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115,305 | 20ccd2afd5623242110e74e8a8449ea17ce9f6e6 | A Pittsburgh woman convicted of stealing her cancer-stricken neighbor's dog and having the pet put down was sentenced to up to six months in jail on Friday. An Allegheny County judge ruled that 58-year-old Gisele Paris will serve jail time followed by 18 months of probation for stealing an eight-year-old Siberian Husky from her sick neighbor and having the dog euthanized, CBS reported. In December 2014, a jury found Paris guilty of theft, receiving stolen property and cruelty to animals. Paris claimed that she believed the dog, named Thor, was being neglected - despite a humane officer's assurances that Thor was not. Gisele: A judge sentenced Gisele Paris, 58 (photographed), Friday to three to six months and 18 months of probation . Thor's owner, Mark Boehler, who had been undergoing treatment for stage 3 esophageal cancer, pleaded for the safe return of the dog only to learn that Thor had been put down. Thor disappeared from Boehler's fenced-in yard on Thanksgiving Day in 2013, but Paris held that she found the dog in a vacant lot. 'I think it was very fair and there is justice,' Mr Boehler told TribLive about the sentence. 'She's going to pay dearly ... I was hoping that the judge would be hard on her and he was.' Paris claimed that she cared for the dog and took it to an animal hospital because it had been neglected but in February, decided to have it put down because the necessary treatments for the dog were too expensive. 'He was everything I had,' Boehler told CBS. 'I don't have no children, so they're like members of the family. Everybody that has a pet, they know that.' Thor: A jury found Paris guilty of stealing her neighbor's eight-year-old Siberian Husky, named Thor (photographed), and having it euthanized . In court in December, an attorney said Paris' action was an attempt to hide the fact that she had stolen the dog as police went to her home in search of the Husky, according to the Post-Gazette. 'Gisele Paris was on a criminally delusional mission to take Thor from a situation, from conditions that she didn't approve of,' the attorney said during the weeklong trial. 'Then it becomes more than she can deal with. The police close in on her, and she kills the dog to destroy the evidence.' A memorial was held for the husky in March 2014, during December's court proceedings, Boehler was disappointed when the judge denied his request to have the dog's remains returned to him, the Post-Gazette reports. Paris said she buried the dog on her family's farm in Armstrong County. The judge denied Boehler's request and went on to say that it is unlikely that the dog's remains are on the farm, noting that the ground in Armstrong County is as 'hard as [a] desk,' which would have made it difficult for Paris to bury the remains there. Paris appeared shaken up in court on Friday, TribLive reports, and said she was remorseful. Her attorney acknowledged that Paris was wrong for having the dog euthanized. Owner: The dog's owner Mark Boehler (photographed), who had been undergoing treatment for stage 3 esophageal cancer, pleaded for the safe return of the dog only to learn that Thor had been put down . | A judge sentenced Gisele Paris, 58, on Friday to three to six months and 18 months of probation her neighbor's dog and having it euthanized .
Paris stole the eight-year-old Siberian Husky from its owner, Mark Boehler, saying she thought the dog, named Thor, was being neglected .
Paris was found guilty in December of theft, receiving stolen property and cruelty to animals . |
255,608 | d6d7354231e457a4d6c1002144acd1f461eb94bb | Our Man In Havana has a certain ring: somehow it sounds so much better than 'Our Woman in Havana' - or Paris, Washington, Moscow or Tel Aviv. That, at least, was the view of the British Foreign Office until well into the 20th century. Women served with distinction in diplomatic roles during the two World Wars, and the Foreign Office was happy to make use of the talents of mavericks such as intrepid travellers Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark. Intrepid: Freya Stark aged 77 in Nepal . And British diplomacy abroad was underpinned by the selfless (unpaid) efforts of diplomatic wives - who undertook the thankless task of ensuring the social side of embassy life ran smoothly. Yet in 1936, the Inter-Departmental Committee On The Admission Of Women To The Diplomatic And Consular Services concluded after two years of deliberation that 'the time has not yet arrived when women could be employed either in the Consular Service or in the Diplomatic Service with advantage to the State or with profit to women'. A Punch cartoon of the time showed a fashionable miss wearing an outrageously skimpy evening gown, perched on a brocade sofa with her feet on a tiger-skin rug, gnashing her teeth outside a firmly closed door labelled 'Foreign Office'. The caption read 'Foiled!'. A decade later, the committee's conclusion was at last reversed and women were allowed to compete for posts in the Foreign Office, but until 1973 women diplomats who married had to resign. 'We doubt whether it will often happen that a woman will wish to remain in the Diplomatic Service after marriage,' concluded Lord Plowden's mid-Sixties review of Britain's overseas representation. 'In most cases, it will be her intention to settle down with her husband in this country or wherever he may be living.' Even after the abolition of the marriage bar, promising female diplomats who had the temerity to get married were likely to find their careers stalled, if not entirely blighted. The earliest contribution from a male spouse to the diplomatic spouses' magazine was in 1985, when one Guy Digby sent in a daring proposal to form a Diplomatic Service Husbands' Association, which would organise 'beer evenings' and 'poker afternoons'. Pioneer: Gertrude Bell was archaeologist and explorer . Another diplomatic husband, Alex Sutherland, turned up at the wives' session on a heads of missions training day and was startled to hear the speaker announce that 'never, never, never should we leave the bedroom in the morning without having put on our make-up and our earrings'. But as Helen McCarthy observes in her thought-provoking and vividly readable history of women's diplomacy, the urbane mandarins of the Foreign Office became almost animated in their determination to exclude women from a diplomatic career. Not that they put it in such blunt terms. Along with the 'drunken sailor' argument against women diplomats, there was also the problem of that unsophisticated and misogynistic figure, Johnny Foreigner. As the distinguished Old Etonian permanent secretary Sir Robert Vansittart wrote in an eight-page memo in 1934, 'He [the foreign male] is not ready for the experiment. It is surely a false argument to say that, because we treat women as equal to men in this country, an Englishwoman abroad will be so treated by foreigners. She will not.' Yet as McCarthy points out, the Foreign Office never hesitated to make use of women's expertise when it was convenient - even in regions that it officially considered impossible for women to work in. The Oxford graduate, linguist and travel writer Gertrude Bell gained a remarkable knowledge of the remoter parts of the Middle East and was elected to the Royal Geographical Society, which had only recently opened its membership to women, in June 1913. Soon after the declaration of war in 1914, the War Office wrote to her, asking her to produce a memo on the likely Arab response in the event of a British offensive against the Turks in the south-eastern Mediterranean. £12,890: How much more on average male diplomats earned than women last year . By 1920, Bell's Review Of The Civil Administration Of Mesopotamia was published as a White Paper and she was acknowledged as a serious player in Middle East politics. Paradoxically, she was hostile to feminism, a position she shared with numerous diplomatic wives, including Lady Granville, wife of the 3rd Earl of Granville, the Ambassador to Brussels, who argued that women could best serve their country by supplying wifely support. 'I have quite a decent brain,' she told the 1934 Inter-Departmental Committee, 'but I should not have thought at any moment of my life that I was capable of doing what my husband was doing.' The rise of feminism in the Seventies dealt a mortal blow to such attitudes, though female recruits to the Foreign Office were still refused the opportunity of learning languages such as Arabic and, oddly, Japanese. Women who queried the policy were grandly told - in an economical recycling of the old 'Johnny Foreigner' argument of the Thirties - that the Foreign Office had no choice but to 'take account of the fact that social attitudes remain in a number of countries which make it difficult for women to operate effectively in some jobs'. Despite Robin Cook's reforms in the mid-Nineties, McCarthy concludes that the Foreign Office still struggles with its legacy of masculine privilege. But her intelligent, witty and elegantly written book celebrates the remarkable tenacity of the women who defied that legacy. | Women were once banned from a diplomatic career .
Even though likes of Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark served country well as intrepid travellers during two World Wars .
Allowed to take on roles in the Forties .
But until 1973 female diplomats had to resign when married . |
177,921 | 72523bfc3ed947421eb911c10f6140491db35002 | Police have revealed they know not only the cause of death of Hollywood movie executive Gavin Smith, but also why the man was killed. Smith's body was found in a shallow grave in Palmdale, California, on October 26 by a group of hikers, and identified a few days later. He had been missing for two and a half years, having last been seen on May 1, 2012. Scroll down for video . Missing: 20 Century Fox executive Gavin Smith was last seen on May 1, 2012. After a year investigating his disappearance, police declared Smith dead and said it was a homicide case . Now, Lt. Dave Dolson of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has told ABC News there is evidence that Smith, who was missing before his body was found this week, was slain in his own black Mercedes. At the time he disappeared, Smith was reportedly having an affair with Chandrika Creech, whom he met in rehab. Then, in March of last year, police found Smith's black Mercedes Benz 420E at a Simi Valley storage facility that belonged to John Creech - the husband of Chandrinka and a convicted drug dealer currently serving time in prison. Found: Police today confirmed the identity of a body found on October 26 as that of Smith (pictured with wife Lisa) Happier times: Gavin Smith (left) and wife Lisa with their three sons Dylan, Evan and Austin . And while police will not say if John Creech is a suspect, they did note that they were well aware of the affair between Smith and Chandrika and said that John reamins a person of interest. 'There’s potentially a lot more evidence for us to process, which could develop additional leads, which detectives will have to follow up on,' Dolson said. 'We're very far along and we've made a lot of advancements in the investigation over the past couple of years.' Gavin and Lisa Smith on their wedding day. At the time of his disappearance, Gavin Smith was in the grip of a mid-life crisis involving drugs and at least two mistresses, Mrs Smith said . Revelations about Smith's double life, which played out in the public eye after his disappearnce, were devastating to his wife Lisa and three sons Dylan, Evan and Austin. Shortly after he disappeared, Lisa Smith told MailOnline last year that she felt instinctively that something bad had happened to her husband. 'I think he was murdered,' she said in the interview. 'And I am terrified that whoever did it is going to come after me and our boys.' She said she believed her husband was in the grip of a mid-life crisis that involved drugs and sex with at least three women. Gavin earned $180,000 a year at Fox, distributing hit movies including the Star Wars and Terminator series, Avatar and Titanic. But the couple were struggling to maintain their Hollywood lifestyle and pay the mortgage on their three-bedroom home in the Los Angeles suburb of West Hills. Lisa, an accountant who supported her husband during the early years of their marriage while he struggled as a bit-part actor, discovered he had taken money from his pension fund and squandered his year-end Fox bonus. She also discovered he had a second mistress, named Melanie, in addition to Mrs Creech, and he was apparently setting up a home for her and her family. It was then - two weeks before he disappeared - that Lisa Smith threw her husband out of the house. Mrs Smith, in the MailOnline interview, said her husband appeared to be in the grip of a mid-life crisis in the time leading up to his disappearance, talking about buying new cars for his sons and dressing to impress woman. 'In hindsight, all the signs were there. He was dressing like a 20-year-old to go to drug rehab meetings and working out like mad,' she said. She said Fox stopped paying her husband's salary two months after he disappeared and cleared out his office. Staff left several cardboard boxes of personal items, including framed family photos and golf trophies, on Lisa’s front porch. Apr. 14, 2012: Gavin's 21-year-old son, Evan, takes to Twitter to express his frustration over a family situation. 'Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz,' the USC student writes. 'My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together.' May 1, 2012: Gavin spends the night with a family friend in Oak Park, Calif. At 10 p.m., he is driving his Mercedes near his home in San Fernando, Calif. May 2, 2012: Despite making plans with Lisa to take their son to school, Gavin is a no-show. Lisa reports her husband as missing to the Los Angeles Police Department. May 4, 2012: Detectives issue a special missing persons bulletin in an effort to locate the father of three. May 8, 2012: Lisa pleads to her husband on Good Morning America: 'We want you to come home, baby. Our world is not right without you…Be safe.' May 9, 2012: Gavin's family and friends launch findgavinsmith.com in an effort to get any information about his whereabouts. June 5, 2012: Sheriff's Department homicide detectives and family members hold a press conference asking for the public's assistance with any information as to Smith's whereabouts. June 8, 2012: Homicide detectives, along with a canine unit and crime lab analysts, execute a search warrant at a residence in the San Fernando Valley district of Canoga Park. Local media report that police now suspect foul play in Smith's disappearance. March 12, 2013: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says a Mercedes-Benz registered to Gavin Smith was found Thursday at a Simi Valley storage facility. Authorities say that the storage facility was linked to a man who's jailed on an unrelated drug conviction. November 5, 2014: The Los Angeles Country Sheriff's Department says a body found on October 26 by hikers in Palmdale, California, has been identified as that of Gavin Smith. Autopsy results are still to be completed and a cause of death had not been determined. Happy family: Lisa and Gavin Smith with their two older sons Dylan and Evan . Smith was last seen leaving a friends house, but he never showed up to pick up one of his sons to take him to school, as promised . Smith was a popular, highly-paid executive involved in distributing 20th Century Fox movies. But he had a double life of financial troubles, sex and drugs . | Police have revealed that they know how, why and where Hollywood movie executive Gavin Smith died .
Smith had not been seen since May 1, 2012 and was declared dead in May 2014 .
Father of three, 57, was unfaithful and involved in drugs, wife said last year .
Discovery of his car in storage more than a year ago was only previous clue .
John Creech, the husband of the woman Smith was having an affair with, is still being called a 'person of interest' |
148,752 | 4c5b915d0db6815b6714980c7aaccb70cfa62e04 | A penthouse at the former Sony building on Madison Avenue in New York is set to become the city’s most expensive listing at $150million according to therealdeal.com – and it doesn’t even have a backyard or a roof terrace. But it does have 21,000-square-feet of floor space, eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and 10 powder rooms. The triplex will occupy floors 33 through 35 of the 37-storey tower and its price is set to eclipse that paid for the current record holder – 57 St’s One57 overlooking Central Park, which went for a staggering $100.47million. Scroll down for video . A penthouse at the former Sony building on Madison Avenue in New York is set to become the city’s most expensive listing at $150million . The apartment, in the Philip Johnson-designed building between 55th and 56th streets, is being built by real estate powerhouse the Chetrit Group and Clipper Equity. The new owner will enter through a private elevator to living quarters worth about $6,975 per square foot, according to therealdeal.com. Viewed this way it’s not worth as much as a new triplex coming on the market atop 520 Park Avenue. This will be listed for less - $130million – but will be worth $10,489 per square foot. The owner of the Madison Avenue apartment will enjoy a gym and spa, a billiards room, wine room, media room, a library, a huge master bedroom with an adjacent study and a gallery for hanging art. The commute for staff will be very short indeed - they get their own bedrooms and bathroom on the lower level. Blueprints: These plans, first published exclusively in therealdeal.com, show that the new owner will have a gym, spa, billiards room, wine room and a media room. Plus quarters for staff (pictured is the bottom level) Roomy: On the middle level is a dining room, kitchen, living room and a library, plus access via the stairs to the first and third floors . Top of the heap: The luxurious apartment also boasts several guest bedrooms and a gigantic master bedroom that has its own private study . The rest of Sony’s former headquarters will be transformed into 96 high-spec condos, bringing the total value of the development to around $1.8billion. The Madison Avenue penthouse, while very expensive, is still much cheaper than the $237million paid for an apartment at the exclusive One Hyde Park development in London. Apartments there start at $10million and owners enjoy sumptuous shared features including a cinema, a 21m swimming pool, saunas, a gym, a golf simulator, a wine cellar and a valet service. Residents can call on valets, a concierge and butler room service from the next-door Mandarin Oriental hotel's two restaurants, overseen by Heston Blumenthal and Daniel Boulud. The development also contains three boutiques which include Rolex and McLaren. The next highest listing in New York is for $118million for three condominiums at the Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park City. Someone paid a staggering $100.47million for a 10,923-square-foot penthouse apartment occupying the entire 89th and 90th floors of One57, the high-end skyscraper apartment building that overlooks Central Park. This is the most ever paid for a New York apartment . World's most expensive property: An apartment at London's exclusive One Hyde Park development sold for $237million . This apartment at One Hyde Park in London can be rented for around $70,000, or £45,000 a week . | Penthouse at former Sony building on Madison Avenue will boast 21,000-square-feet of floor space and great views .
The triplex will occupy floors 33 through 35 of the 37-storey tower and comes with eight bedrooms, plus a library .
The new owners will also enjoy a wine room, gym and spa, media room, gallery, billiards room and a sauna . |
195,370 | 88e5b604e67e7fd831581e584914231e26e4594a | By . Mark Bryans . Arsene Wenger believes keeping Arsenal competitive in their barren years has been the most important achievement of his reign. Winning last season's FA Cup final gave the Gunners their first piece of silverware in nine years, a trophy drought which had seen some question whether the 64-year-old Frenchman was still the right man to take the club forward. Having delivered three Barclays Premier League titles since taking charge in 1996, Wenger has also overseen a move to the Emirates Stadium - a decision which left the club unable to compete financially with other title rivals for almost a decade. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Arsene Wenger say no player is too good for Arsenal . Greatest achievement: Arsene Wenger managed to keep Arsenal in top four despite financial restraints . Wenger out! There were calls from sections of the club for Arsene Wenger to stand down as manager . In the intervening years after leaving Highbury, Wenger still managed to guide Arsenal to top-four finishes in every season and finally ended his trophy jinx with a 3-2 win over Hull in May. With the purse strings also loosened as the loans taken out to build their new home were repaid, Wenger has finally been able to flex his muscles in the transfer market - breaking the club's transfer record last year to sign Mesut Ozil and acquiring Chile forward Alexis Sanchez this summer. But it was those years of battling against free-spending sides like Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as rivals such as Manchester United and Liverpool, which Wenger admits he may remember more fondly in the years to come. 'I accepted the challenge when I signed my contract knowing what would happen,' he said. 'Personally, I think it was the most sensitive and important period of my career here - it was exciting to keep the club at the level with less resources. 'Did we do well or not? The only thing I can say is that we were consistent at that level but maybe we lacked some quality to really win it. 'The only thing I can assure you is that I gave absolutely everything to do as well as I could. Is it enough? You'll never know. Could someone had done better? You never know.' The wait is over! Arsenal ended their seven-year trophy drought by winning the 2013 FA Cup at Wembley . With the FA Cup success behind him, Wenger penned another contract extension at the club, with the new three-year deal taking him up until 2017. Negotiations over the deal were lengthy and, although Wenger is adamant he always wanted to sign, he would not be drawn on whether victory in the cup final played a part in his decision. 'I don't want to answer that question,' he replied when asked if there would have been doubt over his future without the trophy win. 'Was it always going to happen? Certainly. I always said the same thing, I want to think that I have done well for the club. My motivation was never at stake, I always wanted to stay. 'But as well I wanted to feel that I had done a good job. The fact that we could not win was going on my mind and it was important for me to feel like I was doing a decent job. 'I never look behind me at what is done. I look in front of me. I'm always turned forward. We have won the cup but we want to win more and we want to come back and fight for more, what is done is done.' New era: Arsenal can compete in the transfer market again, brining in the likes of Alexis Sanchez . A fourth Premier League crown would be Wenger's ideal target for this coming season, with another assault on the Champions League also in his mind. With the extra money now at his disposal, he believes things are more even in Arsenal's fights with the elite. 'I would say that the balance of power is a bit more even than it was five or six years ago,' added Wenger. 'With the financial fair play added to the fact we have more financial power than five years ago it gives us a better chance. 'The last two seasons it has changed because we had the financial power to do it, the seasons before we could not and I was sitting here saying where do we go next, but we managed to get into a better position.' | Arsene Wenger insists keeping Arsenal competitive has been his main achievement .
Gunners could not compete financially during move to the Emirates Stadium .
French manager still guided the team to successive fourth place finishes .
Arsenal ended seven year trophy drought by winning the 2013 FA Cup .
North London club can now compete in the transfer market again and have signed the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez .
Wenger has signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2017 . |
19,428 | 3715a72a877bc524e2b648f7e1342825c3822259 | (CNN) -- On North Halsted Street, between Buckingham and Roscoe in Chicago, a monument stands with a plaque in honor of a brilliant thinker who is as responsible for the way we live our lives today as any person who has ever lived. His name is Alan Turing, a Brit, and among his many credits and accolades, many historians refer to him as "the father of computer science." When Time magazine listed him among its 100 most influential people of the 20th century, it said "that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine." A pretty high honor to say the least. And yet in 1952, while filing a robbery report with the police, Turing -- the man whose algorithms cracked the Enigma code used by the Nazis in World War II -- found himself arrested at his home in England. His crime? Being gay. Turing was convicted of "gross indecency," a felony in Britain at that time. He was forced to choose between prison and being injected with female hormones, a form of chemical castration. He reluctantly chose the latter. Despite his accomplishments, he lost his job. And in June 1954, he lost his will to live. He was 41. If the Western world is somewhat haunted by what Steve Jobs might have accomplished had cancer not taken him from us, we should be downright tormented by what we lost from the senseless excommunication of his predecessor. Turing's plaque is one of 18 that make up the city's Legacy Walk, which honors LGBT people who have made a contribution to history. It's a reminder of where we were and how far we've come. But as much as it seems the nation is talking about this topic, the fact remains that in much of the United States, it is still legal to fire someone for the same reason that Turing was fired 60 years ago in Britain. Perhaps the prejudices in our rear view mirror may appear farther away than they actually are. June is Gay Pride month. So if you find yourself exhausted from all of this gay rights talk and want to leave a not-so-kind comment on a story, remember it's because of an openly gay man that you even have the technology to do so. If you're a black person who gets offended whenever the Civil Rights Movement is mentioned in the same sentence as the fight for gay rights, remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s close confidant and most influential mentor was an openly gay black man by the name of Bayard Rustin. And if you ever find yourself wondering "How come there's no Straight Pride month?" I say the day being straight becomes a crime -- as being gay still is in many parts of the world -- start one. Gay Pride was not born out of a need to celebrate not being straight but our right to exist without prosecution. Just as Stokely Carmichael's "Black is Beautiful" became the rallying cry against racism in the 1960s; just as "I am woman, hear me roar" was the anthem against sexism in the 1970s; "gay pride" is the banner that flies over a people whose dignity continues to be put to a vote in 2013. News coverage in June may focus on the celebratory nature of Gay Pride parades, but it cannot rewrite the history that made these parades an integral part of our survival. Why isn't there Straight Pride? Because Congress has yet to pass a law requiring people to hide the fact they are straight. Because the streets are not filled with children who have been kicked out of their homes for being straight. Because there seems to be a lack of stories in which someone has been beaten, tied to a fence and left to die or shot in the face at point blank range because they were straight. For this Gay Pride month, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said he expects to take up legislation to address workplace discrimination "soon." This month, the Supreme Court may make a ruling on whether or not same-sex couples can marry. This month, 11-year-old Marcel Neergaard wrote in a Huffington Post op-ed that "during my first year in middle school, I experienced severe bullying. I was called terrible names that were quite hurtful. At that time, I had just realized that I'm gay, and the bullies used the word 'gay' as an insult. "This made me feel like being gay was horrible, but my parents told me otherwise. Their support was tremendous. But as powerful as their love was, it couldn't fight off all the bullying. I don't want anyone else to feel the way I did. No one deserves that much pain, no matter who they are." Yeah. So maybe instead of wondering why there isn't a straight pride month or movement, straight people should be thankful they don't need one. I'm sure Turing would have rather filed the police report and stayed home. I'm sure Marcel would prefer going to school in peace. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson. | Alan Turing, "father of computer science," killed himself, "convicted" of being gay .
LZ Granderson: 60 years later, it's legal in parts of U.S. to fire someone for being gay .
LZ: Gay Pride month is a time to celebrate the right to live without persecution .
