labels the actress 'mixed up', 'scattered' and 'bossy' on set of film . |
110,791 | 1ad5d254c52f3b6873c253d18f7a416e2ef6a6e1 | By . Julie Anne Barnes . PUBLISHED: . 13:28 EST, 12 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:35 EST, 13 October 2012 . With its comfy chairs, wooden fireplace and shabby chic lamp shades, it could very easily be mistaken for someone’s front room. But it is, in fact, a humble cafe that offers a full fried breakfast for the unremarkable price of £5.95 – including tea or coffee. Now The Haven has been rated the best place to eat in Edinburgh – after rating higher than the city’s five Michelin star restaurants. Cosy: The interior of Haven (pictured) could be mistaken for someone's living room with its comfy chairs and wooden fireplace . Every customer to review the cafe on the Trip Advisor website says they would recommend it, giving it the highest possible marks for food, service, value and atmosphere, so that it now ranks higher than posh restaurants Castle Terrace, four, Number One, 11, Martin Wishart, 13, Kitchin, 19 and 21212, 219. All five were awarded a star in the latest 2013 edition of the Michelin Red Guide but while they typically serve pigeon, deer and rabbit at around £70 a head for three courses, The Haven is a more modest affair. Its menu includes scones, cakes and pancakes all freshly made by cafe owner and University of Edinburgh graduate Natalie Kwek, 26. Good things come in small packages: The Edinburgh cafe (pictured) has been rated higher than the city's five Michelin star restaurants . Natalie, who has a degree in English and masters in film, says the most popular dish is her fried Scottish breakfast – sausage, bacon, black pudding, haggis, fried eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, potato scones, toast and a cup of tea or coffee, for just £5.95. Natalie, whose cafe is in Newhaven, said: ‘I can’t believe it’s being mentioned in the same breath as these amazing Michelin star restaurants. Owner Natalie Kwek (pictured left) says the most popular dish at Haven is her fried Scottish breakfast (right) ‘I’ve never eaten in any of them but know they have a fantastic reputation for quality food. ‘To see my cafe rated above them on Trip Advisor is a real honour. ‘When I opened the Haven last November I hoped it would be a success but never imagined it would be such a hit so quickly.’ Rave reviews: Every customer to have reviewed The Haven on the Trip Advisor website says they would recommend it . Top marks: The Edinburgh cafe scores the highest possible marks for food, service and atmosphere . She added: ‘I spent all my spare time at university baking cakes for friends and family, who loved them. ‘When . I graduated I decided I wanted to make a living out of my hobby, doing . what I loved. I was lucky to secure this cafe and have tried hard to . turn into a warm, friendly place with a great atmosphere and fresh food. Based on the reviews, people seem to love it.’ Natalie said the cafe attracts a wide range of customers, including ‘workmen, yummy mummies and older folk’. And some tourists even make the 15 minute bus journey from the city centre just to get there after reading reviews of the cafe online. One review on Trip Advisor says: ‘We were in Edinburgh for the weekend and needed a place for a big breakfast to set us up for the day. The Haven surpassed itself. ‘Great food and quick friendly service at a decent price. We’ll be back.’ Another wrote: ‘Amazing – the people working there, the food, the price – great!’ A third said: ‘Great wee place with interesting decor too. I have not been to a nicer cafe!’ The Haven’s website perhaps reveals the cafe’s secret, saying it offers ‘delicious fresh food and friendly service in a cosy atmosphere that feels just like home.’ Natalie Kwek: ‘I’m making a living out of my hobby’ ‘We attract workmen to yummy mummies’ | Every customer that reviewed it on Trip Advisor said they would recommend it .
Owner Natalie Kwek, 26, makes the scones, pancakes and and cakes .
The most popular dish is her fried Scottish breakfast priced at £5.95 . |
46,516 | 831005755f85012c882f17c3b3699b34a7febb7b | Frustrated pensioners vented their fury over the Government’s new savings bonds yesterday after an official website went into meltdown – leaving many demanding refunds and asking where their money had gone. Chancellor George Osborne boasted that the bonds for the over-65s were the fastest-selling financial product in modern times, after more than 110,000 pensioners invested a total of £1.15 billion in only two days. But the National Savings and Investments (NS&I) website could not cope with the demand and repeatedly crashed, leading to widespread confusion and payment errors. Scroll down for video . Angry pensioners branded the bonds for the over-65s scheme a 'shambles' after the National Savings and Investments website repeatedly crashed, leading to widespread confusion and payment errors . Angry customers branded the scheme a ‘shambles’ after experiencing a series of problems, with some investing far more than they wanted to as they mistakenly filled out online forms several times. To make matters worse, the dedicated 24-hour phone line was also swamped, leaving worried savers unable to claim refunds or find out where their money had gone. Retired businessman Chris Pearson, 69, who lives near Woking in Surrey, tried three times to invest in bonds for him and his wife but ended up getting error messages saying ‘service temporarily unavailable’ each time after inputting bank details. The fourth time he was successful and received a confirmation email. He later contacted his bank and found that £10,000 had already been taken and a further £30,000 worth of payments were due to leave his account. Chancellor George Osborne (pictured) had boasted the bonds were the fastest-selling financial product in modern times . He tried to get through on the NS&I’s 24-hour helpline to explain his predicament but sat waiting for two and a half hours in the middle of the night without anyone answering. He finally gave up at 4am. Last night he told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It has been a shambles. To sit on the phone for hours during the middle of the night and get no answer is crazy. It’s just ridiculous.’ Other customers complained that the online applications crashed mid-way through payments, or failed to send a confirmation notice. Ray Dixon, 67, from Norfolk, said the process left him with ‘no idea’ whether he would be charged. He said: ‘What happened was that I appeared to get my bonds, and at the end of the process you go through to the Visa verification. That went through and then suddenly the screen went blank.’ Mr Dixon contacted his bank, which told him the charge had been ‘acknowledged but not cleared’. He is yet to receive an electronic receipt for his bonds, despite waiting for more than 36 hours. ‘They must have anticipated there was going to be a rush and should have put on extra staff to cope,’ he said. Mr Osborne announced the bonds in last year’s Budget in an effort to help older savers demoralised by record low interest rates. The bonds are available for one and three-year terms, with interest rates of 2.8 and 4 per cent (before tax). Savers are limited to £10,000 for each type of bond, with couples allowed a maximum of £40,000. But news that the Government will cap the scheme when £10 billion has been invested led to a huge rush. Mr Osborne said it was ‘the biggest opening sale of any retail financial product in Britain’s modern history’. A spokesman for NS&I said: ‘Any customer who has inadvertently made more than one payment will be refunded.’ | More than 110,000 pensioners invested in Government's new saving bonds .
But National Savings and Investments website could not cope with demand .
It repeatedly crashed leaving customers asking where their money was .
Many demanded refunds while one investor branded scheme a 'shambles' |
22,240 | 3f2deb13c55454e9a7769aba0a7e905b3bdf81f1 | By . Adam Crafton . Follow @@AdamCrafton_ . Manchester United signing Ander Herrera offered a display full of promise in his side’s 7-0 evisceration of LA Galaxy on Wednesday and the statistics reveal that the Spaniard is sure to provide an upgrade on the midfielders that toiled with such difficulty under David Moyes last season. In the dominant victory in Louis van Gaal’s first match in charge of the club in Los Angeles, Herrera earned the man-of-the-match award after a performance of poise and creativity in the United midfield, linking up almost telepathically with his compatriot Juan Mata. Albeit against admittedly mediocre opposition, Herrera enjoyed an encouraging debut, creating three of United’s seven goals as he played the full 90 minutes. Brilliant start: Ander Herrera appears to be the creative spark Manchester United sorely lacked last season . New star? Herrera can be an upgrade on United's midfielders, who struggled to provide assists last season . Wayne Rooney - 10Juan Mata - 4 Javier Hernandez - 3Shinji Kagawa - 3Antonio Valencia - 3Adnan Januzaj - 3Patrice Evra - 3Robin van Persie - 3Phil Jones - 2Danny Welbeck - 1Marouane Fellaini - 1Ashley Young - 1Rafael - 1 . This was as many as any United midfielder managed in the Premier League throughout the whole of last season, with the exception of Juan Mata, who created four after signing for the club from Chelsea in the January transfer window. Herrera’s three assists equalled the tallies of Antonio Valencia, Adnan Januzaj and Shinji Kagawa from the duration of United’s traumatic Premier League season, with the club slumping to 7th position. Herrera, in one match, also dwarfed the single assists registered by under-performers such as Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young while players including Nani, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick all failed to create a goal for a team-mate in the 2013/14 campaign. United will hope that the £28.4m Herrera will go some way to correcting the creativity deficit that has seemed to be behind so much of United’s toil in recent times. Hugs: Darren Fletcher (left) and Ander Herrera hug after Manchester United's 7-0 victory over LA Galaxy . Top of the table: Wayne Rooney provided the most assists for Man Utd last season . Dream team? Wayne Rooney (left) and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal (right) Runner-up: Despite only joining Manchester United in January, Juan Mata was in second place behind Wayne Rooney in terms of goal assists . | The Spaniard created three of United's seven goals against Galaxy .
Wayne Rooney was Man Utd's top creator last season with 10 assists .
Juan Mata was second with four - despite only joining in January .
They are the only two players who assisted more than three last season .
Welbeck, Fellaini and Ashley Young only provided one assist each last year . |
53,395 | 977345761bd7742cc47e0afa5331037c31a0b01d | (CNN) -- A Little Rock, Arkansas, television anchorwoman who was attacked in her home and severely beaten died from her injuries Saturday. Anne Pressly, 26, was a popular morning news anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas. Anne Pressly, 26, the morning anchor on KATV, was found in her home Monday, savagely beaten mostly on her face and upper body. She had been hospitalized and sedated, unable to speak and suffering from massive brain swelling, her family said. Police said she might have been the victim of a burglary because her purse was missing. Her credit card was used at a gas station sometime this week, police said. Her father Guy Cannady appeared on "Good Morning America" earlier in the week and said he doubts the attack was random. "It's so hard to understand, first of all, why would anybody vandalize and brutalize somebody to this extent," he said. "There are items missing from the home. The severity of the injuries and brutality of the attack in my own mind calls into question the motive." Pressly's left hand was broken, possibly as she tried to fight off her attacker. Her father earlier said that his daughter's brain had swollen and she was unable to communicate, making it impossible for her to talk to police. Public personalities, including those on television, are sometimes stalked. Police have yet to identify a suspect, although detectives have combed the area around Pressly's home in the Heights neighborhood, a mix of bungalows and mansions near the Little Rock Country Club. A $30,000 reward, established by KATV, will go to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of Pressly's attacker, the station reported Saturday. The anchor's death comes just one day after reports that her condition appeared to be improving. Dr. Clifton R. Johnson said on Friday that the swelling in her brain had gone down and that doctors were slowly reducing her sedative dosages. Pressly's parents released a statement Saturday saying they were "with her in her last moments," and that they needed privacy. On Saturday, KATV opened its nightly news cast with a seven-minute segment devoted to Pressly. Anchor Pamela Smith told viewers that Pressly's family agreed to have their daughter donate her organs. An emotional Smith read condolences sent into the station, her eyes red. "She owned every room she was in, not because she demanded our attention, but because we willingly gave it to her," Smith said. "We all felt a little better, a little more alive just being near her." Cannady told ABC News that his family has received many letters of support during the week from across the world. Director Oliver Stone wrote one of them. Pressly made a brief appearance as a television commentator in Stone's new movie, "W." "You're one hellava gal," he wrote. "Keep fighting. You're a winner." No funeral arrangements have been announced. "Life was easy for Anne Pressly," Smith told viewers. "But it is her death that is so very hard for all of us." Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. | KATV morning anchor Anne Pressly was 26 .
She was severely beaten in her Little Rock, Arkansas, home Monday .
Police said she was attacked during burglary .
Her father suspects she may have been targeted . |
29,900 | 55073952f165126c48319651232fc68a8fbc605f | Washington (CNN) -- When Sen. Mark Begich looks at the next two years, he says he is not concerned about the tough votes he is bound to have to make that could have an impact on his re-election in 2014. The moderate Democrat from Alaska even laughs a bit when he says, "Every vote we take here is tough." "My strategy has always been to do what I am going to do and focus on my issues," Begich said in an interview with CNN. Begich is one of six moderate Democrats from "red" states whose terms ends in two years. Max Baucus of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas are among the 20 Democrats whose terms will be up in 2014; Republicans will defend 13 seats. CNN Election Center: Complete results . Though no Republican has declared a run against Begich, speculation in Alaska is that Gov. Sean Parnell will challenge the first-term senator. Since 2008, when the former Anchorage mayor narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Ted Stevens, Begich has voted as a moderate and has shown willingness to work with the other party. At times, he says, that can get lonely: "You feel like a Lone Ranger sometimes." Asked about positions he has taken on oil and drilling or on transportation in the 112th Congress, Begich said, "Sometimes I feel like I look around and I look behind me and there aren't many national Democrats there. But that is the way it goes." Though fiscal cliff and budget issues are likely to dominate Congress' lame duck session -- and likely the new Congress -- there are any number of issues that could emerge in President Barack Obama's second term that could test moderate Democrats. Much has been made of liberal Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin elected to the Senate last week and both parties being pulled away from the middle, but Begich points out that moderate Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana also were elected. 2014 battle for the Senate starts now . Senate votes will be heavily scrutinized in midterms . But Begich's optimism may not be well-founded -- the reality, says Nathan Gonzales from the Rothenberg Political Report, is that even the most benign votes Begich and his fellow moderates make will be used against them in 2014. "Senators that are up for re-election are up under a larger microscope. Their votes will be dissected even more closely when they are in cycle," Gonzales said. Joe Manchin of West Virginia fired a warning shot -- literally -- to his fellow Democrats when the former governor was running against Republican businessman John Raese in the special election to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Robert Byrd's term. In a 30-second statewide TV ad, Manchin fired a bullet through a symbol of the House-passed cap-and-trade legislation -- a bill incredibly unpopular in his coal-rich state -- thereby both highlighting his opposition to the proposal and trumpeting his support of Second amendment rights. Democrats may also be emboldened by the way voters in some states last week supported Democrats in the Senate even while voting for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "We learned from Tuesday's results that voters are willing to split their tickets," Gonzales said. In Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota, all states in which Romney outran Obama by more than 10 points, Democrats won Senate seats. Though ill-chosen comments on rape by Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana helped the Democrats in each case, Landrieu's chief of staff, Jane Campbell, is encouraged. Though she did not guarantee victory -- "I am not telling you that it is going to be easy. Her races have never been easy," Campbell said -- she did sound confident. Landrieu "has run three times in a state that has always had a Republican lean, and her numbers have gone up every single time," Campbell said. Every election "she has always been among the top targets and she has always shown the people of Louisiana and they have asked her to come back." Campbell noted the senator focuses on issues that her constituents care about, singling out protecting the state's bayous, holding BP oil company responsible for recovery from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, and education. New U.S. House: Women and minorities to the left; white men to the right . Focusing on issues important to constituents . Begich took the same tack -- listing issues like oil and natural gas, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and transportation -- as his selling points to Alaskan voters. Throughout the conversation he mentioned issues most Democrats wouldn't touch, like auditing the Federal Reserve, strengthening gun rights and lowering the corporate tax rate. Begich's strategy seems clear -- focus on issues that matter to Alaskans for the last two years of his term. "I always run like I am 15 points behind. You always run hard," Begich said. "I am focused in the last several years on the issues that matter to Alaska." But how does that jibe with the wider Democratic caucus? When the 113th Congress is commenced in January, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to unite his caucus. With a mixed bag of priorities, and a handful of more moderate members focusing on getting re-elected in 2014, that could prove taxing. "Leader Reid has a difficult task and I think the president is going to be looking to define his legacy," Gonzalez said. "I think he is going to try to get something big done that is going to have political consequences. The ones who have the most on the line are the people who will face voters in the midterm." Jim Manley, who used to work as the chief spokesman for Reid, said he expects that the majority leader is going to go out of his way to make sure every Democrat feels comfortable with each vote. "There are different ways to juggle votes," Manley said. "In the end, Reid understands that they have to do what they have to do to get re-elected. Reid understands that they need to do what they have to do to represent their constituents." After all, Manley pointed out, Reid has had to do this ever since becoming majority leader in 2006. "He spent the last couple of years juggling the competing concerns of (moderates) Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson against the demands of (progressives) Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders." Begich says he assured Reid before the 2012 elections that he is ready to take hard votes and that the leader doesn't have to worry about putting him in a tough spot. Even so, said a confident Begich, he likes where he is two years out from the election. "Some of the guys who were running for re-election (in 2012) had to moderate in my direction," Begich said. "I came in with these positions already because that is who I am." | With both parties being pulled away from the middle, Senate Dems face uphill climb in '14 .
Six Democrats from states that voted for Romney are up for re-election in midterms .
Mike Begich notes that two Democratic moderates were elected last week .
Begich and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana say they'll focus on what their constituents want . |
159,932 | 5abd4b617fa11faf9217214181354cac68e957b2 | "Embrace the YES!" said the subject line. Uh, no. The Washington Post reported that almost 300 students who had been rejected by Johns Hopkins University received a joyous shock over the weekend when the prestigious Baltimore school sent them emails telling them to "Embrace the YES!" They'd been admitted after all. Hadn't they? It didn't take long for joy to turn to sadness when the school followed up with another email on Sunday afternoon: "Please note that this email was sent in error. The decision posted on the decision site reflects the accurate result of your Early Decision application." Whoops. The email was the result of "human error," David Phillips, vice provost for admissions and financial aid at Hopkins, told the Post. "We apologize to the students affected and to their families," Phillips said. "Admissions decision days are stressful enough. We very much regret having added to the disappointment felt by a group of very capable and hardworking students, especially ones who were so committed to the idea of attending Johns Hopkins that they applied early decision." Johns Hopkins isn't the first to make such a mistake. Last December, Fordham University sent 2,500 students acceptances, when their status was still unresolved. Cathy Stephenson, a parent of a Hopkins hopeful, told the Post she was upset. "You don't crush somebody's feelings twice," she said. | Students rejected by Johns Hopkins get acceptance by mistake .
Hopkins official: Emails the result of "human error"
Some parents still upset by turnabout . |
74,446 | d30e532fb57657591bcffbd688cce09de8528bbe | By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 14:36 EST, 27 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:14 EST, 30 July 2013 . Imagine if the internet was mapped out like a solar system with the world's biggest websites represented by individual planets. But instead of the map of just a handful of planets that we're used to seeing when learning about space, The Internet Map, a website set up by a Russian data-visualisation designer, has in excess of 350,000 different planets which reveal which sites we click on the most. Ruslan Enikeev's fascinating website, colour codes websites from more than 196 countries with the hundreds of thousands of different sized dots intricately mapped out to precision. Wide world: The Internet Map is the brainchild of Ruslan Enikeev. MailOnline's position in the web solar system is circled . Going global: A map of the internet shows the world's most read websites. The bigger the circle of a website is, the more traffic it gets . Traffic: Users can click on each website represented to find out more about its traffic . Full spectrum: All manor of websites, from news sites, entertainment and shopping sites are mapped out on the website . The map features all manner of websites, from news sites like the MailOnline, entertainment sites and a vast array of shopping websites. But while sites, or planets, are not grouped according to their subject matter, they are not merely mapped out in a random mess. Web users browsing different sites form links and the stronger the links - or the more times browsers jump between two sites - determines the planets' proximity to one another. Each circle estimates the percentage of global internet traffic which goes to each site - unsurprisingly the largest website are Google.com with roughly 39 per cent of the total internet traffic and Facebook with almost 44 per cent. Red sea: Some of the biggest websites in the world in terms of traffic are Russian websites . Mapped out: Chinese websites generate the third most traffic in the world and some Chinese sites are among the biggest on the 'solar system' America boasts the most websites on the map, with a staggering 96,978 from the US all represented by a teal coloured circle. India has the second most sites with more than 36,000 websites included on the map while China is the third most represented country on the chart with a little over 31,000. Surprisingly, Germany is the fourth most represented country on the map, with 18,183 pinpointed. The UK has almost 9.500 'planets' on the solar system of most visited websites. Meticulous: It may look like a range of different coloured paint splashes, but sites are mapped according to their relationship with one another . | Data-visualisation designer Ruslan Enikeev created The Internet map .
Sites sized and coloured according to traffic and their country of origin .
Sites are mapped according to their relationship with one another . |
132,256 | 370a7671153905c4d9437ce4aa0436973dbe74f7 | It was a disappointing night of Europa League football for English teams with only Everton progressing to the round of 16 after a 7-2 aggregate win against Young Boys on Thursday. Liverpool were beaten on penalties by Besiktas after losing the second leg 1-0 in Istanbul, while Tottenham fell to a 2-0 defeat in Florence as Fiorentina beat Mauricio Pochettino's side 3-1 on aggregate. Roberto Martinez's side have been drawn against Ukraine outfit Dynamo Kiev. Read the full report of the draw here. Host commentator . A quick reminder that the dates for the round of 16 ties are March 12 and 19. And that concludes the coverage of the coverage of the Europa League draw. Everton vs Dynamo Kiev . Dnipro vs Ajax . Zenit vs Torino . Wolfsburg vs Inter Milan . Villarreal vs Sevilla . Napoli vs Dynamo Moscow . Brugge vs Besiktas . Fiorentina vs Roma . Roberto Martinez would surely have been hoping to avoid a long trip to eastern Europe but the Toffees will face Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev for a place in the last eight of the Europa League. That concludes the draw for the round of 16 with some interesting clashes pulled out of the hat. The all Italian affair between Fiorentina, who beat Tottenham on Thursday night, and Roma looks to be the tie of the round, while Villarreal and Sevilla should be a decent encounter too. And it is another tasty domestic match-up as Fiorentina are drawn against Roma . Belgian side Brugge will play Liverpool's conquerors Besiktas . Rafa Beitez's side Napoli wil face Dinamo Moscow . Villarreal have been drawn against La Liga opponents Sevilla . High-flying Wolfsburg will face a tough test against Inter Milan . Russians Zenit will play Torino . Not a particularly nice trip for Everton fans... The other Ukrainian side Dnipro will play Dutch giants Ajax . First up is Everton... At home in the opening leg to Dynamo Kiev. Liverpool legend Jerzy Dudek joins Infantino on stage for draw. Room just being shown a nice compilation video of all the team's best bits from the round of 32. Draw almost upon us. UEFA general secretary kicks off the pre-amble ahead of the draw. Infantino condemns ugly scenes from some club's supporters during the last round of matches. We are just a few minutes away from kicking off proceedings in Nyon. Everton could find themselves setting up a glamour tie against Italian giants Inter Milan or Roma. In fact Serie A is the best represented country in the draw with Napoli and Fiorentina also making it through. Liverpool were unable to protect their slender lead in Turkey and ended up losing on penalties. Dejan Lovren blasted his spot kick high and wide as Brendan Rodgers' side were dumped out of the competition at the first hurdle. Read the report as Everton beat Young Boys 3-1 to progress 7-2 on aggregate against the Swiss club . The round of 16 matches will take place on March 12 and 19. There are no seeded teams or country protection in the round of 16, however the UEFA emergency panel have taken the decision that teams from Russia and Ukraine shall, for obvious reasons, not be drawn together. The first two pairings will therefore involve both Ukrainian teams in the competition, Dynamo Kiev and Dnipro. The draw is set to start shortly after midday in Nyon. AFC Ajax (NED)Besiktas JK (TUR)Club Brugge KV (BEL)FC Dinamo Moskva (RUS)FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)Everton FC (ENG)ACF Fiorentina (ITA)FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)SSC Napoli (ITA)AS Roma (ITA)Sevilla FC (ESP, holders)Torino FC (ITA)Villarreal CF (ESP)VfL Wolfsburg (GER)FC Zenit (RUS) It was a disappointing night for British sides in the Europa League on Thursday night with only Everton making it through to the round of 16. Roberto Martinez's side beat Young Boys 7-2 on aggregate but Liverpool, Tottenham and Celtic were all dumped out of the competition. | Everton have been drawn against Ukraine outfit Dynamo Kiev in last 16 .