The day being straight becomes a crime, LZ says, Straight Pride will be born . |
102,369 | 0febb607ba49c06a45f142df8401b9b6dca0bbe7 | SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- Richard Holbrooke first visited Bosnia in 1992 as a private citizen. Richard Holbrooke's 'bombs for peace' policy was vindicated when bombings brought an end to the war. Three years later, he would become one of the most influential U.S. figures working to end a war that had introduced a new euphemism for genocide: ethnic cleansing. Holbrooke, who had worked as a diplomat, journalist and investment banker, was intrigued, disgusted and challenged by what he saw in the early days of the war in Bosnia. A month before his first visit, reporters had learned of Bosnian Serb concentration camps where Muslim prisoners were tortured, sexually mutilated and executed. The news photographs and footage seemed like an echo of the Holocaust. In the ethnically mixed capital, Sarajevo, Holbrooke saw Bosnian Serb forces laying siege to the city to drive out Muslims. U.N. peacekeepers even had to negotiate with the aggressors just to truck food into the starving city. In Banja Luka, Holbrooke saw Muslim families being forced to sign over their property to Bosnian Serbs -- Orthodox Christians -- in exchange for their lives and a one-way bus ticket out of town. Returning with CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour in 2008, Holbrooke remembered feeling the connection with his own family history: His Jewish grandfather fled Germany shortly after Hitler took power. "I thought I'm seeing a color remake of the black and white scenes we'd seen in World War II of Jews signing away their property at the point of a gun and then being shipped off to who knows where," Holbrooke said. "I don't think you have to be Jewish to understand that what you're seeing was a genuine crime against humanity. The Europeans were doing nothing, and the Americans were doing less." Watch as Holbrooke talks with CNN's Christiane Amanpour at the scene of the crime » . Holbrooke thought only a U.S.-led intervention would stop the slaughter. "The [Bosnian] Serbs would have melted away because they were thugs and bullies," he said. But the White House was vowing to stay out. "The United States is not going to inject itself into every single crisis, no matter how heart-rending," then-President George H.W. Bush said. Holbrooke, who had served President Jimmy Carter as an assistant secretary of state, offered his recommendation to Bill Clinton's advisers during the 1992 presidential campaign: Direct use of force against the Bosnian Serbs. "I took a stand that I believed was correct," Holbrooke said. "I didn't think it was so controversial." When Clinton embraced a get-tough policy, Holbrooke was optimistic. In the back of Holbrooke's mind, there was a lingering question: "Will he do as president what he said he would do as a candidate?" Watch Clinton's campaign pledge » . Holbrooke wanted to handle Bosnia for the Clinton administration. But after the election, Holbrooke -- the consummate insider -- found himself on the outside. Instead of getting the Bosnia portfolio, he was named U.S. ambassador to Germany. "By advocating vigorous action [in Bosnia], I was kind of marginalized by people inside the government who were less in favor of vigorous action," he told Amanpour. America's European allies opposed airstrikes, fearing retaliation against their peacekeepers on the ground. Clinton's national security adviser, Anthony Lake, told CNN that the Europeans "were, to put it mildly, extremely reluctant to see us pursue unilaterally any actions which could imperil their troops." Lake said the president's hands were tied. "We tried to convince them. And the Europeans said, 'Absolutely no.'" Over the course of the next year, Clinton was able to persuade his European allies to at least use limited air strikes against the Bosnia Serbs. But it didn't stop the killing. Under mounting criticism in the press, Clinton asked Holbrooke in May 1994 to leave his post in Germany and return to the White House to help with Bosnia. But Holbrooke and others in the administration who advocated force would nonetheless see Bosnia's Muslims endure another 15 months of heartbreak and death -- including the slaughter of 8,000 at Srebrenica. Watch as a Bosnian concentration camp survivor describes the torture and rape she witnessed » . The massacre shook the world's conscience -- and Clinton's foreign policy. He was now ready to lead, with or without approval from other nations. "What I said to the Europeans was, 'We're going to do this. And it'll work best if you come with us,'" Lake recalled. After a Serb mortar attack on a Sarajevo market in August 1995, Clinton pulled the trigger. With the Europeans on board, U.S. and allied planes began attacking Bosnian Serb positions. After eight weeks of NATO bombing, Holbrooke got enough concessions to negotiate an end to 3 ½ years of war. It was vindication for a policy Holbrooke calls "bombs for peace." "I don't like to advocate the use of force, [because] I know people will get killed," Holbrooke said. "But there are times when you have to use force in order to stop people from being killed in larger numbers, and it seemed to me this was a clear-cut example." | Richard Holbrooke first went to Bosnia in 1992 in the early days of the war .
The former diplomat recommended using U.S. force against the Bosnian Serbs .
He watched as Bosnia's Muslims suffered years of heartbreak and death .
In 1995, after weeks of NATO bombing, Holbrooke negotiated an end to the war . |
156,269 | 5600d6b6105546555fcc240353b23858733073ef | (CNN) -- Apple, the world's most valuable company, became definitively less valuable on Monday after news the global tech giant halved its orders for screens for the iPhone 5. According to Japan's Nikkei news service, Apple had originally ordered 65 million iPhone screens for the 2013 January-to-March quarter from its suppliers which include Japan's Sharp Corp. and South Korea's LG Display Co. Apple's share price plunged 3.57% to $501.75 -- its lowest point in 11 months -- continuing its slide from September 19 when the company's share price hit an all-time high of $702.10. Investors holding 100 shares of the company on that day would have lost more than $20,000 after Monday's close of trading. The reports of Apple's cuts for LCD screens, as well as other parts, now have many fearing that demand for the iPhone 5 have been weaker-than-expected, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Just last month, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek already cut his estimate for iPhone shipment volumes for the first quarter of 2013, saying Apple had to "balance excess inventory" by cutting orders to suppliers. In the global smartphone market, Apple has consistently trailed its biggest rival Samsung of South Korea. Fewer than two in ten smartphones that shipped in the third quarter of 2012 ran on Apple's iOS operating software, according to researcher International Data Corporation. In the same quarter, Google's Android software, which serves as Samsung's operating platform, ran more than seven in ten smartphones around the world. In the global tablet market, IDC expects Apple will have maintained its number one position in 2012 with a 53.8% market share -- but that is a fall from a 56.3% share in 2011. At the same time, Android's market share is predicted to have grown from 39.8% in 2011 to 42.7% for 2012. "Android tablets are gaining traction in the market thanks to solid products from Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others," said IDC in a press release. To shore up some support, Apple's CEO Tim Cook last week traveled to China for the second time in ten months -- a visit interpreted by some as an effort to fight Apple's falling market share in the country. Apple fell from fourth to sixth place in market share in the third quarter of 2012, according to IDC. In his same visit, Cook said he expects China will eventually surpass the United States as its largest market, though he did not give a time frame. "We are continuing to invest in retail stores here and will open many more over the next several years," said Cook. "We have some great sites selected, our manufacturing base is here, and we have incredible partners here. So it's a very, very important country to us." In addition to dispatching its CEO, Apple is also expected to dispatch new iterations of its iPhone and iPad products, perhaps as early as June or July, which may propel the company's stock price as past launches have in the past. In the near-term, Apple is set to reveal earnings for its first fiscal year on January 23. That report will include profit numbers for the first full quarter in which the iPhone 5 was on sale. | Apple has halved its orders for screens for the iPhone 5 .
Apple's share price plunged 3.57% to $501.75 -- its lowest point in 11 months .
Apple's iOS software runs two in ten smartphones, compared to Android's seven out of ten .
CEO Tim Cook expects that China will become Apple's biggest market . |
209,710 | 9b94206844747f00b594734c637fdcb2ba9ec204 | (CNN) -- The U.N. envoy to Myanmar arrived Wednesday in the Southeast Asian country's western state of Rakhine, where sectarian violence in recent days has killed more than 20 people and destroyed hundreds of homes. Vijay Nambiar, the special adviser for Myanmar to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is in Rakhine for talks with local officials, said Aye Win, the U.N. national information officer in the country. Violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims prompted the government of President Thein Sein to declare a state of emergency in Rakhine on Sunday, calling in the military to help impose order. The turmoil underscores the fragility of Thein Sein's efforts to move the country along a path toward democracy and pursue reconciliation among its different ethnic groups after he took power last year. The unrest in the western coastal area of Myanmar, which borders Bangladesh, has left 21 people dead and thousands seeking shelter in refugee camps, Myanmar state TV reported Tuesday evening. The violence erupted after the police detained three Muslim men in relation to the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman late last month. Anger over the case fueled an attack by about 300 local people on a bus in the Taungup area of Rakhine, killing 10 Muslim passengers on June 3, according to the New Light of Myanmar, a government-run newspaper. Since then, inter-ethnic clashes have multiplied, resulting in the destruction of 1,662 houses, state TV reported. Rakhine is home to the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority who say they have been persecuted by Myanmar's ruling military junta. That makes the government decision to impose a state of emergency in Rakhine and call in the army a flawed response to the current situation, according to human rights advocates. "For decades, the Rohingya have routinely suffered abuses by the Burmese army, including extrajudicial killings, forced labor, land confiscation, and restricted freedom of movement," the nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch said in a statement Monday. It noted that the Buddhist Arakan people in Rakhine had also had their human rights violated by the military. "Using the army to restore order risks arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and torture," the rights group said. As a result of their treatment by the authorities, the Rohingya have long sought refuge in other places. The United Nations has estimated that more than 200,000 Rohingya live in legal limbo in Bangladesh. Over the years, Rohingya have fled by sea in small boats to other countries like Thailand and Malaysia. The United Nations and human rights groups have called on the Bangladeshi authorities to let in refugees fleeing the violence in Rakhine, citing reports that border guards had turned back boats carrying people from Myanmar. "Previously people have been allowed in to Bangladesh for medical treatment," Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Tuesday." We hope that such good practices will be maintained." Efforts to obtain comment from the Bangladeshi government were not successful on Wednesday. The unrest runs counter to the efforts of Thein Sein's administration to seek reconciliation with Myanmar's different ethnic groups and move the country toward more democratic governance. Western governments have rewarded progress in the country over the past year by easing economic sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern about the situation in Rakhine on Monday, calling on "all parties to exercise restraint and immediately halt all attacks." In a statement, Clinton urged the Myanmar authorities "to work with local leaders -- together with Muslim, Buddhist, and ethnic representatives, including Rohingya -- to halt the ongoing violence, begin a dialogue toward a peaceful resolution, and ensure an expeditious and transparent investigation into these incidents that respects due process and the rule of law." The United Nations said Monday that it was temporarily withdrawing some staff from Rakhine because of the unstable situation. CNN's Paula Hancocks, Jethro Mullen and Sarita Harilela contributed to this report. | More than 20 people have been killed in unrest in western Myanmar .
The government has declared a state of emergency in Rakhine State .
The clashes are between the state's Buddhist and Muslim populations .
The U.N. and rights groups call on Bangladesh to accept refugees from the violence . |
182,502 | 785583323b620bf2788bd1d6d8d75c4e72385203 | By . Jennifer Madison . Last updated at 7:06 AM on 16th December 2011 . Demonstrators behind Occupy Wall Street can now add another feather in their cap in the fight against economic inequality. A new study shows CEO salaries are back on the rise - with one top executive earning a shocking $145.2million in 2010. John Hammergren, who took home the hefty paycheck as CEO of healthcare provider McKesson, joined nine other executives from firms including Aetna, Omnicare and CVS on a GMI Report that concluded their salaries amounted to a staggering $770million last year. Meanwhile, wages for most Americans have failed to keep up with inflation. Top earner: John Hammergren, president and chief executive officer of McKesson Corp, stands to make $469million if the company changes ownership . According to a Guardian report on the . U.S. CEO pay survey, . executives behind America's biggest companies are banking huge pay . increases after two years pf maintaining relatively steady incomes. The earnings of chief executives jumped between 27 and 40 per cent in 2010, according a GMI Ratings report. The corporate governance organization . said while executive salaries had remained relatively steady in 2008 and . 2009 due to the economic crisis, a rise in the stock market supported . the pay rises. The median value of CEO profits on stock options . rose 70 per cent in 2010 from $950,400 to $1.3million. Departed: Omnicare's Joel Gemunder pocketed cash severance of $16million, a small portion of his $98.28million final pay package . The lavish rewards come at a time of high unemployment and cuts to public spending. The survey, the largest conducted of CEO pay in the U.S., included 2,647 companies. The resulting data shows sharp . increases from 2009, when base salaries showed a median increase of . approximately two per cent and annual cash compensation increased just . over 1.5 per cent. In 2010, the top ten bread winners earned more than a combined $770million. The Russell 3000 measure of U.S. stock . prices rose 16.93 per cent in last year. CEO pay was up by 27.19 per . cent overall, according to the Guardian report. Lining pockets: Ronald Williams, former head of health insurer Aetna, earned $50.4million in 2010 after exercising $2.4million in stock options . High rollers: Former General Growth Properties CEO Adam Metz (left) departed with a $46million cash bonus while CVS' Thomas Ryan made $28million on options . S&P 500 CEOs, meanwhile, saw a . 36.47 per cent increase in compensation - including perks and pensions . and stock awards. Total compensation pay at midcap companies rose 40.2 . percent. McKesson's Hammergren was one of . three healthcare executives in the top ten. According to the Guardian, . he also stands to make $469million if the company changes ownership. Four of the ten highest paid executives were retired or departing. John Hammergren, McKesson$145.2million . Joel Gemunder, Omnicare$98.28million . Ronald Williams, Aetna$50.4million . Adam Metz, General Growth Properties$46million . Thomas Ryan CVS$28million . GGP executivesCombined nearly $115million . Ronald Williams, who assumed his role . in 2006 as head of health insurer Aetna, earned $50.4million in 2010 . after exercising $2.4million in stock options before making his departure. CVS executive Thomas Ryan made $28million on his options. Omnicare's Joel Gemunder pocketed cash severance of $16million, a small portion of his $98.28million final pay package. Adam Metz, the former boss of General . Growth Properties, a real estate company that specialises in shopping . malls, made the list when he made off with a $46million cash bonus. The . Guardian also reports GGP executives received nearly $115million in . bonuses from the firm as it emerged from bankruptcy. There were no bankers in the top ten list. | John Hammergren pocketed the sum as CEO of healthcare provider McKesson .
McKesson, Aetna, Omnicare, CVS, General Growth Properties CEOs among top earners .
Study shows CEO salaries rose up to 40 per cent last year . |
177,296 | 71841b3bd5e31b0af80adb0f943e485f7b0b2dbc | Mitt Romney's refusal to release tax returns in the critical years of his income accumulation has done little to dispel the legitimate concern that arises from hints buried in his scant disclosure to date: Did he augment his wealth through highly aggressive tax stratagems of questionable validity? Opinion: Why won't Romney release more tax returns? One relevant line of inquiry, largely ignored so far, is to examine what exists in the public record regarding his attitude toward tax compliance and tax avoidance. While this examination is hampered because his dealings through his private equity company, Bain Capital, are kept shrouded, there are other indicators. A key troubling public manifestation of Romney's apparent insensitivity to tax obligations is his role in Marriott International's abusive tax shelter activity, as previously reported by Jesse Drucker in Bloomberg. Romney has had a close, long-standing, personal and business connection with Marriott International and its founders. He served as a member of the Marriott board of directors for many years. From 1993 to 1998, Romney was the head of the audit committee of the Marriott board. During that period, Marriott engaged in a series of complex and high-profile maneuvers, including "Son of Boss," a notoriously abusive prepackaged tax shelter that investment banks and accounting firms marketed to corporations such as Marriott. In this respect, Marriott was in the vanguard of a then-emerging corporate tax shelter bubble that substantially undermined the entire corporate tax system. Son of Boss and its related shelters represented perhaps the largest tax avoidance scheme in history, costing the U.S. many billions in lost corporate tax revenues. In response, the government initiated legal challenges that resulted in complete disallowance of the losses claimed by Marriott and other corporations. In addition, the Son of Boss transaction was listed by the Internal Revenue Service as an abusive transaction, requiring specific disclosure and subject to heavy penalties. Statutory penalties were also made more stringent to deter future tax shelter activity. Finally, the government brought successful criminal prosecutions against a number of individuals involved in Son of Boss and related transactions not associated with Marriott, including principals at major law and accounting firms. In his key role as chairman of the Marriott board's audit committee, Romney approved the firm's reporting of fictional tax losses exceeding $70 million generated by its Son of Boss transaction. His endorsement of this stratagem provides insight into Romney's professional ethics and attitude toward tax compliance obligations. Like other prepackaged corporate tax shelters of that era, Marriott's Son of Boss transaction was an entirely artificial transaction, bearing no relationship to its business. Its sole purpose was to create a gigantic tax loss out of thin air without any economic risk, cost or loss -- other than the fee Marriott paid the promoter. The Son of Boss transaction was vulnerable to attack on at least two grounds. First, the transaction's promoters and consumers relied on a strained technical statutory analysis. Second, the Son of Boss deal violated the fundamental tax principle that the tax law ignores transactions unless they have a motivating business purpose and a substantial nontax economic effect. In the Marriott case, the IRS raised both arguments and won on the first interpretive issue. The Court of Claims (affirmed by the Court of Appeals) rejected Marriott's technical analysis, finding no reliable argument or authority to support it. The court therefore did not need to reach the issue of business purpose and economic substance. In subsequent decisions, involving similar transactions but other parties, the courts have sustained the second line of attack as well, finding the claimed losses to be fictitious. The complete judicial rejection of the Son of Boss tax scheme was entirely predictable. In mid-1994, for example, roughly contemporaneously with Marriott's execution of its Son of Boss trade and well before Marriott filed its return claiming the artificial loss, the highly respected Tax Section of the New York Bar Association filed a public comment with the U.S. Treasury and IRS urging rejection of the technical claims made by promoters of such schemes. In his key position as head of the board's audit committee, Romney was required under the securities laws and his fiduciary duties to review the transaction. In fact, it has been publicly reported that Romney was the Marriott Board member most acquainted with the transaction and to whom the other board members turned for advice. This makes sense because aggressive tax-driven financial engineering was a large part of what Romney (and Bain) did for a living. For these reasons, it is fair to hold him accountable for Marriott's spurious tax reporting. Romney's campaign staff has attempted to deflect responsibility, arguing that he relied on Marriott's tax department and advisers. This claim is disingenuous. In a transaction of this magnitude, sensitivity and questionableness, the prudent step would be to secure advice to the audit committee and the board from experienced and independent tax counsel, who would certainly have cautioned that the Marriott position was risky and not supported by precedent or proper statutory interpretation. Moreover, on the key issue of the business purpose and economic substance, Romney was, or should have been, aware of the facts that the transaction had its genesis solely in tax avoidance and was a "marketed" tax shelter. He had an insider's perspective on the motivation and lack of substance in the transaction, as well as the financial sophistication to understand the tax avoidance involved. Romney failed in his duties to Marriott and its shareholders and acted to undermine the fairness of the tax system. No one could accuse Romney of lacking the intelligence and analytical skills to have dealt with this transaction appropriately. Indeed, his strengths in this regard were the reason the other board members relied on him. What emerges from this window into corporate tax compliance behavior is the picture of an executive who was willing to go to the edge, if not beyond, to bend the rules to seek an unfair advantage, and then hide behind the advice of so-called experts to deflect criticism when a scheme backfires. Reid puts GOP in a bind over Romney's taxes . | When Mitt Romney was audit chair at Marriott, company engaged in abusive tax shelter .
Peter Canellos, Edward Kleinbard: Marriott tie shows Romney's professional ethics .
They say Romney displays a consistent highly aggressive attitude towards tax obligations .
Canellos, Kleinbard: Romney was willing to bend the rules to seek an unfair tax advantage . |
24,020 | 442b5e18ad224c2ec4af3e4069d43f8fcd0dd414 | A cancer sufferer achieved her dream of playing in her first college basketball game on Sunday, scoring the first points of the match. Mount St Joseph freshman Lauren Hill, 19, was diagnosed last year with an inoperable brain tumor and was told she had years to live. In September, doctors had a grim update - she wouldn't make it past December - and after years as a standout high school basketball player, Hill's hopes of playing college ball were put in jeopardy. Scroll down for vides . Powering through: The NCAA approved a waiver for Mount St Joseph to play its first game of the season against Hiram College two weeks earlier . But the NCAA approved a waiver for Mount St Joseph to start its season two weeks earlier, and the team tipped off against Hiram College with Hill on the court. NBC Sports reports that Mount St Joseph's had trouble with the practice drills for the first play they were planning for the game. When they finally ran it for real, it all ran smoothly, with Hill finishing under the basket where sank a layup to put Mount St Joseph on the board. Hill is the last person trying to focus on her condition, though, saying to an interviewer, 'Let’s not call it my last game. This is my first collegiate game.' She was awarded the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award at halftime as Summitt, the coach with the most ever wins in NCAA basketball, stood by her. 'I never gave up for a second even when I got a terminal diagnosis; never thought about sitting back and not living life anymore,' Hill told Local 12 before the game. Driving: Hill took a pass directly after the tip under the basket during her first NCAA game on Sunday at Xavier University in Cincinnati . Basket: Hill sunk the layup for the first score of the game before heading to the bench, though she came in later . Family: Hill cheered on her team from the Mount St Joseph bench. She wore protection for her eyes and ears as her condition makes her extra sensitive to light and sound . Inspiration: Hill created the Layup4Lauren campaign to raise money towards a cure for DIPG, and coaches and fans have said that Hill has inspired them with her selflessness . Courage: Hill accepted the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award at halftime, with Tamika Devonne Catchings (left) of the WNBA's Indiana Fever and Summitt (right) Courage: Hill accepted the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award at halftime alongside Summitt (center) and Tamika Devonne Catchings (right) of the WNBA's Indiana Fever . Struggle: Hill was a standout player and former prom queen in high school, but has not let her terminal condition depress her . Hill learned she would secure a chance to play on October 1 during a surprise birthday party, the school informed her they'd gotten the NCAA waiver. 'I love the roar of the crowd, the squeaking of the shoes. I can't wait to be on this court and wearing #22,' she said then. Since her new prognosis, she's been trying to raise awareness for her terminal condition, Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma, starting a campaign called #Layup4Lauren. In a layup challenge on the site, a person is asked to spin around and try a layup with their non-dominant hand to simulate the struggle of playing with a condition like the one Hill has. So far, teams like Mount St Joseph and Xavier and people like Garth Brooks and Nick Lachey have recorded their challenge videos. 'She's a special person, Mount St Joseph coach, Dan Benjamin, said. 'This girl is so strong, she's dealing with death and all she's thinking about is everyone else. | Lauren Hill, 19, scored the first basket for Mount St Joseph against Hiram College on Sunday .
Hill was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma, an inoperable brain tumor .
Doctors later told her she had only weeks to live .
The NCAA approved a waiver to allow the game to be moved up two weeks . |
70,686 | c868832d7ea9b1a6a620bf5343001801fa59b56b | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 09:33 EST, 18 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:21 EST, 18 January 2013 . A Liberal Democrat MEP has been severely condemned by Nick Clegg for a ‘sick and offensive’ tweet saying terrorists had won a victory against David Cameron over the Algerian hostage crisis. Sir Graham Watson, who represents the south west of England in the European Parliament, took to Twitter to say: ‘Al Qaeda 1, @David_Cameron 0’. It was a reference to the Prime Minister’s decision late last night to cancel a much-trailed speech in Amsterdam on Britain’s future in Europe, so he could be in Downing Street to deal with the unfolding hostage situation. Lib Dem MEP Sir Graham Watson sparked a furious reaction with his tweet, and was heavily criticised by party leader Nick Clegg . Provocative: Sir Graham Watson's Tweet which mocked the Prime Minister for postponing his speech to focus on rescuing British nationals from Algeria . Sir Graham, a former aide to ex-Liberal leader David Steel, was forced to apologise after Mr Clegg reprimanded him for the tweet, which a party spokesman said was ‘wholly inappropriate and offensive.’ Mr Clegg was ‘furious’, the spokesman said. ‘It's clearly sick and offensive and is utterly condemned by Nick Clegg.’ Users of Twitter called for Sir Graham’s resignation over the ‘disgusting’ message. Last night Douglas Carswell, Tory MP for Clacton, said: ‘This tweet is revealing. It shows what the federalist fanatics really think. ‘They are so obsessed about protecting their great European project, that they can’t even see common sense.’ The offensive tweet was an apparent jibe at Mr Cameron's decision to postpone his planned trip to Amsterdam, where he was due to deliver a long-awaited speech on Europe yesterday morning. Instead of being in Amsterdam to deliver his speech, Mr Cameron left Downing Street this morning to deliver a statement on Algeria in the Commons, with chief of staff Ed Llewellyn . But late on Thursday, the speech was postponed so Mr Cameron could stay in Downing Street to deal with the hostage crisis in Algeria. Speaking to the BBC, Sir Graham defended his tweet. ‘It's a great shame that the prime minister has postponed the speech that he's allowed to become so over-hyped,’ he said. But later, he sent another tweet, saying: ‘I wish to apologise profusely for the insensitive tweet I issued earlier. I have taken it down.’ Sir Graham represents south-west England and Gibraltar in the European Parliament. He is also president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, which consists of more than 50 liberal parties from across Europe. The Scottish-born son of a Royal Navy officer and a teacher served as head of the then Liberal leader David Steel’s private office between 1983 and 1987. The offensive tweet was sent at a highly-sensitive moment in the hostage crisis, amid reports up to 30 foreign hostages are dead after a helicopter air strike by Algerian forces on the BP gas plant seized by Al Qaeda-linked terrorists led by veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar (pictured) He then worked for HSBC in their London and Hong Kong offices for six years, before becoming the first Lib Dem to be elected to the European Parliament. In October 2011, the father-of-two was knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours. On his website he boasts of being able to speak four European languages, and that he is currently learning Mandarin Chinese. His tweet attracted anger on Twitter. Conservative blogger and broadcaster Iain Dale said Sir Graham was a ‘disgrace’, adding: ‘What a disgusting thing to do.’ Twitter user @Biltawulf wrote: ‘Unelectable insensitive idiot. You just turned people's families into a football score.’ And @hughbs, tweeted: ‘Sorry, apology not accepted. You have revealed just how petty and self-serving you really are. Hope electorate will judge.’ Last night a Labour source said: ‘He’s been incredibly stupid. It was right that he apologised, and he should be more cautious in future.’ | Sir Graham Watson took to Twitter to mock the Prime Minister for postponing Europe speech .
Lib Dem grandee claimed David Cameron had been defeated by terrorists .
He posted message saying: ‘Al Qaeda 1, @David_Cameron 0’
Nick Clegg 'utterly condemns' MEP as Tories brand him 'federalist fanatic' |
91,024 | 010ef40c6be0b0ac2090e90effb40be372728a47 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 12:12 AM on 2nd August 2011 . Kings of Leon today cancelled the remainder of their U.S. tour. A statement released by the rock band claims the lead singer Caleb Followill, who recently married Victoria's Secret model Lily Aldridge, is suffering from 'exhaustion'. It comes three days after he angered fans in Dallas, Texas, by abruptly walking out mid-concert because it was 'too hot.' A string of tweet by the band after Friday night's disastrous performance hinted at mounting disharmony between the group. Bizarre behaviour: The Kings of Leon have cancelled their entire U.S. tour four days after Caleb Followill (pictured) walked off stage complaining he was 'too hot' A spokesperson said today: 'We are so . sorry to say Kings of Leon are cancelling their entire US tour due to . Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion.' 'The band is devastated, but in order . to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this . break. 'Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the . band's international tour schedule.' 'Utterly depressed': Jared Followill today tweeted about the cancellation and joked about the band breaking up . After performing about four songs on Friday, the lead singer started complaining about losing his voice and asking the audience to help him sing. 'If you guys would please help me sing, I'd love it,' he begged. About 50 minutes into the show the rocker told the shocked audience at the Gexa Energy Pavilion he needed a break. 'I'm gonna go backstage for a second and I'm gonna vomit,' he said. 'I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna play three more songs.' Rift: Caleb's brother Jared Followill apologised to fans after Friday's show and hinted at deeper problems within the group . Caleb, however, did not reappear, leaving his bandmates to apologise to the crowd. 'Caleb's . just a little unfit to play the rest of the show,' they said. 'We love . you guys so much. I know you guys f***ing hate us. I'm so sorry.' They added: 'It's really not out fault - it's Caleb. He can't play the rest of the show. We will be back as soon as possible.' Comments . made on Twitter by Caleb's brother and the band's bass guitarist Jared . Followill, however, suggested there was more to Caleb's problems that . met the eye. 'Dallas, I . cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses . & problems that have needed to be addressed,' he wrote on Saturday. Troubled history: This isn't the first time the group has bailed mid-concert . He . added: 'I love out fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't . lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough . Gatorade.' Drummer Nathan Followill echoed his brother's sentiment. 'Ashamed & embarrassed by last night's fiasco,' he tweeted. 'Can't apologise enough, utterly gutted.' Today Jared was back on Twitter to share his disappointment over the cancelled tour saying he was 'uttterly depressed'. Trouble: The band have rescheduled, but furious fans have taken to social networking sites to slate their behaviour . He . added: 'It's completely out of my hands. Family has to come 1st. If . base solos & backing vocals were more popular, I'd be there.' But told fans he said he'd spend the time song writing. He also made a joke about the band breaking up, only to insist he was 'kidding'. The Kings of Leon rep said people who had tickets for the band's remaining US shows would be refunded. They are expected to resume their tour in Canada on September 28th. The Nashville-based group, which is known for hits including the Grammy-winning anthem 'Use Somebody,' is also known for its history of squabbles and bizarre behaviour. Last . year the band pulled the plug half way through a concert in St Louis, . Missouri after their bass player was pooped on by pigeons. Jared had been hit several times already when a particularly large splat landed on his face near his mouth. That proved too much for the rockers, who fled the stage just three songs into their set. In 2009 the band members were also involved in a drunken backstage bust-up with each other at the Brit Awards, according to witnesses. A host of stars milling around the dressing room area including U2 and David Hasselhoff, watched as the band, who are all related, started brawling. Celebrity lifestyle: Caleb is married to Victoria's Secret model Lily Aldridge . | Jared Followill insists band are not breaking up . |
64,389 | b6d2e72198616417620f18f44e409d46c30a692f | (CNN) -- Cool, calm and collected, Mario Monti could not be more different from Italy's flamboyant former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The former European commissioner on Sunday was nominated to succeed Berlusconi. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano announced Wednesday that he had nominated Monti as a "senator for life," a title bestowed on those who have held distinguished roles, heightening speculation about his candidacy. If he becomes prime minister, Monti could be expected to bring a distinctly different approach to governing than Italy has experienced over the past three years. While the hot-blooded Berlusconi was for many years a master of forming political alliances, Monti is known for his achievements as a "Eurocrat," at the heart of Europe's institutions. Dubbed Super Mario for his work in international finance, he served as a leading European Commission member for a decade -- including as commissioner for its financial services, market and taxation committee between 1995 and 1999 and as head of its competition committee from 1999 to 2004. In the latter role, Monti gained prominence for his part in blocking a merger between U.S. firms Honeywell International and General Electric, thought to be a move that highlighted Europe's newfound regulatory clout. He also tangled with U.S. computing giant Microsoft, ruling in 2004 that it had broken EU competition law by having "abused its virtual monopoly power over the PC desktop in Europe." Microsoft was hit with a huge fine and ordered to share key information with its rivals. While such moves made headlines, Monti's interactions in business are still a stark contrast to that of Berlusconi. Besides being active in politics, the outgoing prime minister is also a business personality as the owner of media and financial companies, as well as the legendary football club A.C. Milan. But beyond advisory roles with investment firm Goldman Sachs and Coca-Cola, Monti's resume suggests he's as much a creature of academics and policy-making as business. Born in 1943 in the town of Varese in northern Italy's Lombardy region, Monti earned an economics and business degree from Milan's Bocconi University. He then did his post-graduate studies at Yale University, before returning to Europe. In 2005, shortly after leaving the European Commission, according to a bio on that international organization's website, Monti launched Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank focused on economic issues. The next few years saw Monti remain busy in international affairs. That includes being appointed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to a panel to look at promoting French economic growth, as well as helping broker a 2008 electricity-sharing agreement between France and Spain. All the while, he has appeared to remain closely linked to his alma mater, Bocconi. Holding the position rector from 1989 to 1994, the university notes that Monti is president of the school. CNN's Nina Dos Santos contributed to this report. | Mario Monti has been nominated to succeed Silvio Berlusconi as prime minister .
He recently was made a "senator for life" by Italy's president .
Monti was a European commissioner, part of rulings challenging Microsoft and GE .
He has advised governments, founded a think tank and now leads an Italian university . |
245,904 | ca465a0591dd1119629ee3b16cf8e4e0b04b329c | (CNN) -- Two sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic dispute between a pair of brothers Monday night were shot and badly injured in the same Washington county where four officers were killed last month, authorities said. The Pierce County deputies were wounded while responding to a domestic violence incident at home near the town of Eatonville, south of Seattle, said Hunter George, a county spokesman. They killed the gunman, identified as David E. Crable, in an exchange of fire, authorities said. Sgt. Nick Hausner, 43, a 20-year veteran of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center where he was in serious condition, the department said. He is married and has children who are 14 and 12 years old. Deputy Kent Mundell, 44, a nine-year veteran, was airlifted to the trauma center at Harborview Medical Center where he was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's department said. He also is married and has two children, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old. Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Crable had a history of protection orders sought by family members. Earlier this year, Crable pleaded guilty to malicious mischief and brandishing a knife in an incident involving his brother, Lindquist said, and protection orders were imposed afterward, telling him to stay away from his brother and a female minor. Both counts were misdemeanors. Lindquist said Crable had no felony convictions. The protective orders were not in effect during the Monday night shooting, Lindquist said. The prosecutor said other protection orders that emerged were not the result of charges filed. "They are a result of people saying this guy is a danger to me," Lindquist said. "I think you can reasonably infer from his history, he had an alcohol problem." Crable went to his brother's house Monday night and there was a domestic dispute, said Sheriff's detective Ed Troyer. One of the men invited the officers inside the house, while the other man went upstairs. He returned with a weapon and shot at the deputies, striking them several times, Troyer said. Local coverage from CNN affiliate KIRO . The deputies returned fire, killing the alleged shooter, he said. "There were a lot of rounds fired," Troyer said. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire issued a statement saying, "My thoughts and prayers are with the two wounded Pierce County deputies, their families, friends, and the entire law enforcement community." This incident comes in the aftermath of two other recent cop shootings in the Seattle area. Since October 31, eight police officers or deputies have been shot. Five have died in the attacks. On Halloween night, Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton was fatally shot while sitting in his patrol car. Brenton, 39, was reviewing paperwork from a traffic stop when someone fired into his patrol car. An officer Brenton was training was wounded in the shooting. A suspect in that case was arrested and pleaded not guilty. On November 29, four officers from Lakewood, Washington, were killed in an ambush-style shooting at a coffee shop. Police shot and killed the suspect in that attack after a two-day manhunt. Troyer said it was "surreal" to be responding to another shooting that involved officers. His department has led the investigation into the shooting of the four Lakewood officers. "I am deeply troubled by the recent series of attacks on our law enforcement officers," Gregoire said in the statement. "I ask that all Washington citizens join me in sending a clear message that these assaults on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated. "The people of Washington and across America know that those who wear a badge show us the true meaning of service. They sacrifice their safety for ours. We owe them and their families our gratitude, respect and support." CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report . | Two Pierce County sheriff's deputies shot while responding to domestic violence incident .
One is in critical condition, other is stable, officials say .
Suspected shooter shot and killed, officials say .
Four officers were killed last month in the same county . |
286,475 | ff30555b670e1d914a1940feee0bef15dcc3c792 | Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Divock Origi back from Lille after the striker confirmed he will remain in France for the remainder of the season. Brendan Rodgers had given the green light to pay an increase on the £10million fee they agreed with Lille to accelerate Origi’s release in January. The Belgium forward, whom Rodgers believes will be a ‘world-class striker’, joined Liverpool in August but was immediately loaned back to Lille to continue his development before heading to Anfield next summer. Divock Origi (No 17) is congratulated by his Belgium team-mates after scoring against Iceland on Wednesday . The 20-year-old, scoring against Iceland, is staying with French side Lille until the end of the season . But such is Liverpool’s keenness to bring Origi in to the fold they were ready to pay a premium to get him in the new year. But Origi confirmed on Friday afternoon that he won’t return to the Anfield club until the end of the current campaign. ‘I just wanted to clarify after today's press reports that I will continue to give my all and 100 per cent for Lille over the coming months,’ Origi said via his Twitter account. ‘I am very much looking forward to joining Liverpool from next season.’ Rodgers’ side have been desperately short of goals, with Daniel Sturridge missing 14 games through injury and Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli and Fabio Borini struggling. The trio have failed to find the net in 998 minutes of Premier League action. The 20-year-old, pictured in action against Origi, but the Belgian will not play in the Premier League this term . Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wanted to bring Lille back into the Liverpool fold in the new year . Lille gave no indication that they would be willing to re-jig the original terms of the deal, which meant Origi would stay the full season in France, and hand the striker to Liverpool early - even if the 19-year-old admitted earlier this week that he would be happy to move in January. ‘It is not me who makes the decisions but if the club choose to let me go in January I would go, I would like to join Liverpool then,’ said Origi, who scored for Belgium in their 3-1 win over Iceland on Wednesday. ‘I said I would stay for the whole season and I wish to remain honourable in that, of course. But if there was a decision by the clubs, I would not say I wouldn’t like to go to Liverpool in January. Brendan Rodgers is in contact, he (speaks) regularly, he wants to know how I am feeling. ‘It makes me feel very good and wanted. Also the medical staff, they stay in touch for the same reason – to keep me involved, telling me that they are looking forward to me coming to the club. If there was that chance of joining Liverpool sooner I would take it.' | Brendan Rodgers was keen to bring the Belgium striker back to the club .
And Liverpool were prepared to pay an increase on £10million fee .
But Origi has revealed he won't join up with Liverpool until next season .
Liverpool have struggled in front of goal, failing to replace Luis Suarez . |
115,935 | 21a7a559257d7feb7954b7bf0ec6dfefda21ae1a | By . John Hall . This is the hilarious moment a dog sounded a car horn for 15 minutes after its owner spent too long in an art gallery. Fern, an 18-month-old boxer, was filmed leaning back in the driver seat with her left paw resting on the steering wheel and repeatedly pressing the horn on Saturday afternoon. The animal had been left inside the car while her owner to finish browsing an art gallery in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee in Scotland. Since being posted online yesterday, the footage of the impatient but 'attention-loving' boxer has been viewed more than 8,000 times. Scroll down for video . Cheeky: Fern, an 18-month-old boxer (left), was filmed leaning back in the driver seat (right) with her left paw resting on the steering wheel and repeatedly pressing the horn while waiting for her owner . New trick: Fern's owner Graham Haddow (rear) says that although she regularly climbs into the front seat when left alone in a car, she has never actually used the horn before . Fern's owners Graham and Fiona Haddow, from nearby Liff, say they had only been wandering around the shops in Broughty Ferry for five minutes when they heard the faint sound of a car horn. At the time they thought little of the noise, and decided to browse the Eduardo Alessandro Studios art gallery. But after returning to their vehicle 15 minutes later they were shocked to see a large crowd gathered and grew concerned for Fern's welfare. Mr Haddow, 58, said: 'I came out of the gallery and looked down the street and saw a crowd of people standing around, pointing at my car.' 'I started running because I was worried something had happened to her,' he added. 'When I got closer I realised people were pointing and laughing and taking pictures. She gave me a sideways glance and just kept on going,' Mr Haddow went on. Mr Haddow, who worked for children's charity Bernardo's before taking early retirement, said a young man on a scooter told him he had been watching Fern blast the car horn for around 15 minutes while he and his wife were looking at works of art in a nearby shop. Although Fern regularly climbs into the front seat when left alone in a car, she has never actually used the horn before, Mr Haddow said. Village: Fern repeatedly pressed the horn while waiting for her owners to finish browsing an art gallery in the popular tourist resort of Broughty Ferry, near Dundee in Scotland . Adorable: Fern's new internet-celebrity status comes just a few months after she was fighting for her life after developing meningitis. Thankfully she is now back to her lovable but bossy former self . Fern's owners say they heard the faint sound of a car horn while wandering around the shops. They thought little of the noise, however, and decided to visit the Eduardo Alessandro Studios art gallery (pictured) Mr Haddow is concerned that his beloved pet boxer may repeat her new trick after all the attention it got her the first time around. 'I think she is a bit of a diva. She just wants a bit of . attention and she seems to have gotten her way this time... I might have to put something on the driver’s . seat to stop her doing it again.' Fern's new internet-celebrity status comes just a few months after she was left fighting for her life after developing meningitis. The illness is much the same in dogs as it is in humans, with the central nervous system - known as the meninges - becoming inflamed leading to secondary inflammation of the . brain and spinal cord. The illness can lead to neurological . complications - and even death - in both humans and dogs. Thankfully Fern recovered from the illness shortly after Christmas, and has continued to be the lovable but bossy dog she was before. 'She’s a typical boxer, she’s a bit stubborn, a bit mischievous and very friendly... She’s the best boxer we’ve had - she’s the eighth one in my lifetime,' Mr Haddow said. 'It’s just so amusing to think that Fern has become a bit of a celebrity and she’s completely unaware of it,' he added. | Fern, an 18-month-old boxer, was filmed repeatedly pressing the car horn .
Owners left her for 20 minutes while shopping in Broughty Ferry, Dundee .
They returned to find their car surrounded by people taking photographs .
Footage of the incident has been viewed 8,000 time since appearing online . |
35,818 | 65b7b51628569819aa0bd8fe9ba5f0a266122e09 | A congressman and his wife have reunited two-year-old twin girls who were living in separate homes by adopting them into their own family. Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin told NewsOK that he was hesitant at first to expand his brood of three to five, but his wife convinced him otherwise. Now, little Ivy and Lynette - who were born into 'kind of a bad situation' - are fully integrated into the Mullin family and they 'could not be happier,' says the congressman. Happy family: Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin and his wife Christie have reunited two-year-old twin girls who were living in separate homes (bottom right) by adopting them into their own family . Grinning girls: Ivy (left) and Lynette (right) were living with distant, elderly relations of Mrs Mullin, in separate homes, before they were adopted on August 21 . Before the adoption was approved on August 21, the blonde twins were living with distant relations of Mr Mullin's wife Christie, in separate but 'very loving' homes. But the relatives, a grandmother and great aunt, had told Mrs Mullin that they hoped they'd live long enough to see the girls graduate. The congressman's wife approached him several times about adopting the girls, but he told her it was a huge time commitment, and they already had their hands full with two sons, nine and eight, and a five-year-old girl. He suggested he write a check, telling her 'it's easier sometimes to give money than it is to give time.' Seeking guidance: The congressman, who himself is the youngest of seven, said: '[God] opened our hearts to the idea of adoption' (pictured with wife Christie, sons Jim and Andrew, and daughter Larra) But then Mrs Mullin pulled what her husband calls the 'trump card'. She asked him: 'Would you pray about it?' 'How do you pray about that?' said Congressman Mullin at a town meeting in Henryetta, Oklahoma, last week. Politician parent: Republican Markwayne Mullin, 36, is the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district . 'I mean, really. "Hey Lord, would you please, please make her heart as selfish as mine"?' So instead he prayed that God would change his own mind, 'And man did He ever,' he says. The Congressman, who himself is the youngest of seven, told TheHill: 'Our family prayed for God's will and He opened our hearts to the idea of adoption. 'We were unsure about whether, at this time, we could handle the extra responsibility,' he added. 'But God's timing is always perfect.' Now the congressman - who is part of the Cherokee nation, just like his twin girls - says Lynette and Ivy have taught him more than he ever expected. 'People say, "Man, you're going to be . such a blessing to those girls,"' he said at the town meeting. 'And I'm going to tell you right now - if you're someone . who's thinking about adoption - you're going to be blessed more by them . than you will ever be a blessing to them.' As for the girls themselves, they have apparently been doing well since being reunited. 'If you talk to anybody, they say twins . need to be together. The bond between them is just amazing,' said Congressman Mullin. 'They can . have a conversation with each other for hours and nobody else can . understand it,' he added. Loving couple: Congressman Mullin has been married to his high school sweetheart Christie for 16 years . Home sweet home: Congressman Mullin and his wife Christie live in Oklahoma with their five children . Congressman Mullin has been married to his wife and high school sweetheart Christie for 16 years. When he was just 20, he and his wife took over his family's plumbing business after his father fell ill, and they struggled through financial troubles with just six employees. Now, Mullin Plumbing is well-recognized in the area and proudly employs over 100 Oklahomans. On his campaign website, the congressman describes himself as: 'an eastern Oklahoma native, successful businessman, rancher, family man and youth leader in his church.' In a statement, the father-of-five said: 'The new Mullin seven look forward to all that life has to offer our family!' | Two-year-old twins Ivy and Lynette were born into 'kind of a bad situation'
The girls were living in separate homes, being looked after by elderly relatives of Congressman Markwayne Mullin's wife, when they decided to adopt them .
They join the couple's three other children: two boys, nine and eight, and a five-year-old girl . |
28,386 | 508da59b6dfd058a034740218f37824dbb7861a2 | By . Rob Waugh . PUBLISHED: . 07:24 EST, 23 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:53 EST, 23 July 2012 . Set to get slimmer: The latest Apple gadget will feature 'in-cell technology' which has touch sensors in the screen instead of another layer on top as it is now . A factory in Taiwan has begun production of components for Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone 5, expected to go on sale this autumn. Pegatron - one of Apple's normal suppliers - has begun production of the new phone already, according to a report in DigiTimes. The manufacturer will also be working on a smaller iPad later in the year. Details of the upcoming handset are scant, although it is expected to have a larger screen than the current iPhone. The new iPhone will have an even thinner screen thanks to advances in LCD manufacturing, according to reports. The . latest Apple gadget will feature ‘in-cell technology’ which has touch . sensors in the screen instead of another layer on top as it is now. Further sources in Apple's supply chain confirmed that the tech giant will drop the wide dock connector used in the company's gadgets for the best part of a decade in favour of a smaller one, a change likely to annoy the Apple faithful but which could be a boon for accessory makers. The iPhone 5, Apple's next generation iPhone expected to go on sale around October, will come with a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of the proprietary 30-pin port ‘to make room for the earphone moving to the bottom’, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. That would mean the new phone would not connect with the myriad of accessories such as speakers and power chargers that form part of the ecosystem around iPods, iPads and iPhones, without an adaptor. That means new business, analysts say.‘It represents an opportunity for accessory vendors,’ said Pete Cunningham, London-based analyst at technology research firm Canalys. ‘The iPhone connector has been a standard for a long time now and I would expect the same to be true for a new connector, should Apple change it as expected.’ Apple did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. It's coming! 9to5Mac has released this image, purported to be the iPhone 5. Features that can be spotted include a much larger screen, and a smaller dock connector . Tech blogs have long speculated on the demise of the 30-pin connector, . which at 21 mm wide takes up a chunk of space, especially as the latest . technologies such as microUSB offer more power in less space. They say that a smaller connector would give Apple more scope for new . product designs or a bigger battery, or simply to make ever smaller . products. Switzerland's Logitech, one of the biggest makers of Apple speakers, declined to comment. But some enterprising vendors in China have already begun offering cases . for the new phone, complete with earphone socket on the bottom and a . ‘guarantee’ the dimensions are correct. For some in the peripherals industry, the change could open doors to new business. ‘iPod docking speaker sales have been declining for one or two years,’ said an employee of a Hong Kong-based company that designs speakers . especially for Apple products. ‘My previous factory is a lucky one. They shifted the focus to Bluetooth . speakers, which proved a wise decision now,’ the employee said, . speaking on condition of anonymity. ‘It looks like while iPod speaker sales are going down, Bluetooth speaker sales are going up.’ Apple.pro printed these images of what they claim is the fascia of the next iPhone, suggesting the screen is much larger . | Apple supplier has started manufacturing new handset .
Sources in Apple's supply chain leak details .
More leaks confirm that it WILL have a different connector .
Device expected to launch in October .
Could have slimmer screen with sensors built into glass . |
115,607 | 212e4c194d82e621f0380c05ca193bf1741e7608 | By . Chris Waugh . Follow @@ChrisDHWaugh . Newcastle United outcast Sylvain Marveaux has been sent out on loan to French club Guingamp for the season after being banished to train with the development squad in pre-season. Marveaux, along with the mercurial Hatem Ben Arfa, have been marginalised by Magpies boss Alan Pardew and both of their futures appear to lie away from St James' Park. Having joined the club from Rennes on a free transfer in 2011, Marveaux made just 57 appearances for the club over three seasons - and a mere 11 in his final year. France-bound: Newcastle United outcast Sylvain Marveaux has been sent on a season-long loan to Guingamp . Banished: Newcastle manager Alan Pardew would only let Marveaux train with the reserves in pre-season . Marginalised: Midfielder Marveaux (right) played just 11 times during his final year with Newcastle . Neither Marveaux nor Ben Arfa were included in Newcastle's squad which travelled to New Zealand last weekend for a pre-season tour. The Magpies have been extremely active in the transfer window so far and have recruited Jack Colback, Siem de Jong and Remy Cabella in midfield. Their arrivals would have made the Frenchman's involvement even more sparse next season and so he has moved to Ligue 1 in search of first-team football. Guingamp finished 16th last season. Unwanted: Mercurial French playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa has also been marginalised by Pardew . Gone: Marveaux made 57 appearances for the Magpies after signing from Rennes on a free transfer in 2011 . Frustrated: Marveaux (left) struggled for fitness and form during his time on Tyneside . | Guingamp play in the French top division and finished 16th last season .
Marveaux signed for the Magpies in 2011 on free transfer from Rennes .
He made just 57 appearances for the club due to injury and loss of form .
Marveaux was made to train with reserve squad alongside Hatem Ben Arfa .