Toffees were the only English side in the draw after Liverpool and Tottenham were dumped out .
Fiorentina have been paired with Serie A rivals Roma, while La Liga pair Villarreal and Sevilla will face each other .
CLICK HERE to read our Europa League round-up .
Read the report from the Europa League round of 32 draw . |
156,853 | 56cde6cb8eb457518d792abccc61407bcf60f069 | Vladamir Putin has launched an astonishing attack against U.S. Senator John McCain claiming the former Navy pilot has 'blood on his hands' and that his ordeal as a Vietnam PoW had driven him 'nuts'. As protests continue across Russia over allegations of vote-rigging, Prime Minister Putin gave an incendiary television interview in which he described McCain as a war criminal and accused America of masterminding the killing of Colonel Gaddafi. McCain had earlier goaded the former KGB officer with a Twitter . post saying 'Dear Vlad, the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you'. Attack : Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin accused U.S. Senator John McCain of having gone 'nuts' after his years as Vietnam PoW . In response, a fired-up Putin, well known for his dislike of Washington, hit back saying: 'Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think that he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. 'It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore. 'Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. 'Anyone (in his place) would go nuts.' Ordeal: John McCain is treated in a Vietnam hospital as a prisoner of war in 1967. He spent 20 years in the Navy, a quarter of it in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp after his jet was shot down over Hanoi during a bombing mission . Putin also alleged that America had masterminded the death of former Libyan Leader Colonel Gaddafi's. Describing the event he said: 'Who did this? Drones, including American ones. 'They attacked his column. Then using the radio - through the Special Forces, who should not have been there - they brought in the so-called opposition and fighters, and killed him without court or investigation.' The beleaguered Russian accused organisers of the protests currently gripping the country of working to weaken the county on orders from the West. He insisted that the 4 December parliamentary election which triggered Russia's biggest protests for 20 years was a genuine reflection of the people's will. Under pressure: Putin appeared live on TV amid public anger over alleged vote fixing in Russia's parliamentary elections . He added: 'That's a well-organized pattern of destabilizing society.' Putin even sought to put a good spin on the protests by saying they reflected a rise in public activity that he welcomes. Last week, he dismissed criticism of the vote by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of American efforts to weaken Russia. Russian . billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov plans to challenge Vladimir Putin in . Russia's spring presidential election. He has said his first move if . elected would be to pardon jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has . been in prison since 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges seen as a . punishment for defying Putin's power. Prokhorov said he would also allow . free registration of opposition parties and restore elections for . provincial governors. He is 46 years old, and worth an estimated $18 billion, having made his fortune in metals, banking and media. On Thursday he alleged that the . organisers of Saturday's Moscow demonstration had paid some of its . participants and called them sheep. He . also unleashed his occasional penchant for barbed and crude remarks by . dismissing the white ribbons that many demonstrators wore. 'When I saw them on TV I thought it was . part of campaigning for HIV prophylactics, and they put some . contraceptives on,' he said. The ribbons have become a widely adopted . symbol of the protests.His dismissive comments and . insistence that the recent election was valid are likely to fuel further . anger and may draw even bigger crowds to protests planned for this . month. Putin . said the results of Russia's parliamentary election reflected popular . opinion, and that the opposition had alleged vote fraud purely to . strengthen its position. 'The . results of this election undoubtedly reflect the real balance of power . in the country,' he said. 'It's very good that United Russia has . preserved its leading position. His dismissive comments and . insistence that the recent election was valid are likely to fuel further . anger and may draw even bigger crowds to protests planned for this . month. 'The opposition's goal is to fight for power, and it's looking for every chance to advance.' The unprecedented wave of protest . currently sweeping Russia poses a significant challenge to Putin less . than three months before presidential elections in which he will be . seeking to return to the Kremlin. On Thursday he sought to counter . public discontent by proposing to place web cameras at each of Russia's . more than 90,000 polling stations before the 4 March presidential vote. 'Let them be there next to every ballot box to avoid any falsifications,' he said. | Russian PM describes killing of Gaddafi as 'repulsive' and accuses opponents of working with the West .
Meanwhile, rival pledges to free jailed billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky . |
194,876 | 884394c0a55c4abfdb88a64b0080dcf749b3adc8 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:44 EST, 4 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:41 EST, 5 March 2014 . A mother who searched high and low for her son's beloved lost dog was devastated to find that a rescue agency had taken in the animal... only to refuse to give her back. Instead of reuniting the pet and her owner, the agency said it was too late because they had already arranged an adoption to a 'better' home. Rosa Torres searched her Panorama City neighborhood, posted on Craigslist and started a Facebook page when Raffiki, her Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, went missing on February 13, the LA Times reports. After a week's search, a volunteer saw that Raffiki's image was up on a website for shelter Karma Rescue, listing her for adoption under the name Kami. Karma Rescue is 10 miles from Torres' home. Daniel Torres, 4, cries whenever he looks at pictures of Raffiki -- who was adopted by a new family under the name 'Kami' Rosa Torres, the dog's original owner, claimed her application to own her own dog back was rejected because she 'lives in a bad neighborhood' Torres told the paper that she has fought to get Raffiki back -- but was told by the shelter she could not do anything after another family paid a $300 'adoption contribution' and took her home on February 21. 'I'll do whatever it takes,' she said. 'She's not just an animal, she's a part of our family. My 4-year-old son [Daniel] cries whenever he looks at her picture. We just want her back.' Torres said she even applied on Karma Rescue's website to adopt her own dog back and called the shelter but did not receive a response. Raffiki, seen playing with Daniel, 4, is 'part of our family,' mother Rosa Torres says. 'We just want her back' Though Torres' application was reportedly rejected because Raffiki had not been microchipped or spayed, the dog was scheduled to do so three days before it went missing . When pressed by the paper, Karma Rescue said that Torres' application did not meet its qualifications for pet owners. As Torres' pet, the dog reportedly was not microchipped, spayed, or have ID tags. A lawyer for Karma Rescue, Susan . Willis, also told The Times that 'had [Rosa Torres] been a little more . diligent, we would have spoken with her.' The dog was scheduled to be spayed and microchipped on February 16, CBS Los Angeles reports. Torres believes she was not considered because she lives in a 'bad part of town.' The decision to place the dog with a new family has even caused a rift inside Karma Rescue. Jessica Gary, a volunteer with the shelter, reportedly resigned over the 'elitism' she saw. Torres' call to the shelter to get the dog back was placed over an hour before her new owners submitted an online application . Torres found this listing from nearby shelter Karma Rescue, showing a picture of her dog under the name 'Kami.' Karma Rescue is located 10 miles from Torres' residence . Today, Karma Rescue published a statement on its Facebook page, defending its decision to place the dog with a new family. The letter confirms that Torres contacted the shelter before the dog's adoption and that it did not check its voicemail messages before the adoption. 'On February 21 at 6:03 p.m., Karma received, and approved, an adoption application for Kami, and requested the applicant family have an in-person meet-and-greet with her,' it reads. 'That family met Kami at NKLA and took her home that day.' 'At 6:54 p.m. that evening, Karma Rescue received an e-mail containing a second application for Kami from "Rosa Torres." However, this application was not reviewed until after the adoption was complete. Karma received a voicemail at 4:57 p.m. from "Rosa Torres" in which she claimed to be the dog's owner. Karma had not been aware of this voicemail until after the adoption had taken place.' Karma Rescue published this statement regarding the dispute over the dog's ownership . Meanwhile, Torres is continuing to look for signatures for her online petition, asking for the new owners to return the dog . The shelter, however, says that Torres should have contacted them 'sooner.' 'At 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 22, Karma contacted "Rosa Torres" to let her know Kami had already been adopted. She was also informed that had she contacted the organization sooner, Karma would have been in a better position to reunite her with the dog.' The shelter also says that a woman named 'Lexi Quinn' has launched a social media assault against Karma Rescue. 'There have been inflammatory, misleading, outright false onling postings regarding Karma Rescue and and the events surrounding Kami's adoption,' it says. The shelter also says the $300 may be waived when new owners have 'limited resources.' Meanwhile, Torres has set up an online petition asking for the dog to be returned by its new owners. | Raffiki, a Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, went missing on February 13 .
Owner Rosa Torres posted flyers, started Facebook page to get dog back .
Son Daniel, 4, 'cries whenever he looks at her picture'
Raffiki's image was discovered a week later on website for shelter Karma Rescue under new name 'Kami'
Torres left voicemail with shelter to get dog back BEFORE new owners' paperwork and final approval went through .
Shelter says Torres 'did not meet qualifications' to own a pet and that the dog was not microchipped or spayed .
Dog was scheduled to be microchipped and spayed three days after it went missing . |
203,701 | 93b61c5349fc4504c952c12236639a3e8216e3a3 | By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:01 EST, 25 July 2013 . A Swedish politician who wanted to show his new tattoo to followers on a social media site accidentally revealed far more than he intended. Lars Ohly, former leader of Sweden's Left Party, and supporter of Liverpool Football Club, posted a picture of the liver bird tattooed on his leg. What he failed to notice was that his genitals were visible in the background. Accident: Swedish MP Lars Ohly accidentally posted a picture of his genitals on Instagram while trying to show off his Liverpool FC tattoo . Mr Ohly, 56, quickly removed the picture after posting it on Instagram, but couldn't stop the avalanche of comments in social media. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, of the rival Moderate Party joked: 'Congratulations - finally, after all these years you have made a genuine public breakthrough.' Mr Ohly made light of the embarrassment and said he would be more careful when he posts online. 'Ha, ha, I accidentally posted a picture . on Instagram that showed more than intended,' he said, according to the . AFP. 'Now corrected.' Fan Mr Ohly quickly removed the picture after posting it on Instagram, but couldn't stop the avalanche of comments in social media . Support: Liverpool's Luis Suarez owalks a lap to thank fans after their win in the 2013 pre-season tour match of Liverpool FC against Melbourne Victory at the MCG in Melbourne earlier this week . In an interview with website The Local, Mr Ohly proved to be unashamed and said 'It's not very embarrassing really,' adding that he's had 'lots of nice reactions'. After the incident he wrote on his Twitter account: 'Summer's wonderful. The willy picture is today's hot topic. Completely by accident, though. The future will see a more thorough uploading review process.' He later wrote: 'Oh, how many new followers I've got on Instagram today (and how disappointed they're going to be).' | Lars Ohly, 56, is the former leader of Sweden's .
Left Party .
Posted a picture .
of the liver bird tattooed on his leg .
Mr Ohly said the photo 'showed more than intended' |
180,239 | 755d7bee630d313b2f9679d0cafaa55949911181 | Mauricio Pochettino has no intention of letting Roberto Soldado and Andros Townsend leave before the end of the transfer window, insisting both men have important roles to play at Tottenham. Having swapped Southampton for north London in the summer, life at White Hart Lane could not have started much better for the former Argentina defender. Barclays Premier League victories over London rivals West Ham and QPR bookended a comeback win in Cyprus against AEL Limassol in the Europa League play-offs. VIDEO Scroll down for Mauricio Pochettino dismisses rumours of Soldado leaving . Staying put: Roberto Soldado will not be allowed to leave Tottenham after struggling last season . Soldado netted a wonderful, first-half leveller in a first leg Tottenham went onto win 2-1, although speculation continues to mount about the Spain international's future ahead of the second leg. AC Milan have been strongly linked with the forward, who Pochettino has no intention of letting go despite a struggling since his £26million move from Valencia last year. 'Soldado is here,' he said. 'I never talk about any player rumours. 'He is in my plans. For the future? Yes. Yes. We've only had two games in the Premier League and one in the Europa League. 'I believe in all the squad. It is important you know I can only pick 11.' A problem with his back and neck means Soldado will not be involved in Thursday's second leg against AEL as Spurs look to reach the Europa League group stages. Pochettino did, though, confirm that winger Townsend will be in the squad to face the Cypriots, having been dropped from the 18 that beat former club QPR 4-0 at the weekend. Like Soldado, the England international has been the subject of interest from elsewhere and, despite QPR and Southampton reportedly sniffing around, he too will be staying put. No thanks: Andros Townsend has been linked with a move to Southampton but is also set to stay at Spurs . 'He is in my plans,' Pochettino said of Townsend. 'It is impossible you play or have in the squad only 11 players - you need 24 or 25 players. 'I think we have to play a lot of games and it is possible you play tomorrow, then don't play in the next Premier League game, but the most important thing is understanding that we need to choose for the games. 'It is only 11 in each game after that another three impact players come in. 'We have an unbelievable squad and my job is not only to put my philosophy in the club or on the pitch on how we need to play, but I need choice and that is my job.' One player Spurs have let go is club captain Michael Dawson, who on Tuesday completed his move to Hull for a fee understood to be in the region of £6million. Villarreal's Mateo Musacchio had been expected to come in as his replacement, but now a deal for Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio appears more likely. Training days: Younes Kaboul (centre) with Sandro (second right) and Paulinho (second left) I'll decide: Mauricio Pochettinowas insistent that he will not allow his best players to leave the club . Pochettino would not talk about either player but admitted he needed centre-backs with different characteristics. 'We need to have different options in this position,' he said. 'Okay, we have Younes Kaboul, we have Vertonghen, we have Vlad, we have Dier, we have Fryers, Veljkovic. 'All different players, all different characteristics and it's important to add some players and after you can choose in every game the best options.' As well leaving Spurs in need of another defensive option, Dawson's exit to Hull means they need a new captain. Kaboul skippered the side in both of their league matches and Hugo Lloris was captain against AEL, with Pochettino not planning to make a permanent choice until after the window. 'It is important that we have many leaders in the group, in the squad,' he said. 'Only you need to wait a few days to know the new captain. 'In the last game against Limassol, it was Lloris. In the two Premier League games it was Younes Kaboul. For tomorrow, maybe we repeat Hugo or another.' Gearing up: Towsend and Harry Kane prepare for Tottenham's Europa League clash on Thursday . VIDEO Top of the table not a concern for Pochettino . | Roberto Soldado and Andros Townsend will stay at Tottenham .
Both have been linked with a move away .
Tottenham take on AEL Limassol in the Europa League on Thursday . |
62,552 | b1adcea5f0c7c9bbe1f467d0f00c724a4d4da182 | Two paintings worth millions of euros by the French artists Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard which were stolen in London in 1970 then abandoned on a train have been recovered in Italy. Gauguin's 'Fruit on a table or small dog' and Bonnard's 'Woman with two chairs' which were taken from a family house in the British capital, were recovered from an Italian factory worker who had hung them in his kitchen for almost 40 years. The Gauguin painting is worth between 10 and 30 million euros (£8million and £24million) while the Bonnard is valued at some 600,000 euros (£500,000), Italy's heritage police said at a press conference on Wednesday. Found... 40 years on: Italian military police stand next to the two paintings by French artists Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard which were stolen in London in 1970 and recovered from a factory worker's kitchen last month . Job well done: Italian minister of culture Dario Franceschini (left) and General of Carabinieri Mariano Mossa shake hands in front of the painting which are worth up to £30million . The paintings turned up in a lost property department at a train station and were sold at auction in 1975 to a worker at a Fiat factory, who bought them for 45,000 Italian lire or 23 euros (£20, equivalent to about £300 today). He hung them on the wall of his kitchen. 'It's an incredible story, an amazing recovery. A symbol of all the work which Italian art police have put in over the years behind the scenes,' Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told journalists. The paintings were found last month after a lengthy investigation, which began when police received a tip off that they may have been stolen. Investigators trawled through back catalogues of exhibitions from the time of the theft, from which the 1889 Gauguin mysteriously disappeared after it was stolen, reportedly from the widower of a daughter of one of the Marks & Spencer co-founders in Regent's Park, north-west London, according to The Guardian. They then used newspaper reports about the 1970s theft in The New York Times and a Singaporean paper to trace the paintings back to the London-based family. Prized possession: Gauguin's 'Fruit on a table or small dog' is valued between £8million and £24million . Retrieved: Bonnard's 'Woman with two chairs' is valued at some 600,000 euros (£500,000) 'The two paintings were presumably left on a train from Paris to Turin,' said Mariano Mossa, who heads up the heritage police. 'They were bought by an art-loving worker, who hung them for 40 years in his kitchen, first in Turin then in Sicily, after he retired,' he said. According to press reports at the time, the two paintings were stolen by thieves on 6 June 1970 from Kennedy's home in Regent's Park, north-west London. The Observer newspaper reported: 'Three men, posing as a police officer accompanying two burglar alarm engineers last night stole two paintings together worth £155,000 from a house in Chester Terrace, NW London.' The thieves asked for a cup of tea and when the housekeeper returned they had fled with the paintings. The Fiat worker's son, an architecture student in Sicily, discovered the paintings' true value after noticing a Guagin featured in a book he was reading was very similar to those owned by his father. The future of the paintings is unclear. A source told The Guardian that Italian police were liaising with the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit. Italy opened a special department to investigate art thefts in 1969, the first in the world, which is situated in a Baroque palace in the centre of Rome's bustling tourist centre. The heritage police manages the largest data bank on stolen art in the world, with details on some 5.7 million objects. Last year, they found a painting by Russian-born Jewish artist Marc Chagall, 'Le Nu au Bouquet,' in a private collector's home in Bologna that had been stolen from a US tycoon's yacht in Italy in 2002. They also investigated the theft of possibly thousands of rare books from the Girolamini Library in Naples, which were allegedly smuggled out and sold internationally by its former director. Mossa said in January that 'the turnover generated by the illegal sale of works of art comes fourth on a world level behind the sale of weapons, drugs and financial products.' | Paintings are by French artists Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard .
Found in lost property at a train station and sold at auction in 1975 .
Fiat factory worker bought them for £20 and hung them on kitchen wall .
Found 40 years on after a lengthy police investigation following tip-off .
Used newspaper reports in New York and Singapore to trace UK owners .
Italian culture minister: 'It's an incredible story, an amazing recovery' |
167,009 | 63f8ec77ac04fb64c4ced394e9d7aed0d6eb924b | Freed to kill again: Convicted murderer Andrew Dawson called himself the 'Angel of Mercy' and butchered two neighbours after getting a life sentence for a 1981 killing . Five convicted killers released from jail have murdered again in the past four years, some just weeks after leaving custody, it was revealed today. Andrew Dawson, George Johnson, Ernest Wright, David Cook and . Desmond Lee were only given 'whole life' sentences after committing murder for the second time. The families of their victims said today 'life should mean life'. Even some relatives of the killers believe that their family-member should never have been released the first time round. Convicted murderer Andrew Dawson branded himself the 'Angel of Mercy' after a series of murders. He was given a life . sentence in 1982 after admitting the murder of a 91-year-old Henry Walsh in his . flat at Ormskirk, Lancashire, stabbing him a dozen times with bread knife. Within weeks of his release in 2010, he . stabbed defenceless John Matthews and Paul Hancock to death in separate . attacks, before leaving their bodies in their bathtubs in Derby. The 51-year-old told police he felt an 'urge to kill' before knocking on the . men's doors in the block of flats, where he also lived, and hacked them to death. Dawson then . wrote a rambling note to police confessing to one of the killings which . he signed: 'Yours, the Angel of Mercy'. Murder scene: Dawson savagely attacked John Matthews and Paul Hancock in the block of flats that they shared with him, pictured, and then dumped their bodies in bathtubs . His own brother Malcolm told The Sun: 'My brother was clever and hoodwinked those in charge that he was no threat. But he was evil. Cold blooded: George Johnson battered to death an 89-year-old widow after being released from jail after a sadistic murder in 1986 . 'If . you kill you should be locked up forever, no question. My brother never . apologised for what he did — he was just sorry he got caught'. George Johnson murdered Gerald Homer in 1986 for just £3, forcing him to strip naked before hacking him to death, inflicting 35 wounds using knives and scissors in Wolverhampton. He was freed in 2006 and five years later he battered to death 89-year-old widow Florence Habesch for £25 as she made a cup of tea. His attack was delivered with such force he caved in her skull. His first victim's sister Eileen Dawson, 64, told The Sun today: 'Life should mean life, not just 15 or 20 . years. If someone takes someone else's life, then why should they have . their own?' Her husband Vincent, 63, added: 'It isn't right. If . life meant life then that old lady would be still alive today'. Pensioner David Cook, 65, of Rhymney, South Wales, beat neighbour Leonard Hill, . 64, senseless before throttling him with a TV flex in 2011. Cook carried out the violent killing when next-door neighbour Mr Hill paid him a visit. Afterwards Cook ransacked his neighbour’s bungalow, stealing his wallet before going to a nearby pub for a drink with locals. The murder was chillingly similar to the strangulation of Sunday school teacher Beryl Maynard, which he did in 1987. Cook then used a dressing gown cord and 'strangled her and killed her', his trial heard. Killed again: Pensioner David Cook, 65, left, beat neighbour Leonard Hill, 64, right, senseless before throttling him with a TV flex in 2011 - 25 years after his first murder . Murdered: Victim Beryl Maynard (right), with her husband Roger and their two children, was strangled with a dressing gown cord in 1987 by David Cook . 'Evil and dangerous' Desmond Lee killed his lover Christopher Pratt, before dumping his body in 2009. Lee killed his lover by breaking his voice box and a bone in his neck. The . body was still in his flat when he stole Mr Pratt’s credit and debit . cards, paid off a phone bill, bought booze for a party with neighbours, . ordered more than £200-worth of food from Asda and attempted to buy . £1,181-worth of goods from Argos. Lee . killed him while out on licence, having spent nearly 14 . years in jail for the murder of Bradford woman Shirley Carr in 1989. He suffocated Mrs Carr, who was his landlady, in November 1989 after she taunted him over the breakdown of a relationship. Lee was jailed for life in 1990 but released on licence in 2004. Twice jailed: 'Evil and dangerous' Desmond Lee killed his lover Christopher Pratt, before dumping his body in 2009, 20 years after he throttled and killed his landlady . In 2010 pensioner Ernest Wright was told he would spend . the rest of his life behind bars after carrying out a shotgun execution . 38 years after murdering another man . The 70-year-old had served 26 years in prison for a 1971 killing when he was freed on life licence in 1999. Career criminal: Pensioner killer Ernest gunned a man down 38 years after his first murder . Despite his release he continued to mix in criminal circles and carried out several night-time burglaries, police said. Then, in March three years ago, he gunned down Neville Corby, 42, after bursting into his home in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Wearing . a balaclava he twice reloaded his shotgun as he fired six shots at Mr . Corby and his intended target, Craig Freear, 31, whom he had a . long-standing feud with. He was jailed in 1973 after beating Trevor . Hale to death with an iron bar in Aylesbury, then trying to burn his . body in a shallow grave. All the five killers were ready for freedom by parole boards, but . then murdered again, often in similar ways to their first homicide. David Cameron is known to back 'whole life' terms for murderers, but Eurocrats fight them in Strasbourg because they believe they breach the offenders' human rights and are 'inhumane'. Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said: 'Reoffending has been too high for . too long and we are introducing significant reforms to the way offenders . are rehabilitated and managed in the community. 'From 2015 all . prisoners will for the first time receive a minimum 12 months' supervision on release and GPS satellite tags will also allow us to keep . a much closer eye on them. 'Our changes will see the best of the voluntary, public and private sector working together to cut reoffending.' It came as it was revealed that one in seven murders in Britain is committed by suspects freed on bail while awaiting trial for other crimes. Last year 56 murders – more than one a week and a shocking 37 per cent rise on 2011 – were carried out by people bailed by the courts. If they had been remanded in custody, the victims’ lives may have been saved. | Andrew Dawson, George Johnson, Ernest Wright, David Cook and .
Desmond Lee were all allowed out on licence despite getting life sentences .
Some even killed again within weeks of being released from prison .
Bereft families of their victims say that 'life should mean life' for murderers . |
44,878 | 7e7d7f8f293e4750bc9a403cf8b46cda25fe616a | (CNN) -- Radovan Karadzic, whose Interpol charges listed "flamboyant behavior" as a distinguishing characteristic, was a practicing psychiatrist who came to be nicknamed the "Butcher of Bosnia." Twice indicted in 1995 by the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Karadzic faces charges of genocide over the massacre of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica, and nine other charges related to ethnic violence during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He had filed a motion seeking acquittal on all 11 counts in June, but was successful on only one. While president of the so-called Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Karadzic's troops were reported to have massacred over hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Croats during a campaign of "ethnic cleansing." Early estimates of the death toll from the 3-year war ranged up to 300,000, but recent research reduced that to about 100,000. The U.S. State Department had a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. His arrest brings an end to more than 10 years as a fugitive. Karadzic was born on June 19, 1945, in Petnjica, Montenegro. He studied psychiatry and medicine at the University of Sarajevo during the 1960s and took courses in psychiatry and poetry at Columbia University from 1974 to 1975. Karadzic, a Serb-Croat, in 1990 helped found the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), a party aimed at unifying Serbs into a common state, and became its president. Two years later, he became president of the newly declared Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, later called "Republika Srpska." During the next three years, he ordered Bosnian Serb forces to seize the majority of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also announced, according to his U.N. indictment, six "strategic objectives" for the Serbian people. They included the establishment of state borders between the Serbs and the other two ethnic communities, Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats. Answering to him, according to the indictment, was Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic. From May 1992, the indictment alleged, Bosnian Serb forces under Mladic's command targeted civilian areas of Sarajevo with shelling and sniping during a three-year conflict within the city. In July 1995, according to the U.N. indictment, troops under Mladic's command executed an estimated 7,000 Bosnian Muslim male prisoners in Srebrenica, a U.N. safe area, and then participated in a comprehensive effort to conceal the killings. The massacre is considered the worst in Europe since World War II. The indictment states that Bosnian Serb forces acted under Karadzic's direction and worked to "significantly reduce the Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb populations" in municipalities that were seized. Karadzic was last seen in public in September 1996, a year after the Dayton Peace Accords brought a formal end to the conflict and banned anyone accused of war crimes, including him, from office. He reportedly shaved his trademark bushy hair, grew a beard and donned priest's robes, moving from monastery to monastery in the mountains to avoid capture. CNN correspondent Alessio Vinci said in 2008: "He enjoyed protection from the local population, wherever he was hiding. Legend has it he disguised himself as a priest to take part in his mother's funeral. "In 2002, after NATO launched one of its many failed raids to try to arrest Karadzic in Bosnia, I interviewed his mother. At that time she said: 'Serbs are righteous people and I can see that they support him, and that they adore him the way he is. They would lose their lives to protect him.'" Despite years on the run, Karadzic wrote "Miraculous Chronicles of the Night" -- 1,200 copies of which sold out at the 2004 Belgrade International Book Fair. After his arrest was announced, Serb officials revealed the final chapter of his life on the run had seen Karadic reprise his medical role, working in a clinic in Belgrade under a false identity and heavily disguised by a white beard, long hair and spectacles. | Radovan Karadzic faces 10 charges, including genocide over the Srebrenica massacre .
The 'Butcher of Bosnia' was the leader of the breakaway Serb Republic in Bosnia in the 1990s .
Karadzic's troops allegedly 'ethnically cleansed' thousands of Muslims and Croats . |
221,309 | aa7b5662a81dfe98c280771a085f69a281bd0587 | (CNN) -- Marussia driver Jules Bianchi underwent emergency surgery for a "severe head injury" after crashing in the closing stages of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton won the typhoon-hit race to extend his title lead over second-placed Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, but his victory was totally overshadowed by the accident to 25-year-old Frenchman Bianchi. With nine laps of the scheduled 53 remaining, the race was under a red flag after Adrian Sutil of Sauber crashed at turn eight of the Suzuka circuit. As Sutil's car was being recovered, Bianchi's Marussia careered off at the same place, plowing into the truck which was being used to remove Sutil's car. Medical staff rushed to Bianchi's aid and he was taken to the nearby Mie Prefectural General Medical Center by ambulance. Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, later released a statement with an update on his condition. "The CT scan shows that he has suffered a severe head injury and is currently undergoing surgery," read the statement. "Following this he will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored." Makoto Sakaeda, the official in charge of communication at the hospital, told CNN that the operation was complete and that Bianchi remained at the facility. Hamilton's third straight victory stretched his advantage over Rosberg in the championship standings to 10 points with four rounds remaining . Departing Sebastian Vettel got the better of Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo in their own private battle for the final place on the podium. But at the presentations all the drivers' thoughts were with Bianchi and the traditional champagne-spraying celebration did not take place. Typhoon Phanfone, which is sweeping across Japan, had led to fears the race might have to be abandoned and it started in heavy rain and behind the safety car. After just two laps it was suspended after drivers complained of the severely restricted visibility. When it restarted, it developed into a duel between pole sitter Rosberg and Hamilton. On lap 29, a bold overtaking move by Hamilton saw him take a lead he never relinquished. As the race neared its finish and in fading light conditions worsened, with Germany's Sutil aquaplaning across the track before going into the barriers. Sutil was out of his car when he witnessed Bianchi's crash. "I had a spin and ended up in the wall," he said. "I stood up and they tried to rescue the car. Jules was in the same area and lost the car. I have no more information. We are all aware of the situation. Hopefully he is in good hands," AFP reported. Rosberg summed up the mood of the paddock as he spoke at the podium presentation. "I'm not thinking about the race -- I'm thinking about my colleague. I'm hoping for the best," said the German. The 25-year Bianchi, from Nice, is rated one of the most promising young drivers on the circuit, giving minnows Marussia its first points with a brilliant ninth place in the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year. CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki and Euan McKirdy contributed to this report. | Lewis Hamilton wins weather-hit Japanese Grand Prix .
Jules Bianchi suffers "severe" head injury after late crash .
Race concludes under a red flag after 44 of 53 laps .
Effects of Typhoon Phanfone left a wet Suzuka circuit . |
286,676 | ff70aea42db3c901900cdc852c37f094b7522c90 | By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 22:09 EST, 17 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:26 EST, 18 December 2013 . 'Manipulation': Tom Winsor, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, spoke at the Home Affairs Select Committee to dispute Met chief evidence . The police watchdog has told MPs that it is 'almost certain that some manipulation is going on' in the recording of crime statistics by officers. Tom Winsor, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, told the Home Affairs Select Committee 'in anything that gets measured' there is an 'incentive, resisted by many, to manipulate the process to make your own performance look good'. And Mr Winsor, the first chief inspector of constabulary to come from a non-policing background, disputed evidence given by the chief of the Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who claimed inspectors lauded his force's crime data as 'competent and reliable'. His comments come after whistle-blowing police constable James Patrick told the Public Administration Select Committee officers routinely massage crime statistics to boost their forces' performance figures. Asked by Committee chair Keith Vaz MP if there is manipulation occurring, Mr Winsor, a former rail regulator and lawyer, said: 'It is almost certain that some manipulation going on. The question is where, how much, how severe.' He earlier added: 'The fact is in anything that gets measured, once those who are being measured, whose performance are being measured, work out how the system works, there's an incentive, resisted by many, to manipulate the process as to make your own performance look good.' Mr Vaz said Sir Bernard and Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), had not told the Committee earlier this month that they believe fiddling of statistics is currently occurring. Mr Winsor said: 'Sir Bernard gave evidence, I think to this committee on December 3, where he said that in 2012 HMIC inspected the Met and found their figures in terms of crime recording were "competent and reliable". 'I've written to Sir Bernard about this because what HMIC in fact said was that it looked at "244 incidents logged by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), 30 had been wrongly closed without a crime being raised, while in overall terms the MPS continues to improve its crime and incident data quality, this indicates that crime and ASB (anti-social behaviour) data recorded in London gives some cause for concern". Dispute: Chief of the Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, claimed inspectors lauded his force's crime data as . 'competent and reliable' but Mr Winsor has written to him to dispute this . 'So there is a big difference between "some cause of concern" and "competent and reliable". I have not yet received Sir Bernard's response.' Mr Vaz asked the chief inspector if he was still 'very concerned'. Mr Winsor added: 'I'd just like him to explain the disparity I'd referred to. But with crime recording, some people will call it fiddling, some people will call it honest mistakes, some people will call it the perfectly legitimate exercise of professional judgment.' Asked what he would call it, the chief inspector said: 'It depends on the circumstances of individual cases.' Mr Patrick - who is currently awaiting disciplinary proceedings - also told the Public Administration Select Committee that serious offences including rape and child sex abuse are being recorded as 'crime-related incidents' or 'no crimes'. And a former chief inspector in West Midlands Police told the same hearing about techniques used by officers to improve performance figures known as 'cuffing', 'nodding', 'skewing' and 'stitching'. | Tom Winsor, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, spoke to MPs .
Mr Winsor questioned evidence given by Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe .
He said he is 'almost certain' come manipulation is going on . |
59,692 | a982c313ee4fccad4a2fdc150e8d9d1f2091a4f8 | By . John Greechan . One more defining moment. One more glorious performance by a Scottish athlete who surpassed expectations. One more explosion of joyous noise that shook Hampden to its ancient foundations. And one minor miracle. Lynsey Sharp, already a European Champion at the age of 24, on Friday produced an astonishing performance in almost impossible circumstances to claim silver in the women’s 800 metres. After spending three hours on a drip in hospital overnight, Sharp finished second only to World Champion Eunice Sum in a race that had another sell-out crowd roaring themselves hoarse until the final dip, when the local favourite just managed to pip 20-year-old Ugandan rising star Winnie Nanyondo. Emotional: Lynsey Sharp holds aloft a Scottish Saltire as she celebrates her silver medal in the women's 800m . Arms aloft: Sharp celebrates her silver medal at the Commonwealth Games as Jess Judd (left) crouches . Race: Sharp (centre) fought from the middle of the pack and she trailed England's Jess Judd (right) Yet the home hero admitted, beset by injuries and illness in a year from hell, admitted that she had been close to withdrawing after a horrendous night. ‘Last night I went out for dinner because I just thought it was the food in the village I wasn’t enjoying,’ she said, adding: ‘I order a lovely 20-quid steak – and I couldn’t face it. ‘I got back to the village, threw up for a few hours and (Team Scotland head coach) Stephen Maguire took me across the clinic. ‘I was there til half five this morning on a drop. All I’ve eaten today is porridge and scrambled egg. I just came out here to leave everything on the track. To have one more obstacle thrown at me was just laughable – I had one shot, two minutes to give it everything. ‘At half two last night, I couldn’t bend over to take my socks off because the cramps were so bad. I was wondering how the hell I could run. But somehow, another miracle. ‘I slept from half five until nine, then an hour before lunch. But I don’t know how I managed that. I’m just hoping I can enjoy some rubbish food now. I’ve been looking forward to it for days and weeks. ‘Two things I’ll never forget. One is being on my hands and knees being sick, with the nurse holding my hair back, Stephen Maguire holding my hair back – and four big police officers walking away at the sound of me being sick. Preparation: Sharp stretches on the start line before taking part in the women's 800m final at Hampden Park . Disbelief: Sharp puts her hands on her head as she realises her achievement at Hampden Park . ‘The other thing is being doubled over, trying to take my socks off while Steph Twell was sleeping in the room. ‘Written on my hand is: “Go out strong and commit.” The crowd were so intimidating. I don’t mean that to sound bad but yesterday I kind of XXXX myself on the line. So I needed something to take me away from the moment. I embraced it today. I knew they were here for me. ‘It doesn’t feel real. You all know what I’ve been through this year – and even this morning has been a nightmare. This just means so much to me, given the obstacles I’ve overcome.’ Based on what all of the athletes here had done this season, Sharp went into the race knowing that, depending on whether this was a lung-stretching dash or a tactical plod, her very best might – just might – get her a bronze medal. She would certainly have to be somewhere near her peak, though. Supremely smooth in her first heat, Sharp struggled woefully in Thursday’s semi-final, falling way off the pace on the back straight and needing an all-out sprint over the closing yards just to pinch fourth place – enough to see her into Friday’s final as one of the fastest losers. Now, loser is not a term that many people would associate with the girl from Edinburgh. Fighter, class act, winner – those are usually the words associated with an athlete who has overcome enormous obstacles just to be here. Injury and then infection had put qualification in doubt until almost the very last. And Sharp will admit that being almost forgotten during her lengthy absence had acted as a spur. At this year’s British Championships, she’d railed against the live track commentators who barely gave her a passing mention – and added this slight to others made by pundits paying lavish tributes to certain rivals for overcoming much less traumatic health issues than Sharp herself. Then she went out and beat everyone to claim her second UK title. There is a school of thought that says Sharp simply likes to have someone or something to kick against. That she isn’t happy without being written off, under-represented or just plain dissed. Whatever makes her run fast, right? She’d looked decidedly nervous ahead of her semi-final, bouncing on the line and seemingly struggling to maintain her regular focus – she’s not a waver to fans, a gleeful saluter of well-wisher, more a steely-eyed competitor – amid the deafening cheers prompted by her introduction. Inspiration: Sharp started the race with the words 'Get out strong', 'Commit' written on her hand . Shattered: Sharp clutches her chest and sprawls across the track after claiming Commonwealth silver . On Frday night, Sharp prowled the bend of lane six before the final with a definite intent, pausing only to stretch out those hamstrings one last time. Fine-tuning the instrument that had enable her to reach such heights. With Jess Judd and Jenny Meadows outside her, Canadian rival Melissa Bishop just one lane inside, she’d at least know exactly what kind of pace was needed right from the off. The Scot was out quick enough in a race where the world champion clearly decided that pace, pace and more pace was her best hope. This would be all about hanging on the train and then timing the final surge right – while hoping to have the legs to last. Sixth at the bell, she bided her time. Stayed more restrained than anyone in the crowd. She picked her moment to perfection, charging around the final bend and hitting the home straight flying, overtaking a despairing Nanyondo just on the line. The daughter of former sprint great Cameron Sharp added: ‘I think I’d have won it if I’d been 100 percent. If someone had said at half two this morning I’d have a silver medal I’d have said: “Yeah, whatever.” ‘Allan Wells came to see me in the village earlier this week and jhe gave me a signed picture of him and my dad. ‘They look like they’re holding hands and he put a really nice message on it, saying to stay focused and determined. ‘I put it up on my wall in the village above my bed. To have people like him here. Seb Coe said I could nick a medal, it means so much to me. These guys are legends. ‘I met my mum and sister on the lap of honour, that’s when I started crying. I was able to pick out people I’d grown up with, peoples parents, my mum’s friends, people I’ grown up with. ‘This is above everything, the year Ive been through I don’t think anything will ever top that.’ Competition: Jenny Meadows (centre), Jess Judd and Sharp (back centre) race around Hampden Park . | Sharp claimed a second Scottish silver on the track in two nights on Friday .
Both her parents represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games .
She lived up to her billing as one of the home favourites for a medal .
Jess Judd looked well positioned after 600m but faded in the last 200m . |
25,175 | 474f22529c58558d24568cce14718b2d139fef09 | By . James Gordon . PUBLISHED: . 21:30 EST, 24 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:47 EST, 13 December 2013 . America's favourite cartoon family is going to feel a little more lifelike this summer as part of the Universal Studio's Theme Park in Orlando, Florida is turned into Springfield. Visitors will be able to get 'Krusty-certified meat sandwiches' from a Krusty Burger, donuts from Lard Lad and beer at the Duff Brewery. There will also be a Moe's Tavern along with a Cletus' Chicken Shack, a chance to snatch the catch of the day at The Frying Dutchman, eat a slice at Luigi's Pizza, and visit a Kwik-E-Mart. Scroll down to see video... Up close and personal: Guests will be able to meet The Simpsons in person and experience Springfield first hand . Springfield: An artist¿s rendering of Springfield, a new theme park-within-a-theme park based on The Simpsons¿ fictional hometown, which is set to open at Universal Orlando this summer . Main attraction: The Simpson's Ride allows guests to take a 3-D trip through Springfield. The ride opened in 2008 and the rest of Springfield has been constructed around it . Ride number two: A second ride, alien characters Kang & Kodos¿ Twirl & Hurl will also be built to entertain visitors . America's favorite family: The Simpsons is now in its 25th season and 520th episode . The longest running scripted show in television history, The Simpsons quickly became a cultural phenomenon in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises. Matt Groening created the iconic family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is currently in its 25th season and about to air its 520th episode. It's not the first time the theme park has recreated fictional food and places and brought them into the real world. In 2010, Universal opened the hugely successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter which also saw recreations of food previously only found in the movies, made for public consumption. The new Springfield attraction will . anchored by the main attraction, 'The Simpsons Ride' which is already on . site, and opened at the park in 2008. Guests are treated to a 3-D drive . around Springfield. Chaos: Daring visitors will be able to experience the chaos and madness of Springfield for themselves in The Simpsons ride! Duff Beer: Homer Simpson's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical commercial beer: cheap, poor-quality, and advertised everywhere. The theme park is having Duff specially brewed . Kwik-E-Mart: A parody of American convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and depicts many of the stereotypes about them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality of its merchandise . Anyone for a drink? Moe's Tavern is a the local bar in Springfield frequented by Homer Simpson, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard and Barney Gumble. The tavern is named after and run by Moe Szyslak. The bar sells mostly Duff Beer . Krusty Burger: The fast food restaurant chain owned by Krusty the Clown as one of his many branded products and services. Krusty Burger is seen as a parody of a typical fast food chain such as McDonald's, Burger King, KFC or Arby's . It will be the only place in the world where guests can walk the streets of Springfield. Fans will be able to walk down Fast Food Boulevard and visit the places that helped Springfield stake its claim as 'Shelbyville by the Sea.' There will also be a second ride — alien characters Kang & Kodos’ Twirl & Hurl, which is essentially an outdoor spinner. 'This will be a must-see experience for Simpsons fans all over the world,' said Mark Woodbury, President of Universal Creative. Seeing yellow: Visitors will be able to walk down a specially recreated Springfield Street . Donuttss! There will even be a donut store in Springfield at Universal Studios . Springfield stores: The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop is a comic book store owned by Jeff Albertson a.k.a. Comic Book Guy . 'For the first time ever, they're going to be able to enter a world that they've only seen on television – and we're really excited to bring that world to life.' 'This new expansion will broaden and deepen the already incredible experience at Universal, by bringing to life the iconic landmarks of Springfield that fans have grown to love,' said Jeffrey Godsick, President, Fox Consumer Products. 'Fans will literally be able to live and breathe Springfield as they visit the statue of Jebediah, enjoy a Krusty Burger, and have a seat at Moe's Tavern, which are just a few of the great experiences awaiting at Universal.' 'It has been an honor to bring the world of the Simpsons to life in such a letter-perfect way,' said Denise Sirkot, President, Worldwide Brand, Gracie Films. 'Truly this is the Krustyest place on earth.' | Springfield is being recreated at Universal Studios Theme Park .
Centerpiece will be The Simpsons Ride .