He made just 11 appearances last season and has been sent on loan . |
191,629 | 8424794ca552f6d8075bb4a5a4c3fb0d761f225d | Although you may think that bottled water is a safer option than tap, two new reports show that the store-bought stuff is actually less regulated than the water you get out of your faucet for free. What's in your water? You may be hard pressed to find out, reports the Environmental Working Group. The Food and Drug Administration has little authority to regulate bottled brands, according to a U.S. Congressional report released recently. While municipal water utilities are required to provide public reports of test results, bottled-water makers are not. (On the other hand, well water, which is found in many rural areas, isn't regulated as water provided by towns and cities is.) So although you may fork over a pretty penny for bottled water, that doesn't mean it's any better than what's coming out of your faucet. In fact, it could be worse and you'd never know it. The new research is backed by a second report from the Environmental Working Group. The nonprofit advocacy organization surveyed the labels and Web sites of nearly 200 popular bottled-water brands and found that less than 2 percent disclosed three important facts that can affect safety: the water's source, purification methods, and chemical pollutants in each bottle. (See the full report on bottled water at EWG's Web site.) "We're really pushing for a consumer's right to know what's in their water," says Nneka Leiba, an environmental health researcher at the EWG. "This isn't a doomsday scenario. It isn't that the claims are false; it's just that they are misleading." Reaching for the most popular bottled brands isn't necessarily a solution. In fact, the EWG report found that some of the best-known brands -- for example Whole Foods and San Pellegrino -- are the least likely to report where the water comes from and what it contains. Health.com: Plastic recycling gets easier . "This probably has to do with the fact that they're imported, so the regulations are different," says Leiba. "Some of the brands you think wouldn't be as transparent, like Walgreens or Sam's Club, scored higher than many of the popular brands." So what's a safety-conscious shopper to do? In recent years, some reports have suggested that tap water could be contaminated by trace amounts of pharmaceuticals or other substances. Health.com: Why caffeine and sugar are poor substitutes for sleep . Leiba says that activated carbon water filters -- like Brita pitchers or faucet attachments -- are a safe and affordable option for filtering tap water. If families can afford it, she recommends a reverse osmosis filter, which will eliminate all impurities. These reports come as food safety concerns seem to be at an all-time high. Lately, recalls of spinach, sprouts, peanut butter, and, most recently, cookie dough have made many consumers start to question the safety of the items they find on grocery-store shelves. Unlike tap water suppliers, bottled water companies don't have to have their water tested by a certified laboratory, and they aren't required to notify customers within 24 hours if they find elevated levels of contaminants. The FDA does require bottled water companies to test for contaminants and other problems, says Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., the agency's principal deputy commissioner. Health.com: Could your rug make you sick? If the companies fail, however, the public doesn't get to see the actual test results. "There's clearly a difference in disclosure between municipal water and bottled water, but the FDA's laws focus on safety of food more than on disclosure of information," says Sharfstein. "It's not a question of whether the FDA can do more; it's whether the government can do more through the food safety bill." Only changes in the current regulations would make it mandatory for manufacturers to make those kinds of records public, he says. Those regulations may change with the Food Safety Enhancement Act. Health.com: Drink this tea to lose that belly . The proposed Food Safety Enhancement Act covers many aspects of food safety, including better preventive control measures by food manufacturers, more frequent inspections of facilities, and greater FDA authority over food recalls. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Congressional Report: FDA has little authority to regulate bottled water brands .
Conversely, municipal water utilities are required to make test results public .
Watchdog group's survey: Less than 2 percent of bottlers disclose important info . |
257,922 | d9cbc26c76b7023cce8c1a9c212fdea6c20a2522 | By . Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline . and Jason Groves - Deputy Political Editor, Daily Mail . International Development Secretary Justine Greening has called for more working class Cabinet ministers . David Cameron would benefit from having more ministers who have stacked shelves in supermarkets, a Cabinet member said last night. The International Development Secretary Justine Greening suggested social mobility championed by Margaret Thatcher had been ‘diluted’ in recent years – and may have gone into reverse. Miss Greening, the daughter of a Rotherham steelworker, is one of the few working-class voices in the Cabinet. She told The Spectator magazine that working-class Tories ‘know how it feels to be slightly locked out of the system’. Miss Greening, who was an accountant before joining the Commons in 2005, revealed that her first job was at a branch of Morrisons. Asked if she would like to see more former supermarket workers in government, she said: ‘Yes, I would. I think it’s really important.’ She suggested her humble origins gave her a better understanding of the struggle faced by millions of people. Miss Greening said: ‘The harshest economic lesson I had was the day my dad became unemployed … I know what it is like to grow up knowing you are not starting in the best place, or that other people are having a better start than you are … it’s about understanding what it’s like to start from scratch more.’ Miss Greening did not comment on the upbringing of Mr Cameron and other leading Cabinet members, such as Chancellor George Osborne and Nick Clegg. But her comments will add to criticism that the Prime Minister relies too heavily on privileged advisers and ministers. It will also fuel concerns that the Tory leadership has failed to do enough to champion social mobility. Miss Greening said: ‘Margaret Thatcher’s message to me was, it doesn’t matter where you come from, this is a country where the effort you put in will mean you can get the reward out of it … Over the years that message has been diluted. ‘My biggest concern is that we are ending up with a country where … people are on different ladders. You might start at the bottom of a short ladder that will only get you so high. ‘What we need to recreate is one ladder that everyone can climb up.’ Miss Greening warned there was a danger the doors would ‘close back’ on young people’s aspirations unless ministers put social mobility at the top of the agenda. Mr Cameron has repeatedly insisted that improving social mobility is a priority. But he admitted last year there was a need to go ‘further and faster’. Last year Sir John Major described the dominance of a small private school elite as ‘truly shocking’. Mr Cameron insisted the Government had made ‘some progress’ on social mobility, but conceded that it was ‘still a problem’. Alan Milburn, the Government’s social mobility tsar, said last week that companies should be told to declare the social background of their workforce to combat a ‘deeply elitist’ culture at the top of public life. Privately-educated David Cameron and George Osborne were dismissed as 'two posh boys who don't know the price of milk' by Tory MP Nadine Dorries . | International Development Secretary said her first job was in a supermarket .
Ms Greening claimed it is getting harder for poor children to get to the top .
She said it was 'really important' for ministers to understand ordinary life .
David Cameron and George Osborne were once ridiculed as 'two posh boys' |
162,047 | 5d8640054b95c10abe188676a146a703965488a2 | (CNN) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to serve one year of community service at a nursing home for his conviction on tax fraud, a Milan court ruled on Tuesday. The 77-year old billionaire tycoon must visit a center for the elderly near his hometown, Milan, at least once a week for a minimum four hours. He will start the sentence "in coming days," a member of his legal team told CNN. The center-right politician was convicted of charges related to a vast tax fraud conspiracy at his Mediaset television empire. He will be working in a home run by the Sacred Family Foundation, Fondazione Sacra Famiglia, in Cesano Boscone outside Milan. Travel restrictions . The lawyers said the former premier was also subject to limitations on his movements. This means he will not -- except with specific authorization -- be able to leave the northern Lombardy region, where he has his principal home, but is allowed to go to Rome from Tuesday to Thursday. He has to be back in Lombardy by 11 p.m. Thursday. Berlusconi, who served on and off as prime minister between 1994 and 2011, has dominated the lively Italian political scene for the past two decades. He received a sentence of four years for tax fraud. The sentence was commuted to a year. It was not immediately clear from the court ruling whether Berlusconi would be able to campaign for his Forza Italia party ahead of European Parliament elections next month. Berlusconi says he is innocent and that he has been persecuted by leftist magistrates. Editors' Note: This article has been edited to remove plagiarized content after CNN discovered multiple instances of plagiarism by Marie-Louise Gumuchian, a former CNN news editor. | Italian court rules Berlusconi must carry out one year of community service .
The former premier must spend at least four hours per week at a nursing home in Milan .
The billionaire tycoon was convicted of charges relating to tax fraud .
Berlusconi has dominated Italian political scene for two decades . |
270,568 | ea6f48c970357edbab40d17faffc4a45f38e8916 | By . Henry Jones . For most people, sharks are magnificent creatures – but definitely the sort of beasts you would want to avoid coming into close contact with in a dark corner of the sea. In fact, given the chance to get up close and personal with the most menacing of all fish, most of us would say a polite ‘no thankyou’. But not Andy Murch. Scroll down for videos . Rather you than me: In this image, Andy is almost able to reach out and touch the teeth of a great white . Ones to watch: 'Even among the same species certain sharks have different personalities,' Andy says . A photographer who can definitely be described as ‘fearless’, he specialises in incredible close-up images of these fabled predators of the sea. And, as this incredible collection of images shows, he ventures where few others would go even with the protection of a shark cage – including within snap-jawed range of great white sharks. Andy has photographed a whole host of . sharks – from great whites and hammerheads to whale sharks – and always . at a time when they are at their most ferocious: Feeding time. A selfie with a difference: Andy pops up in shot for this close-up with a hammerhead shark . Coming right at ya! Andy's knowledge of shark behaviour enables him to capture images in safety . By photographing the animals in such a way, Andy, 47, aims to show that the sharks are far more interested in eating fish than they are people. In fact, in his 15 years of diving and interacting with these misunderstood animals, this daring British lensman’s only near-death experience occurred when his breathing equipment malfunctioned. ] . As this spectacular sequence of images . shows, Andy calls on his extensive knowledge of the creatures to take . the perfect picture of sharks feeding barely inches from his face. Deceptive: A trick of the camera suggests that this big whale shark is about to devour a nearby snorkeller . Necessary skills: Andy says that 'a deep understanding of shark behaviour is also absolutely critical' By using a mixture of fish and squid to attract the sharks, Andy waits until their mouths are fully extended before taking each shot – and has never once been harmed. Desperate to show sharks in a whole new light, Andy now runs an adventure travel company that brings people face-to-face with the majestic predators. ‘I've swum with countless sharks, and they generally show no aggression towards divers,’ he says. ‘When I do manage to entice sharks close to my camera, they sense the electrical fields surrounding my strobes and lights, but mostly they're just looking for the fish that they can smell.’ 38546 . 150977 . 49738 . 151975 . 91557 . 71797 . 33680 . 54760 . 30744 . 122114 . 16835 . Out of the deep: Andy says that sharks are misunderstood creatures - and that he has never been bitten . Black eyes, silver skin: The beauty of these astonishing creatures is wholly apparent in this photo . ‘It's important to respect these creatures. I don't wear chain mail, but I do wear equipment that isn't shiny or brightly coloured, because I don't want a shark to think it sees a fish and bite me in its confusion. ‘The only near-death experience I've had was when my breathing equipment malfunctioned 100ft underwater, and I almost didn't make it back to the surface. ‘Unfortunately, sharks are still portrayed as bloodthirsty monsters by Hollywood. ‘But, in reality, sharks are the ones that are under threat from us. Anyone for a swim? This unnerving picture shows a crowd of sharks waiting under a dive boat . ‘Their numbers have been reduced to a tiny fraction of what they once were. ‘We are in serious danger of losing some species if we continue to fish for them.’ There is, of course, considerable skill to what Andy does. Capturing a shark on camera at just the right moment is, he says, all about the speed of the cameraman. ‘It's very difficult to get a good mouth-gape shot,’ he says. ‘Good reflexes and an underwater camera that has a fast-focusing, wide angle lens are both important. A deep understanding of shark behaviour is also absolutely critical. Every shark is different. ‘Even among the same species certain sharks have different personalities. Some get far more excited than others, so it's very important to read the sharks and pay attention to how each one responds to me.’ | Fearless lensman Andy Murch specialises in close-up shots of sea predators .
Photographs are taken without any sort of protective device or metal cage .
47-year-old Briton says sharks are beautiful, and enormously misunderstood . |
185,143 | 7bd6ad8a8a05063277afbd6c5c46b34bf06c447e | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Another U.S. citizen has reportedly been detained by Pakistani authorities, according to a statement released Friday by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. "We have seen press reports that an American citizen named Aaron Mark DeHaven has been detained by police in Peshawar," the statement noted. "We are arranging consular access through the Government of Pakistan." No additional details can be confirmed until a U.S. government representative meets with DeHaven, the statement said. Relations between the United States and Pakistan were recently strained by the detention of Raymond Davis, an American accused of killing two Pakistani men. U.S. officials originally said Davis was a diplomat but later revealed that he is a CIA contractor. Davis appeared in a Pakistani court Friday, where he was given documents detailing the case against him. Davis is expected to be formally charged on March 3. | U.S. citizen Aaron Mark DeHaven has reportedly been detained by Pakistani authorities .
U.S. government representatives are attempting to meet with DeHaven .
Pakistani officials previously detained Raymond Davis, who was revealed to be a CIA contractor . |
44,862 | 7e71b20b7a3bbea0b1649d57e0455d3b1a62fb2d | By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 06:17 EST, 23 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:11 EST, 23 June 2012 . A young Olympic hopeful who took time out from her law degree to train for a place at the London 2012 games has been threatened by balliffs over council tax payments. Bristol University student Georgie Twigg, 21, spread the teaching of her final academic year over two so she could focus on a tough training schedule for the GB hockey team. But this loyalty to her country makes Miss Twigg the only part-time student in a house of six, in Clifton, Bristol - leaving her liable for a hefty council tax bill on a property in band E, totalling £1,500. Bailiffs calling: Bristol University student Georgie Twigg, 21, spread the teaching of her final academic year over two so she could focus on a tough training schedule for the GB hockey team . Full-time students are exempt from paying council tax while they study, but as Miss Twigg only attends university for one day a week, she no longer qualifies for this bracket. Miss Twigg spends the other four days of her week training with her GB hockey team in Maidenhead, Berkshire - living in a property that she pays full council tax on. She received a court summons after returning from Argentina in February, where her GB hockey team won a silver medal at the Champions Trophy for the first time. Miss Twigg, who carried the Olympic torch through Clifton, Bristol, earlier this month, contacted Bristol City Council to ask to be treated as a student as she does not have the money to pay the bill - but her plea fell on deaf ears. The summons stated that because she was completing her final year in two years instead of one, she was classed as a part-time student and was no longer exempt from paying council tax, as full-time students are. Miss Twigg's parents wrote to the council, including to leader Simon Cook and chief executive Jan Ormondroyd to ask that she be made exempt due to her exceptional circumstances. In action: Miss Twigg spends four days of her week training with the GB hockey team in Maidenhead, Berkshire - living in a property that she pays full council tax on . But the council told the family there was nothing it could do and demanded the money. At the start of this month, just as she was about to take her final law exams, Miss Twigg received a notice of 'intended bailiff action'. Her . father Robert Twigg, 57, said: 'We feel that Georgie has been penalised . for trying to complete her studies while at the same time qualifying . for the Olympic team. 'It can't be right that this charge wouldn't have been put on her if she had opted out of such a fantastic opportunity. 'Bristol . City Council has been completely unsupportive and unreasonable - no-one . seems to want to stick their head above the parapet and realise that . these are exceptional circumstances - it just seems so wrong.' Miss Twigg challenges with Ireland's Niamh Atcheler during their fifth/sixth place play-off in the Investec London Cup at the Quintin Hogg Memorial Ground in Chiswick, west London, earlier this month . A spokesman for Bristol City Council said: 'Unfortunately the law regarding council tax discount is quite clear and does not allow any leeway on the part of the city council. 'Miss Twigg forfeited her eligibility for the council tax discount when she reduced the number of days she was studying in Bristol. 'We have looked at this case sympathetically to see if there was any room for discretion on our part, given that she is about to represent the UK at the highest level, but regrettably there is none and we are bound by national legislation. 'It is a situation that can also affect other individuals who give up their time for good causes such as special constables and charity volunteers. 'We have offered as reasonable terms as we can for the repayment of the debt incurred. It goes without saying that we wish her all the best at the Olympics.' | Bristol University student Georgie Twigg, 21, spread the teaching of her final academic year over two to focus on a training for the GB hockey team .
But she is now only part-time student in a house of six Bristol - leaving her liable for a hefty council tax bill on a property in band E, totalling £1,500 . |
186,449 | 7d84c08d5859e28438114e62d50ba5256bcf7eed | A man convicted of possessing child pornography, a misbehaving politician seeking re-election and a doctor with bad reviews. These are among the flood of people who have already contacted Google demanding that their internet histories be deleted. Earlier this week Europe's highest court ruled people now have the 'right to be forgotten', meaning around 500million internet users could have links which tarnish their reputation removed. An investigation by Mail Online has found a paedophile has asked for stories about his conviction to be taken down from the site while a politician tried to have pieces about his behaviour in office deleted. Scroll down for video . The decision affects 500 million citizens and states that if search services don't comply, they face heavy fines. Google (pictured) began removing search results last month and said it has received more than 70,000 requests since it put a form online on May 30 . A physician who was unhappy about feedback posted on a review site also tried to have links to the page removed. The world's largest search engine is yet to put a process to . handle the expected influx of requests in place after Tuesday's ruling. The decision by European Court of Justice, requires that search services remove information deemed . 'inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant' and failure to do so can . result in fines. 'There's many open questions,' Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said at the company's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday in response to a question about the ruling and its implications on Google's operations. 'A simple way of understanding what . happened here is that you have a collision between a right to be . forgotten and a right to know. From Google's perspective that's a . balance,' Schmidt said. 'Google believes having looked at the decision, which is binding, that the balance that was struck was wrong.' He was not asked about the recent take-down requests. MailOnline has contacted Google, but the firm has yet to reveal the number of take-down requests it has received. Google will need to build up an 'army of removal experts' in each of the 28 EU countries, including those where Google does not have operations, the source said. Whether those staffers merely remove controversial links or actually judge the merits of individual take-down requests are among the many questions Google is yet to decide, the source said. European citizens can submit take-down requests directly to Internet companies rather than to local authorities or publishers under the ruling. If a search engine elects not to remove the link, a person can seek redress from the courts. The criteria for determining which take-down requests are legitimate is not completely clear from the decision, said Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at the George Washington University and head of the National Constitution Centre. The ruling was made by the European Union Court of Justice (pictured). It comes after a Spanish man complained an online auction note about his repossessed home infringed his privacy. Google told MailOnline it is 'disappointed' by the ruling and argued it should not be a censor for data held on websites in its index . The ruling seems to give search engines more leeway to dismiss take-down requests for links to webpages about public figures, in which the information is deemed to be of public interest. But search engines may err on the side of caution and remove more links than necessary to avoid liability, said Rosen, a long-time critic of such laws. He was asked by Google to speak to reporters on Tuesday's ruling, but has no formal relationship with the company. Search engines will also have to authenticate requests, he noted, to ensure that the person seeking a link's removal is actually the one he or she claims to be. Under the European Data Protection Regulation, Article 17 includes the ‘right to be forgotten and to erasure’.Under Article 17, people who are mentioned in the data have the right to ‘obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data relating to them and the abstention from further dissemination of such data.'This particularly relates to data about the person when they were a child, when the data is no longer relevant or necessary for the purpose it was collected, the person who owns the content withdraws their consent, the storage period has expired, or if it was gathered illegally.The EU defines ‘data controllers’ as ‘people or bodies that collect and manage personal data.’The EU General Data Protection Regulation means any data controller who has been asked to remove data must ‘take all reasonable steps, including technical measures' to remove it.If a data controller does not take these steps they can be heavily fined. Google is the dominant search engine in Europe, commanding about 93 percent of the market, according to StatCounter global statistics. Microsoft Corp's Bing has 2.4 percent and Yahoo Inc has 1.7 percent. Google has some experience dealing with take-down requests in its YouTube video website, which has a process to remove uploads that infringe copyrights. Google has automated much of the process with a ContentID system that automatically scans uploaded videos for particular content that media companies have provided to YouTube. Google may be able to create similar technology to address the EU requirements, said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. Even if Google does not automate the process, the extra cost of hiring staffers is likely to be insignificant to a company that generated roughly $60 billion in revenue last year, Gillis said. If Google were to pay staffers $15 an hour to process take-down requests, for example, the company could get a million hours of work for $15 million, he said. 'It's the cost of doing business for them.' Google has said it is disappointed with the ruling, which it noted differed dramatically from a non-binding opinion by the ECJ's court adviser last year. That opinion said deleting information from search results would interfere with freedom of expression. Yahoo is 'carefully reviewing' the decision to assess the impact for its business and its users, a spokeswoman said in a statement. 'Since our founding almost 20 years ago, we've supported an open and free internet; not one shaded by censorship.' Microsoft declined to comment. Brett Dixon, founder of DP Online Marketing, told MailOnline: 'The news that search engine operators will be subject to a European Union dictat on the right to be forgotten is ludicrous. 'This ruling advocates nobody being responsible for their own actions. Akin to press censorship, it's absolutely wrong that information that is of interest to the general public ought not to be in the public domain. You might as well say to a journalist who's written up a story that they have no right to publish it. 'The danger is that a public figure can behave as badly as they like, but with no consequences whatsoever, the story effectively becomes buried and forgotten about. 'There are a minority of cases whereby an individual is associated with unsolicited negative attention due to factually incorrect information on Google and other search engines, but cases such as these should not dictate the lay of the land for everyone.' | Search engine firm has already received a flood of requests to remove links .
Decision by top European court affects 500 million internet users .
Requires search services to take down information that could tarnish image .
Firm is expecting influx of requests and process to deal with them .
Google will need to build up an 'army of .
removal experts' in each of the 28 EU countries, including those where .
Google does not have operations . |
65,751 | baaa1e04b6ba30dc36193e73400470a0259de128 | By . Rebecca English . PUBLISHED: . 15:58 EST, 14 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:42 EST, 15 September 2012 . It is sometimes easy to forget that the Duchess of Cambridge wasn't born into royal life, such is the composure with which she fulfils her new role. Her coolness yesterday, despite the turmoil going on around her, was truly remarkable. It was around 8pm British time on Thursday that news broke of French magazine Closer's decision to publish topless pictures of Kate on holiday in Provence. Scroll down for video . The Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she visits the Assyakirin Mosque in Kuala Lumpur today after news broke of French magazine Closer's decision to publish topless pictures of her on holiday in Provence . In Kuala Lumpur, where the Duke and Duchess were sleeping after a glittering royal banquet thrown in their honour, it was 3am. The initial reaction from royal aides at St James's Palace was cautious. Could the magazine be bluffing to beef up its readership? Were the pictures even real? When William and Kate rose around 6am in their suite at the High Commissioner's residence, it was up to their private secretary, former SAS officer Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton (backed up by Kate's Girl Friday, Rebecca Deacon, and their press secretary Miguel Head) to break the distressing news over breakfast of coffee and fresh fruit. The couple were shocked, horrified even, but remarkably calm. They agreed with their private office's suggestion to wait and see what the magazine had actually done. Even at this early stage, however, the similarities to the life of his late mother were almost too much to bear for William. 'This incident turns the clock back 15 years,' said a source close to the future king. Following the initial discussions there was little time for the royal party to dwell on the pictures. This was one of the busiest days of their nine-day tour on behalf of the Queen, with a visit to the As Syakirin Mosque in the centre of the Malaysian capital. They had obligations to fulfil. Looking eerily reminiscent of her husband's late mother, whom she has always spoken regretfully of never having had a chance to meet, the Duchess stepped out of her official car dressed in a pale grey dress and matching scarf by ethical label Belulah, run by the couple's great friend Lady Natasha Rufus Issacs. Looking eerily reminiscent of her husband's late mother,the Duchess stepped out of her official car dressed in a pale grey dress and matching scarf . There was time for a giggle together as the royal couple sat down on chairs to remove their shoes . By the time the couple made their way to a colourful cultural display at a central city park it was becoming clear the pictures did indeed appear to be genuine . There was even time for a laugh and giggle together as the royal couple sat down on chairs to remove their shoes, William struggling with his hand-made brogues as Kate kicked off her favourite LK Bennett nude heels and sat waiting in her stockinged feet. It was the first time that either of them had visited a mosque and they appeared genuinely interested in what they were being shown. Kate even let slip that her father-in-law, Prince Charles, who takes a particular interest in the Islamic faith, had given then something of a crash course. Behind the scenes, however, talks were already beginning between London and Paris as to how to tackle the scandal best. By the time the couple made their way to their next appointment, viewing a colourful cultural display at a nearby park to the cheers and screams of thousands of well-wishers, it was becoming clear the pictures did indeed appear to be genuine. Yet still Kate remained calm. Having by now shed her veil – displaying an intricate bun dotted with pearl-headed pins – she threw her head back and plunged into the crowds, shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries and accepting flowers. The couple went to a tea party at the British High Commission where among the celebrated guests were Malaysian-born shoe designer Jimmy Choo . And she failed to bat even an eyelid when, as they left, an overenthusiastic fan lunged in through the open door of their car to take a picture before being dragged off and handcuffed by police. Even when the pair went on to a business lunch, where William gave a speech, they appeared to be a couple without a care in the world. It was only in the privacy of their suite, as they changed afterwards in preparation for their fourth engagement of the day, that Kate's composure momentarily crumbled as she was shown the pictures that had by now hit the streets of Paris. William was said to be equally shaken. The intrusion quickly brought home the worst excesses of the paparazzi when his mother was alive. The Prince has done everything in his power to protect Kate from the same form of scrutiny and he quickly instructed his spokesman to make clear that their initial sadness had turned to anger and disbelief. 'We believe a red line has been crossed and we are consulting with French lawyers to see what, if any, action can be taken,' the aide said. Arriving at the city's airport a few minutes later for a flight to Borneo ¿ where they still had two more scheduled engagements before the end of the day ¿ the pair were struggling to hide their anger . With the support of his wife, father and the Queen William issued a statement condemning the photographer and magazine's 'grotesque and totally unjustifiable' invasion of their privacy . Keen not to disappoint their hosts, the couple went on to their next engagement, a tea party at the British High Commission where among the celebrated guests were Malaysian-born shoe designer Jimmy Choo, who waxed lyrical about the Duchess's beauty 'both inside and out'. Dressed in an ice blue lace dress by Alice Temperley, Kate's performance was as engaging as ever. In fact it was William – glowering every time he saw a photographer and constantly chewing his lip – who appeared to be feeling the strain. Within minutes of their departure he instructed his press team – with the support of his wife, father and the Queen – to issue a statement condemning the photographer and magazine's 'grotesque and totally unjustifiable' invasion of their privacy and indicating they would leave no stone unturned in seeking redress. Arriving at the city's airport a few minutes later for a flight to Borneo – where they still had two more scheduled engagements before the end of the day – the pair were struggling to hide their anger. Yet again, however, Kate's composure still shone through. She offered a small smile to waiting newsmen and, as the couple boarded their Boeing 737-800 jet, she reassuringly placed her hand on the small of her husband's back. VIDEO: Kate dresses respectfully for temple tour . | News broke at 3am Singapore time of magazine's decision to publish topless photos .
Couple agreed with private office's suggestion .
to wait and see what the magazine had actually done .
Storm broke on one of the busiest days of the couple's nine-day tour .
As .
they changed for their fourth engagement of the day Kate's composure momentarily crumbled . |
192,478 | 852e2a6a77dbdbebc6bd0bf6f43df642677681af | By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 06:03 EST, 2 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:49 EST, 2 July 2013 . The forecast was for blue skies and sunshine, but weathergirl Wendy Hurrell's reaction was a face of thunder. The presenter was caught revealing her frustration shortly after her 10.30pm report on BBC London last night. The 31-year-old had been all smiles as she predicted warm weather for London the rest of the week. But when the camera remained on her, Ms Hurrell could be seen rolling her eyes and flicking her hair in an apparent display of contempt. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Not amused: Weather presenter Wendy Hurrell makes her feelings known without realising the camera is still on her . Cold front: The forecast had been for warm, sunny weather but Ms Hurrell displayed a frosty stare . Gloomy: Viewers quickly took to Twitter to speculate as to what had upset weathergirl Wendy Hurrell . Ice cold glare: Some viewers thought the grimace may have been aimed at news anchor Riz Lateef . Viewers were quick to take to Twitter to speculate as to what had brought on the cold front as clips of the candid moment were posted on YouTube and Facebook. Some thought that her anger was directed at news anchor Riz Lateef. One wrote: 'OMG! Did anyone see the eye rolling from Wendy Hurrell at the end of the weather tonight. Tut tut! Me thinks you don't like Riz Lateef' Another said: '@WendyHurrell you should wait till the camera is off you before you pull the 'I couldn't give a s***' face' '@WendyHurrell providing much amusement on this sofa with a post-weather eye roll and 'what evs' face,' wrote another. Plenty of viewers noticed the candid moment caught on camera and took to Twitter to make comments . Twitter user Dom Vizor was among those who found Ms Hurrell's unimpressed expression amusing . Reaction: Ms Hurrell quickly went onto Twitter herself to explain her 'roll of the eyes' Sense of humour: The presenter was able to see the funny side of being caught venting her frustration on camera . Change of heart: Earlier Wendy Hurrell had seemed bright and breezy during the forecast . Hiding her feelings: Ms Hurrell said she had been frustrated at a series of technical problems during the broadcast . But Ms Hurrell soon took to Twitter . herself claiming that she was simply frustrated at a series of technical . faults which had hampered the broadcast. She wrote: 'The roll of the eyes was because I had to do the whole forecast without being able to see any graphics - it wasn't at Riz Lateef! #techfail' 'And clearly I was kept cut up in frame while I took out my frustration on the nearest and inanimate object (green wall of the studio)!' The presenter was able to see the funny side of the gaffe, even comparing it to the Will Ferrell film Anchorman. 'It's actually really funny, even I have to admit. Our world is just like Anchorman,' she later Tweeted. Support: Wendy Hurrell, left, sparked a Twitter storm with her eyeroll but she was given support by her colleague and news anchor Riz Lateef, right, who said she had been frustrated by technical problems . And Ms Hurrell was backed up by her news anchor Riz Lateef who tweeted that her explanation was true. She Tweeted: 'Thankfully it was not me phew! she was not impressed with the technical fail of having no weather graphics.' 'Ok so it was one of the more 'interesting' late bulletins shall we say. And your comments made @WendyHurrell and I chuckle.' BBC spokesperson said: 'BBC London has recently moved very successfully into a new studio. Last night we had a couple of technical problems which meant that Wendy couldn’t see the weather graphics and the camera lingered on her too long at the end of the forecast. 'Wendy unfortunately didn’t realise she was still in shot.' | Presenter Wendy Hurrell, 31, caught revealing face of thunder after report .
Smile quickly faded as she rolled eyes and flicked hair on BBC London .
Viewers took to Twitter to speculate as to where her anger was directed .
Ms Hurrell later claimed she has been annoyed at technical problems . |
254,519 | d575c54a91ed51d834e2611f3c4f4378e6524c00 | By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 10:25 EST, 18 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:15 EST, 18 October 2013 . High-flying: Businesswoman Sarah Davison has been awarded £1.6million in damages after her career was cut short by botched post-birth surgery . A high-flying banker whose career was cut short by botched post-birth surgery has been awarded more than £1.6 million in damages. Businesswoman Sarah Davison gave birth to her first child Freddie at Portland Hospital, London, in December 2008 with the help of an episiotomy - a surgical incision used to enlarge the vaginal opening. However, only two weeks later, the 36-year-old started to experience agonising pain, severe difficulty controlling her bowels and an inability to stifle wind. The procedure had caused a third degree tear, which was not spotted after her consultant obstetrician Craig Leitch failed to carry out a 'proper' examination, London's High Court heard. After realising the extent of Mrs Davison's injury, Mr Leitch then carried out 'plainly insufficient' repair work at the private hospital in Great Portland Street, said Mrs Justice Andrews. He also failed to keep a clear record of what he had done. 'It appears that there was no proper . examination carried out post-delivery, so that the severity of the tear . remained undetected and thus it was not made the subject of immediate . surgical repair and treatment with antibiotics,' she said. Mrs Davison, who was a vice president of Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf, London, before going on maternity leave, has since been left in mental and physical pain - meaning she can no longer work in the financial sector. Despite undergoing reconstruction surgery and other treatment, she has been left with significant ongoing symptoms causing her embarrassment, inconvenience and distress, the court heard. Driven: The 36-year-old had been vice president of Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf, London . Mrs Justice Andrews said that the . mother-of-three has adapted well to her condition - however, the . experience has taken its toll on her mental health, particularly her . ability to cope with stressful situations. She said Mrs Davison was an intelligent, able and articulate woman who had secured a place on the prestigious . Goldman Sachs training programme after graduating from Warwick . University with a first-class degree. By 2006, the businesswoman had risen to the position of vice president at Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf - where she earned a net salary of 10,700 a month before taking maternity leave. At the time of Freddie's birth, she had every prospect of returning to the pursuit of a highly successful career in the city, said the Mrs Justice Andrews. A 'horrendous' experience: Mrs Davison gave birth to her first child Freddie at Portland Hospital (pictured) in Great Portland Street, London, in December 2008 with the help of an episiotomy . Lawyers for Mr Leitch admitted . liability in July this year and agreed to pay damages for Mrs Davison's pain and suffering, . future medical and surgical costs and psychiatric care. But they contested Mrs Davison’s claim for loss of past and future earnings and congenial employment. However, Mrs Justice Andrews rejected the defence case that Mrs Davison’s failure to return to work was not a result of her injury but a lifestyle choice - instead awarding her £1.59million, as well as interest and her legal costs. 'This is a case in which Mrs Davison’s injury has put paid to her ability to return to any form of work in the financial sector and severely limited the nature of any future employment,' she said. 'Many of her undoubted talents are going to go to waste. Her future is uncertain and any work that she does undertake in future is likely to be fairly solitary and considerably less well paid.' After the case, Mrs Davison said she was relieved that the legal proceedings had come to an end. However, she said it was 'hugely disappointing' that she had been forced to invest five years fighting to understand what happened during Freddie’s birth at the hospital. 'As yet, there has been no apology from Mr Leitch despite an admission of medical negligence,' she said. 'I hope that my case can benefit other women looking to minimise unnecessary risk at childbirth and enjoy safe and effective care.' Shivi Nathan, a medical law expert at Irwin Mitchell, who represented Mrs Davison, said: 'Sarah suffered a horrendous, life-changing injury as a result of this doctor’s negligence, which is shocking and simply not acceptable. 'Sarah chose to go through private care for the birth of her son thinking it was the safest option for her but, from the care she received from Mr Leitch, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. 'The consequences of his actions will stay with Sarah forever and mean she can no longer work in the profession which she worked so hard in. 'Sarah was on the path to even greater success and this was simply cut short by the actions of Mr Leitch.' | Sarah Davison, 36, suffered a third degree tear after having an episiotomy .
She was left in agonising pain after undergoing 'plainly insufficient' repair work at Portland Hospital, London .
The Credit Suisse banker can no longer work in the financial sector .
She was awarded £1.6million in damages at London's High Court today . |
62,555 | b1b5590277596d000f0fcfd1e66a2ab6a4bc7b46 | By . Mario Ledwith . PUBLISHED: . 20:36 EST, 13 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:46 EST, 14 February 2013 . A HMRC crackdown on tax credit fraud and error missed its target 'by a mile', as tax bosses failed to stop losses of more than £850 million. Despite instigating a plan to tackle inefficiencies, error was still rife in the taxation system throughout 2010/11 as £2.27 billion was lost. Watchdogs criticised the failed approach, demanding that tax bosses 'get a grip' and saying that the money could have been spent on 'schools and hospitals'. Inefficiencies: Despite instigating a plan to tackle inefficiencies, £2.27billion was lost in 2010/11 due to tax credit error and fraud . There was also criticism of the system as it was revealed that the majority of the loss was due to error rather than fraud. HMRC had hoped to reduce losses by £1.4 billion in 2010/11 but was only able to reduce the total by £500million, despite deploying 400 staff to address systematic problems. While it was hoped that error and fraud rates would be cut from nine per cent to five per cent, the push only resulted in a decrease to 8.1 per cent. Action: Margaret Hodge, chair of the Commons public accounts committee, demanded that senior officials resolve the 'deeply worrying' issues . One fifth of all claims, an estimated 1.4 million, still resulted in people being overpaid. The National Audit Office said that there had been 'little progress' in dealing with . people failing to declare partners' income or in checking claimants' stated work and hours. The two areas accounted for £1 billion . of the fraud and error in 2010/11 while £640 million was down to . children being wrongly included in claims. The chair of the Commons public . accounts committee demanded that senior officials resolve the 'deeply worrying' issues. Labour MP Margaret Hodge said: 'It . set itself a target, which it missed by a mile. In 2010/11 error and . fraud was still at 8.1% with £2.27 billion lost to the taxpayer - £850 . million higher than expected and money that could have been spent on our . schools and hospitals. 'According to HMRC's own figures, the . majority of this £2.27 billion - £1.6 billion - was due to error rather . than fraud by claimants. She added: 'I also find it deeply worrying that even after HMRC has taken action, one in five claims still contain error or fraud.' Mrs Hodge did draw attention to some signs of improvement, . noting that HMRC had 'tried to be smarter and sharper'. But she said there was 'little progress' elsewhere, adding: 'HMRC needs to develop a rigorous plan for . rooting out error and fraud in each and every category if it is to . achieve a sustainable reduction in losses. 'It needs to inject much more rigour . into its collection and analysis of data, particularly around changes in . claimants' circumstances, where mistakes are most likely to be made.' HMRC had hoped to reduce losses by £1.4 billion in 2010/11 but was only able to prevent £500million, despite deploying 400 staff to address systematic problems . Mrs Hodge warned HMRC not to 'take its eye off the ball', despite the fact that tax credits are to be . replaced by a new universal credit. Tax credit payments are based on estimates of income - which critics say leaves the system 'wide open to abuse'. HMRC estimates that up to £4 billion . of tax credit debt is unlikely ever to be recovered and has already been . forced to write-off large sums. NAO head Amyas Morse, who last year declined to sign off HMRC's accounts because of tax credit fraud and error, said it faced 'significant challenges'. 'The tax credit system is complicated, and HMRC will have to overcome significant challenges if it is going to achieve value for money. 'HMRC deserves credit for demonstrating innovation, but it has further to go to achieve sustainable reductions in tax credits error and fraud. 'To tackle error and fraud effectively, there needs to be an improved understanding of risks and better use of information.' | £2.27billion lost in 2010/11 due to tax credit fraud and error despite efforts to curb losses .
Tax bosses had hoped to reduce losses by £1.4billion .
But they only cut £500million as a fifth of cases resulted in overpayment .
Margaret Hodge said that senior officials needed to 'get a grip' and resolve 'deeply worrying' issues . |
79,184 | e073fc81ea657b73a463fb4e06b6ddb55ea04c21 | (CNN) -- As activists reported intense gunfire, mounting deaths and mass detentions Monday in Syria, regional leaders stepped up their criticism of the escalating violence. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain said they were recalling their ambassadors from Syria to discuss the situation. Officials announced the diplomatic moves after Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah condemned violence in Syria in a rare rebuke directed at a fellow Arab leader. "There is no justification for the bloodshed in Syria, and what is happening has nothing to do with religion or ethics," he said in remarks broadcast on state television early Monday. "The Syrian leadership could activate comprehensive reforms quickly." Activists inside and outside Syria said a government crackdown was continuing Monday. Three people died after security forces opened fire at a funeral procession in Daraa, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. And at least 65 people died during a military operation that began Sunday in Deir Ezzor, according to the activist network Local Coordination Committees of Syria. Tanks entered the town of Maaret al-Numan after more than a month stationed outside its borders, the Local Coordination Committees and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Syrian forces reportedly detained dozens of residents there. As some groups described increasing violence, Syrian state media reported that the military was pulling back in at least one city. SANA said troops were leaving Hama on Monday after accomplishing "their mission of protecting citizens." Earlier Monday an activist based in the city said clashes were continuing, with residents describing sounds of intense gunfire in at least one neighborhood. Markets were closed, tanks surrounded some hospitals, and doctors did not have enough medicine to treat the sick and wounded, according to an activist, who asked to remain anonymous because he feared for his safety. Syria: Understanding the unrest . Syria has restricted international journalists' access to the country, and CNN was unable to independently confirm the death toll and details of the situation. The reported crackdowns were the latest in months of unrest, which started when Syrian forces swiftly suppressed anti-government protests in the southern city of Daraa. Anti-government fervor caught on nationwide as more protests were met with tougher crackdowns. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency says government officials have pledged political reforms, and security forces are fighting dangerous armed gangs and "terrorist groups." It describes troops killed in clashes as "martyrs." SANA, citing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said in a report Monday that the country is "dealing with the outlaws ... who are blocking roads, closing cities and terrorizing citizens," adding that it "is the duty of state to protect the lives of citizens." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 2,000 people, primarily demonstrators, have died in the months-long unrest. In recent days, critical statements from regional leaders -- including the Arab League and a coalition of Gulf states -- have joined an international chorus calling on the Syrian government to end the violence. Saudi Arabia's king said the situation in Syria was "unacceptable," announcing his country's decision to recall its ambassador "for consultation on current events." "The brotherly Syrian government and people are aware of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's past support for them," Abdullah said, according to a transcript of his statement released by the Saudi government. "Today, Saudi Arabia stands up to its historical responsibility towards its brothers, demands an end to the killing machine and bloodshed, and (is) asking for reason to prevail before it is too late." The statement from the king -- who leads a nation with significant religious authority and symbolic status among Muslims -- comes at a significant time, during the holy month of Ramadan. Later Monday, foreign ministries in Bahrain and Kuwait announced that their countries' ambassadors to Syria also had been recalled for consultations on the situation. "This is a steady drum beat, an increasing drum beat ... The message is becoming clearer and clearer to Assad that he has fewer and fewer friends," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday. Turkey's foreign minister's scheduled visit to Syria Tuesday will be a chance "to send send yet another strong message" demanding that al-Assad stop the violence, Toner said. "His neighbors and other powerful countries and voices in the region need to chime in and get that message to him," Toner said. The Arab League issued a statement calling on Syrian authorities "to stop immediately all acts of violence and security campaigns against civilians and to speed up in executing reforms." On Sunday, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, a union of countries located on the Arabian Peninsula, called on Syria "to put an end to the bloodshed and resort to wisdom, and make serious reforms necessary." SANA, citing a Syrian official, reported that the government received the statement "with regret." The council "completely ignored the information and facts presented by Syria on the killing and sabotage acts committed by armed terrorist groups seeking to undermine the homeland's sovereignty and security," the SANA report said. Criticism of al-Assad's government appeared to take a new form Monday when the Syrian Ministry of Defense website was apparently hacked. For a brief period, the site showed the Syrian flag and a statement: "The world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad. Know that time and history are on your side." The statement was signed, "Anonymous" -- an apparent reference to the international hacking collective that has claimed credit for high-profile cyber-attacks in recent months targeting government websites and major corporations. Later Monday SANA reported that al-Assad named a new minister of defense to replace Gen. Ali Habib Hamoud, whose "health condition deteriorated recently." It was unclear how the reshuffling would impact the nation's military strategy. CNN's Nada Husseini, Mohammed Jamjoom, Yousuf Basil, Christine Theodorou, Arwa Damon, Amir Ahmed, Kamal Ghattas and Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report. | NEW: U.S. State Department spokesman: Syrian president "has fewer and fewer friends"
Bahrain recalls its ambassador to Syria for consultations amid mounting violence .
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are also recalling their ambassadors for discussions .
Saudi Arabia's king says there is "no justification for the bloodshed" in Syria . |
103,196 | 110dbb22c2ce2601e106641cd73f6fb19639fa45 | By . Sally Lee for Daily Mail Australia . Love it or hate it, Vegemite is the iconic spread that has been an essential part of Australia's heritage dating back to the 1920s. But 10 American kids were not too fond of the dark brown food paste made from yeast extract and vegetables. And looks can be deceiving, as some initially reacted with excitement as they thought the bowl of Vegemite was chocolate pudding and questioned whether this was Australia's version of Nutella, a sweet Italian hazelnut spread. Others were more sceptical, describing it as 'poop'. Krischelle is one of 10 American kids who tried Vegemite for the first time in the YouTube video 'Kids vs Food' The much-loved iconic Australian spread has been around since the 1920s . The children appeared in a YouTube video done by the REACT channel . Krischelle, one of the kids filmed for the REACT Channel YouTube video entitled 'Kids Vs. Food', held her nose and gasped in horror as a scoop of the paste was presented on a silver platter. She was convinced the dark consistency of Vegemite was akin to 'poop' while most were hopeful and thought it was some sort of chocolate pudding - albeit clearly confused by its appearance. 'I've had chocolate but not this gross icky stuff,' Maxim said. Olivia described the bowl of Vegemite as 'Nutella that's weird'. Upon smelling it, she wasn't too convinced. 'It doesn't smell like Nutella, it smells like fish,' she said. Lucas (left) and Samirah (right) take their first bite of Vegemite with crackers . Both Olivia (left) and Lyndon (right) weren't impressed with the salty and bitter taste of the dark paste . Others had a more interesting perception of the spread as they thought it was seaweed, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or bread. The dish of the day was Vegemite on crackers as all 10 kids squirmed as they took their first bite. 'That has a bad after-taste,' Jayka said. While Lucas was a little off his mark when the mystery meal was plated up. 'Cookies!' he exclaimed. None of the kids who tried the spread made from yeast extract would recommend eating it . So far, it has attracted more than 600,000 views on YouTube . But the salty and bitter taste did not impress any of the children, . 'It's weird, acidy and makes you want to barf,' Lyndon said. Olivia gave her critical review on the paste. 'It tastes like someone tried to make food and failed horribly,' she said. When the name of the spread was revealed, most had never heard of Vegemite. One thought it was 'like vegetables that tastes like termites'. All 10 kids didn't recommend that others try Vegemite, agreeing that 'you're going to throw up if you eat it'. | The video shows 10 children trying Vegemite for the first time and reacting .
It was released by the REACT channel on YouTube on Thursday .
So far it has attracted more than 600,000 views on the social media site .
None of the children who tried the spread would recommend eating it . |
36,016 | 663d9816334e8603a5eec1654df6e44431b6cb6c | By . Mark Prigg . Apple's iWatch has been delayed and will not go on sale until 2015, it has been claimed by a Chinese analyst. It is believed the firm has delayed the watch to ensure the hardware and software is perfect at launch. However, Apple's stock today hit an all time high ahead of an expected September 9th launch of the iPhone 6. Scroll down for video . Reports have previously claimed Apple's iWatch could double up as an activity tracker. This concept image reveals how the rumoured device and health tool might look. Dubbed the Diet Watch, it could track calories and steps as well as heart rate. It could launch at an event in October, alongside Apple's next iPad range . Speculation . around Apple's iWatch began at the end of 2012 and a rumoured release . date was initially set for the fourth quarter of 2013. Chinese websites reported in December 2012 that the computer giant was working with chip-maker Intel on a wrist-worn gadget. It was said to have a 1.5inch screen and use Bluetooth to communicate with other devices, including an iPhone. Other . rumours suggest the iWatch will feature Siri voice controls that let . users dictate messages, rather than use the tiny screen. The watch could also be used as a remote control to change music tracks or pause video, on the phone or tablet. In July last year, reports in the Financial Times said Apple was hiring outside help to tackle design problems with its iWatch. Apple Inc shares rose 1.4 percent to end at $100.53, a closing record high for the tech bellwether when adjusted for the stock's June seven-for-one stock split. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says difficulties with manufacturing the new device will likely be the cause of the delay, according to 9to5mac. 'We reiterate our view that iWatch, as compared to existing products, and as Apple’s (US) first attempt at a wearable device, represents a much higher level of difficulty for the company as regards component and system design, manufacturing and integration between hardware and software, he said. 'While we are positive on iWatch and believe that the advantages of the design and business model behind it are difficult to copy, we think, given the aforementioned challenges, that the launch could be postponed to 2015.' Apple recently poached a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer, which could be to help it with the launch of its iWatch expected this autumn. Tag Heuer, part of luxury goods group LVMH, said on Friday its vice president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, who had been with the brand for seven years, was leaving on Monday to join Apple. It did not say what his new job would be, and Apple declined to comment. The iWatch will be the closest the U.S. company has come to selling a fashion accessory and marks its first foray into the personal luxury goods market. The new claims about a rounded design contradict previous reports the iWatch would have a curved screen, as seen in this concept by Todd Hamilton . It is in a race against Samsung Electronics and Google to turn computers into wearable fashion and must-have items as smartphones, increasingly becoming commoditized items, start losing their appeal. Apple has plucked several executives from the luxury sector in recent months. Burberry ex-Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts started as its new head of retail and online sales in May, and former head of French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent Paul Deneve was hired last year to work on special projects. 'I think he was probably head-hunted,' a Tag Heuer spokeswoman said of Pruniaux, adding a replacement had already been found. Analysts and industry executives say the jury is still out on whether smart watches will disrupt the luxury Swiss watch industry. The Tag Heuer Mikrotimer watch: It has emerged Apple has poached the firm's head of sales for its iWatch product . 'I don’t believe that an iWatch will be a threat to luxury Swiss watches,' said Jon Cox, analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich. 'But where I do see some potential impact is at lower, for example below $1,000, price points where there could be a temporary dislocation if there is super high demand for iWatches.' Jean-Claude Biver, head of watch brands at LVMH and chairman of watch brand Hublot, said he believed the threat of smart watches had to be taken seriously by the Swiss watch industry. 'The iWatch will have the same status symbol power as many other Apple products, especially at the beginning,' he said. 'I personally believe it has the potential to be a threat for the industry, and it should not stay with its arms crossed.' Apple applied for a trademark for the "iWatch" in Japan, a patent official said earlier this week, signaling the iPhone maker could be moving ahead with plans to launch a watch-like device soon. Google announcement comes just a week after sources revealed Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc will start mass production of Apple first smartwatch in July, and the much anticipated timepiece will be revealed in October. Pictured is a concept design of what the iWatch may look like . Speculation has been mounting that Apple was preparing to launch an iWatch which would include multiple health and fitness sensors and access to features such as messages and notifications through integration with the iPhone and iPad. A sweat sensor is believed to one of at least 10 sensors on the watch. It has also been revealed Apple has signed up a host of sports star to try the wearable - including basketball star Kobe Brant, who was recently spotted at Apple's Cupertino campus. According to laoyaoba.com, the sweat sensor has been developed in house by Apple. Although the watch is shrouded in secrecy, players from the MLB, NHL and NBA have believed to have been approached about the fitness aspects of the watch. One of these athletes is reportedly Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, who was spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus last month. According to 9to5Mac's source, Bryant met Apple's design boss Jony Ive and his team, to discuss upcoming products. Apple is also believed to be working with Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown and an unnamed player from the Boston Red Sox, according to 9to5Mac. However, laoyaoba.com also claims the watch may be delayed as it must be certified as a medical device with the Food and Drug Administration. Last night, Samsung revealed a new smart wristband and announced plans to let manufacturers use the same core components - much like the mobile phone market. Ram Fish, Vice President of Digital Health for Samsung is pictured displaying the Simband . Apple has already revealed it is working with Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and the National Institutes of Health on its HealthKit app, which is believed to work in tandem with the iWatch. Earlier reports say the watch will includes more than 10 sensors to take health measurements and other data. It is also set to come in multiple sizes - and is expected to go on sale in October. The much rumoured watch is believed to be about to begin mass production in Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal also said that Apple is planning multiple screen sizes for the device, and previous rumour have claimed a male and female version will be released. Rumours still differ as to whether the watch will be round or rectangular. Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (pictured) was spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus last month, and is believed to have met Apple's design boss Jony Ive and his team to discuss upcoming products - including the iWatch. Samsung, Sony, Qualcomm and others have already released smartwatches, but the gadgets have mostly functioned as companions to smartphones, offering email notifications, clock functions and the like. Samsung's Gear 2 line, released this year, added fitness-related apps and has a heart rate sensor. But the market is growing fast, with data firm IDC saying that worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices - a category that includes smartwatches - will triple in size this year over 2013. Apple has already dropped hints of its plans in this arena, hiring the former chief executive of French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, a unit of Kering SA, and proclaiming that it will introduce 'new product categories"' this year. | Chinese analyst claims complexity of watch design has led to delay .