Town of Springfield being recreated complete with Kwik-E-Mart .
Specially brewed 'Duffman' beer produced for added authenticity . |
275,783 | f140a3a561d2acd9847b4a154699701a0e342120 | They are the signature style of superheroes but now they are hitting the mainstream - that's right brace yourself, this summer sees the return of the catsuit. Glastonbury is well known for sparking a summer trend, just take a look at how well the floral headband took off, but could the latest surge in the famously unflattering skin tight all-in-ones be the craziest yet? Rita Ora and Mary Charteris are well known for their controversial fashion choices but even the slightly tamer dressed, such as Sienna Miller were spotted trussed up in these brightly coloured, tight numbers. How do you go to the toilet? Rita was spotted in one of Ekaterina Malysheva's bold catsuits at this year's Glastonbury . The signature printed Katsuits and bodies are designed by Ekaterina Malysheva who was inspired by her visit to Nevada's Burning Man Festival and wanted to start a fashion movement with her bold stand-out pieces. Despite many of us being a tad scared of skin-tight lycra the russian born designer has enjoyed great success and is predicted to continue selling well over the summer. Ekaterina told the Telegraph that despite her celebrity success she was still aiming higher with Madonna, Lady Gaga and Rhianna being her dream celebrities to dress. Bold and bright: The usually tamely dressed Sienna Miller is a fan of the Katsuit (left) but Mary Charteris is no stranger to prints . Festival fever: Actress Jamie Winstone paired her Katsuit with a metallic shirt and fringed jacket . It's true that festival fashion has become less about utility and more about trends with wellies taking a backseat what with Rita Ora's white fringed boots and Caroline Flack's red suede shoes being anything but sensible footwear for a mud bath. But there is still something about an all-in-one skin-tight jumpsuit and a muddy festival that doesn't quite marry. However Ekaterina insists that her designs are more than just a fashion statement. She told the Telegraph: 'You need to wear something very, very simple (at a festival) and something you can easily move around in. 'Our silhouettes are easy to take on and off, are sexy because they are body hugging and backless and have a very funky print. As we know Glastonbury is pretty messy, rain and mud are easily washed off.' Catsuits weren't the only unlikely trend to to make a return at Glastonbury. This year's festival saw the rebound of portable music as an accessory and we aren't talking about iPods! Remember the whacky eighties trend of lugging a boombox around on your shoulders? Well the new take is the same idea but with less shoulder cramp. Rita Ora, Nick Grimshaw and Laura Whitmore were all spotted wearing Beats Pill XL at this year's Glastonbury. It was acceptable in the 80s: Rita Ora (left) and Nick Grimshaw (right) were spotted blasting 80s tunes from their Beats Pills over the Glastonbury weekend . Rita refused to be parted with hers on day one of the festival and reportedly made her crew join her in a group sing-along to Blondie's Hanging on the Telephone. Nick Grimshaw created his own on-the-go party by stealing Rita's Pill to blair music from the VIP bar with pals including Sam Smith, Alexa Chung, Florence Welch and . Lily Allen. His playlist also included some 80s diamonds such as Prince's Controversy, we predict it's only a matter of time until Grimmy is spotted in rollerblades and leg warmers. The brightly coloured straps for the speakers came from a recent fashion collaboration between Dr Dre and iconic British fashion designer Henry Holland to create a summer accessory for the Beats Pill XL. To pimp up your Pill 80s style and in designer fashion you'll need to be happy to pay high-end prices with the straps coming in at £199. If you want to make your Pill portable you better be prepared to pay the premium price of £199 . The Beats Pill strap has been designed by British fashion designer Henry Holland . | This year's festival saw several celebs sporting the skin-tight lycra suit .
Designed by Ekaterina Malysheva they are expected take festivals by storm .
The designer says that the suit is extremely practical festival wear . |
7,366 | 14de0f90cbd9cb70bd885fb04e41e9f8c38849c8 | (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel will bring a "tough-minded" and "pragmatic" approach to the White House when he becomes President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, according to people who know the Chicago, Illinois, native. Rep. Rahm Emanuel has experience in the White House, on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill. Emanuel, a former top aide to President Clinton, has accepted the position in the new administration, Obama confirmed in a statement Thursday. "I announce this appointment first because the chief of staff is central to the ability of a president and administration to accomplish an agenda," Obama said. "And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel." In the job, Emanuel would oversee the White House staff. The chief of staff is usually involved in all the major decisions that the president makes and is responsible for making sure the administration carries out the president's wishes. Watch Emanuel call himself "fortunate" » . The chief of staff also often is involved in negotiations with congressional leaders when major legislation is under consideration. Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, called Emanuel: "An excellent choice." "Rahm knows the Hill. And he knows the White House. He is a brilliant strategic thinker and someone who knows how to get things done," Manley said. Manley also rejected the idea that Emanuel is a true partisan that could not work with Republicans. "That's ridiculous. Rahm understands politics is the art of compromise. He's got a deeply held set of views but he also understands to get things done you have to compromise," he said. After leaving the Clinton White House, Emanuel, 48, was an investment banker on Wall Street and later was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 from a heavily Democratic Chicago district. He quickly rose to become the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Watch what Emanuel brings to the White House » . It is Emanuel's combination of experiences -- plus his strong personal relationship with Obama -- that would make him a strong chief of staff, said CNN political analyst Paul Begala, a fellow Clinton veteran. "He has spent more time in the White House than President-elect Obama has. That matters a lot. It is a special place with its own rhythms," Begala said. See who Obama may be considering for his Cabinet » . "But, maybe most importantly, he's got the relationship. He has known Barack and Michelle Obama for a number of years." Before reports emerged that he had accepted the position, Emanuel told WLS-TV in Chicago that he had to consider the possible impact on his family. Watch how Obama is starting his transition » . "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I have given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview that aired Wednesday. Emanuel added: "This is not a professional choice. This is a personal choice about what my wife and I want to do for our family, as much as what to do with my career." Emanuel's at-times blunt approach would ensure the White House runs smoothly for the new president, said Mack McLarty, Clinton's former chief of staff. Watch as McLarty calls Emanuel an "excellent choice" » . "Rahm is high energy. He's direct. He's a tough-minded pragmatist. So I think the years have been good to him in that regard," McLarty said. "I think the high-energy directness will serve him well. "Rahm, like a lot of us, made mistakes, but he quickly corrected them." However, the lawmaker's direct style has ruffled a number of feathers in Washington, and Emanuel is known as one of the toughest partisan fighters on Capitol Hill. After reports that Emanuel had agreed to be Obama's chief of staff on Thursday, the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, questioned the president-elect's pick. Election T-shirt: Obama inspires historic victory . "This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center," Boehner said. According to a 2006 profile of Emanuel in Fortune magazine, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma warned his fellow Republicans of Emanuel's ferocity in a letter two years ago. "He's dangerous," Cole told Fortune then. "He has a closing intensity. When he's got a political kill in sight, he's absolutely relentless." But David Gergen, a CNN senior political analyst who has worked in five administrations, said the contrasting styles between Obama and Emanuel could help the new president get things done in Washington. "They are obviously setting up a good cop/bad cop routine in the White House. ... Barack Obama can be the good guy," Gergen said. iReport.com: Who should be in Obama's cabinet? Emanuel has made a career of being the tough guy. In the 2006 Fortune profile, Begala described Emanuel's aggressive style as a "cross between a hemorrhoid and a toothache." "I love Rahm, but that's a small group of us," he told Fortune. CNN's Ted Barrett and Don Lemon contributed to this report. | NEW: Rahm Emanuel will be White House chief of staff, Barack Obama says .
Emanuel's direct style has ruffled some feathers on Capitol Hill .
House minority leader calls pick "ironic" for candidate who ran on change .
Emanuel is a veteran of Clinton White House, Wall Street and Congress . |
166,081 | 62be88e4fa6d6f4bf2aacc422e3f555f8c8b4f68 | (CNN) -- Higher temperatures are bringing some relief to the Southeast and should remain in place despite stormy weather expected for the coming weekend, weather forecasters said Tuesday. After the stretch of unusually cold weather that gripped the region, severe storms will affect the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and most of Florida on Friday evening and Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Cold Arctic air will remain to the north. In Atlanta, Georgia -- where ice from a snowfall last week remains on the ground in some places and weekend temperatures didn't climb out of the 20s -- forecasters predicted a daytime high of 37 degrees Tuesday after a high of 44 on Monday. A gradual warming is predicted through Friday, when the high could reach 58. But overnight lows aren't expected to edge above freezing until Friday night. Several Florida cities have had early morning record lows in the past two days, the weather service said. "Temperatures over the weekend and early Monday morning plunged to levels not seen in 20 years over south Florida in the wake of the arctic cold front which blasted through the region early Saturday," it said. "Temperatures remained at or below 50 degrees for more than 48 consecutive hours, finally rising above 50 during the late morning to midday hours Monday. Although no records are kept of consecutive number of hours at or below 50 degrees, it is likely that this streak is among the longest on record." Key West, which has weather records dating to 1873, recorded its second-lowest temperature of 42 degrees Monday at 4:55 a.m. Its record low was 41 degrees, set January 13, 1981, and January 12, 1886. In northern Florida, Tuesday's high was expected to reach 54 degrees in the state capital, Tallahassee, and temperatures were forecast to increase during the week. Early morning readings Wednesday will be in the high 20s, the weather service said. That is far better than the low of 16 degrees in the city early Monday. The cold weather has damaged Florida's citrus crops, which can't tolerate prolonged temperatures of 28 degrees or below. Florida produces three-quarters of the United States' orange crop. Some groves in the northern part of the growing area suffered substantial frost damage Saturday night and Sunday morning, Andrew Meadows, spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual, said Monday. It will take about five weeks to quantify the losses, he said. But the frigid air was welcome to peach growers in central Texas. According to Jamey Vogel, who owns Vogel Orchard in Stonewall, Texas, just east of Fredericksburg, "Peach trees need chilling hours, which are hours below 45 degrees, and we have been getting a lot of those this year." "We absolutely welcome it," he told CNN affiliate KXAN in Austin. He said he has 9,500 peach trees in his 90-acre family orchard. The trees, which are dormant this time of year, need cold, wet weather to produce a crop. Share your cold weather stories, photos . On the West Coast, a storm was rolling into the area between Seattle and San Francisco, with the brunt heading into Northern California, according to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. Two to 3 inches of snow was possible in the Sierras, forecasters said. | Southeast should see higher temperatures this week, storms this weekend, forecasters say .
In Atlanta, Georgia, warming is predicted through Friday, when high could reach 58 .
In Florida, Tuesday's high was expected to reach 54 in Tallahassee, the state capital .
On West Coast, a storm was rolling into the area between Seattle and San Francisco . |
158,077 | 5861ebbbf77d195fefc6ecb280eaab9cce7b0070 | (CNN) -- The world-famous Hubble Space Telescope is owned by the U.S. government and operated cooperatively by NASA and an institute under contract to NASA. Now that the government has shut down, the institute can still use existing resources to continue Hubble operations for as long as possible. Its staff has tried to ensure that -- to the extent possible -- the shutdown will not affect telescope operations. But events can overtake plans. If Hubble encounters a problem or a glitch, as happens occasionally, science operations will be suspended and the spacecraft will be locked into safe mode until government employees can issue spacecraft commands to restore operations. Safe mode means orienting the delicate instruments away from the sun while keeping the solar panels illuminated, to make sure no instrument loses power and is ruined. But in safe mode, the instruments won't record any of the light coming to the telescope. The approximate cost of one hour of Hubble observing is somewhere between $8,000 and $25,000, depending on whether one adds the costs of operating and refurbishing the facility to its initial construction costs. That means a two-week government shutdown could waste $3 million, $5 million, even $8 million of taxpayer investment. Frankly, the loss to science is far greater. Each year thousands of astronomers from around the world compete to decide where Hubble will point -- toward particular stars or planets or galaxies or gravitational lenses. Special science panels spend weeks setting priorities for the most important proposed science investigations. For every 10 hours of observing time astronomers want to use, only 1 hour is eventually approved. U.S. shutdown threatens launch of NASA's next mission to Mars . That means each week the government is shut down could cost dozens to hundreds of critical astronomical observations. The James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble's successor, is undergoing critical tests at the Goddard Space Flight Center. This has to be done at extremely cold temperatures, mimicking conditions in space, and the amount of time to cool the system down is one of the drivers of schedule and therefore cost. As long as the government remains shut down, the testing will have to wait. If the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks, the JWST instrument module will have to be warmed up, probably pushing the launch date forward by a few months and raising the cost commensurately (about $1 million per day). NASA operates dozens of scientific spacecraft. A few look out at the cosmos, like Hubble. Many monitor the sun and the particle environment around Earth. Such observations have provided early warning of major sunstorms (known by solar scientists as "coronal mass ejections") that can knock out communications satellites and other fragile electronics. To check on the number of satellites that might be affected by the shutdown, this author tried to access a NASA website, only to see the following message: "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret the inconvenience." This prompted further searching. The main NASA website defaults to the same error message. The education and outreach pages maintained by astronomers at the Goddard Space Flight Center -- and read by schoolchildren across the country -- are not accessible. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, because it is run under contract to NASA, still has a visible website. Their flagship mission, the Mars Science Laboratory and its Curiosity Rover, is apparently still active, operated by team members who work for JPL or Caltech or other participating institutions other than the federal government. But as for Hubble, if there is any kind of glitch, federal civil servants will be essential to the recovery of rover operations. NASA grounded by government shutdown . The work doesn't disappear, either. Scientists at NASA and the National Science Foundation are some of the hardest working people I know. The government shutdown means they are forbidden to do any work. They can't take their laptops home or phone into teleconferences from home, the way I might if a hurricane or snowstorm threatened Yale. So, you might think they are having a nice (though unpaid) vacation. But actually, the same work is sitting on their desk when they get back, and it all has to get done. So it means they'll work longer hours to catch up and for most civil servant scientists, there is no such thing as overtime pay. A NASA colleague at the Goddard Space Flight Center is designing a powerful new telescope. For the past few weeks, we've had intensive discussions with colleagues around the world about the science this telescope will be able to do. Now, there is radio silence. His last e-mail said, "This is going to be my last e-mail before the government shutdown ends. Any work during a shutdown is deemed a violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act. You are welcome to continue to e-mail me, but I might not be able to respond until the federal government opens for business." We are all waiting. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Meg Urry. | Government shutdown affects NASA, where employees are off the job .
Meg Urry: A two-week shutdown could waste $3 million to $8 million of taxpayer money .
She says loss to science is greater as critical astronomical work could be affected .
Urry: NASA scientists can't do their work and must make up for it when shutdown ends . |
42,037 | 7698645195928779109adb0842a8014bc85dd453 | Jerusalem (CNN) -- An aid ship trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza still plans to aim for the Palestinian territory, its organizer told CNN on Sunday, despite Israel's foreign ministry saying it would likely dock elsewhere. But the activists on the boat will not resist if they are confronted by the Israeli military, said Youssef Sawani, the executive director of the Gadhafi Foundation, which is sending the boat. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the ship "an unnecessary provocation." The ship, launched by a charity headed by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, set sail from Greece on Saturday carrying 2,000 tons of aid. It should take 70 to 80 hours -- about three to three-and-a-half days -- to reach Gaza, Sawani said. The Gadhafi Foundation refers to the ship as the Hope, although it appears to be registered formally as the MV Amalthea. It is Moldovan flagged and run by ACA Shipping, based in Greece. "This is purely a humanitarian effort," he said, adding "The Israelis should seize this opportunity and allow the goods into Gaza." Aside from the ship's crew, Sawani says nine others are on board: Six Libyans, one Moroccan and one person from Niger, all of whom work with the Gadhafi Foundation, plus a journalist from Al Jazeera, Sawani added. Israel insists on controlling the entry of all goods into Gaza, which is run by the militant movement Hamas, because it says it must keep weapons out of the hands of people determined to attack it. Barak said Israel would not allow the aid ship to dock in Gaza, but said it could unload goods elsewhere and Israel would allow them to enter the Palestinian territory by land after Israel inspects them. "Goods can be transferred into Gaza through the port of Ashdod after they are inspected, but we will not allow the transfer of weapons or ammunition into Gaza," he said. "We recommend to the organizers of the flotilla to allow navy vessels to escort it to the port of Ashdod or sail directly to el-Arish" in Egypt. Israeli commandos boarded a Turkish aid ship in May, resulting in violence between the troops and the activists on the ship that left nine Turks dead. The raid prompted international condemnation and threatened Israeli-Turkish relations. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen and Guy Azriel and journalist Elinda Labropoulou contributed to this report. | NEW: Ship should take about three days to reach Gaza .
Israel says it will not let ship reach Gaza, calling it "a provocation"
Activists on boat will not resist if boarded, organizer says .
Israeli defense minister: We will allow goods into Gaza if ship docks elsewhere . |
5,690 | 102d9b18344c158f1d069b9ddf17096f420a34df | Russian president Vladimir Putin met the . Pope today - amid claims he is planning to name scandal-mired Silvio . Berlusconi as Russia's ambassador to the Vatican. The pair have defended each other through thick and thin, so the move is hardly surprising for the ever-controversial pair. The Russian president has attended the Italian’s infamous bunga bunga parties while Mr Putin reciprocated with holidays at his dacha on the Black Sea. Friends: It has been claimed Vladimir Putin, left, who met the Pope in Rome's Vatican City, reportedly wants to make disgraced Silvio Berlusconi, right, a Russian ambassador - giving him diplomatic immunity . Pope Francis shakes hand with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they exchange gifts during the private audience at the Vatican City . They have attended extreme fighting events together and Mr Putin even has a bed named after him at the 77-year-old billionaire’s mansion. Now their unlikely bond has taken a new turn, with Mr Putin said to be poised to make the former Italian prime minister the Russian envoy to the Vatican. Such a move would confer diplomatic immunity on Berlusconi – and an escape from his latest legal woes courtesy of his old pal in the Kremlin. After being convicted of tax fraud, the politician is this week facing expulsion from the Italian parliament, a move that would strip him of some legal protection. Putin is on a two-day visit in Italy. He will also meet with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Premier Enrico Letta . In September the Pope wrote directly to Putin imploring him to co-operate with other international leaders to help the people of Syria . The three-time premier had hoped for a last minute pardon but Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has made it clear that this is not on his agenda. He is also appealing against a conviction for sex with underage prostitute Ruby ‘the heart-stealer’, and faces a new trial for an alleged £2.5million bribe to a senator. As well as legal immunity, the post would give Berlusconi a diplomatic passport, allowing him to visit his luxury overseas properties – something he has been denied since his old passport was cancelled by the authorities. Putin kisses the gift he presented to Pope Francis during the private audience at the Vatican City . Although the two have clashed over Syria, they agree that outside military intervention will escalate the civil war . Former KGB agent Mr Putin was last night arriving in Rome to meet Pope Francis and Italian ministers but he is also scheduled to meet Berlusconi. A political source told an Italian newspaper: ‘Putin’s idea is clear: he plans to nominate Berlusconi as ambassador to the Holy See, a strategy that would save him from persecution by the judiciary.’ Mr Putin held private talks with Pope Francis about the Syrian conflict, months after the Pope sent him an angry letter criticising the G20's failure to provide more aid. In . September the Pope wrote directly to Putin imploring him to co-operate . with other international leaders to help the people of Syria. Cosy: Berlusconi and Putin are firm friends, despite both being controversial figures on the world stage . Friends: The pair during a mid-air meeting in April 2004. Since then Berlusconi has been given several jail terms . So far the reports that Putin, left, could make Berlusconi, right, a Russian ambassador are unconfirmed . Pope Francis and Putin did agree on one thing, however - they were both against the British and U.S. push for military intervention. Putin refused to take sides in the conflict, while the Pope said it was important that the violence did not escalate. But the pair differ publicly in several areas including on gay rights. While the Pope has reportedly taken a softer line, Putin has cracked down on gay rights and criminalised protests in favour. And there is a long-running religious feud between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox church, which have been at loggerheads since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian church figures have accused the Vatican of trying to convert their worshippers to make them Catholic. | Putin will hold fiery discussion of Syria with Pope Francis .
Italian media have reported Putin could grant special status to Berlusconi .
Former PM has been handed several jail terms and faces another trial . |
220,618 | a9949bb46e04152c258c288a4fa7c8e1c4bb86bf | By . Tamara Abraham . PUBLISHED: . 18:09 EST, 10 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:22 EST, 11 September 2012 . Romance was the order of the day at Donna Karan this afternoon, as the designer sent out a collection of evening gowns in light-as-air silks . A complete contrast from the DKNY collection yesterday, the designer's mainline collection was pure understated luxury that promises to be as easy to wear as it is on the eye. The dresses ranged in hue from soft caramel to rose pink and aquamarine to lavender, as if borrowed from a watercolour artist's palette. Scroll down for video . Watercolour palette: Donna Karan's dresses ranged in hue from rose pink to soft caramel . Though each look was monochrome, Mrs Karan added drama with texture. One bubble hem number was topped by a co-ordinating ostrich feather shrug, another was an intricate network of embellished cut-outs. A showstopper, though was a chiffon evening gown that shimmered with delicate beading. Supermodel Lindsey Wixson was among the girls on the catwalk - it is likely to have been a mad dash for the teenager who also walked Carolina Herrera this morning. Understated: The eveningwear was pure luxury that promises to be as easy to wear as it is on the eye . Layers of lavender: Though each look was monochrome, Mrs Karan added drama with texture . Ashley Greene, the face of the label's campaigns, was in the front row, along with Australian actress Rachael Taylor. Anna Wintour was present, of course, seated alongside Grace Coddington, with Kimora Lee Simmons and Bianca Jagger rounding out the VIP guests. Lady of the hour: Donna Karan takes a bow as her guest applaud at the end of the show . 3.1 PHILLIP LIM . A favourite among New York's coolest girls, 3.1 Phillip Lim paid tribute to his target customer with a streetwear-inspired collection that was heavy on pale denim and graphic prints. The silky shifts and elegant tailoring that the designer has become known for were certainly present, but the latest line had a deconstructed feel with a mash-up of unexpected layers and prints. Speaking after the show, the designer explained: 'It's about taking what you have in front of you, cutting it up, not throwing anything away and mixing it up again... Streetwear mash-up: The silky shifts and elegant tailoring that 3.1 Phillip Lim has become known for were certainly present, but the latest line had a deconstructed feel . But I don't want it to come off as your homeless, so we disguised it . and veiled it with sheerness, so there's an illusion to the sensuality.' Press have so far been raving about the collection - particularly the pink suede overalls. Fashion blogger and America's Next Top Model judge Bryanboy said: 'Phillip Lim was youthful. Lots of florals! Love many of the flat strappy booties, suede overalls, trousers and jackets.' Effortless cool: The 3.1 Phillip Lim collection has already been winning rave reviews from the style set . Lauren Stevenson, PR Director at My-wardrobe.com, called it 'Effortless cool', adding: 'Phillip Lim's . collection was an explosion of prints, fabrics and colour, with an . underlying message of cool in every look. 'I love the "Neuvo" York tees, . dungarees, oversized biker jackets and metallic oversized bags and . shoes. Amazing collection!' BELSTAFF . Belstaff, the label behind Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games boots, also showed today, delivering a leather-heavy collection that was pure Katniss chic. While the footwear was more strappy stilettos than hunting flats, the belted biker jacket, worn with matching leather skirt, seemed to take its lead from the hit movie trilogy. Hunger Games chic: Belstaff delivered a leather-heavy collection that was pure Katniss . Though there were easy shirtdresses, slinky silk trousers and stiff A-line skirts, leather was unarguably the star here. From belts to tanks it filtered into every look. U.S. Elle remarked that the label had successfully translated its heavy moto-girl aesthetic for spring. 'Feat accomplished [with] white, taupe, and wide leather belts,' it tweeted. VIDEO: Watch the DKNY New York fashion show . | Belstaff, the label behind Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games boots, also showed today, delivering a leather-heavy collection that was pure Katniss . |
11,322 | 2035702c976d01c2c62bed35cb682ad3568d8f2d | CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (CNN) -- U.S. Marines at Camp Lemonier -- the only American military base on the African continent -- spend much of their time vaccinating livestock, repairing schools and giving medical training. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Rear Adm. James Hart, in Camp Lemonier, December 2007. The camp, just 10 miles north of the Somali border, began as a French Foreign Legion outpost, but the Djibouti government agreed in 2002 to let the U.S. military establish a base for counterterrorism and humanitarian missions in the Horn of Africa. The 1,800 U.S. troops in Djibouti spend just a fraction of their time on military tasks, such as locating and removing land mines. They conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries -- seen as an antidote to extremism. "If you get at the basic needs of any individual, if you address the basic needs of people, then you have the opportunity to change their mindset, then you have the opportunity to show them that there is something better than doing extreme acts," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Roosevelt Barfield, deputy commander of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. Many of the Marines in Djibouti, a predominantly Muslim country, previously served in Iraq. "In Iraq, you can just go out and pretty much roll around and you do what you got to do and your mind set is a lot different," said Marine Cpl. Chad Armstrong. "Here, this country is a sovereign nation. Their government is established and everything, so there is a lot more working with the governments here." The military role, though, sometimes upstages the humanitarian mission. Periodic airstrikes of suspected al Qaeda terrorist targets in Somalia, often from U.S. warships, has created animosity among ethnic Somalis in the region. The U.S. military presence in Djibouti underscores the growing importance of Africa to the U.S. military. The United States has created a centralized military command for Africa, U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, which will become fully operational in October. The reluctance of African leaders to host a U.S. military facility, however, has hampered selection of a headquarters location for AFRICOM. Liberia, so far, is the only African country to offer. For now, AFRICOM is based in Stuttgart, Germany. | Camp Lemonier is the only American military base on the African continent .
The 1,800 U.S. troops conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries .
Their humanitarian mission is seen as an antidote to extremism . |
124,206 | 2c8ffb4909b9b33540089778dadfd6441d9fdeb1 | New York (CNN) -- A controversial NYPD surveillance unit that cataloged information on Muslim communities never produced a lead that linked to a potential terrorist plot during years of investigating, according to the head of the city's police intelligence division. The NYPD's Demographics Unit -- or Zone Assessment Unit -- was put together with the CIA's help following the September 11, 2001, attacks. The unit has acknowledged that it engaged in monitoring that included Muslim-owned business and mosques across the New York region. The unit's reports, however, never led to a terrorism investigation in at least six years of surveillance, according to court testimony from Thomas P. Galati, the commanding officer of the police intelligence division. "I could tell you that I have never made a lead from rhetoric that came from a Demographics report and I'm here since 2006," he said in a June 28 deposition unsealed Monday. "I don't recall other ones prior to my arrival. Again, that's always a possibility. I am not aware of any." A 60-page report obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year showed NYPD maps of Newark, New Jersey, and photographs of Muslim residences and mosques, while other reports revealed that authorities had tracked websites and on at least one occasion placed an undercover officer with university students. There was no statement in the documents regarding terrorism or criminal activity. Galati's June testimony was part of a lawsuit that actually began with a class-action case in 1971 and resulted in a historic settlement over a decade later known as the Handschu agreement, or Handschu guidelines. The settlement restricted police -- who were then accused of compiling dossiers on political activists and those perceived as radicals -- from investigating individuals whose activities were constitutionally protected. But civil rights attorneys last year filed papers in federal court challenging whether the use of undercover agents and informants within Muslim communities constituted a breach of those guidelines. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said Tuesday that the "premise that the demographic unit was used for wholesale spying on Muslims, using undercover officers and informants to do so, was false," and that neither "confidential informants nor undercover officers were assigned to the demographics unit." Browne added that "the small unit, about 8 people, surveyed places a terrorist might go to use a foreign language internet cafe, get a job off the books, find a place to stay, etc." However, police did uncover information that "led them to recommend that investigators take a closer look." He pointed to an "Islamic book store in Brooklyn frequented by the Herald Square plotter" as well as a Staten Island location that was being separately investigated by the NYPD. Police actions adhered to the Handschu guidelines, Browne added, which were modified following the 2001 attacks to provide authorities greater leeway in investigating potential threats. In the first expansive official description of the city's Demographics Unit, Galati testified in June that the NYPD had collected information often based on ethnicity and language. "Most Urdu speakers from that region (Pakistan) would be of concern, so that's why it's important to me," he said. Listening in on a conversation at a Lebanese cafe could also be useful, he added, allowing analysts to determine what part of Lebanon the cafe-goers were from. "That may be an indicator of possibility that that is a sympathizer to Hezbollah because Southern Lebanon is dominated by Hezbollah." But "related to demographics... "I can tell you that information that (has) come in has not commenced an investigation." The purpose of the unit is to help "identify locations if we're faced with a threat," he noted, offering investigators a better starting point when confronted with a possible attack. "The police department needs to know where we should go and look for that particular terrorist," he said. "A lot of information that the Zone Assessment Unit captures helps us identify locations that we should look or not look for." He noted that "the information in the Demographics reports does have value" because it "contains a lot of bits and pieces of value, of intelligence value." In May, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced that the NYPD did not violate New Jersey laws when it carried out surveillance of Muslim-run businesses across state lines. The findings were the product of a three-month review meant to address concerns expressed by Muslim organizations, who later filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court against the NYPD for unfairly targeting the Muslim community. Meanwhile, news of Galati's testimony drew statements from activists on Tuesday, who called the police program "unconstitutional and inconsistent with our nation's values." "The NYPD's spying on Muslims based solely upon their faith violates the most basic American values of religious freedom and equal protection of the law," said Glenn Katon, legal director of an activist group called Muslim Advocates. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in March called reports of NYPD surveillance "disturbing," though White House chief counterterrorism advisor John Brennan praised the city's efforts to strike a balance between security and the protection of civil rights. | The NYPD's Demographics Unit was put together with the CIA's help .
The unit's reports never led to a terrorism investigation in at least 6 years of monitoring .
Thomas P. Galati's testimony was part of a suit that began with class-action case in 1971 .
NYPD says "premise that the demographic unit was used for wholesale spying.. was false" |
156,899 | 56e03fa686d7de691bd9a5a70b56159ca415af02 | Selected by the San Diego Chargers on Friday . By . Thomas Durante and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 19:12 EST, 26 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:12 EST, 26 April 2013 . Manti Te'o is headed to San Diego after being chosen early in the second round of the NFL draft by the Chargers on Friday after being passed over by the first round picks. Te'o, who led Notre Dame to the national championship game, was projected as a first-rounder last year but because of the hoax involving his fake girlfriend and his poor performance in a rout at the hands of Alabama dropped his stock. The Fighting Irish All-American linebacker drew a loud roar from the fans when he was finally selected, but he was nowhere in sight having skipped the ceremony and stayed in Hawaii. Completion: Manti T'eo was chosen by the San Diego Chargers on Friday during the second round of the NFL draft . When former Chargers defensive back . Jim Hill was handed the card to make the announcement by Commissioner . Roger Goodell, he was told, 'You're going to get a big cheer when you . announce this pick.' It was more a mix of surprise and . recognition of the most talked-about player in the draft finally finding . a landing spot at No. 38 overall. Unpicked: Te'o, a former Notre Dame linebacker, was not present at Radio City Music Hall for the draft, opting instead to stay at his home in Hawaii . The Chargers traded up with Arizona to . grab Te'o, whose tabloid-ready story of the woman who supposedly died . during the season - only for the Heisman Trophy runner-up to acknowledge . in January that he had been a victim of a hoax - made for a national . soap opera. Te'o ran a 4.82-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, slow for a linebacker. He did better at Notre Dame's pro . day, but NFL teams already had plenty of football reasons to doubt his . worthiness as a first-round pick. The regular-season dominance by the . 6-foot-1, 240-pound All-American now seems so long ago. He led one of . the top defenses in the country for an undefeated team. His seven interceptions were more . than any other linebacker in 2012, and he finished second in the Heisman . Trophy voting behind Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. He was the third linebacker chosen in this draft. The teams believed to have taken the most interest in Te'o - the Chicago Bears (20th pick) and the Minnesota Vikings (23rd pick) - decided to go with and tackle Kyle Long and cornerback Shariff Floyd, respectively. The Vikings had another shot at a first-rounder with the 25th pick, but went with Florida State University cornerback Xavier Rhodes instead. Hyped up: He was expected to be selected during the first round but was passed over by multiple interested parties, perhaps because of a combination of his poor recent performance and his girlfriend hoax scandal . Even before the draft started, . football fans could not resist taking digs at Te'o on social networking . sites like Twitter and Facebook. One . user tweeted a picture of an empty chair with the caption: 'Waiting . with manti teo's gf waiting to see what team will draft him.' Another posted: 'Manti Te'o has a better chance of getting a call from his fake girlfriend rather than an NFL team.' Te'o's tragic story about his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, tugged on America's heartstrings last September as Notre Dame began their push into the BCS championships. Kekua supposedly died around September 12 from leukemia after recovering from a near fatal car crash - just six hours after his grandmother passed away. Among those that paid tribute to Kekua was CBS, which showed a picture of her on This Morning with a direct quote she has supposedly said to Te'o: 'Babe, if anything happens to me, you promise that you'll stay there and you'll play and you'll honor me through the way you play.' Fake: The Twitter account of Lennay Kekua was made using photos of Diane O'Meara, a high school classmate of Tuiasosopo who claimed she had never met nor spoken to Te'o . But it wasn't until a groundbreaking article on Deadspin.com that Lennay was exposed as an elaborate hoax. The scheme was found to be orchestrated by Roanaiah Tuiasosopo, who admitted that he used phony Twitter and Facebook accounts to get Te'o's attention, win his affection and carry on an exclusive online relationship. In those fake accounts was a picture of a woman, later identified as Diane O'Meara, a high school classmate of Tuiasosopo who claimed that she had never met or spoken to Te'o. Te'o claimed that he was a victim, and was not in on the scandal. In an interview with Katie Couric in late January, Te'o said that he briefly lied about his online girlfriend, after discovering she didn't exist. But he maintained that he had no part in creating the hoax. Deceived: Earlier this week Te'o emotionally . denied he was involved in any sort of cover-up while instead admitting . he believed Lennay Kekua, played by Tuiasosopo, was real . Self-indulging: Tuiasosopo said that he fell . 'deeply, romantically in love' with Te'o though he was playing him for a . fool while pretending to be a woman . Pressed by Couric to admit that he was in on the deception, Te'o said he believed that 'Lennay' had died of cancer. 'You stuck to the script. And you knew that something was amiss, Manti,' the talk show host said. He . replied: 'Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told . me that she died on September 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I . committed myself to, died on September 12.' Couric also asked Te'o point blank: 'Are you gay?' Cracking a smile, he responded: 'No. Far from it. Far from it.' In an interview with Dr Phil McGraw, Tuiasosopo admitted that he was gay and fell 'deeply, romantically in love' with the Notre Dame linebacker even though he was deceiving him. Tuiasosopo also confirmed that it was him impersonating 'Lennay,' despite the fact that voicemail recordings sound high-pitched and feminine. Since the Couric interview, Te'o has mostly stayed out of the limelight, but appeared at the NFL scouting combine in February and was pictured during various workouts. | Manti Te'o passed over in first round of NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York .
Selected by the San Diego Chargers on Friday . |
265,052 | e34bd9ab33167e2b0210c6117372ec0f2d48c61e | Ahead of me, a trail of lights snakes up toward the sky, moving relentlessly, step-by-step, in the darkness. I've tackled quite a few mountains in my life, but never have I hiked with as many solemn spirits as on Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka. Barefoot pilgrims are all around me. There are women, whose bangles can be heard rattling against tired ankles, and monks, pulling their maroon robes over their left shoulders to shield from the mountain chill. We're all going up silently toward the summit of what is a holy mountain for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka. The 2,243-meter (7,359 feet) Adam's Peak lies among the island nation's southern Central Highlands, 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the capital Colombo. It's one of Sri Lanka's highest mountains, rising like a green fang from a carpet of dense forest reserve where wild elephants and leopards still dwell. It isn't the scenery or wildlife that daily pulls in thousands of pilgrims though. All of them are here to see a 1.8-meter-long rock formation that juts out from the summit. Tough going . To Buddhists, Sri Pada, or the sacred footprint, is an imprint left by the Buddha himself. Hindus say it belonged to Shiva while Christians and Muslims consider it a sign of Adam's passage. Local legend has it that Sri Lanka's King Valagambahu was the first to stumble upon Sri Pada during a reign that ended in about 76 BC. The peak gets another historic name check from none other than Marco Polo, who visited in the 14th century, reporting that his ascent was tough going. Today, a stone staircase helps almost every Sri Lankan tackle the peak several times during their lives. From December to May, the mountain glows nightly as torchlit pilgrims follow the trail to the top. Some climb in the afternoon to reach the shrine at sundown but the most popular and spiritual time to ascend is the middle of the night, summiting just in time to catch the first rays of dawn. Just getting to Adam's Peak is an act of devotion. Pure pilgrimage . After traveling from the central city town of Kandy to Hatton on a slow train through the relentless greenery of the area's Ceylonese tea estates, I catch a rickety bus to continue my journey. My destination is Dalhousie, a cluster of chai stalls, home stays and informal restaurants that marks the starting point of the five-kilometer Nallathanni climbing route, the shortest way to the summit. The basic facilities on offer are attuned to the reasons for the climb. This isn't a leisure pursuit, but a pure pilgrimage. My ascent begins at a chilly 3 a.m. The climb can take between two and a half and four hours -- I'm aiming to summit at the break of dawn at 6.30 a.m. Groups of pilgrims dressed in white lead me through the dark and to the beginning of the incline. "Each time feels like the first," says Saman, a slender man from a village near Bentota on Sri Lanka's southern coast. He and his wife are tackling their fifth climb, accompanying their six-year-old son for his first ascent. Before the path starts rising, a monk from the nearby Japanese temple comes forward and in exchange for an offering, ties a white string around my waist as a form of blessing. And so, with the eyes of one of Sri Pada's benevolent gods hopefully on me, I proceed upward as the incline slowly turns into a stone staircase. Spiritual awakening? Along the way, vendors cook pans of soothing chai over portable gas stoves. Prices, like the sacred mountain, are steep. The peak comes into view a couple hours into the climb. Many hikers greet it with determined expressions, their only goal to arrive at Sri Pada before sunrise. As we get nearer, the darkness disperses in tones of blue. Just before dawn throws shards of burning red across the sky, we sail into a sea of pilgrims surrounding the shrine's platform. It's quite a sight. Pilgrims walk in circles reciting mantras, queuing up to pray before the sacred footprint. On the edge of the slope, young monks in wool hats hold their robes tight under their chins with chilled fingers, waiting for the sun's rays to bring the new day. With the sound of tolling bells at my back, I join the line and watch first light over central Sri Lanka. The spectacle is enough to stop my legs from aching and make me forget that I must, at some point, return to Earth. Getting there . Two daily trains leave from Kandy to Hatton. Number 1005 departs at 8:47 a.m. and arrives at 11:12 a.m. while number 1015 leaves at 11:10 a.m. and arrives at 13:26 p.m. Buses run to Dalhousie from Hatton's train station until early afternoon. During pilgrimage season (December to May), there are direct buses to Dalhousie from Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. However, the scenic train route across the Hill Country is highly recommended. | The 2,243-meter (7,359 feet) Adam's Peak lies amid Sri Lanka's southern Central Highlands .
Hiking up Adam's Peak to see the sacred footprint near the summit at sunrise is a popular pilgrimage .
The journey to get there is an ordeal that requires devotion . |
80,558 | e45a492dca2d433d1b870251021d44de03eb3949 | (CNN) -- As Rafael grew into a hurricane, residents and officials on the tiny island of Bermuda were expecting the storm to pass by Tuesday. The island's top emergency official said residents and tourists should see strong winds and rough seas as the storm approaches but expressed confidence that Rafael's impact would be minimal. "We are expecting the worst of the storm to pass to our east, and it will therefore be business as usual tomorrow," Wayne Perinchief, chairman of Bermuda's Emergency Measures Organization, said Monday. Forecasters said the island might see 2 to 4 inches of rain from the storm. The storm, with 85 mph winds, was centered about 545 miles (about 880 kilometers) south of Bermuda on Monday night, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving north at 10 mph, forecasters said. "It's far enough away for our culture to not feel a threat yet. ... We're so used to this, season after season. Most people have their plywood in their garages at home, already pre-cut and labeled," said resident John Manderson. "So often, we get storms that come so close." The 46-year-old telecommunications consultant said the harbor waters near his office in Hamilton, Bermuda, were calm Monday. Yet forecasters predicted the storm will become a hurricane later in the day. Authorities in Bermuda have issued a tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible there within 36 hours. That warning doesn't faze residents, Manderson said, but a change in the forecast might. "If people feel like we're going to have a direct hit or a Category 1 only 100 miles or less away, you'll see people running around like crazy just to finish preparations," he said. He updated CNN on Monday night, saying residents were still going on as normal but he expected to see residents take action in the morning. While the National Hurricane Center expects Rafael will stay well to the east of the Bahamas through Monday night, it is warning of life-threatening surf conditions and rip currents on the eastward-facing beaches of the Bahamas over the next few days. Farther south, the northern Leeward Islands, which were drenched by the storm over the weekend, can expect 1 to 3 additional inches of rain, bringing the total rainfall from Rafael in some pockets to as much as 12 inches, forecasters said. "These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain," the hurricane center said. Read more: Tropical Storm Leslie expected to pass east of Bermuda . CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Nigel Walwyn and Greg Seaby contributed to this report. | NEW: Rafael becomes a Category 1 hurricane .
Officials advise residents to prepare, but say the storm should pass east of the island .
Forecasters say they expect the tropical storm to become a hurricane Monday night . |
134,842 | 3a6b27ce457323fdf8d69e49b31d77a9f1e41e15 | By . Reuters Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:48 EST, 24 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:00 EST, 24 July 2013 . Under a cost-saving plan by the U.S. Postal Service, people moving into newly-built homes will not have mail delivered to their doors and will instead have to pick it up at the curb or neighborhood cluster boxes. The Postal Service began the change in April, and Congress is considering an even bolder shift that would also affect existing houses. It's unclear if delivery to the door will eventually be eliminated entirely. 'Converting delivery away from door delivery to either curb line or centralized delivery would enable the Postal Service to provide service to more customers in less time,' Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan said Tuesday. Stand and deliver: With the Postal Service facing billions of dollars in annual losses, door-to-door delivery service could be phased out in favor of cheaper alternatives . More than 30 million American homes get delivery to the door and another 50 million get mail dropped at curbside mailboxes. But the Postal Service, which is buckling under massive financial losses, sees savings in centralized mail delivery. Door-to-door delivery costs the Postal Service about $353 per address each year. Curbside delivery costs $224, and cluster boxes cost $160 per address. With cluster boxes, mailboxes for individual addresses are grouped together at a central neighborhood location. The move is one of many cost-cutting steps the Postal Service is trying as it continues to plead with Congress for permission to overhaul its business and avert a bailout. The agency also proposed eliminating . Saturday mail delivery but was forced to back off that plan this year . after lawmakers and some industries balked. Boxes: Alternatives for door-to-door delivery are shared neighborhood boxes for receiving mail, or curbside delivery . The agency also proposed eliminating Saturday mail delivery but was forced to back off that plan this year after lawmakers and some industries balked. Representative Darrell Issa, a . California Republican who has spearheaded Postal Service reforms, has . introduced a bill that would completely do away with door delivery and . require curbside or cluster boxes for existing residences with an . exemption for people with disabilities. The legislation was to be considered on Wednesday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. A . senior committee staffer said the legislation could realize annual . savings of $4 billion from switching to curbside and $6 billion from . cluster boxes. Last . year, the Postal Service lost $16 billion, mostly due to dwindling mail . volumes and payments into a mandatory fund for its future retirees' healthcare. The . agency, which does not receive taxpayer funds, is under pressure to . modify its business model and raise revenues or risk requiring a bailout . of nearly $50 billion by 2017. The Postal Service's efforts to require cluster boxes for new residences are being received with trepidation. Cranberry Township, 25 miles north of Pittsburgh, recently received a letter from the local postmaster saying that all new homes would be serviced by cluster box units rather than door-to-door or curbside delivery. Beleaguered: Last year the USPS lost $16 billion, mostly due to dwindling mail . Most new residential construction plans have already been approved and the change would require going back to the drawing board, said Ron Henshaw, the town's director for community development. 'Our board supervisors who actually run the township are very concerned about this,' he said. Since April, residential developers can no longer choose between curbside or cluster box delivery, agency spokeswoman Brennan said. The Postal Service makes that determination based on what it considers to be more effective. The Postal Service has also been asking shopping malls and business parks to voluntarily convert to centralized delivery. | In a new cost-saving plan by the USPS, newly built homes will not be eligible for to-the-door delivery .