Comes as Apple stock hit all time high ahead of an expected September 9th launch of the iPhone 6 . |
189,502 | 8165923f382d45c76989f9a1d2c2a8163877672a | By . Hakeem Irfan and Suhas Munshi . PUBLISHED: . 16:31 EST, 17 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:33 EST, 17 November 2012 . Liquor baron-turned-business tycoon Gurdeep Singh Chadha, popularly known as Ponty Chadha, was shot dead by his brother yesterday in an bitter property dispute that also ended with the death of the brother and a security guard. Ponty's younger brother, Hardeep Singh Chadha, was killed in retaliatory firing by a security guard accompanying the elder brother. The dispute between the brothers started when their father, Kulwant Singh Chadha, died last year without dividing the property among his three sons - Gurdeep, Hardeep and Rajinder. Tragedy: A body of one of the brothers at the AIIMS mortuary . The wife of Hardeep Singh Chadha is consoled by relatives after hearing news of the killings . The dispute ended in a bloodbath with security guards of both brothers exchanging 40 rounds in the grounds of the Chadha farmhouse at Chhatarpur in New Delhi . According to sources, Ponty had approached the Delhi Police a few days ago requesting security cover as he anticipated a threat to his life from Hardeep. The shootout took place between 11.45 am and 12.30 pm at Chadha's DLF farmhouse-42 in Chhatarpur, where armed men from both the sides fired around 40 rounds at each other. By the time the police reached the spot, Ponty had already been shifted to Fortis hospital in Vasant Kunj, where he succumbed to his injuries, while Hardeep, also known as Satnam, was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Narender Kumar, a security guard with Ponty, was also injured in the firing and later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Gurgaon. In the morning, Ponty along with his security personnel allegedly barged into the farmhouse and locked up all the rooms on the premises. The ownership of the farmhouse - a sprawling 7-acre property - was a bone of contention among the three brothers. Liquor Baron and owner of Wave Infratech, Gurdeep Singh Chadha at his farmhouse . They were supposed to meet and amicably settle the dispute over all their properties at the farmhouse on Saturday. The staff at the farmhouse informed Hardeep, who was at the nearby Chadha property – 21 Oak Drive - about the arrival of Ponty along with his guards. He immediately reached the farmhouse along with his security guards and entered into an argument with Ponty. The argument turned ugly when, according to eyewitnesses, Ponty pushed Hardeep, who took out his pistol and pumped bullets into his elder brother's chest. This triggered a retaliatory fire from Sachin Tyagi, a police security officer accompanying Ponty. Constable Tyagi fired three bullets of which one hit Hardeep who was being escorted by Punjab police personnel. Hardeep tried to escape from the back gate but collapsed inside the house. Constable Tyagi somehow managed to drag injured Ponty out of the house, put him into a Land Cruiser and drive to Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj. Ponty's body was later shifted to AIIMS mortuary. Hardeep's body was also taken to AIIMS for postmortem and other legal formalities. Hardeep's lawyer Gaurang Kanth said he received a call from him around 12.20 pm, telling him that he anticipated "loss of control of all the properties" as he was about to meet his brother to settle the dispute. Hardeep asked Kanth to take legal "proactive" measures to secure his properties and business interests. Connected: Ponty Chadha picutred here right, with politician Amar Singh and his aides . Family business: Ponty pictured at with his son Monty Chadha at their family home . Kanth described the killings as 'unanticipated' and 'shocking'. He said that a 'reasonable settlement' was being worked out for the past six to seven months and a breakthrough was expected soon. According to Kanth, Hardeep wanted to settle the dispute, collect his share and start his own venture. Ponty Chadha hit the headlines earlier this year when the I-T department conducted raids at 13 of his properties in Delhi - Sainik Farms, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony - and six locations in Noida, Moradabad and Lucknow. The raids, however, proved to be a damp squib as Chadha with his political influence in Uttar Pradesh managed to get information beforehand. Sources claimed that Chadha had emptied the vault raided by the I-T officials and left a silver coin there to show off his connections with politicians and senior bureaucrats of the state. "We have registered a case and are investigating the matter," said Vivek Gogia, special commissioner, southern range. He was known as the man who knew how to handle politicians. Ponty Chadha did not just hobnob with political heavyweights in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, but was so deft at connecting with power that even if the state governments changed, he could turn the tide in his favour. It was this ability to pull the right strings in the political circle that helped him become a business tycoon in a short span of time. During Amarinder Singh's rule in Punjab about eight years ago, Chadha managed to gain control of the lucrative liquor business through "stage-managed" auctions. After the political scene changed in the state, his real estate business suffered hurdles - but not for long. With his sharp business acumen, Chadha expanded his liquor business in not just Punjab, but also Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. The liquor baron's political links became clear during the wedding of his daughter in February this year. Politicians cutting across party lines attended the function. Punjab's deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, former CM Amarinder and former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala attended the event. So did Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav, former BSP MP Akbar Ahmad and Delhi's education and tourism minister Arvinder Singh Lovely. According to sources,Chadha enjoyed close links with BSP chief Mayawati and started ruling the liquor trade in the state ever since she came to power in UP. SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdhry alleged: "Chadha benefited the most under Mayawati's rule. Her policy (of awarding liquor licences) was tailormade for him." In 2010, Chadha bagged five of 11 sick sugar mills sold by the UP government. "He got the mills for Rs 276 crore, when their market price was Rs 1,000-1,500 crore," alleged Rita Bahuguna Joshi of the Congress. It was, however, under Mayawati's predecessor SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's rule that Chadha's business had taken a big leap. Mulayam had inaugurated his Wave mall-cummultiplex in Lucknow and given Chadha several concessions in the project. The liquor baron was written off by people when Mayawati lost the CM's chair in March this year. But then he appeared at the swearing-in ceremony of current UP CM Akhilesh Yadav the same month. In Uttarakhand, Chadha's links with state leaders came to light in 2010, when he grabbed over half-adozen hydropower projects. Chadha's Chandigarh-based companies bagged the projects despite state government guidelines saying local firms had to be given preference. The allotments were later cancelled after two PILs were filed in the Nainital High Court. Chadha is also alleged to have operated liquor shops in the state. | Eyewitnesses say Ponty pushed brother Hardeep Singh Chadha, who then took out his pistol and pumped bullets into his brother's chest .
Hardeep, was killed in retaliatory firing by a security guard .
Armed men from both the sides fired around 40 rounds at each other . |
198,029 | 8c5511aa9c36918dd0f8ecf8481923138a65ce96 | Thousands of Iraqi women are being forced into sex slavery in brothels run by a 'police force' of British women jihadis, it has been reported. As many as 3,000 women and girls have been taken captive from the Yazidi tribe in Iraq as Isis militants continue their reign of terror across the region. Sources now say that British female jihadis operating a . religious police force called the . al-Khanssaa brigade, that punishes women for 'un-Islamic' behaviour, have set up brothels to for the use of Isis fighters. Scroll down for video . Thousands of Iraqi women are being forced into sex slavery in brothels for Islamic State fighters and run by a 'police force' of British women jihadis, it has been reported . A source told the Mirror: 'These women are using barbaric interpretations of the Islamic faith to justify their actions. 'They . believe the militants can use these women as they please as they are . non-Muslims. It is the British women who have risen to the top of the . Islamic State’s sharia police and now they are in charge of this . operation. 'It is as bizarre as it is perverse.' Jihadi: A key figure in the al-Khanssaa brigade is believed to be Aqsa Mahmood, 20, of Glasgow . The . think tank MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institution) released a . report saying that IS had taken many Yazidi women to be sold and used . as sex slaves. The . al-Khanssaa brigade is a female-only militia set up by the Islamic State . in Raqqa, Syria, with a key figure believed to be Aqsa Mahmood, 20, of . Glasgow, who fled to the country last year. Academics . at King's College London have identified three other British females as . members of the group - and say there are about 60 UK women who have . gone to Syria on jihad. Most . of these women - including privately-educated Mahmood - are aged . between 18 and 24, with al-Khanssaa said to be seeking out people . engaging in Western culture in Raqqa. It . is believed that US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff were both . beheaded in the desert near Raqqa - and therefore the British women in . al-Khanssaa could know who killed them. Melanie . Smith, a research associate at King's College's International Centre . for the Study of Radicalisation, told journalists Robert Mendick and . Robert Verkaik of The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Al-Khanssaa is a sharia law police brigade. This is Isis’s female law enforcement. 'We . think it’s a mixture of British and French women but its social media . accounts are run by the British and they are written in English. ‘Given . how small the community networks are - we know there are about 500 male . British jihadis out there - it is quite likely these women move in the . same circles as the British killer of Foley and Sotloff.’ What do they know? Among the UK women going to . Syria are Zahra (left) and Salma Halane (right), 16, twins from . Chorlton, Manchester . Devastation: Syrians inspecting the rubble of a damaged houses yesterday following a Syrian government airstrike in the north-eastern city of Raqqa, which is an Islamic State stronghold . Confusion reigns over the identity of . the Islamic State executioner known as 'Jihadi John' after security . experts last week appeared to dismiss suggestions he was a former rapper . from London. The masked man, who speaks with a . clear London accent, was originally thought to be ‘hip hop jihadist’ Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, but it is now understood to be another man. British . women are reportedly being given major roles within al-Khanssaa because . Islamic State chiefs see them as the most committed of the foreign . female jihadis. The Daily Mail reported yesterday how a growing band of young women have left their families in Britain to join the jihadi cause in Syria. Many . have formed ‘intense friendships’ in the Islamic State stronghold of . Raqqa. Academics at King’s College said they have seen ‘a big uptake’ in . the number of UK women going to Syria. Among . them are Salma and Zahra Halane, 16, twins from Manchester, and mother . Khadijah Dare, 22, who is married to a Swedish jihadist. Another . is Muslim convert Sally Jones, 45, from Chatham, Kent, an unemployed . mother who has ranted online about how she wants to behead Christians . with a ‘blunt knife’. Muslim convert: Sally Jones, 45, of Chatham, Kent, claims to have joined bloodthirsty jihadis roaming the lawless border between Syria and Iraq . The British mother-of-two who joined . Islamic State extremists after running away to wage jihad with her . toyboy husband fears she will never be able to return to Britain. Muslim . convert Sally Jones, 45, of Chatham, Kent, who has spent a lifetime on . state benefits, said she was now raising her ten-year-old son Jojo under . the Islamic State. The . unemployed mother, who was once an aspiring rock musician, claims to . have joined bloodthirsty jihadis roaming the lawless border between . Syria and Iraq. She married convicted computer hacker Junaid Hussain, 20, upon her arrival in Syria, and told journalist Dipesh Gadher of The Sunday Times: . ‘I had been travelling for 24 hours… lol and we got married the very . day I got here. My little boy became a Muslim too that very day.’ She added: ‘Becoming a Muslim changed my life. I can’t help but be militant when all they do is kill us for being Muslim. 'You . know they killed 1,220,550 innocent Muslims in the illegal Iraq war. The US and UK government - it’s that wot [sic] did it for me… It’s them . that’s the terrorists, not us.’ It . is not clear how Mrs Jones - who has abused Jews and praised Osama bin . Laden - obtained the inflated civilian death toll figure. Jones . revealed that she had left her other son, aged 18, in Britain - but . added that she will be jailed if she tries to return to the UK, saying: . ‘I can’t ever go back, they will throw away the key.’ | Al-Khanssaa brigade is female-only militia set up by Isis in Raqqa, Syria .
3,000 women and girls have been taken captive from the Yazidi tribe .
It's believed they're being forced into sex slavery in brothels for fighters . |
29,397 | 538e5d3801e19cc370a44925bf6f5527f64394b4 | By . Laura Clark . A head teachers’ leader will today issue an unprecedented apology for historic child abuse scandals that ‘shame’ boarding schools. Ray McGovern will admit that revelations ‘cast a long shadow’ over today’s institutions. He will use his keynote speech as chairman of the Boarding Schools’ Association to apologise ‘unreservedly’ on behalf of the sector for past incidents of child abuse. He will also admit that boarding schools were a ‘closed world’ where reputation mattered more than the welfare of children. Victorian attitudes prevailed that resulted in children being ‘seen and not heard’ and disciplined in line with the belief that ‘sparing the rod’ spoiled the child. But Mr McGovern will say that modern schools cannot be judged on how they were in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and are now ‘unrecognisable’ from their predecessors. His apology follows revelations that 128 leading independent schools – mainly boarding schools – have been tainted by the scandal of child abuse. An investigation revealed in January that one or more men employed at 62 schools – including many elite boys’ public schools such as Haberdashers’ Aske’s, Wellington College and Ampleforth – have been convicted of abusing children over the past 20 years. Eton and Marlborough are among 30 schools where a male staff member has been convicted for possession of child porn. Another 36 schools have had their reputations tarnished by ongoing investigations, cases involving arrests but no charges, civil action for damages and staff abusing children who were not pupils. Mr McGovern, headmaster of St George’s School, a state day and boarding school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, will address the issue at the BSA’s annual conference in Glasgow today. Eton College, on part called the Timbralls pictured, is one of 30 schools where a male staff member has been convicted for possession of child porn. 128 leading schools have been tainted by child abuse cases . ‘It shames me, and it shames the sector, that behaviour such as this happened or was allowed to happen, and for that I am unreservedly sorry,’ he will say. ‘I am sorry to those who were affected directly and to those who placed their trust in individuals who could not be trusted.’ Mr McGovern will say that schools are now much more closely regulated and that BSA members share a ‘genuinely different attitude’ towards child welfare. ‘Today’s boarding schools should not be judged by their predecessors of generations past. You wouldn’t judge a hospital now on the basis of how it was in the 1960s,’ he will announce. In his speech, Mr McGovern will also hit out at claims that boarding school pupils are not well prepared for real life and ‘can’t boil an egg or wash their own clothes’. ‘This is not my experience. I expect it’s not yours,’ he will say. And he will argue that universities and employers ‘increasingly look for more than top academic grades’. ‘They look for social skills and confidence, independence and resilience, character and perseverance. They look for true grit. You want all that as well outstanding exam results? No problem. That’s what we do,’ the audience will be told. | Ray McGovern is chairman of the Boarding Schools Association .
He is to apologise 'unreservedly' for past incidents of pupil abuse .
128 leading independent schools tainted by child abuse scandal . |
138,255 | 3ecb58387726f9acc44dd0af86aa20fb8a554991 | At least 63 people have been killed in a series of attacks by tribal militants in India's remote northeastern state of Assam, a police official said Wednesday. The attacks by fighters from the Bodo tribe took place Tuesday, Assam Police Inspector-General S.N. Singh told CNN. The Bodo insurgents -- apparently angry over a recent police crackdown that led to several arrests and the seizure of weapons -- targeted members of another tribal community, said Khagen Sarma, the state police chief. India's impoverished northeast region has a high concentration of extremist groups from different backgrounds with conflicting ethnic and political interests. Members of the Bodo tribe, an indigenous group, have fought for decades for political autonomy. They also have long-standing tensions with Muslim settlers in Assam. But in this case, they attacked members of another tribal community, police said. Sarma didn't provide the name of the tribespeople who were targeted, but called them "soft targets." He said the Bodo fighters used guns in the attacks. Authorities have ordered a curfew in areas targeted by the extremists, police said. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Assam on Wednesday to review the situation, his spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said. Dozens of people were killed in ethnic violence involving Bodo tribe members and Muslim migrants in 2012. The unrest, in which villages were burned down, displaced hundreds of thousands of people. | Bodo militants target members of another tribe in Assam state, police say .
The attacks may have been motivated by a recent police crackdown .
Ethnic tensions are rife in India's impoverished northeast . |
141,468 | 42ee1f62847271e4c6134cb8b15f4f02f00f3718 | (CNN) -- Fifty years ago this week, the civil rights movement rocked the nation's capital. Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins and the other major civil rights leaders led thousands of activists in a march on Washington. Their goal was to build pressure on Congress to move forward with the civil rights bill that President Kennedy had proposed. The march remains one of the most powerful examples of how social movements can affect political leaders and help break through the gridlock that often seizes Washington. Although politicians and pundits constantly express nostalgia that things were easier in the past, the fact is that Congress has always been a notoriously difficult institution. Where the problem today is that the parties are so polarized there is little room for agreement, in the early 1960s, the parties were so internally divided that bipartisan coalitions were able to stop legislative deals. Brazile: We're closer to the American dream . During the 1950s and early 1960s, an era when scholars and reporters complained about how little was accomplished on Capitol Hill, the main source of obstruction came from Southern Democrats and their conservative Republican allies. The "do-nothing Congress" was a familiar complaint then as it is now. Southerners used their power as committee chairmen as well as the threat of the filibuster in the Senate to prevent action on civil rights and to ensure that any bill that did make it through — as occurred in 1957 and 1960 — was so watered down that it was ineffective. Our lessons with Martin Luther King . Much to the chagrin of civil rights leaders, President Kennedy had shied away from proposing civil rights legislation during most of his term. He feared that sending a bill to Congress would hurt him in the 1964 election and cause Southerners to increase their opposition to his other domestic initiatives, like Medicare (in fact, Southerners ended up opposing civil rights and everything else, so Kennedy's strategy did not work). Civil rights activists responded by continually applying pressure on the White House to take action. Activists staged protests throughout the South, hoping that civil disobedience — and the violent responses of Southern authorities — would stimulate national outrage about racial conditions in Dixie. They were right. These efforts culminated in June 1963, when the police tactics of Sheriff Bull Connor and the Birmingham, Alabama, police force against African-Americans, including the use of fire hoses and police dogs against children, were so abhorrent that Kennedy could no longer hold back on proposing a bill. Indeed, liberal Republicans and Democrats were ready to move forward without the president. 50 years after King, hidden racism lives on . After Kennedy had finally sent a bill to the House, civil rights leaders rightfully didn't have faith that Congress would move forward with it, or that Kennedy would work hard to make sure the bill did not die. They had seen a Congress that was so gridlocked on this and other issues, they didn't have much reason to believe that this time things would be different. So ordinary citizens took it on themselves. At the end of August, they conducted the massive March on Washington aimed at the nation but also at the legislators, who were impressed by the force of the protest. John Lewis, then one of the leaders of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, told those assembled on the National Mall: "By and large, American politics is dominated by politicians who build their careers on immoral compromises and ally themselves with open forms of political, economic and social exploitation. . .. Where is the political party that will make it unnecessary to march on Washington?" Opinion: The anger, the fear, the love and the hope . The march was considered to be a stunning success, an act of civil protest that won public support for the cause and convinced a growing number of legislators to support the bill. Michigan Democrat Phil Hart, a liberal who originally did not think the march would do much, admitted that the "magnificent, moving, and edifying" protest had been effective. The overall message was clear, one that leaders would continue to communicate over the next few months. If Congress tried to stifle the civil rights bill there would be more protests like this that embarrassed the nation in the eyes of the world, as well as protests in the states and districts of key legislators who were obstructing racial justice. The civil rights bill would take some time to pass. The movement continued to put pressure on Congress, threatening even bigger marches and protests in their states if they did not act. The protests would continue throughout these months. In summer 1964, civil rights proponents finally brought the civil rights filibuster to an end and Congress passed legislation that ended desegregation in the South. LZ Granderson: The man history erased . To be sure, other factors would play an important role in the success of the civil rights bill in the coming months. JFK's assassination had created more political pressure on Congress to finish work on the bills that he had sent them. LBJ's legislative skills helped the White House avoid the pitfalls of the legislative process. But without the massive citizen mobilization that culminated with the March on Washington, the civil rights bill would never have succeeded. The March on Washington, combined with the other grass-roots protests, was a shining example of how gridlock can be brought to an end and how average citizens can shake the political system when key actors are blocking progress on key issues of the day. Today we should take a closer look at this march. In an age when certain members of Congress are unwilling to resolve so many issues — from gun control to immigration — it is worth remembering that in the past, citizens have been able to make a huge difference. Legislators are, after all, creatures of elections. If mass movements can make demands on the leadership and demonstrate the urgency of action, they might be the push legislators need toward the legislation that seems so elusive in 2013. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer. | Julian Zelizer: Americans bewail the failure of Congress to move on major issues .
He says the March on Washington showed how citizen protest can result in change .
Civil rights protesters were able to highlight injustice and to obtain remedies, he says .
Zelizer: We should keep the march in mind when we think of today's Washington gridlock . |
226,144 | b0d7fdb2b645348edc7dc8daf6d52381f1962feb | It's the stuff of nightmares: A dig at a macabre graveyard has revealed a Bulgarian vampire pinned to his resting place by a metal spike. The ancient skeleton, identified as a 35 to 40 year old male, is only the second ever skeleton with a spike driven near its heart in this way, after one that was found last year in the southern town of Sozopol. It is thought the man, considered to be a vampire by his medieval contemporaries, was pinned to his grave using the ploughshare - the metal end of a plough - to prevent him from leaving at midnight and terrorising the living. The ancient skeleton, identified as a 35-40 year old male, was discovered with a large metal ploughshare (pictured in rusty orange, top right) driven through his left shoulder . The discovery was made at the Perperikon site, in the east of the country, during a dig led by the ‘Bulgarian Indiana Jones’ Professor Nikolai Ovcharov. Last year, a group heading by Professor Ovcharov unearthed another 700-year-old skeleton of a man pinned down in his earth in a church in the Black Sea town of Sozopol. The skeleton, which quickly became known as the ‘Sozopol vampire,’ was pierced through the chest with a ploughshare and has his teeth pulled out before being put to rest. Professor Ovcharov has said described the latest finding as the ‘twin of the Sozopol vampire’ and said it could shed light on how vampire beliefs in the Pagan times were preserved by Christians in the middle ages. The man, thought at the time to be a vampire, was pinned to his grave using the plough to prevent him from leaving at midnight and terrorising the living . The discovery was made at Perperikon in a dig led by the 'Bulgarian Indiana Jones' Professor Nikolai Ovcharov . Coins found with the body have been dated it to the 13th and 14th century. In other cases Professor Ovcharov said he had found skeletons ‘nailed to the ground with iron staples driven into the limbs’ but this was only the second case were a ploughshare was used near the heart. ‘[The ploughshare] weighs almost 2 pounds (0.9kg) and is dug into the body into a broken shoulder bone,’ he said. ‘You can clearly see how the collarbone has literally popped out.’ This is the latest in a succession of finds across western and central Europe that shed new light on how seriously people took the threat of vampires. Last year, a group heading by Professor Ovcharov unearthed another 700-year-old skeleton of a man pinned down in his earth in a church in the Black Sea town of Sozopol . Professor Ovcharov has said described the latest finding, discovered at Perperikon (pictured) as the 'twin of the Sozopol vampire' and said it could shed light on how vampire beliefs in the Pagan times were preserved by Christians in the middle ages . According to Pagan belief, people who were considered bad during their lifetimes might turn into vampires after death unless stabbed in the chest with an iron or wooden rod before being buried. These 'vampires' were often, intellectuals, aristocrats and clerics. A skeleton found last year, which quickly became known as the 'Sozopol vampire,' was also pierced through the chest with a ploughshare . 'The curious thing is that there are no women among them. They were not afraid of witches,’ said Bulgaria's national history museum chief, Bozhidar Dimitrov. The string of plagues which ravaged Europe between 1300 and 1700 helped cement an already growing belief in vampires. Gravediggers reopening mass graves following a plague would sometimes come across bodies bloated by gas, with hair still growing, and blood seeping from their mouths.The shrouds used to cover the faces of the dead were often decayed by bacteria in the mouth, revealing the corpse's teeth, and vampires became known as 'shroud-eaters.' According to medieval medical and religious texts, the 'undead' were believed to spread pestilence in order to suck the remaining life from corpses until they acquired the strength to return to the streets again. ‘In my opinion it's not about criminals or bad people,’ said Professor Ovcharov. ‘Rather, these are precautionary measures that prevent the soul from being taken by the forces of evil in the 40 day period after death.’ Over 100 buried people whose corpses were stabbed to prevent them from becoming vampires have been discovered across Bulgaria over the years. The belief in vampires was widespread throughout Bulgaria and other parts of central Europe throughout the Middle Ages. The word vampire is derived from the original Slavic term opyrb or opir which later appears as vipir, vepir, or vapir. Drunkards, thieves and murderers were all believed to be likely candidates to become vampires. John van Eyssen prepares to drive a wooden stake through the heart of vampire. The scene was in 'Horror of Dracula' Appearing completely normal, they would arrive at a town and live amongst the people often even marrying and fathering children. But at night they would wander the countryside in search of blood. These types of vampires could be destroyed with a stake through the heart. One account maintains that a vampire was the soul of an outlaw who died in the mountains or forest or along a country road, and whose corpse is eaten by crows, wolves, or some other such scavengers. Because such a soul is not permitted to enter heaven or hell it remains on earth haunting the place where he was killed strangling and drinking the blood of anyone who comes by. Another account states a person who died a violent, unnatural death or whose corpse was jumped over by a cat before burial, can become a vampire. In such cases during the first 40 days after burial, the bones turn to gelatin and the vampire performs mischief at night - releasing animals from their pens, scattering house hold items, and suffocating people. During the first forty days it can be destroyed by a Vampiridzhija - a professional vampire hunter capable of seeing them - or alternatively devoured by a wolf. However if not destroyed in this time period the Vampire would develop a skeleton and becomes even more fierce. | The skeleton is of 35-40 year old male from the 13th or 14th century .