Residents will have to pick mail up at the curb or from shared neighborhood boxes .
Door-to-door delivery costs the USPS $353 per address every year .
Congress may implement the plan to established homes in the future .
The cost-cutting measure would save the service up to $6 billion a year . |
213,891 | a10583d2ec400c9c3b5f6cf14391a9b456316863 | As ISIS militants seem poised to take the strategic city of Kobani at the Turkish-Syrian border, violent protests have broken out in Turkey, leaving some demonstrators dead. The death toll has reached 19, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday. Another 145 people have been injured, and 388 have been arrested, he said. Thousands of people have taken to the streets for the protests, at times ignoring curfews set by the government. Some demonstrators died in clashes between rival groups, authorities said. Others died in clashes with police. A new security office will work around the clock to improve security in the country, Davutoglu said. The protesters, many of them Kurds, are calling on the Turkish government to take tough action against ISIS, and to allow Turkish fighters to go across the border and fight ISIS militants. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said ground troops are needed in the fight against the Islamist militants. He wants a no-fly zone and a safe haven area established, and has called for the arming of opposition groups in Iraq and Syria. Turkey's tough choice: Take on ISIS or the PKK? "Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse pro-Kurdish protesters across the country who had set up barricades, set fire to buses and cars and attacked police with fireworks and stones," the semi-official Anadolu news agency reported. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said protesters are supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, which he called a terrorist group. The protests invite terror and chaos to Turkey, he said, according to Anadolu. | 19 dead, 145 injured, and 388 arrested, Turkish PM says .
As ISIS moves in on Kobani across the border, violent protests break out in Turkey .
Demonstrators want Turkey to do more against ISIS as it closes in on Kobani . |
235,503 | bcdcfefb7a7e0c982207e4a264629564bacc19b3 | (CNN) -- Kate O'Mara, the British actress best known for playing Joan Collins' sister Caress on the 1980s show "Dynasty," has died. She was 74. O'Mara died at a nursing home in Sussex, UK, according to her agent, Phil Belfield. "Kate O'Mara passed away peacefully today at a nursing home in Sussex after a short Illness," Belfield wrote in a statement. "She was a delight to know and an extraordinary woman and actress with a passion for Shakespeare and stage acting. "A shining star has gone out and she will be sadly missed by all who have known and worked with her." O'Mara was a mainstay of British television -- "as ubiquitous on British television screens as the test card," wrote the UK news site The Guardian -- who acted in such UK series as "The Brothers," "Howards Way" and "Crossroads." On the long-running "Doctor Who," she played the Rani, a renegade Time Lord who was an enemy of the time-traveling title character. Colin Baker, one of the Doctors she acted with, tweeted his sadness. "Oh my goodness. Kate O'Mara is no longer with us. Sad sad news. A delightful, committed and talented lady and actress. We are the poorer." To American audiences, however, she's probably best known as Cassandra "Caress" Morell, the glamorous, conniving sister of Joan Collins' equally conniving (and glamorous) Alexis Colby in "Dynasty," the ABC prime-time soap about feuding oil clans. Caress appeared midway through the show's 1981-1989 run to battle with Alexis, threatening to tell all in a book called "Sister Dearest." But Alexis, as she so often did, emerged victorious, purchasing the book's publisher and making sure the work never saw the light of day. Collins remembered O'Mara on Twitter. "Tragic news about Kate O Mara, we had great fun on Dynasty when she played my sister Caress who Alexis insisted on calling CASSIE ! RIP," she tweeted. O'Mara was a talented actress -- she kept her talent sharp with frequent stage appearances, including performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company -- but she was more recognized for her stunning looks. She was quick to acknowledge the role her beauty played in her career. "Because my career has been based so much on my looks, when I finally pass my 'sell-by' date I think I'll probably pack it in," she once said in an interview, according to The Guardian. However, she kept acting almost until her death. Just last fall, she could be seen in London's West End theater district performing in "An Evening with Kate O'Mara." O'Mara, who came from a long line of performers, is survived by her sister, actress Belinda Carroll. People we've lost in 2014 . | Kate O'Mara played Caress, Alexis' sister, on "Dynasty"
O'Mara was frequent performer on UK television, often in soaps .
Actress was also on "Doctor Who" as Doctor enemy the Rani .
"We had great fun on Dynasty," tweeted her co-star Joan Collins . |
109,672 | 195df92c6971470d6971ddadb3c82aa12dac187f | (CNN) -- New details emerged Tuesday about the controversial "Park51" project, involving the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque in New York City. A source familiar with the project told CNN's Allan Chernoff the structure is being planned as an 11-story building. It will cover 120,000 square feet. Within that space, the source said, 10,000 square feet -- just more than 8 percent -- would be designated for the Muslim prayer space. The developer is considering the possibility of an interfaith education/meditation/prayer space as well, the source said. The Islamic Center's leaders have said plans for the $100 million facility call for a community center including a mosque, performing arts center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces. It will be built on property the center already owns, two blocks from where the World Trade Center was destroyed by Islamic extremists on September 11, 2001. The attacks on the two towers killed more than 2,700 people. CNN's Allan Chernoff contributed to this report. | Islamic Center in New York planned for 11 stories, source says .
Project will be 120,000 square feet, 10,000 of which would be Muslim prayer space .
Interfaith area being considered in the $100 million facility . |
164,846 | 6128c5b32a6747979a585215d4bb0458ca8be89d | Unelected Euro judges are making a relentless attack on British laws laid down over centuries by Parliament, a devastating report warns today. A group of Tory MPs are demanding action by the Prime Minister over figures which show the UK loses three out of every four cases taken to the unaccountable European Court of Human Rights. The explosive research will reignite the row over Europe’s demand for rapists and killers to be given the vote in prison, and intensify calls for Britain to withdraw from the court’s jurisdiction. Relentless attack: Unelected judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, pictured, are undermining British justice by ruling in favour of murderers, terrorists and sex offenders in three in four cases taken there from Britain . The ten backbench Tory MPs say there is a need to ‘end rule by judges and reinstate Parliamentary democracy’. Their challenge follows a succession of sickening cases in which terrorists, murderers and sex offenders have been awarded cash after gaining judgments against the Government. The report, commissioned by the MPs from legal researcher Robert Broadhurst, says that since Britain subscribed to the jurisdiction of the ECHR in 1966 there have been more than 350 rulings on whether the UK has violated convention rights. The number of judgments made against the UK is 271, against only 86 in which it was successful. In a further 50 cases the UK reached a settlement with the claimant, typically agreeing to pay out in return for an agreement to drop the case. In the 1980s, the average number of cases concluded by the ECHR concerning alleged UK violation of human rights law was 2.6 per year. In the 1990s it tripled to 7.8 – and in the 2000s it almost tripled again to 29.3. Taking charge: David Cameron is planning to use a speech to call for rule changes which he hopes to implement during Britain's presidency of the Council of Europe . The judgments have been blamed for allowing scores of foreign criminals and terrorists to claim they have a ‘human right’ to remain in the UK. The European court has 47 judges, representing every member state of the Council of Europe including Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco and Andorra. A recent report estimated that 20 of them have no judicial experience. Many cannot speak English. The timing of the report is crucial as Strasbourg prepares to pass judgment in three controversial cases. In the first, prisoner voting will . come before the Grand Chamber, Strasbourg’s final court of appeal. Britain is fighting an ECHR ruling that the government must allow . convicts to take part in elections – in clear defiance of the wishes of . the UK Parliament, which last year voted overwhelmingly to maintain the . current ban. In the second, preacher of hate Abu Hamza is resisting extradition to the U.S. to face trial on terror charges, and the ECHR will rule on whether he can be sent for trial. If it refuses, the British authorities face the prospect of having to release the fanatic back on to the streets. The final case involves three killers given ‘whole-life’ tariffs by the British courts, which have ruled their crimes are so grave that they can never be released and must die behind bars. Court battles: Jeremy Bamber's case involving his 'whole-life' tariff for murder and a decision on whether Abu Hamza can be extradited to the U.S. to face trial are two of the upcoming cases the ECHR is to rule on . If Jeremy Bamber, Peter Moore and . Douglas Vinter win their case, it will force the Government to give . regular reviews to every one of the 40 or so prisoners locked up for . ever – and allow them to petition for their release. Report: Former MEP Chris Heaton-Harris is the chairman of the group calling on Mr Cameron to take action . In their foreword to Mr Broadhurst’s report, the MPs, headed by ex-MEP Chris Heaton-Harris, say: ‘The main problem with current human rights law is that we all have to accept judges’ interpretations of human rights, even when those interpretations strike us as a gross distortion of such rights. Who really believes that some or all convicted prisoners have an inherent right to vote while they are behind bars for their crime? Not us.’ The report calls for the UK Parliament to be given the power to overturn ECHR judgments. Such a move would require the approval of all other signatories to the ECHR. Should this not prove possible, ‘the only viable option would be for the UK to extract itself from the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg court altogether’. The report says that, by introducing a British Bill of Rights, the country could still meet its obligations to respect human rights. The author claims this would most probably prevent Britain from being ejected from the Council of Europe – parent body of the ECHR. David Cameron promised at the weekend to take personal charge of the issue, during Britain’s presidency of the Council of Europe. He is planning to make a speech in Strasbourg calling for rule changes which would stop the ECHR being able to deal with cases if they have already been dealt with ‘properly’ by national courts. | Ten Tory MPs call on Prime Minister to take action .
Say there is a need to 'end rule by judges'
In 350 cases, Britain has lost 271 and been successful in only 86 .
Timing of report coincides with three controversial upcoming rulings .
David Cameron promises to take personal charge of the issue . |
96,627 | 085644e85643635b93022548f0a0d2533072fd7e | By . John Hall . A koi carp named Chadwick has finally returned to his pond after escaping during a flood two months ago and turning up in a river seven miles away. Staff at Romsey World of Water in Hampshire noticed the the two-foot long chagoi koi was missing along with and a sturgeon named Steve after water from the flooded River Test overwhelmed the aquatic centre in February. While Steve was discovered in a puddle in a nearby petrol station a few weeks later, staff thought they were unlikely ever to see Cahdwick again - until a dog walker reported seeing the distinctive fish swimming in the River Test near Totton - a staggering seven miles from where he escaped. Home: Chadwick the koi carp finally returned to his pond after escaping during a flood two months ago and turning up in a river seven miles away . Adventure: Chadwick (right) escaped from Romsey World of Water in February. The acquatic centre's manager Mark Bradbury (left), said: 'It's a fantastic story, no one could believe where Chad had ended up' Making a break: Staff at Romsey World of Water in Hampshire noticed the the two-foot long chagoi koi was missing when water from the flooded River Test overwhelmed the aquatic centre in February (pictured) Staff at the centre say Chadwick and Steve have become 'inseparable' after their travels. Following the escape, a wide search resulted in Steve being found at an Esso garage just one mile from Romsey World of Water. And almost two months after fleeing the aquatic centre, Chadwick was finally located by a walker who recognised the distinctive fish swimming in the River Test. Chadwick was thrown bread by people who were walking past the Salmon Leap pub in nearby Totton while his owner was called to the scene. Chadwick had swum a staggering seven miles - crossing roads and industrial estates to get to his final location. Distance: Chadwick was eventually founding swimming in the River Test near Totton - a staggering seven miles from the aquatic centre . Getaway: Chadwick and a sturgeon named Steve escaped from the Hampshire aquatic centre when it flooded during the winter storms . Dry again: Chadwick has now returned to Romsey World of Water after a dog walker spotted him in the River Test and phoned the manager. The centre has now returned to normal following the floods (pictured) He even lost one pound in weight during his epic journey - with the 10-year-old fish now weighing just nine pounds. The pair sparked a search when the aquatic centre's lake was overwhelmed by the winter floods in February, allowing both fish to swim away. Staff at the aquatic centre thought Chadwick - who is nicknamed Chad - was unlikely ever to be found, despite repeatedly hearing about sightings. Centre manager Mark Bradbury, 53, said: 'It's a fantastic story, no one could believe where Chad had ended up. We didn't think we would get him back, but when he was eventually spotted, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief.' 'Chad is such a fantastic fish, he's so friendly and everyone who visits the centre knows him and has missed him over the last two months. He's been at the centre for seven years and everyone recognises him, he added. Hunt: A search was launched after the two fish escaped. This resulted in Steve the sturgeon being found in a puddle at an Esso garage just one mile from Romsey World of Water . 'People think of fish as not being very . sociable, but chagoi koi carp are very friendly and very tame... Chad has . such a strong personality and will always approach people when they . come close to the water - he's the most popular fish here,' Mr Bradbury went on . to say. Mr Bradbury says Chadwick was finally located after a woman contacted him to say she had seen the fish swimming in the River Test and recognised him from the 'missing' posters that the aquatic centre had put up. 'When he left he weighed ten pounds, but he has lost one pound because of all of the swimming,' Mr Bradbury said. 'He's like an athlete now - when he left he was more of a couch potato, but now he's such a strong swimmer,' he added. | The two-foot long chagoi koi fled Romsey World of Water during a flood .
Staff quickly noticed Chadwick and a sturgeon named Steve were missing .
Steve was found swimming in nearby a puddle just weeks after the escape .
But Chadwick has only just been found - more than two months later . |
100,160 | 0d0cb7dafc910b6b824828f2a2975407b606e906 | Manama, Bahrain (CNN) -- Bahrain's king reshuffled his cabinet Saturday as protesters continued to call for reforms and a key opposition leader returned to the country. King Hamad replaced the ministers of housing, health, and cabinet affairs. He expanded the portfolio of the oil and gas minister to include electricity and water, and he appointed a new minister of labor. The king also announced that all government housing loans will be reduced by 25%. Saturday's announcement came after opposition leader Hassan Mushaimaa said he had returned to the islands nation, where he planned to join the tens of thousands of protesters camped out at the Pearl Roundabout in the heart of the capital. Mushaimaa, the leader of the Haq Movement, a major Shiite group, had planned to return earlier in the week to give a speech on the importance of national unity. His return was delayed by his detention in Lebanon, which he blamed on Bahrain's rulers. Mushaimaa said after arriving in Bahrain that he was preparing a speech about the protesters' demands for a new regime. Thousands of people have been demonstrating in Bahrain in recent days for political reforms and other concessions. Mushaimaa had earlier said he planned to join them. The anti-government rallies in Bahrain have occurred alongside similar protests in other regional states, but they have also unfolded amid major gestures by the kingdom. King Hamad on Tuesday touted a "national dialogue" and urged Bahrainis "to engage in this new process" and "move away from polarization." Mushaimaa said Saturday he doesn't believe the king's offer for dialogue. "They are always lying -- they are promising to do something and they don't do it," he said about the monarchy. "We talked about dialogue for a long time. Nobody listened, nobody heard us," he said. "They are just listening now because of the pressure. If the pressure will finish, they will not listen again." Mushaimaa, who has been living abroad, had previously been detained by the government for campaigning for more democratic rights in the island monarchy. In September, Bahrain said it requested Interpol -- the world's largest international police organization -- to help in arresting Mushaimaa, whom the government accused of a terrorist plot to destroy state buildings and of planning a coup. Monday, King Hamad ordered the release of a number of prisoners and closed cases against several Shiite leaders accused of plotting against the kingdom. That cleared the way for Mushaimaa to return to Bahrain from London, where he had been living in exile. Mushaimaa's Haq Movement is more hard-line than the opposition Wefaq party, which includes 18 people in the 40-member parliament. Many members of his movement are opposed to the government monarchy. | The king replaced three cabinet ministers and made changes in two posts .
It follows the return of opposition leader Hassan Mushaimaa .
Protesters have been calling for political reforms and regime change . |
244,823 | c8e00d3b9c7f52328cf47a8f98d4b5618be36ad1 | (CNN) -- A Florida homeless man strangled and used an ax to bludgeon to death a 58-year-old who had been counseling him, only to be arrested days later after trying to sell the victim's collector coins, police said. David-Israel Zenon Murillo was charged with first-degree murder and dealing in stolen property on Monday, five days after Matteo Giovanditto was found dead in his home, a spokeswoman for the Osceola County Sheriff's Department said. Following tips from Murillo, detectives found "the murder weapon," which sheriff's spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain described as a hatchet or small ax. The murder was the first ever recorded in the 14-year history of Celebration, a Disney-developed town five miles south of the Magic Kingdom. While being led into court Monday, Murillo accused Giovanditto of attempting to sexually assault him, saying "he tried to put something in my drink while I was over there." "He was a sick, sick man," Murillo said. "He had what was coming to him." The sheriff's spokeswoman, Twis Lizasuain, said that Murillo was a transient, living most recently in a wooded area near Kissimmee, Florida. Giovanditto was a counselor who worked with Murillo, and even had a small head-shot of the suspect among those on his computer. The two had known one another for the past year, Lizasuain said. Giovanditto was found dead in his apartment on November 29, and a tip led police the next day to his vehicle in Kissimmee, about 10 miles west. Osceola County Sheriff's deputies brought Murillo in for questioning on Sunday, after discovering that he'd tried to sell some of Giovanditto's coins. Murillo told police that the two were together on November 24, when he "became enraged and struck Giovanditto with an ax that he found in a closet," a sheriff's department statement said. He admitted he continued to hit the victim, even slamming his head into the kitchen floor. The medical examiner's office later concluded that Giovanditto died from blunt force trauma and strangulation, according to the release. The next day, after getting a search warrant, police found Giovanditto's iPad, cash and collector's coins at Murillo's campsite in Kissimmee. Investigators on Monday searched a canal in the area, looking for more evidence based on information from Murillo, as well as a lake near his campsite, Lizasuain said. She said police canvassing the campsite have already found "significant evidence that corroborated what the suspect told the detectives." Murillo is fully cooperating with the detectives," said Lizasuain. "We have a great deal of information (because of) what he has provided to them." Days after Giovanditto's death, police stormed the house of another Celebration resident, Craig Foushee, after a standoff. Foushee killed himself, police said. The two incidents, while unrelated, rattled residents of the picture-perfect town. "It does have a unique flavor or flair that isn't found in a lot of places," resident Chris Stellwag said last week of Celebration. "(But) it's not like living at Disney World. It's a real town, (with) real issues." | NEW: Police find the "murder weapon," described as a hatchet or small ax .
David-Israel Zenon Murillo is accused of killing his counselor in central Florida .
He was arrested after police found out he was trying to sell the victim's coins .
Murillo told reporters that the victim got "what was coming to him" |
22,668 | 4059f76f8dc03bb6aeaff1fe4db3af72fed40543 | By . Harriet Arkell . PUBLISHED: . 04:49 EST, 4 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:56 EST, 4 January 2013 . A man who jumped out of a helicopter while two friends waited for him on the ground has been reported missing after failing to land in the drop-zone. The 29-year-old Florida man, whose identity has not yet been released, was skydiving in the Cascade foothills east of Seattle with two others. The helicoper pilot reported him jumping from the aircraft at around 2.30pm on Thursday from a height of approximately 6,500ft. Scroll down for video . Stunning: The missing mad had jumped out a helicopter near Mount Si in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State . The pilot said three men were alternating going up in the helicopter to jump, with one jumping while the others waited at the landing zone near Mount Si, about 30 miles east of Seattle. He said their line of sight was blocked so they could not see the man jump. The men were on their second round of jumps when the man disappeared. Around 75 members of King County sheriff's search and rescue unit spent hours searching for the man after he went missing, but the search was called off last night. King County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Cindi West said the man had jumped near a 2,500ft peak on the west side of the mountain. She said the search would resume in daylight on Friday. A local television report said the pilot did not know whether the skydiver's parachute had opened. Too dark to search: Search and rescue teams spent hours looking for the missing man before postponing their search til it got light . Ground and air search: Rescuers searched from the sky as well . This is a stock image of a sky-diver. After the incident yesterday, the helicopter pilot said he did not see if the man's parachute had opened . In a separate incident yesterday, Florida . baseball player Stephen Spradling underwent surgery yesterday after he . was badly injured in a skydiving accident on Sunday. WCTV.tv reported that the Florida State Senior Outfielder was 100ft from the ground when he noticed another skydiver coming into his path. He pulled his chute and hit the ground, breaking his pelvis, ribs, hips and a bone in his back. Spradling's doctors said he would be in a wheelchair for a couple of months but believe he will walk again. And last month a 51-year-old Las Vegas man died when skydiving at Jean Airport in Nevada after his parachute folded in strong winds. Richard Frazer got caught in a gust of wind after jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft. In an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Clark County coroner said the accident was due to poor weather rather than equipment failure. Video: See q13fox report on the missing skydiver: . | Florida man, 29, jumped out of helicopter at 6,500ft over Cascade Foothills .
Pilot says he did not see if the man's parachute opened when he jumped . |
197,188 | 8b37e2e2586ac870e763a85e1e33bb03151878a4 | By . Alex Lazcano for Daily Mail Australia . A group of primary school kids on an excursion were caught in the middle of a mid-air scare onboard a Qantas plane from Canberra to Perth. The children were seated at the back of the plane causing the nose's weight to be higher due to the brunt of the weight being held in the front. Although pilots managed to rectify the situation and take off a report was released by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau. Quantas check in staff have introduced a new check in procedure after the the mid-flight scare in a Canberra to Perth flight . The school group were seated with their chaperones at the back of the plane and assigned adult standard seated which should hold a standard 87kg adult. The children were all over the age of 11 which is above the age child seats are assigned. There was quite a serious discrepancy of 55kg per seat each child was was assigned to while majority of the adult passengers were given seats at the front of plane. The aircraft appeared nose-heavy during take-off, forcing the captain to apply significant back pressure to achieve lift off from the runway. Off the mark: The final load sheet of the Canberra to Perth flight overstated the aircraft take-off weight by about 3.5 to five tonnes . 'Qantas has worked with the ATSB to investigate a weight and balance anomaly on a Canberra to Perth flight,' a Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'The investigation found that due to an administrative error, the weight of some passengers was incorrectly recorded as adults rather than children.' 'This meant that the aircraft didn’t have the optimum configuration for takeoff, but at no stage was this a material risk to passenger safety.' An investigation by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau was led after the incident, which found 87 primary school children on were assigned the adult weight of 87kg . Too much back pressure could have caused the aircraft tail to strike the runway, but the captain managed to ease the aircraft into the air. The incident, prompted an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. It was subsequently determined that the final load sheet overstated the aircraft take-off weight by about 3.5 to five tonnes. The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau said Qantas issued a new procedure to check-in staff, reminding them to ensure that children travelling on group bookings must be recorded as children, to ensure aircraft weight and balance is based on an accurate passenger type. The new procedure ensures that children travelling on group bookings must be recorded as children, which will ensure an accurate passenger weight assessment . | Primary school children caused a mid-flight scare on a Qantas plane .
The plane was too 'nose-heavy' because of their light weight causing an imbalance .
An investigation by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau was led after the incident .
The Qantas flight was headed from Canberra to Perth . |
271,942 | ec4353689b218bfde9c207e7a9fadba6c3739ac6 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accused Labour of wanting the recovery to not recover . The Labour party has been 'praying' the economic recovery does not recover so it can continue to attack the government, Nick Clegg claimed tonight. The Deputy Prime Minister accused Ed Miliband and Ed Balls of wanting the recession to continue so voters would fee poorer at the time of the general election. But Mr Clegg insisted Labour was to blame for the economic 'mess' left by the last government, and wages were now rising. Mr Miliband will use a speech tomorrow to warn Britain faces another five years of squeezed incomes. He claims the middle classes are missing out on the benefits of a return to growth, with wage rises outstripped by soaring prices. Mr Miliband has rejected calls from within his own party for a more upbeat message to voters, instead claiming ‘millions of families are caught in the crosshairs of a cost of living crisis’. But Mr Clegg hit back at the Labour leader, insisting the opposition had been 'wrong' on all the big economic judgements and had helped to bring 'the country to its knees'. Speaking at City Network, a business forum reception in Central London tonight, Mr Clegg said: 'The Labour leadership has spent the last four years praying that the recovery would not materialise. 'For a long time they insisted that the Coalition’s action to tackle the deficit would choke off growth. Wrong: the deficit has been eliminated by a third and growth is back. 'Then they claimed unemployment would rise by a million. Wrong: unemployment is coming down and we are seeing record numbers of people in work. 'Now, having decisively lost these . arguments, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls have settled on a different refrain: . blaming the Coalition for a crisis in the cost of living.' Lib Dem Deputy PM Nick Clegg . Labour has seen its poll lead wither as . the economic recovery has built momentum. Some surveys have put the . party just one point ahead of the Tories, with more people trusting . David Cameron and George Osborne to run the economy. After . predicting that austerity would lead another 1million out of work, . Labour has been stung by figures showing there are 1.2million more . people in jobs than when the coalition was formed. More . recently Mr Miliband has accused the government of overseeing a cost of . living crisis, with people in work seeing small pay rises dwarfed by . increases in food, energy and household bills. However a new study today claimed middle class families weathered the . recession by shopping in cheaper supermarkets, using grandparents for . free childcare and taking on extra jobs. Labour leader Ed Miliband claimed middle class families were not enjoying the benefits of a return to growth . Mr . Clegg admitted it is 'certainly true' that many households have been . under considerable pressure, with some families struggling to make ends . meet. But he added: 'We . mustn't forget what got us here in the first place. In 2008 we . experienced a crisis in our banks which brought the country to its knees . and which damaged our economy in ways which were deep and profound. 'Labour . were the authors of that crisis and yet they now seek to deny any . responsibility for it. They still do not understand that healthy . household budgets flow directly from a healthy economy - you cannot . divorce the two. 'When . Labour were in government they made each family £3,000 worse off by . overseeing a recession that wiped £112bn from our economy.' He said the coalition was taking . action to help create greater confidence, more jobs and further growth . and helping families by easing childcare costs, freezing fuel duty and . keeping council tax bills down. Official figures show the economy grew by 0.7 per cent in the last three months of 2013, the fourth quarter of growth in a row . Middle class families weathered the . recession by shopping in cheaper supermarkets, using grandparents for . free childcare and taking on extra jobs, a report published today . reveals. Households in the . social group became ‘very good’ at adapting their spending and . employment in order to ride out the crisis, says research by a . think-tank. Some even managed to move into a higher income bracket despite the economic downturn, the Social Market Foundation said. More . women went out to work as families sought to make ends meet, with the . proportion of double-income households rising from 35 per cent to 49 per . cent. An analysis of . household income also found that the middle classes became bargain . seekers, switching stores and hunting out cheaper deals to avoid the 25 . per cent increase in food prices. And . there was also a dramatic rise in the number of people using the . generosity of grandparents and other relatives to help with childcare to . cut the cost of a childminder or nursery. Middle earners are now using 20 per cent more ‘free’ care for the under-twos than they were in 2007, says the report. Around . one in five families deemed middle income in 2008 – with a net income . of between £26,100 and £41,200 – fell down the income scale as a result . of the financial crisis. But two-fifths stayed where they were, and the remaining two-fifths have since climbed into the higher brackets. Millions of people will be better off by not paying tax on the first £10,500 they earn, Mr Clegg added. He went on: 'Ed Miliband is clutching at straws and now he’s down to his last one. 'Instead . of making specious claims, the Labour party should take responsibility . for the past: apologising to the British people for presiding over the . biggest economic crisis in living memory and pursuing a credible . economic strategy to prove that they have learnt from their mistakes.' Experts . expect wage increases to overtake inflation in the next few months, but . Mr Miliband has made clear he will not abandon the line of attack. He . will use a speech tomorrow to set out what is being bill as ‘the next . big economic reform of One Nation Labour’s plan to tackle the cost of . living crisis’. Tomorrow Mr Miliband is expected to signal action to tackle low pay, increase house building and encourage firms to hire more workers. He will also back a plan for Britain’s great cities and towns to become ‘engines of growth’. Ahead of the speech Mr Miliband warned that the return to economic growth does not mean the financial pain is over. Figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility predict that real earnings will increase at only half the level of GDP growth in 2015 and will continue to lag behind at least until 2018 - breaking the pattern of decades before the 1990s which saw middle-class living standards improving in line with the economy as a whole. In an article for The Independent, the Labour leader wrote: ‘Millions of families are caught in the crosshairs of a cost-of-living crisis: a few people at the top scoop more and more of the rewards; markets such as energy have become uncompetitive, allowing huge prices to be imposed on consumers; and many of the new jobs being created require fewer skills, pay lower wages and offer less security. ‘This Government cannot deal with these problems because lying beneath its claims of being converted to full employment is an economic ideology built on low pay, low skills, low prospects and low productivity. ‘We can and must do better than this. Labour knows that if Britain stays in this race to the bottom, the cost-of-living crisis will continue - unaddressed and unsolved - for the five years of the next Parliament too. ‘Wages for most people will continue to lag far behind the wealth being created and middle-income families will still be locked out of the benefits of growth.’ But Conservative chairman Grant Shapps said Mr Miliband was talking about a problem ‘created by the Labour government’. He said: ‘Labour's Great Recession made people who work hard poorer, and their unbalanced economy saw just one job created in the North and Midlands for every 10 created in the South. ‘Our long-term economic plan to secure a better for the whole of Britain is about creating jobs in every part of our country - meaning more people having the security of a regular pay packet. That's the only way to raise living standards for everyone. ‘But Ed Miliband has no plan. All he offers is short-term quick fixes, and more spending, more borrowing and more taxes. That's exactly what got us into a mess in the first place, and hardworking people will pay the price with a less secure future.’ | Lib Dem Deputy PM steps up call for apology from Labour for the crash .
Admits families feel worse off but blames the last government .
Ed Miliband to use speech attacking government despite brighter outlook .
Claims millions are 'caught in the crosshairs of cost of living crisis'
Report reveals how middle classes survived - and thrived - in recession . |
10,448 | 1dbab7cec17822bd2d506fff95ffd51f43446860 | A Florida woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death told police she did it because he 'put a curse on her.' Amanda Lopez, 26, of Tampa told police that her 57-year-old ex-boyfriend Larry Lee Fryer had 'done something to her' and that the only way to free herself from under his malicious spell was to 'kill him.' Lopez was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and was taken to Osceola County jail on Tuesday without bond. Under his spell: Amanda Lopez, 26, told police when she was arrested on Monday that she 'stabbed her ex-boyfriend because he put a curse on her' and she sought to end it . News 13 reports that Lopez told investigators she plotted to kill Fryer for over a year. Fryer was discovered with stab wounds in an apartment on Lake Trivolia Boulevard after he called 911 shortly after the assault. 'Hurry,' Fryer said breathlessly over the phone to 911. 'What's wrong,' said the 911 operator. 'I've been stabbed,' he responded with just minutes of life to spare. 'Sir, who stabbed you? said the operator before sending authorities to the bloody scene. Fryer was taken to the hospital where he later died. An autopsy report showed the Fryer had been stabbed eight times . A neighbor of Fryer's said that anything is possible--even black magic. He speculated that perhaps Lopez was really possessed by someone or maybe that she just wanted to murder someone. 'It could be anything,' said Fryers neighbor Joey Stuart. 'It could be a cover-up that she did want to murder somebody or it could be that she really was possessed by someone.' Stuart added that some people believe in demons and demonic possessions but that they can seek help for it. The scene: Larry Lee Fryer was discovered with stab wounds in an apartment on Lake Trivolia Boulevard after he called 911 shortly after the assault and later died in nearby hospital . | Amanda Lopez, 26, of Tampa told police that her 57-year-old ex-boyfriend Larry Lee Fryer had 'put a curse on her'
Lopez said the only way to free herself from the curse was to 'kill him'
Lopez was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and was taken to Osceola County jail on Tuesday without bond . |
129,096 | 32d3044f3db069f9ece991a118dff4a866cec542 | LeBron James returned to the Cleveland hardwood, playing the first half of a preseason game against the Maccabi Tel Aviv that the Cavaliers went on to win handily. James sunk his first shot back in a Cavaliers jersey, stepping up for a long-range three pointer to open the scoring for Cleveland. The four-time MVP scored 12 in the first half, then watched from the bench icing his knees and back while the Cavaliers went on to beat the visiting team from Tel Aviv. Battle: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James pulls a loose ball from Maccabi Tel Aviv's Jeremy Pargo, himself a former Cavalier . James has been nursing an 'iffy' back in the run-up to the season, sitting out practice Friday and looking to avoid unnecessarily aggravating his back problems. The Cavaliers showed they had more firepower in their arsenal, going 28-16 against Maccabi with LeBron out of the game. New York Times reporting on the game suggested though fans were happy their star was back, the realism of LeBron needing Cleveland less than Cleveland needed him had set in. Instead, Cleveland sports fans seemed more excited that night to watch the Cleveland Browns pull off a come-from-behind victory against the Titans in Tennessee. The post-game attention on James took a negative turn, as all Twitter wanted to talk about was his hair, which unlike LeBron has not returned. 'Lebron's hairline ebbs and rises like the tides,' said user Tweetgood Mac, referencing photos of James in the off-season with a fuller head of hair. Scalped: James's stock took a beating on Twitter, where users called out how the four-time MVP's headband has been inching back recently to cover his hairline . Gone curl: Twitter users called out James, who had shot a sneaker commercial where it looked like his hair had returned . Dealt: Some users joked about LeBron's hairline while others made genuine pleas for James to finally give up the ghost and go bald . Untouchable: James takes a shot over Yogev Ohanyon of Maccabi Tel Aviv as the Cavaliers went on to rout what is considered to be Europe's top team . Sitting out: James watches from the bench in the first quarter, later sitting out the second half with ice on his back and knees . Reporters who had traveled from Israel to see how well Maccabi stacked up against American talent, swarmed the recently returned Cavalier, pressing him about playing under his new coach. 'You guys know the new coach more than I do,' James said. 'I've only been with him for a couple weeks.' The night was also memorable for Cavaliers head coach David Blatt, who was playing against the team he had coached for six seasons back in the Euroleague. 'Personally this is a bit of an emotional game for me,' said Blatt. 'I'm playing against the team from which I came and the place from whence I came. Obviously there's some mixed emotions there.' James now has until Saturday to rest up before confronting his former Miami Heat in a preseason game that's being held in Rio de Janeiro as part of the NBA's Global Games series. Cleveland plays their season opener at home against the New York Knicks October 30. | The four-time MVP scored 12 in the first half of an exhibition game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, then rested his 'iffy' back in the second half .
After the game, Twitter users focused on Lebron's receding hairline and implored James to 'give it up and go bald'
The game was bittersweet for Cavaliers head coach David Blatt, who spent six years coaching Tel Aviv before coming to Cleveland .
Cleveland routed Tel Aviv 107-80 and face the Miami Heat next Saturday in Rio de Janeiro . |
127,256 | 307d629c03232c23e7716e53b6268a02aca16a5a | Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms. Military sports club, 'Berkut', (meaning golden eagle), trains up young Russian, who dream of joining the elite units of the Russian army and fighting under the command of President Vladimir Putin. A young boy is pictured on their website brandishing a hand gun and dressed in military fatigues with his finger over the trigger. Old enough to hold a gun: Military sports club, 'Berkut', (meaning golden eagle), trains up young Russian, who dream of joining the elite units of the Russian army and fighting under the command of President Vladimir Putin . Gun trained: A young boy is pictured on their website brandishing a hand gun and dressed in military fatigues with his finger over the trigger . Special forces trained: Children as young a five are sent on forced marches, given battlefield training, taught hand-to-hand combat, and how to use military equipment . Early learners: 12-year-olds are also taught how to fire Kalashnikov assault rifles and other small arms . Nerves: During the clubs regular camps, some children are given the opportunity to parachute jump during their paratrooper training . Children as young a five are sent on forced marches, given battlefield training, taught hand to hand combat, and how to use military equipment. 12 year olds are also taught how to fire Kalashnikov assault rifles and other small arms. During the clubs regular camps, some children are given the opportunity to parachute jump during their paratrooper training. Young gun: This grab from the camp's website shows just how young the recruits are encouraged to start learning . Impressionable age: The club appears to urge Russian parents not to wait until their child becomes a compulsive gambler, drug addict or alcoholic, before sending them to the club . Defenders: The club based in Zhukovsky, Russia, claims to provide military training designed to develop the younger generation of the 'motherland' - a term synonymous with the former Soviet Union and the communist rule of the last century . Throw over: They are also taught the art of hand-to-hand combat . Loyal family: The training is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle, good physical development and loyalty to their homeland . Learning to use a targeting device: Most instructors are ex-armed forces and have first-hand knowledge of the hardships of service in the armed forces and offer preparation 'to young fighters, to repel any enemy' Range of activities: Other activities include skydive training, survival skills and winter hiking . Fitness test: Every year camouflage clad children and adults from the club march into the mountains of the Crimea for an annual 130km trek . The club based in Zhukovsky, Russia, claims to provide military training designed to develop the younger generation of the 'motherland' - a term synonymous with the former Soviet Union and the communist rule of the last century. The training is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle, good physical development and loyalty to their homeland. Most instructors are ex-armed forces and have first-hand knowledge of the hardships of service in the armed forces and offer preparation 'to young fighters, to repel any enemy'. Well armed: It also offers their youngsters the opportunity to become full-fledged citizens of society and learn to 'resist evil and violence, to protect the weak and the oppressed, to believe in justice and always be guided by courage and bravery' Strong display: Every year the club celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union during WW2 with a public performance, in which camouflage-clad children demonstrate their hand to combat combat skills in front of proud parents . Head over heels: Children demonstrate acrobatic technique at the Golden Eagle club, Zhukovsky, Russia . Tough kid: Formed during the Soviet era, the club . offers one program provided in The Young Paratrooper course . Grenade throwing: A young boy hones his grenade-throwing skills during battlefield practice in the woods . No messing: The course, which includes several military-technical disciplines, physical conditioning and the development a boy's moral qualities, can create quite an appetite . Other activities include skydive training, survival skills and winter hiking. Every year camouflage clad children and adults from the club march into the mountains of the Crimea for an annual 130km trek. The club appears to urge Russian parents not to wait until their child becomes a compulsive gambler, drug addict or alcoholic, before sending them to the club. It also offers their youngsters the opportunity to become full-fledged citizens of society and learn to 'resist evil and violence, to protect the weak and the oppressed, to believe in justice and always be guided by courage and bravery'. Every year the club celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union during WW2 with a public performance, in which camouflage-clad children demonstrate their hand to combat combat skills in front of proud parents. Formed during the Soviet era, the club offers one program provided in The Young Paratrooper course which includes several military-technical disciplines, physical conditioning and the development a boy's moral qualities. | Military sports club 'Berkut', or 'Golden Eagle', is in Zhukovsky, Russia .
Children as young a five sent on marches, trained in hand-to-hand combat .
They are even trained to fire Kalashnikovs, small arms and throw grenades .
The course offers preparation 'to young fighters, to repel any enemy'
Parents urged to send kids before they become 'gamblers or drug addicts' |
71,940 | cbf289027254889ce56c4f37299816eab6a28741 | (CNN) -- Former Temptations member Richard Street has died, his widow told CNN Entertainment on Wednesday. The 70-year-old soul and R&B singer died early Wednesday at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Las Vegas, Cindy Street said. Richard Street experienced back pain and breathing difficulties Friday. When he went to a hospital, doctors found he had a clot in a lung, she said. "He was really fighting for his life," she said. "He's a fighter." He is the second former Temptations member to die this month. Singer Damon Harris died February 18 in Baltimore. "They're dancing up there in heaven, him and Damon," Cindy Street said. "I'm in disbelief right now." "He was part of black history. He was always proud of that. He sang on a lot of those classic songs: 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone,' 'Hey Girl,' 'Heavenly,' 'Superstar,' 'Masterpiece.'" Last fall, Street performed 45 concert dates in Europe, she said. Street is survived by his wife of seven years and four children: Richard "Ricky" Jr., Nicole, Brandy and Brandon. Funeral services are tentatively scheduled for next week in Cypress, California, she said. People we've lost in 2013: The lives they lived . CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report. | The 70-year-old singer dies Wednesday in Las Vegas .
He experienced back pain and breathing difficulties last week, his widow says .
Street is the second former group member to die this month .
"They're dancing up there in heaven," Cindy Street says . |
58,740 | a6a21299110b1295d245d3bb80b39d6bc461b87b | By . Lizzie Edmonds . PUBLISHED: . 11:32 EST, 30 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:55 EST, 30 November 2013 . A 6-year-old girl was raped and murdered before she was stuffed in a plastic bag and left in a barrel, police in Trinidad have confirmed. Keyana Cumberbatch, a pupil of St Barbara’s Shouter Baptist Primary School, went missing around 5.20pm on Monday. She was on her way to her grandmother’s apartment, located just metres away from where she lived in Maloney, Port of Spain. The child was being looked after by a male relative prior to her disappearance, local media has reported. Schoolgirl: Keyana Cumberbatch, a pupil at St Barbara¿s Shouter Baptist Primary School, pictured, was found dead in a barrel in her family home, it has been reported . Keyana’s mother, Simone Williams, 27, said she was only made aware of her daughter’s disappearance after she made a call to her mother - who said the child never showed up at her apartment. She was discovered in a barrel located in her family's apartment in Maloney on Friday, according to Stabroek News. Residents who smelt the decay called police who made the discovery, the website adds. An autopsy revealed that the girl died of massive trauma to the head. Pathologist Dr Alexandrov said, 'The trauma to her skull was so extensive that all the tissue which connect bones of the skull were open. Her skull actually was cracked in half. 'These kinds of fractures we call "hinge fractures". We see it very often in motor vehicle accidents where significant forces are applied.' The male relative was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon and was interrogated by officers. He has not been charged. He says he knew nothing of the girl’s disappearance. He told officers he walked Keyana to the building where her grandmother’s apartment was located and saw her enter the building, it has been reported. Residents of Maloney, where the girl lived, are said to be hugely distressed and shocked at the news. Many are now calling for better child protections following the horrific crime. Gender, Youth and Child Development Minister Clifton De Couteau told reporters that legislators would soon debate a bill that would create a national child registry and punish people who fail to report crimes against children. | Keyana Cumberbatch went missing on Monday on way home from school .
Police discovered her body in a barrel in her family's apartment on Friday .
Male relative, who was walking her home, arrested but not yet charged .