Discovery is similar to one found by the same team in Sozopol last year .
It was uncovered by the ‘Bulgarian Indiana Jones’ Nikolai Ovcharov . |
111,309 | 1b88fcb716a130ad4627002f4f5b1ef15c669749 | By . Jennifer Smith . PUBLISHED: . 13:32 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:34 EST, 9 December 2013 . An independent adoption agency desperate to find children a home has resorted to advertising them in local newspapers. Adoptionplus placed full page adverts in three newspapers in Cambridgeshire in a bid to find loving families for 'Liam', four, and 'Kevin', three. The advert appeals to would-be parents by saying the process of adoption has 'no cost, no waiting time, and no hoops to jump through.' Adoptionplus placed this full-page advert in three Cambridgeshire newspapers appealing to readers to find 'Luke' and 'Kevin' homes . It appeared in the Fenland Citizen, Cambridge News and Cambridge News and Crier, though the children featured are not thought to be local and have had their names changed. Joanne Alper, a service director at Adoptionplus, has defended . the adverts saying the company needed to find an 'imaginative' way to . encourage adoption, as the number of children looking for a home reached . 4,000. She said: 'Basically the situation is there are four . thousand children in the UK who need a family and a lot of authorities . are struggling to find them. 'There is a lot of pressure on them . to try and be a bit more creative. This advert is a new thing. It is us . trying something different and it is unusual. 'It is very easy when you just switch on the news and they say 'blah blah blah' but this kind of thing makes it seem more real. 'We just hope this could inspire interest. We try to get rid of myths like that you have to be in a relationship to adopt. 'I . think the fact that there are so many children in the UK that need a . home is desperately sad and we want to do everything we can.' But some have slammed the campaign . saying children should not be advertised in such a way that is . 'unconcerned' with finding them a suitable home. The agency that was commissioned by a local authority that cannot be named for legal reasons has defended the advert as 'an imaginative' way to find children homes . John . Hemmings MP said the advert sent out the wrong message and would not . serve the purpose of finding a safe home for vulnerable children. The . liberal democrat, who represents Birmingham Yardley, said: 'If parents . with children did something like that they would go to jail. 'We are supposed to protect the identity of children by not naming them or keeping their identity secret. John Hemming condemned the advert as 'unconcerned' with finding the children suitable homes . 'I . find it very odd that local authorities are so keen to keep a child's . identity secret one minute but then change their minds when it suits . them. 'They seem to be unconcerned about the household that children end up in. 'It is about box ticking rather than finding them a good home.' The independent agency was commissioned by a local authority, which cannot be named to protect the children's identities, to find the boys homes. Adoptionplus is monitored by watchdog Ofsted and was rated as Outstanding in five different categories in February this year. Staff were described as 'forward thinking' and praised for being 'extremely effective' in finding homes for vulnerable children. The British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) said they welcome new ways of encouraging prospective parents, adding: 'It's not something new to us as we are always trying to find ways of rehoming children.' 'We are very careful about where we feature children. We normally change their names or don't talk about location. 'There are over 4,000 children who need to be adopted every year and and there is always the need for parents to come forward. 'It is hard to find homes for older kids and siblings especially.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Adoptionplus placed the advert in three Cambridgeshire newspapers .
It appeals to would-be parents to provide two little boys 'loving homes'
The agency has defended the advert as an 'imaginative way' to find children homes . |
253,003 | d3740c205221ddee2bdf501e8287138bcc06be9e | (CNN) -- A homeless hitchhiker who achieved Internet celebrity by acting as a Good Samaritan with a hatchet was arrested at a Philadelphia bus depot Thursday in connection with the murder of a New Jersey attorney, authorities said. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, known on Facebook and YouTube as "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker," is facing a murder charge in Union County, New Jersey, authorities said. McGillvary was arrested Thursday evening at the Greyhound terminal by Philadelphia police after New Jersey authorities issued a public call for help in finding him, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow. "I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest," Romankow said in a statement. "I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets." Earlier Thursday, Romankow acknowledged the Internet fame surrounding McGillvary, who is crediting with saving two lives in California. "This man was well-known. That doesn't mean he did not or could not become involved in a crime," Romankow told reporters. "We believe he has murdered someone -- an attorney by the way who was in the county, was well respected, well regarded for well over 40 years. "As far as we're concerned, I don't care who he is. We're looking for him," the prosecutor said. McGillvary is wanted in the death of attorney Joseph Galfy Jr., authorities said. McGillvary and Galfy exchanged text messages over the last few days, Romankow said. "It's more like 'Come pick me up' and 'I'll be there at this time,' " Romankow said. "But not anything of a personal nature." But investigators believe McGillvary and Galfy had a sexual relationship, Romankow said. "There has been some indication of that on Facebook," the prosecutor said. Romankow didn't know why the two men were in contact with each other. Investigators also don't know what the motive was for the murder, but they know that the two men were together Sunday evening, the prosecutor said. Galfy was found dead Monday morning in his Clark bedroom, wearing only underwear and socks, Romankow said. "He was severely beaten," Romankow added. McGillvary received national attention after CNN affiliate KMPH interviewed him about a February hitchhiking experience in which he used a hatchet to subdue the driver who claimed to be Jesus and struck a utility worker with his car, then grabbed a woman as she provided help at the scene in Fresno, California. Romankow said Thursday that McGillvary has been known to use the back end of a hatchet. The utility worker underwent surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver, who stood more than 6 feet tall and weighed at least 300 pounds, was arrested, the affiliate said. With long hair sweeping out of a bandana, McGillvary provided a dramatic account of the rescue and gestured how he wielded the hatchet against the rampaging motorist in a "Smash! Smash! Sa-mash!" manner, he told the affiliate. He spoke in the patois of a surfer. The female bystander, apparently not injured, confirmed the incident in an interview with KMPH. McGillvary's Facebook page says that "Kai saved a woman's life by cleaving a man in the head, with a hatchet, after he had just hit someone with his car." McGillvary's story was featured on "The Colbert Report" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the affiliate said. The murder charge against McGillvary carries a bail of $3 million, Romankow said. Galfy lived alone, and he wasn't married and had no children, Romankow said. McGillvary also goes by the names Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence and Kai Nicodemus, authorities said. He has cut his hair to alter his appearance and was last seen at a light rail station in Haddonfield, New Jersey, Romankow said. McGillvary is homeless but calls himself "homefree," authorities said. "Authorities believe that McGillvary relies on the generosity of strangers for food, lodging and transportation," the prosecutor said in a statement. "He is considered to be armed and dangerous." | NEW: Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, aka "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker," is arrested .
NEW: Suspect and murder victim had a sexual relationship, prosecutor says .
NEW: Victim, a "well-respected" attorney for 40 years, was found dead in bedroom .
NEW: Philadelphia police arrest McGillvary, 24, at a bus depot . |
103,012 | 10c90c88ec2592baaca1f34ff9a62fabcb760ee6 | A mother has been accused of restraining her eight-year-old daughter while her boyfriend repeatedly raped her. The sickening crime emerged after the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fled to a neighbor's home in Columbus, Ohio. Accused: The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of restraining her daughter while her boyfriend repeatedly raped the eight-year-old . Boyfriend: Alberto Hernandez is accused of raping the eight-year-old girl while her mother held her down . The woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her eight-year-old daughter's identity, and her boyfriend Alberto Hernandez, were brought before a judge on Monday. Franklin county prosecutors allege she restrained her own daughter as her partner raped her on repeated occasions. The child fled from her mother's house over the weekend, said one of the family's neighbors, whose name local TV channel WSYX ABC 6 also protected. 'I guess he tried to rape the 8-year-old, and the little girl had enough strength to get up and get out of there,' the witness told the TV station. The judge set the mother's bail at $1 million and Hernandez's at $2 million. Authorities returned the girl to her father. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Mother allegedly restrained her daughter as partner raped her .
Child made desperate escape bid to neighbors' house .
Judge set the mother's bail at $1 million and Hernandez's at $2 million .
Authorities placed girl in care of her father . |
271,612 | ebce71caf82d6054552d4a501fe800370f7f4790 | Yaya Toure scored his first goal of this Africa Cup of Nations to help Ivory Coast reach the final for the second time in three years, despite an unconvincing display. Neither Toure nor his new Manchester City team-mate Wilfried Bony were at their best, against a Democratic Republic of Congo side that few teams expected to get even this far, but Toure’s strike was still the highlight of an entertaining match. This has not been a great tournament for City’s midfield powerhouse. Sullen both on and off the pitch, rarely able to make an impression from a deeper role than he is used to, and possibly even carrying an injury, Toure had been a shadow of the player we know he can be. Yaya Toure (right) celebrates with team-mate Serge Aurier after rifling home to put Ivory Coast 1-0 up . Toure (pictured wearing 19) runs along the side of the pitch with his team-mates in tow . Gervinho restored Ivory Coast's lead to 2-1 five minutes before the half-time break in Bata, Equatorial Guinea . DR Congo (4-4-2): Muteba, Issama Mpeko, Kimwaki, Zakuani, Kasusula, Makiadi (Mubele 79), Mbemba, Mangulu, Cedrick (Kebano 69), Bokila, Bolasie, Mbokani Bezua (Kabananga 61) Subs not used: Oualembo, Munganga, Mulumbu, Kage, Mabele, Kudimbana, Mongongu, Mabidi, Mandanda . Goal: Mbokani 24 . Booked: Kasusula 67, Kabananga 71 . Ivory Coast (3-4-3): Gbohouo, Bailly, K Toure, Kanon, Aurier, Y Toure, Die, Tiene (Diarrassouba 72), Gradel (Kalou 62), Bony (Traore 90+2), Gervinho . Subs not used: Barry, Assale, Doukoure, Doumbia, Gadji-Celi Carmel Junior, Akpa-Akpro, Diomande, Mande . Goals: Y Toure 20, Gervinho 41, Kanon 68 . Booked: Kanon 26, Y Toure 28, Die 70, Aurier 76 . Referee: Neant Alioum . The frustration he showed to pick up a needless yellow card after just half an hour, by haranguing the referee over a throw-in decision, was typical of his tournament so far. On this occassion he was outshone by the excellent Chancel Mbemba of Anderlecht, and while he was not exactly poor, he was nowhere near the all-action hero he should be for this team. Unable to influence games as he might like, he has been reduced to merely a forceful personality, vociferously encouraging his team-mates, rather than a forceful performer, leading by example. But, in the 20th minute, he showed that he can still produce moments of magic. After Bony had been dispossessed in the box, the ball broke to Toure on the edge of the box. As it bounced across his body, the ball sat up perfectly for the 31-year-old, and he seemed to let out three weeks of tension in the strike, which flew past veteran keeper Robert Kidiaba before he could do more than flap at it. The shot was not far from the 38-year-old keeper, but it is hard to fault him for failing to save it. Had he been able to react quickly enough to get a hand on it, it would have needed to be made of steel to divert the thunder-strike off target. Gervinho (centre) watches on as his shot flies past Muteba Kidiaba and into the back of the DR Congo net . Gervinho slides on his knees near the corner flag after helping his team to the Africa Cup of Nations final . Dieudonne Mbokani (centre) gave his side some hope after he equalised from the penalty spot to make it 1-1 . The lead lasted just a few seconds. As has been their way all the way through this competition, the Congolese forwards reacted to going behind – although in truth they had a helping hand from both Eric Bailly and referee Neant Alioum. A hopeful ball into the box drifted over the head of Jeremy Bokila, and struck Bailly on the hand, but quite how he was supposed to have deliberately handled from behind the striker is anyone’s guess. Nonetheless, Alioum pointed to the spot and Dieumercie Mbokani calmly side-footed into the corner. But, once again, when finding themselves on level terms, DR Congo went back into their shell. Eventually they were punished when Yannick Bolasie gifted the ball to Wilfried Bony deep in his own half, the new City striker feeding Gervinho who finished with aplomb. DR Congo's players join Mbokani (right) to celebrate his equaliser from the penalty spot in the first half . Crystal Palace's Yannick Bolasie (right) tries to take the ball past Ivory Coast's Aurier during the match . An Ivory Coast fan waves his country's flag while he watches the semi-final match in Bata, Equatorial Guinea . It had been coming. Moments earlier Gervinho had a header cleared brilliantly off the line by Peterbrough’s Gabriel Zakuani, who managed to turn the goal-bound effort up onto the underside of the crossbar and away. It was a feat the defender had to repeat in the second half, when Kibiati deflected a Gervinho cross towards his own goal. Soon after the former Arsenal forward had another chance, running at goal from the right wing before being denied by a brilliant recovery tackle from Jean Kasusula. The third goal, which killed the game off, came from a corner, Serge Aurier’s header parried into the path of Serge Kanon, who steered it home with a knee. It was harsh on DR Congo, who had dominated for much of the game. Gabriel Zakuani (right) takes hold of the ball as Gervinho watches on during the Africa Cup of Nations match . Bolasie (left) looks up as goalscorer Serge Kanon bears down on him during their semi-final clash . Mbokani (right), scorer of DR Congo's goal, challenges Kanon with a high foot in Bata . Despite the quality of the attacking players at his disposal, Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard was once again content to allow the opposition possession for long periods, sitting his two defensive lines deep and utilizing the pace of Gervinho and Gradel on the break. The Ivorians showed a little more ambition than in their quarter-final, with wing-backs Serge Aurier and Siaka Tiene playing higher up the field than they had for large periods against Algeria, but for the most part they were solid rather than spectacular. In fact, aside from Gervinho, Aurier was the Ivorians best attacking outlet for much of the game from right wing-back, forcing Bolasie to do rather more tracking back than he is used to. But the Palace man still managed to find some time to attack, as Congo maintained plenty of possession and, once they had conceded the first goal, began to create some chances. New Manchester City man Wilfried Bony (left) challenges Zakuani with a header as Ivory Coast progressed . The Ivory Coast starting XI line up and link arms as their national anthem plays in the build-up to the match . DR Congo's starting XI pose for a photo before their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match . Bolasie provided first half chances for both Mbokani and Bokila, the former seeing his deflected shot turned away by Sylvain Gbohouo, the latter stopped only by a brilliant challenge from Liverpool’s Kolo Toure. The winger continued to threaten in the second period, forcing Gbohouo into two good saves early in the second half. The first came after Bolasie had controlled a cross and smashed it at goal, the second followed a brilliant jinking run, which, had he been able to finish, would have been goal of the tournament. But with Kannon’s goal the Leopards’ play went from merely attacking to suicidal, as multiple substitutions robbed them of any structure they had possessed in the final third. More than ever the Ivorians were able to sit deep, and their solidity told, the Leopards scarcely able to muster a shot in the closing stages, while Gervinho should have added a fourth on the break. They will go into the final, against either Ghana or hosts Equatorial Guinea, as strong favourites. Rather like their captain’s performance, this is not a vintage side, but it might well prove to be enough. Despite the ‘golden generation’ seemingly being well past their best, they are on the verge of finally winning a major tournament. | Yaya Toure opened the scoring for Ivory Coast with a long-range effort .
Dieumerci Mbokani equalised from the penalty spot shortly after .
Gervinho restored Ivory Coast's lead five minutes before half-time .
Their place in the final was confirmed when Wilfried Kanon fired home . |
184,574 | 7b1216fafbbe5f2e55a5890097333363e95345e5 | Move over Grumpy Cat - the world's ugliest kitten is hot on your tail. The internet's most sour faced feline may just have met her fierce gazed match in Stitch - the new unfortunate looking cat in town. The five-month-old kitten's pointy ears, wide green eyes and wrinkly face and coat have earned him thousands of adoring Instagram fans. The internet's most sour faced feline Grumpy Cat may just have met her fierce gazed match in Stitch - hailed the world's ugliest cat . The five-month-old kitten's pointy ears, wide green eyes and wrinkly face and coat have earned him thousands of adoring Instagram fans . Stitch, a Devon Rex, has racked up more than 12,000 followers on the Thousand Faces of Stitch page . Stitch, a Devon Rex, has racked up more than 12,000 followers on the Thousand Faces of Stitch page - and he is named after the alien in the Disney film Lilo and Stitch. Owner Darya Leon, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said: 'The majority of people who see Stitch or his photos always say he is strange looking, and most people call him ugly. 'And he is often compared to an alien. 'In fact that's where his name came from - as in Stitch from the Disney film Lilo and Stitch, because of his big ears. 'We bred Stitch and he wasn't supposed to stay with us. His alien like looks means he is named after the alien in the Disney film Lilo and Stitch . Owner Darya Leon, a photographer, noticed that the kitten was a natural in front of the camera when he was just a young kitten . 'But when he got to about five-weeks-old I realised it would be impossible to say goodbye to him and so he stayed. 'He was the most fascinating little thing, with his unusual markings and adorable behaviour.' The Thousand Faces of Stitch account features hundreds of pictures of the attention seeking moggy who does not appear to be bothered by his unfortunate looks. Ms Leon, a photographer, noticed that the kitten was a natural in front of the camera when he was just a young kitten. She added: 'Stich was a curious little cat who always followed me around, and he started joining me in my studio. The Thousand Faces of Stitch account features hundreds of pictures of the attention seeking moggy who does not appear to be bothered by his unfortunate looks . The Thousand Faces of Stitch account features hundreds of pictures of the attention seeking moggy who does not appear to be bothered by his unfortunate looks. Ms Leon said: 'Stitch was a curious little cat who always followed me around, and he started joining me in my studio' 'This gave me chance to practice different lighting techniques with him in exchange for his favourite shrimp treats. 'Before I knew it I had a whole portfolio of his photographs. 'Some of the images were hilarious and people suggested I should start a social media account for Stitch - I chose Instagram because of its concentration on imagery. 'I did it partly for a laugh, but also as a way of showing my work to potential clients who might be interested in pet and family photography. 'And to my surprise Stitch started to appear on blogs and websites in just a matter of days. The photographer added: 'I did it partly for a laugh, but also as a way of showing my work to potential clients who might be interested in pet and family photography' She added: 'Stitch loves being photographed, whenever he sees me pick up my camera he races ahead of me into my studio' 'Stitch loves being photographed, whenever he sees me pick up my camera he races ahead of me into my studio. 'The only problem now is that I cannot get rid of him - he just can't accept the fact he is not the only one who needs to be photographed.' The other internet star Grumpy Cat - real name Tardar Sauce - became a celebrity in 2012 after her photo was posted onto Reddit. She became a sensation after a series of YouTube videos went viral and now has her own range of merchandise, including toys and clothing. Ugly Cat follows in the footsteps of Grumpy Cat, real name Tardar Sauce - an Internet celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression . Celebrity pet Grumpy Cat arrives at the MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, America. But not even a best-selling book, a movie deal and her own ranges of food and coffee can cheer up this miserable moggy . She has a best-selling book, a movie deal and her own ranges of food and coffee - but she doesn't seem overly happy about it. Grumpy Cat’s seven-figure wealth is founded on her frown which has endorsed thousands of soft toys, Christmas cards, calendars, mugs, T-shirts and fridge magnets all bearing her delicate features. The two year old Grumpy Cat has the sort of fan base that would make a human celebrity weep — 116,000 followers on Twitter and 1.6 million fans on Facebook. Thanks to a single photo posted on an internet site in 2012, the world’s most feted feline now has her own manager, her own lawyer and a burly minder to keep fans from cramping her rather unique style during public appearances. Owner Tabatha Bundesen alongside Grumpy Cat at her 'Grumpiest' Birthday Bash . | Ugly Cat has earned thousands of fans of his wide eyes and wrinkly skin .
Named after alien in Disney's Lilo and Stitch - thanks to martian-like face .
Stitch, a Devon Rex, has racked up more than 12,000 Instagram followers .
Follows in footsteps of Grumpy Cat, whose sourpuss face made her a star . |
54,774 | 9b2891f78adaad14f8e2393ffbfc096aabc54c26 | The FIA has issued clarification with regard to the use of radio messages throughout future grands prix. Last week the FIA declared teams and drivers must strictly abide by one of the sporting regulations that states: 'The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.' Motorsport's world governing body believed information being relayed across the pit-to-car radio was making it too easy for drivers, and had gone beyond the spirit of the regulations. The FIA has now made clear what will and will not be tolerated, either via the radio or pit board . It resulted in Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff suggesting there would be confusion and controversy at upcoming races, with his team particularly affected given the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for this year's Formula One world title. In a bid to clear up some of the confusion, the FIA has now made clear what will and will not be tolerated, either via the radio or pit board. The messages to be banned include: sector time detail of a competitor and where a competitor is faster or slower; adjustment of power unit settings; adjustment of gearbox settings; information on differential settings; information on fuel flow settings and level of fuel saving needed and information on brake balance. On the formation lap ahead of a race there can be no information on clutch maps or settings, for example the bite point, or burn outs. Teams can no longer answer a direct question from a driver, such as 'Am I using the right torque map?', nor can there be any coded messages. Toto Wolff (above) suggested there would be confusion and controversy at upcoming races . From the Japanese Grand Prix onwards early next month teams will also be banned from informing drivers about tyre pressures or temperatures, and warnings as to brake wear or temperatures. For the avoidance of doubt, the FIA has ratified what messages can be relayed, and these include: acknowledgement a driver message has been heard; lap or sector time detail; lap time detail of a competitor; gaps to a competitor during a practice session or race. With regard to tyres drivers will be informed as to punctures, tyre choice at an upcoming pit stop, number of laps a competitor has done on a set of tyres during a race and tyre specification of a competitor. From the Japanese Grand Prix onwards teams will also be banned from informing drivers about tyre pressures or temperatures . Messages such as 'push hard', 'push now', 'you will be racing so and so' or similar are fine, whilst teams can also help by warning of traffic during a practice session or race. Information relating to gaps between cars in qualifying so as to better position a car for a clear lap is also permissible. Drivers can also be told of a potential problem with a competitor's car during a race, and of a competitor's likely race strategy. Finally, warnings with regard to yellow flags, blue flags, safety car deployments or other cautions, are also allowed. | FIA have clarified new radio message rule .