Calls for better child protection laws following horrific crime . |
122,742 | 2aa2f631ef6afbe3d2327f25643cc7faf5973285 | The handsome Brazilian accused of being one of the world's worst serial killers has spoken for the first time about his murder spree, chillingly claiming that 'when the thing comes... you have to do it.' Tiago Henrique Gomes da Rocha, 26, is accused of killing at least 39 people, mostly young women, homeless people and transvestites, during seven terrifying months in Goiania, southeast Brazil. Most of his victims were allegedly gunned down from a motorbike as the loner, who worked nights as a security guard, cruised the streets of his home city. The youngest was a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was shot dead as she walked along a road in January, and at least 16 of his victims were women. Tiago Rocha, 26, breaks his silence about his murder spree in Goiania, southeast Brazil . The confessed killer chillingly says he was filled with anger, and 'when the thing comes... you have to do it' Speaking Friday to Brazil's Jornal Nacional news programme on TV Globo, Rocha said he was motivated by 'a great anger' and that killing was the only way to 'get it out of his system.' He said: 'I tried to do other things to get it out, but they didn't work.' And he indicated that the number of people he has murdered could be much higher than police investigating the crimes had originally believed. Claiming he started killing at the age of 22 — three years earlier than detectives had known — he said: 'There could be 41 or so, I can't really remember.' Rocha said he would choose a victim entirely at random after pondering over murder for 'some days.' He said: 'The first time I did it I got frightened. But there's no other way is there? When the thing comes and you have to do it.' Asked what the 'thing' was, he said: 'There's no way of explaining it. It's a really great anger. I would think over it for some days. 'There was no type. Man or woman, that had nothing to do with it. But they had to be people I didn't know.' Rocha claims he started killing at the age of 22, three years earlier than detectives had known, and added: 'There could be 41 or so (victims), I can't really remember' Rocha said he had been bullied at school: 'I was quieter than the other kids. I suffered mental and physical aggression. 'I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but these things accumulate inside you.' He also said he had been sexually abused by a neighbour when he was eleven years old. He said: 'It was for about a month. He threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I've never told anyone.' Asked what he felt the morning after a murder, he replied: 'I wasn't happy, no. There was the feeling of regret for what I'd done.' He added: 'If I have a disease, I'd like to know what it is, and also if there is a cure. I'd like to ask for forgiveness, but I think it's too difficult to ask for forgiveness right now.' This is the moment confessed killer Tiago Rocha, 26, described his 20th murder to police . Meanwhile, members of Rocha's family have spoken of their shock at his arrest and televised confession. His aunt, who didn't want to be named, said she still didn't believe her 'humble and polite' nephew was guilty of the shocking series of murders. She said: 'He was brought up without a father and as his mother needed to work, his grandparents looked after him. All he did was go out to work and look after his mother. He doesn't have a girlfriend, he's not the type to go out to parties, he doesn't have friends. 'He is a humble and polite person. He finished his schooling, did a course to work as a security guard and got a job. 'I don't think he's guilty. The police are trying to put this on anyone because there is so much pressure from the press and the families of the victims.' His aunt added that Rocha's 72-year-old grandfather has been rushed to hospital twice in the last few days after suffering anxiety attacks. 'We are all on sedatives. There have been fainting and crying, and no one in the family can face going to work. It's too difficult for us to believe. 'He's a laid back guy, he was working in a good job and sorting his life out. Why would he be killing people for nothing?' Pictured here two of the victims, 24-year-old Janaina Souza (left ) and Barbara Costa, 14 . Victim Ana Maria Duarte, 26 . Victim Wanessa Felipe, 22 . But others who knew him said they were shocked but not surprised. A married woman who claimed to have had an affair with Rocha, her neighbour in the Vera Cruz 2 district of Goiania, said that he turned aggressive after she called off the relationship when her husband became suspicious. She said: 'At the start we had a lot of fun. He even looked after my children at times. While I was with him he didn't show himself to be this monster they're talking about.' After she put an end to their affair in November 2013, he continued to live for a time in a dwelling at the back of the couple's home. The woman, who didn't want to give her name, said: 'He would shout and swear, slam the door, and keep looking over at us with a face contorted with rage. 'Some times he would just walk in to our house without being invited. 'There was occasions when I would be looking at myself in the mirror and suddenly I'd see his reflection looking at me.' A hammer, knives and handcuffs were some of the items seized by the special police task force . Cops walk Rocha into the Goias Civil Police station after his arrest . One childhood friend who grew up with Rocha and was in the same class as him in school said he was always a quiet and introspective young boy. The man, who didn't want to be named, said: 'I grew up with him, I'm absolutely horrified. 'He was bullied at school, because he was tall and gangly. Kids on the street called him names because he was lanky and strange. 'We never saw him with a girlfriend. I think all of this was an outlet of everything he was keeping inside.' On Friday, Rocha's mother also spoke for the first time, telling Brazil's Globo G1 website: 'I'm certain that he is innocent. I and my whole family are devastated. 'It is impossible for us to believe that he could kill even one person. Imagine all of these things they are saying he did.' Chilling pictures of the objects seized during the arrest of Rocha on Tuesday - officers initially targeted him when they discovered he was facing trial for stealing a number plate on a motorbike . Before pulling the trigger, he would always shout 'robbery', but then flee the scene without taking anything . | Tiago Rocha, 26, said on national television that his desire to kill comes from a place of 'great anger' that he can't control .
The killer, who confessed to at least 39 victims, says he can't remember exactly if there were even more bodies .
Rocha says he began killing at 22 and that he picked his victims at random . |
53,018 | 9664c072917307f3804f49a66550f5fb3de09475 | By . Hannah Roberts In Rome , Steve Robson and James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 02:49 EST, 8 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:57 EST, 8 May 2013 . Prosecutors in Genoa have placed the captain of the Jolly Nero cargo ship under investigation for alleged manslaughter after the vessel slammed into the dock at the busy port and toppled the control tower into the harbor, killing at least seven people. Prosecutor Michele de Lecce today said the harbour pilot on the ship's bridge at the time of the crash was also placed under investigation. Such investigations are par for the course in Italy. Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told . Parliament that given the 'perfect' weather conditions last night, . possible causes of the crash could include an engine malfunction or . problems with the cables between the container ship and the tugs guiding . it. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Rescue crews located seven bodies in the wreckage of the Genoa port's control tower that toppled into the harbor waters (pictured) after a cargo ship slammed into the dock as it was pulling out of port . Prosecutors in Genoa have placed the captain of the Jolly Nero cargo ship under investigation for alleged manslaughter . The harbour pilot on the ship's bridge at the time of the crash has also been placed under investigation . A general view showing dents on the side of Jolly Nero, the ship that slammed into a control tower at the entry to the port of Genoa . He said investigators were also looking into possible mistakes with the manoeuvre itself. A massive rescue operation was ongoing today in north western city of Genoa after the 40,000 tonne Jolly Nero smashed into the tower at around 11pm last night. Four people have been taken to hospital and two more remain unaccounted for following the disaster. By this morning, all that was left of . the tower was its mangled exterior staircase, tilted on its side. The . tower itself - which was located on the edge of a dock jutting out into . the harbor - was either in the water or in a heap of rubble and steel on . the dock. Rescuers search among debris of the control tower of the port of Genoa . Rescuers are continuing the search for survivors among the wreckage of the port tower in Genoa . The 40,000 tonne Jolly Nero hit the tower at around 11pm last night as it was leaving the port . Carnage: Rescuers search what is left of the toppled control tower of the port of Genoa, northern Italy, after a cargo ship slammed into it, killing at least seven . The port control tower before it collapsed (left). A segment of what remains of the structure (right) Luca Cari, spokesman for the fire rescue teams at the scene, confirmed the seven dead, saying rescue crews recovered several of the bodies from an area near the tower's submerged elevator. There were fears that those still missing might be trapped inside the elevator, Cari said. There were no reports of missing ship crew. 'This event is unbelievable because . we had the best weather navigation conditions,' said Luigi Merlo, . president of the Genoa port authority. He declined to speculate on a . cause, saying the ship had plenty of room to maneuver in the harbor and . shouldn't have ended up so close to the dock. Waiting game: Five survivors have been taken to hospital but several others are still missing . The tower appears to have partially toppled into the ocean following the smash . Hunt: Rescuers search the wreckage for survivors . It is believed the ship's engines jammed as it left port . One theory prosecutors were . considering was that a possible mechanical failure aboard the ship left . the captain unable to steer it properly, Italian news reports said, . citing prosecutor Michele de Lecce. Mauro described the ship, the Jolly . Nero of the Ignazio Messina & C. SpA Italian shipping line, as . somewhat unique in its height, so that the full weight of the ship . slammed 'violently' into the tower itself, not just the dock. 'The ship directly impacted the control tower,' he told Sky TG24. The Genoa-based Messina Line has a . fleet of 14 cargo ships, with the Italian-flagged Jolly Nero listed at . 239 meters (784 feet) long and 30 meters (98 feet) wide, according to . its website. Grim task: Rescuers carry away a body after the Jolly Nero struck the tower . Sombre: Stefano Messina, managing director of the Ignazio Messina & C. SpA Italian shipping line, arrives at the harbour . The five bodies recovered included . three coast guard officials in the tower at the time of the crash, a . port captain and a tugboat operator, said Cmdr. Filippo Marini, a coast . guard spokesman. The bodies of the other two dead were being recovered, . he said. In a statement, Messina said it was . fully cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the . 'tragic' accident, which it said occurred during a normal maneuver to . leave the port. It said Messina Line ships do the maneuver with . regularity and are always accompanied by tugboats. 'There aren't words to express the . dismay and profound condolences for the victims of this tragedy and . their families,' Messina said in a statement. Confusion: The crash reportedly occurred during a shift change, making accounting for personnel harder . Leviathan: An undated picture of container ship Jolly Nero . Andrea Furgani, an ambulance doctor and one of the first rescuers, said crews brought four injured to hospitals in Genoa. 'The conditions were critical. They . mainly suffered wounds caused by compression, broken bones and wounds on . the chest,' he told the Associated Press. The disaster shook a nation that just . a year ago witnessed another shipping tragedy when the Costa Concordia . cruise ship slammed into a reef off Tuscany on Jan. 13, 2012, killing 32 . people. Parliament held a minute of silence today for the victims in Genoa, the mayor of Genoa proclaimed a . period of mourning and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano sent his . condolences to the victims' families on behalf of the nation. Genoa's port, located on Italy's . western Ligurian coast, is Italy's busiest in terms of cargo handling, . according to the port authority website. It is also a major port of call . for cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean. | The ship smashed into tower while leaving port of Genoa at 11pm last night .
Reports that the motors jammed, rendering it uncontrollable .
Seven people are reported dead, four taken to hospital, others missing .
Harbour pilot also placed under investigation .
Such investigations are par for the course in Italy . |
255,323 | d67d567c83b7e641adee6c46c6d37ba9b2759001 | Sergio Aguero has stepped up his rehabilitation after suffering knee ligament damage against Everton at the beginning of December. Aguero lasted just three minutes of Manchester City's 1-0 defeat of Everton after a challenge with Muhamed Besic at the Etihad. The injury was a cruel blow for the Argentine who has scored 19 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Manuel Pellegrini's side this season. VIDEO Scroll down to see Sergio Aguero in goal-scoring action for his country . Sergio Aguero suffered knee ligament damage in the Premier League clash against Everton in December . The Manchester City striker left the field in tears after suffering the injury just three minutes into the game . The City striker stated on his Twitter account: 'I wanted you to know I've already started field work. Slowly but surely I'll be back at the right moment. Thanks for the wishes!' City have coped well without their star striker, having gone undefeated since the forward's injury, and are currently level on points with Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea. Pellegrini's men travel to Goodison Park to face the Toffees in a crucial league meeting on Saturday as they look to keep up the pressure on the Jose Mourinho's men at the top of the standings. Aguero has been in sparkling form this season scoring 19 goals in 21 appearances for his club . | Sergio Aguero tweets injury update to his followers .
Manchester City striker is back doing field work with his club .
Aguero suffered knee ligament damage against Everton in December .
The Argentine hurt himself after a challenge with Muhamed Besic .
Aguero has scored 19 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Manuel Pellegrini's side this season . |
31,523 | 59a59d58eefa7f6c3c7ceedb292fc059a172385c | By . Rick Dewsbury . PUBLISHED: . 10:35 EST, 12 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:08 EST, 13 August 2012 . A second man has been arrested in connection with gun and grenade attacks which killed a grieving father weeks after his son was shot dead. David Short, 46, suffered a barrage of bullet and blast injuries in the attack in Clayton, Manchester, on Friday morning. It took place after his son Mark, 23, was shot dead as a gunman opened fire in a pub in the city in May. Greater Manchester Police said a 37-year-old man was arrested last night on suspicion of murder in connection with Friday's attack in Clayton and a second gun and grenade attack which took place minutes later in Droylsden. The force is continuing to search for one-eyed suspect Dale Cregan, 29, for questioning over the two incidents. Scroll down for CCTV . Mark Short, left, was shot dead earlier this year. His father, Dave, was killed more recently. One-eyed suspect Dale Cregan, right, is wanted for questioning over both attacks . Victims: David Short, with his son Mark, who died in May. Mark died after being shot, while David was the target of a grenade attack . Close: Father David Short, right, with his son Mark. The pair of them have both been killed within weeks of each other in shootings in Manchester . Cregan is also wanted in connection with the murder of Mark Short. Today a third man was charged with the murder of the amateur. The father-of-one from Manchester, was shot in the neck at the Cotton Tree Pub in the Droylsden area of the city on May 25 after a gunman walked in and opened fire. Three other men were also shot during the attack and suffered leg and back injuries. Tonight, Mathew James, 32, from Clayton, Manchester, was charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempt murder, Greater Manchester Police said. He will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning. Two other men, Luke Livesey, 27, from Hattersley, and Damien Gorman, 38, from Glossop, were charged with Mr Short's murder and three counts of attempted murder last week. Mr Short's father, David, 46, who had branded his son's murderers "cowards", was killed on Friday during a gun and grenade attack on a house in Clayton. Armed police have staged high visibility patrols in the Clayton and Droylsden areas since the attacks took place. GMP Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, said: 'We have dedicated a significant amount of officers to not only identify those involved in the violent attacks which have left one man dead, but also to carry out intensive patrols in the area to reassure people living there. 'We have made significant advances in the police investigation over the past couple of days, and a man was arrested last night in the Salford area. 'Our inquiries are still very much ongoing and our main priority continues to be finding Dale Cregan, so we can arrest him and speak to him about these incidents. We are appealing to the public to help us to do this. 'We have released two images of Cregan and are urging anyone who has seen him or who knows of his whereabouts, to please call us immediately. Do not approach him. 'We have specialist officers who continue to support the family of David Short at this difficult time and extra police officers, including specialist firearms officers, remain on patrol in the Clayton and Droylsden areas.' Emergency services, including an Army bomb disposal unit were deployed to two addresses near Manchester after shootings were reported this morning . Police have cordoned off houses at the scenes of both shootings, and some homes have been evacuated due to a gas leak . A Home Office post mortem examination concluded that Mr Short died from multiple gun shot wounds and explosion injury. GMP said an explosion which also took place at the house was caused by a grenade. Nine minutes later the force received . reports that shots had been fired at a second property where detectives say there was also a grenade blast. Nobody . was injured in the second incident. Dale Cregan, pictured with his left eye still in tact, is wanted by police in connection with the killings . Father-of-one Mark Short, an amateur . boxer, was shot in the neck at the Cotton Tree Pub in Droylsden on May . 25 after a gunman walked in and opened fire. Three other men were also shot in the pub and received leg and back injuries. A 31-year-old man was taken into custody yesterday after being arrested at a hospital last week in connection with his murder. The man, who was arrested at . Wythenshawe Hospital on Wednesday, remains in police custody on . suspicion of one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Luke Livesey, 27, from Hattersley, and . Damien Gorman, 38, from Glossop, were charged with Mark Short's murder . and three counts of attempted murder on Wednesday. 'I want to reiterate that while these . attacks are highly unusual and we do not believe there is any threat to . the wider public, we understand that recent events may have left people . feeling worried. 'Neither the police nor the community . will stand for such acts of violence and I am asking for people to work . with police to share any information they may know. This can be done in . complete confidence if necessary.' After his son was murdered, David Short and his family released a statement saying he had been 'taken away from us by cowards'. His body was found when police . responded to reports of gunfire at an address in Folkestone Road East, . Clayton, at around 10.30am on Friday. David - known as 'Pops' - and Mark's mother Michelle had publicly condemned their son’s killers as 'cowards' and and told how memories of him 'would live in their hearts forever'. In a statement at the time of his death Mark’s grieving family said: 'Mark was taken away from us by cowards. Dave Short's son, Mark, was shot dead by a hitman in May this year. Forensic officers were at the scene of the killing today, in Clayton, pictured . Nearby houses have also been evacuated due to a gas leak apparently caused by the shots . 'People who knew Mark, knew him as a . young man with a big heart. He would not think twice about helping his . family and friends when they were in need. 'He was no angel and it is not a secret he had been in trouble with the . police, but that was all in the past. He was a loving son, brother, . father and boyfriend to Naomi. 'Mark was only 23-years-old and . looking forward to a future with his son, Mark Junior. This has now all . been taken away from him. He will be deeply missed by all of his family . and friends the only ones that knew him the most. 'His memory will be love in our hearts forever.' Neighbours of Mr Short said a large . silver car had been spotted parked near the family house on Thursday . morning with four men inside amid fears they were 'scouting' out the . property. One neighbour said: 'I was in bed and . woke up to the sound of gun shots. I could just tell from the sound of . them that they were gun shots. 'It’s normally okay round here so it a . real shock. We’re being told that there’s now a gas leak and everyone . has been evacuated from their homes. I think when they opened fire they . must had hit a gas pipe or something.' Another neighbour added: 'I was going . for a paper when I heard five or six loud bangs. Someone said to me, . "They’re not fireworks"'. The gunmen were seen running from the house after neighbours heard shots. One said: ‘There were between five . and eight shots fired – the last couple were really loud. I looked out . of my window and saw two men running off - all masked up.' A white transit van, which is believed to have been involved in both attacks was seized at the scene of the second blast. A silver Ford Fiesta was later seized . nearby in Failsworth. Both vehicles were checked by Army bomb disposal . experts to ensure they were safe for police to recover them. VIDEO: Police release CCTV of the moment David Short was executed by a grenade attack . Anyone with information can call Manchester Police on 0161 8563301 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | David Short, 47, executed in broad daylight at his home in grenade attack .
Neighbours heard multiple gun shots and saw masked men running away .
Suspect arrested but one-eyed Dale Cregan still on the loose .
Alleged killers of son have appeared in court over the murder .
Three men charged with murder of David Short's son Mark . |
259,364 | dbc0db2949f761f50cb51936e6ef429f27008d5d | By . Chris Greenwood and Francesca Infante . PUBLISHED: . 07:08 EST, 1 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:46 EST, 2 August 2013 . A model was stabbed to death in front of her three-year-old daughter in a sustained attack. Linah Keza, 29, a former Miss Africa contestant, was found dead in a pool of blood by neighbours who heard her screams. Her daughter Holly was discovered crying beside her body as the attacker rushed out of her home. Miss Keza’s former boyfriend, named locally as club promoter David Kikawa, 38, was later arrested on suspicion of murder after handing himself in to police and remains in custody. Murder probe: Miss Africa model Linah Keza was found stabbed to death at an address in Leyton . Friends said the killing came after months of rows between the on-off couple, who were well known on London’s African party scene. A police panic alarm was installed at Miss Keza’s rented first-floor flat in Leyton, East London. Relatives said her ex-boyfriend, who is Holly’s father, was ‘jealous and possessive’. Last night, the Metropolitan Police alerted the Independent Police Complaints Commission over fears it could have done more to protect the victim. Officers were called to Miss Keza’s home at 4.30am on Wednesday by neighbours who heard screaming and thumping. They discovered the pastor’s daughter had been viciously attacked. One neighbour described how he was confronted by the killer when he broke down the front door of the Rwanda-born model’s flat. Model: It is understood Linah's daughter was at the address at the time of the attack, according to a family friend . He said: ‘I was outside and I heard . some shouting and screaming and I ran to the door. A woman was . saying,“Kick the door in”, so I did and came face to face with the guy. ‘I could see the woman, there was . lots of blood and she was lying half in the bedroom and half out. The . little girl was next to her. ‘I asked the man what he was doing and told him if he wanted to fight someone, he should fight me. He went as if to fight me but he just . ran out of the building. I tried to help the woman but there was no . pulse. The little girl was just standing there, it looked like she was . in shock.’ 'May her soul rest in peace': Tributes to Linah from friends and relatives were left on a Facebook page set up soon after her death. Her three-year-old daughter is believed to have been found by her body . Scene: The block of flats in Leyton, London, where Linah was stabbed to death in one of the properties . Neighbours described Miss Keza as an ‘extremely loving mother’ and said she and her young daughter were ‘inseparable’. More than a thousand people joined a Facebook page paying tribute. Many posted photographs of Miss Keza, who worked as a model after studying social work at the University of Wolverhampton. Her ex-boyfriend, whom she met four . years ago, was an extrovert nightclub promoter who posted dozens of . pictures of his champagne-fuelled lifestyle online. Neighbours said he was seen regularly at the flat until about two weeks ago. Miss Keza’s relatives accused police . of failing the young woman as they arranged for her body to be flown . back to Rwanda for burial. Her daughter has been temporarily taken into . care by the local authority. It is understood that her daughter was at the address at the time of the attack, according to a family friend . On guard: A police officer looks out of a window from one of the flats . Her cousin Herbert Muhire, who lives in Rwanda, said she suffered a ‘gruesome death’. He added: ‘She had a panic button in the house. David was the father of their child, they lived together but had separated a few months ago. ‘Having a child together meant they were in close contact and she wanted to make up and get married. ‘But he was jealous and possessive and would tell her not to see anyone and not to greet anyone and not to go to parties. With it being a domestic dispute she did not want to talk openly about it.’ Make-up artist Bella Bordianu, who worked with Miss Keza, said: ‘She was very sweet and always smiling. She had a beautiful smile. Photographer Fabrice Rizzato said: ‘Linah was very kind, very professional, very beautiful and very calm – I am shocked at the news, she was a dignified and kind person.’ Investigation: Police outside the flats where Linah was allegedly murdered . Tragedy: Paramedics accompanied police to the address just before 4.30am, but Linah, a Rwandan national living in London, was pronounced dead at the scene . Gathering evidence: Police conduct door-to-door inquiries (left) as a forensic officer (right) attends the scene . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Rwandan national Linah Keza, 29, found in 'pool of blood' in block of flats .
Daughter, 3, was at the address at the time of the attack, family friend said .
Man, 38, arrested on suspicion of murder after handing himself in to police . |
138,907 | 3fa4e62cf8899417441b33c6fb358df6d034eea2 | New York (CNN) -- New York City's Board of Health did not have the authority to approve a ban on certain sales of sugar-sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by a group of business owners and workers. The suit from the American Beverage Association and other business and trade associations states that the city's unelected Board of Health overstepped its power when it voted for the ban to be implemented. "This board has the authority to enforce policy, not the authority to enact it," said Caroline Starke, a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs. "That power is reserved for the City Council." The lawsuit also claims that "the regulation is arbitrary and capricious," is filled with irrational exclusions and loopholes, and harms thousands of small businesses in the city. The Board of Health was not immediately available for comment Friday. The ban, which was approved last month, would outlaw drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, food carts and any other establishments that receive letter grades for food service. It would not apply to grocery stores. It is scheduled to go into effect in March. Critics, including McDonald's and Coca-Cola, have assailed the ban as "misguided" and "arbitrary," though Mayor Michael Bloomberg has billed it as both a health and fiscal initiative. New York City spends an estimated $4 billion each year on medical care for overweight people, Bloomberg has said. One in eight New Yorkers also suffers from diabetes, a disease often linked to obesity, his office noted, calling sugary drinks "the single largest driver of these alarming increases in obesity." New York health board approves ban on large sodas . | The Board of Health overstepped its authority in approving the ban, lawsuit says .
"The regulation is arbitrary and capricious," the lawsuit says .
The ban on large sugary drinks was approved last month . |
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