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed new rules were 'controversial'
FIA has now made clear what will and will not be tolerated . |
167,291 | 645ad0aeeb3f6133ae987db8669da5a1b9ffdab2 | (CNN) -- FBI agents are traveling to Peru to study a laptop belonging to Joran Van der Sloot -- who was arrested twice in connection with the Natalee Holloway case, but was not charged -- according to a Lima court document. The Alabama teen disappeared during a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005. Van der Sloot was the last person to be seen with Holloway. A source close to the case told InSession the FBI will be searching for any clues that can help solve the Holloway case. Van der Sloot also faces federal wire fraud and extortion charges in the United States, where prosecutors say he demanded more than $250,000 from Holloway's family in return for disclosing the location of her body. The Lima court document says the unnamed FBI agents will meet March 14 with two agents of the Peruvian National Police High Technology Crime Division at the Peruvian National Police Headquarters in Lima. During the meeting they will have access to the computer's hard drive and will be able to conduct forensic examinations on it. Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, faces charges in another case. He is accused of first-degree murder and robbery in the case of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Authorities found Flores' body in a Lima hotel room registered to him in June last year. Van der Sloot's attorney and a representative for the Flores family are expected to be present March 14. The lawyer for Van der Sloot said Monday he has asked the court to charge his client with the lesser offense of manslaughter in Flores' death. "In his statement to the police, Joran admitted that he committed the crime, but it was not in the way that the police said it happened," said attorney Maximo Altez. "We have submitted a motion to show that he shouldn't be charged with aggravated murder, but with violent emotion murder." "Violent emotion murder" is the equivalent of manslaughter in the United States. | The FBI wants to study the laptop of Joran Van der Sloot .
He was the last person to be seen with Natalee Holloway .
The Alabama teen disappeared during a trip to Aruba in 2005 .
Van der Sloot is accused of killing Stephany Flores in Lima, Peru, last year . |
130,260 | 346396441ec9b92a55deb655e031403bf699d37e | COVINGTON, Louisiana (CNN) -- A woman recruited over the Internet and shot to death during a Ku Klux Klan group's initiation rite felt a need to be wanted and was eager to be part of a group, authorities say family members told them. Relatives describe Cynthia Lynch as having a deep need to feel wanted and eager to join groups. Her relatives told investigators that Cynthia Lynch, 43, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had never been outside her home state, said Capt. George Bonnett of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department. But she recently took a bus to Slidell, Louisiana, where she was met by two Klan members and taken to a campsite in the woods near Sun, Louisiana, about 60 miles north of New Orleans. Bonnett and Sheriff Jack Strain gave CNN this account of what happened: . During the initiation rite, members of the Klan group, which calls itself the Sons of Dixie, shaved Lynch's head. After 24 hours of drills, including chanting and running with torches, she asked to be taken to town. An argument began and the group's leader, Chuck Foster, allegedly pushed her to the ground and shot her to death without warning. Lynch wanted to leave the campsite because she was homesick, investigators concluded after talking to Lynch's family in Tulsa. Watch how an initiation rite went wrong » . Strain told CNN that Foster used a knife to remove the bullet. Other members of the Sons of Dixie helped cover up the slaying for Foster, their leader or "Grand Lordship," Strain added. The attempt to conceal the killing included burning the woman's personal items, Strain said. The new details emerged Thursday as the FBI announced it was assisting local authorities. The FBI's top agent in New Orleans, Louisiana, said the agency usually doesn't monitor specific groups, but will look into whether any federal laws were violated. "The FBI is working closely with local law enforcement authorities investigating this recent incident," said Special Agent in Charge David W. Welker. He added that the FBI would "aggressively investigate" any leads and urged anyone with information to call the FBI at 504-816-3000 . Sheriff's investigators said they received the intitial tip about the killing from a convenience store clerk. Two of the group members went into the store and asked the clerk if he knew how to get bloodstains out of their clothes, Strain said. The clerk told them no, and called the sheriff after they left. Officials tracked down those two members and arrested them. Authorities established telephone contact with other members of the group who were still at the campsite and let them know law enforcement officials were on their way. They surrendered without incident. Foster was elsewhere in the woods, but he also surrendered, the sheriff said. Watch report on Klan initiation gone awry » . The woman's body was found under loose brush along a road several miles from the campsite. At the campsite, investigators found Confederate flags, KKK banners, five Klan robes and an Imperial Wizard robe. Foster, 44, is charged with second-degree murder. He remained Thursday at the St. Tammany Parish jail with no bail set, authorities said. Seven other suspects also remained in jail Thursday, charged with obstruction of justice. Bail for each was set at $500,000. On Wednesday, sheriff's investigators searched a house Foster had rented for the past five years in Bogalusa. They found Klan paraphernalia, documents and computer files. Among the seized documents were membership applications, titles and a chain of command for group members . "We recovered various documents out of that home that are giving us an indication of the organizational structure and the organizational guidelines of the group," Bonnett said. Fred Oswold, chief of criminal investigations for the sheriff's office, said the Sons of Dixie Klan group is small and that most of its members already had been arrested. "So far we have learned that they were a small group, but they were fairly organized," said Oswold, who said his agency is working with the FBI to learn more about the group. CNN's Katie Ross contributed to this report. | Louisiana Klan group called itself the "Sons of Dixie"
FBI says it is working with local police .
Chuck Foster, 44, charged with second-degree murder in death of Cynthia Lynch .
Others involved in initiation are accused of trying to conceal the killing . |
218,932 | a7607e27082fbb375317fdd1098ccca3531b6f86 | (CNN) -- U.S. President George Bush railed against the government of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe Monday, calling intimidation of opposition figures "deplorable." Leading opposition figure Artur Mutambara was arrested following his criticism of President Robert Mugabe. "The continued use of government-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe, including unwarranted arrests and intimidation of opposition figures, to prevent the Movement for Democratic Change from campaigning freely ahead of the June 27 presidential runoff election is deplorable," Bush said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in neighboring South Africa. Zimbabwean authorities Sunday arrested an opposition leader on charges stemming from his criticism of the government and its handling of the recent presidential election, an official with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change told CNN. Police in Harare surrounded the house of student activist-turned-opposition politician Arthur Mutambara and arrested him on charges of contempt of court and publishing falsehoods, MDC official Romualdo Mavedzenge said. While Zimbabwe authorities have arrested dozens of MDC supporters and activists over the past two months, Mavedzenge said "this is the highest profile MDC official (arrested) since the March 29 election." Mutambara is president of an MDC faction that split from the main party headed by Morgan Tsvangirai. After Tsvangirai's party won the majority of seats in parliament, the two leaders agreed to join forces in parliament under Mutambara's leadership. Both charges stem from an opinion piece written by Mutambara in which he criticized President Robert Mugabe for the way the March 29 elections were handled. Raphael Khumalo, chief executive of The Sunday Standard, which published the article, was arrested last month on charges of publishing falsehoods. Bush said Mugabe's government is failing on multiple levels. "We call on the regime to immediately halt all attacks and to permit freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and access to the media," Bush said. "We urge the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, the United Nations, and other international organizations to blanket the country with election and human rights monitors immediately." Zimbabwe's election commission said Tsvangirai won the March presidential election, but didn't win a majority of the vote, forcing this month's vote. The MDC contested the results, saying Tsvangirai won outright, but decided to take part in the runoff and not cede the election to Mugabe. | Bush: Continued use of government-sponsored violence deplorable .
Opposition unable to campaign freely ahead of June 27 presidential runoff election .
Police arrest student activist-turned-opposition politician Arthur Mutambara .
Bush: Mugabe's government is failing on multiple levels . |
76,168 | d80bfd96c5cbe684ce67d373d1a905aa8d3492b8 | Collusion between the Government and the multinational firms behind genetically modified food is revealed in official documents. Emails between civil servants and the GM industry shows how the two worked together on a media strategy to win over consumers sceptical about so-called Frankenstein Food. One official even asked lobbyists for ‘eye-catching themes’ for ministers. Write caption here . The contacts were part of a wider strategy designed to relax European regulations on growing the controversial crops and spend millions of taxpayers’ money on GM research in British fields. At one stage the pro-GM partnership between the industry and Whitehall involved creating a blacklist of journalists who had written negative stories about the technology. Details of the emails have been made public after Freedom of Information requests by lobby group GeneWatch, which said the public would be shocked at the level of collaboration. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has pushed for faster approval of new crops and lobbying for public support. Significantly, he decided to lobby the EU to allow biotech crops to be planted in Britain even if they are banned elsewhere. And Science Minister David Willetts has implemented a pro-GM ‘Agri-tech’ strategy, which involves spending public money on developing new crops. Such support from two key government figures represents a coup for the GM industry and follows a meeting with ministers and researchers in 2012 which came up with a series of ‘to do’ lists. The email . exchanges show the Agriculture and Biotechnology Council (ABC) – . financed by GM firms such as Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer CropScience – . has been at the heart of developing government policy. Often . these exchanges coincided with major announcements by ministers which . shifted Government policy to support GM, despite clear opposition among . consumers. Civil servants hosted a meeting with industry leaders in June 2013 to decide how to present the Government’s Agri-tech strategy. Officials at the Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS) department emailed the ABC asking for advice on how to promote the policy. One BIS official asked for ‘any ideas you may have that will showcase Agri-tech – as you are aware it will need to be eye-catching but reflect the main themes of the strategy’. BIS created a list of journalists and influential people who should be targeted with information about the new strategy and asked the ABC if it wanted to add any names or flag up ‘potential pitfalls’. The ABC responded by adding some names, but it also highlighted a number of people on the list who had been critical of GM. The ABC official wrote that he or she had ‘highlighted in red the journalists who have been negative towards biotech in the past... just so you are aware’. The names have been obscured, so it is impossible to know who was on the blacklist created by the ABC. GeneWatch director Dr Helen Wallace said: ‘These documents expose government collusion with the GM industry to agree PR messages and blacklist critical journalists.’ A government spokesman said the ABC and the GM industry were among a wide range of groups it consults. It confirmed that a list of journalists who had written negatively about GM was created, but said they had not been excluded when details of the Agri-tech strategy were launched and there was no ‘blacklist’. | Contacts were part of strategy to relax regulations on controversial crops .
They involved civil servants asking for 'eye-catching' ways to plug GM .
Pro-GM lobbyists evens sent Government department a 'blacklist' of critics .
Behind-the-scenes deal revealed by pressure group GeneWatch . |
6,625 | 12ca0df91db3bd4bc20b9a89a7fd8c486648077c | Three in four British women would choose a man with love handles over one sporting a six-pack. That's 23 million of us who find muscular men a turn off; 96% predict a date with an abs-obsessed bloke to be positively dreary. These stats are the result of a study commissioned to mark the DVD release of Bad Neighbours, a film featuring numerous shirtless scenes of actors Seth Rogen (in the flab corner) and Zac Effron (in the abs). Scroll down for video . A recent study revealed that when it comes to body types, women prefer their man to have a little more to love . Let's be clear here: these results don't mean women won't be eyeing off Zac's 'V' line: the muscular line running from the hip bone to the groin. Did they audition chubby men for the highly anticipated film of Fifty Shades of Grey? I don't think so. We will ogle, we will fantasise. But when it comes to real life, we don't want chiselled perfection in our bed. The question is: why on earth not? Why don't women want some hot, buff, perfect-bodied man lying beside us? The sad answer is this: we're worried we won't shape up. Seventy-four percent of women in the survey said they'd feel self-conscious taking their clothes off in front of a perfectly toned man. A he-man's discipline highlights our lack of it, making us feel even more acutely self-conscious of our own body flaws than usual. Tracey says we avoid relationships with fitter men because we don't believe we can live up to their standards . We feel far more comfortable with flab because it's less threatening. Women are already under extreme pressure to look a certain way and be a certain weight. Anyone who ever doubted that women are judged by their physical appearance far more than men, need only have witnessed the media coverage of the unveiling of Cameron's female MP's: nearly all of it focused on what they wore and what they look like. It takes robust self-esteem and an unshakeable body image to stay objective about our weight in a society where the body ideal is so unachievable, even models struggle to maintain it. Is it any wonder women figure - usually quite rightly - that a man who is less critical of his own appearance and less looks-obsessed will be less critical of ours? Mr Non-Perfect is a relief to any woman who steps on the scales, every day of her life, and finds her mood is affected, every day of her life, by what they say. Especially when it comes to sex. I'd love to meet a female whose sex life isn't affected by a 'fat day'. I've yet to meet one man who has let feeling fat stop them having sex. Tracey says that when it comes to sex, women are far more concerned about weight than men . Michael Alvear, the author of 'Not tonight dear, I feel fat', says fifty percent of women admit they've put off sex - even when they're in the mood - because they felt too fat. 'Women put conditions on sex because of weight. You won't do it without cover-up clothing. You only have sex with the lights out. You'll only do positions that prevent your partner from looking at or touching certain parts of your body,' he says. 'Pretty soon your desire for any sex, conditional or not, goes away.' We don't just think our partners won't desire us unless we are thin. We don't feel desirable unless we are thin. There are many (many) things men can learn from women, but this is one area where women can learn from men. When men look in the mirror, they look at the parts of themselves that they like. I showed four male friends the publicity stills of the ab-tastic Zac Efron and they all shrugged and said, 'He looks good. But he's paid to look like that. That's his job.' They made no comparison to themselves. There was no subconscious sucking in of their beer belly. No wistful glance at their not-so-bulging biceps. When women look in the mirror, they hone in on the bits they don't like. Show us a picture of Cameron Diaz in a bikini and we think 'Why don't I look like that? I better not eat anything else for the rest of the day and hit the gym after work'. It's a continuing double standard that's not working for anyone - men or women. We should all be more Seth-like: learn to love our bellies and accept that wobbly bits are all part of being mere mortals. Find out more about sex and relationships at traceycox.com . | Sexpert Tracey Cox reveals why so many women are choosing flab over abs .
She says sadly it is because we are insecure about our weight .
Women worry that they can't live up to the expectations of a fitter man .
Tracey adds that men tend to not let weight affect their desire for sex . |
38,673 | 6d57f65ef7b1dac1a93528c49030b0bfc298833b | A British teenager has miraculously survived after plunging 1,640ft off a mountain while posing for a selfie. The unnamed 14-year-old was on a school trip in the Austrian resort of Molltaler Gletscher when he tumbled from the 10,242ft peak, landing just a few feet away from deadly rocks. The boy, from Leeds, slipped over the icy edge, before sliding nearly a third of a mile down the slope. He came to a stop as he hit a ledge below. A British teenager has miraculously survived after plunging 1,640ft off a mountain while posing for a selfie. Pictured: Where the 14-year-old fell . A mountain rescuer said: 'A ledge stopped his fall. If it hadn't been there this would have ended tragically.' The teenager was with five friends and a ski instructor at the top of Mount Scharek when the incident took place. At the time, he had stepped backwards to take a photo of himself against the scenery. The ski instructor raced down to get him. Despite the dramatic fall, the schoolboy escaped with just bumps and bruises on his legs and upper body. He was airlifted to hospital in Schwarzach where he is still being kept under observation and is also said to be suffering from shock. The schoolboy escaped with bumps and bruises on his legs and upper body, but was airlifted to hospital in Schwarzach (pictured) where he is still being kept under observation . The rescuer added: 'We got a call from the ski-instructor who said one of the boys had fallen off the mountain. 'As it was, he was conscious and in shock but miraculously hadn't broken any bones or anything else.' A hospital spokesman said: 'He was given a check up and despite a few cuts and bruises he was absolutely fine. It's a miracle really. 'He is being kept in for observations and he should be out soon. And I imagine he has got quite an interesting selfie to show off.' A spokesman for mountain rescue said: 'We strongly urge all visitors to the area to keep away from the mountain edge.' | Unnamed 14-year-old was on a school trip in resort of Molltaler Gletscher .
He tumbled from 10,242ft peak after slipping on icy ridge during the photo .
Schoolboy airlifted to hospital but escaped with minor cuts and bruises .
Hospital spokesman: 'I imagine he has got an interesting selfie to show off' |
98,800 | 0b3ea78623833197f77b6f11dcd7f4d4afb5e24c | If you're diligent about sticking to low calorie foods believing it's a healthy option and wondering why you still can't still those stubborn pounds - then here's some news that's not sweet to swallow. By consuming fruity muesli and low-fat yoghurt you may think you are following a diet that will make you trim - but in fact you're consuming more sugar than found in a chocolate bar or fizzy drink. The NHS recommend about 70g of sugar a day for men and 50g for women but many of us our exceeding this. Our high sugar intake contributes to health problems including tooth decay and obesity - with being overweight causing a host of health problems including type-2 diabetes and heart disease. Not such a healthy breakfast: Fruity muesli and orange juice is high in sugar . The British Dietetic Association say sugar is not 'bad' for us to have in our diet, rather it is bad too have too much of it, . They state: 'Sugar, like starch, is a carbohydrate. There are many different types of, and names for sugar. For example, sucrose or 'table sugar' is added to drinks, baked goods and confectionery. 'Fructose is naturally found in fruit and honey and lactose is naturally present in milk. Glucose is also the type of sugar that circulates in the blood, often referred to as 'blood sugar' or 'blood glucose', and provides the body with energy.' Not so sweet side effects: Too much sugar can lead to obesity and tooth decay . They add: 'A moderate amount of sugar . can be eaten as part of a healthy balanced diet. There are many . different types of sugar, and it is the amount and how frequently you . eat sugar that matters. Eating too much of any food (calories) can cause . weight gain. Check labels for sugar contents, watch your portion sizes . and try alternatives where possible' Health coach, Laura Thomas, 27, a . self-confessed . former sugar addict, discovered that a large part of the problem is . people - including dieters - consuming 'hidden' sugars when they believe . they are eating healthily. She told MailOnline: 'Lots of . manufactured 'diet' and 'low fat' products have hidden sugars that . dieters should be aware of. Low calorie yoghurts, salad dressings and . 'healthy cereal' based products are the most common culprits. Tomato . based sauces and soups can also be surprisingly high in sugar. Even . fajita mix packets can pack in more than you’d expect.' Laura found low fat yoghurts in particular were actually a guilty pleasure in her diet and not a healthy dessert. For example, while a strawberry yoghurt may contain little or no fat, it's high in sugar due to flavourings, colourings and natural sugars in fruit should it contain fruit pieces. An Activia Strawberry yoghurt is just 2 per cent fat but has 17g of sugar - a third of a woman's recommended daily sugar intake. Laura, who now mentors people on how to live sugar-free via her blog happysugarhabits.com, said natural or Greek yoghurt is a healthier alternative. She said one way people can try and reduce the amount of sugar in their daily diet is by avoiding sweet foods at breakfast. 'Start the morning off with savoury breakfasts instead of sweet to set the right intention for the day,' she said. Know what you're eating: Check labels for nutritional content and eat fresh where possible . However, for many this will mean ditching the breakfasts we thought were a healthy start to the day. While muesli and a glass of orange juice may seem good for you, it's actually laden with sugar. Laura explains: 'Muesli, especially ones that are labelled 'at least 50 per cent' fruit should be avoided. The fruit is of the dried variety and a very concentrated source of sugar that starts you off first thing with enough sugar for the whole day. 'It would be much better to buy a low fruit muesli or make up a zero sugar version (oats, nuts and seeds) and then add some fresh blueberries instead.' On the subject of orange juice, while it's high in vitamins, it's also high in sugar so Laura recommends getting vitamin C from other food sources. Step away from the cake! Follow Laura's advice for a sugar-free life . She said: 'The fibre is removed from orange juice so you can glug down lots of sugar very quickly and easily. You can get vitamin C from lots of other sources if you’re eating lots of salad and vegetables.' If you do have orange juice, Laura recommends freshly squeezed as a better alternative to a glass from a processed carton. When it comes to snacking on fruit, Laura said this can also be a sugar trap for the unsuspecting dieter due to the fructose content. She said: 'Fruit needs to be moderated in line with your sugar related goals. I have eaten different amounts of fruit throughout my low sugar journey depending on how I’ve felt at the time and the extent of my cravings. 'Of course, people should be getting their five-a-day (preferably seven), but if you can make more of these vegetables instead of fruit, you’re helping your tastebuds become more sensitive to the sweet taste and will start to appreciate fruit as the only sweet you really need. 'For a period of time I did limit fruit and opted for only low fructose fruits (e.g berries, kiwi fruit) and avoided those that were higher in sugar (bananas, mangos, dates).' Laura said she has seen improvements in her sleep, energy and skin - as well as staying slim - thanks to cutting sugar out of her diet. While she realises it can be difficult for people to go 'cold turkey' just reducing the amount of sugar in your diet - if that means being aware of the hidden sugars to could be consuming - can make a big difference to your health. A 150g serving of Onken Fat Free Vanilla yoghurt, left, contains 18.1g of sugar, more than a can of Coca Cola that has 15.9g. Instead have Total 0% fat yoghurt with 4g sugar per 100g . Dorset Cereal Luscious Berries and Cherries Muesli, left, per 45g serving with 125ml semi-skimmed milk has 23.4g sugar - more than a Cadbury's Flake that has 17.7g. Instead go for Muesli without dried fruit and add your own fresh fruit . A bottle of Vitamin Water, left has 7.5g sugar, slightly more than a small Starbucks cappuccino with 7g sugar. Instead, stick to mineral or tap water . | NHS recommend 70g of sugar a day for men and 50g for women .
Many of us are exceeding this risking tooth decay and obesity .
Part of problem is 'hidden sugars' consumed in 'healthy' products . |
133,974 | 39360318c185d55242cd48d1782a727c8f7967c6 | They're the moments we never forget on the pitch. After all, Erik Lamela's rabona lit up an otherwise same old Europa League game for Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, didn't it? Here, Sportsmail count down the top five videos that have been pitch perfect. Erik Lamela's rabona was one of the pitch-perfect moments of 2014... but where does it rank in the top five? Fifth place . Stephanie Roche Puskas nominated strike . Irish footballer Stephanie Roche’s incredible control, flick and volley on the turn earned her a place in FIFA's Puskas Award shortlist alongside James Rodriquez and Robin van Persie. Fourth place . Clarence Seedorf legends volley . Former Dutch international midfielder Clarence Seedorf scores a magnificent volley during a Real Madrid vs Juventus legends game. Third place . Cesc Fabregas friendly strike . Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas rounded off Chelsea's pre-season tour of Europe by scoring an amazing individual goal as he danced his way through the penalty area. Runner up . Erik Lamela’s rabona . Erik Lamela stuns White Hart Lane as he scores with an incredible 20-yard 'rabona' to give Tottenham a 2-0 lead in the Europa League win against Asteras Triplois. Winner . Ronaldinho ghost pass . Brazil legend Ronaldinho dazzles for former club Atletico Miniero as he bamboozles an opposition defender before releasing his team-mate down the wing with a disguised pass. | Erik Lamela's rabona features in our top five pitch-perfect moments .
It lit up an otherwise ordinary Europa League match for Tottenham Hotspur .
But where does it rank? Scroll down to find out and watch the top five! |
52,441 | 948f22a5996cfce20a7af86ed44ef84f3b9dc6e3 | The Philippines military has been pictured handing huge wads of cash to masked informants, who gave up information on al-Qaeda-linked terrorists, in a bid to encourage more sources to come forward. An astonishing series of photographs show four tipsters clasping bounties of up to 5.3 million Philippines pesos ($120,454) each inside the military headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo, east of Manila. The military released the photographs to illustrate the huge rewards available to police sources, in a bid to encourage more informants to come forward – but the men pictured are clad in hoods, heavy jackets and sunglasses to protect their identities. A Filipino hooded civilian informant holds his bounty reward for the arrest of suspected Abu Sayyaf members inside the military headquarters camp at Camp Aguinaldo, east of Manila, Philippines . The rewards follow the arrest of suspected of members of Abu Sayyaf - an extremist group of al-Qaeda-linked militants responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the Philippines. According to local reports, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. John Bonafos handed over a total of 12.1 million Philippines pesos ($270,000) to the four informants. It is thought they assisted in the arrest of a rebel leader of the New People's Army (NPA) - named as Maria Loida Tuzo Magpatoc - as well as members Abu Sayyaf. Reports state that Magpatoc, also known as 'Gwen' and 'Bebyang', carried a reward of 5.6 million Philippines pesos ($125,000) on her head. The military believe The NPA, whic is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands, as well as kidnappings of locals and foreigners. The Abu Sayyaf members arrested were identified as Basal Talb Sali and Abu Husni, who carried a reward of 5.3 million Philippines pesos ($118,000) for their arrest, and Muktar Ladjaperma and Jailanl Basirul, who carried a 600,000 Philippines pesos ($13,000) reward for their arrest. Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. John Bonafos hands over the cash rewards . The four police informants were clad in hoods, masks and dark glasses to protect their identities . The Abu Sayyaf has also been held responsible for high-profile kidnapping for ransom cases involving foreign hostages. The group claims it is fighting to establish an independent Islamic homeland in the Muslim populated south of the mainly Catholic Philippines. In July, a video appeared on Youtube in which one of the Abu Sayyaf's leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremists who have taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria. But local authorities regard the group as a non-idealogical band of criminals chiefly focused on the lucrative business of kidnapping for ransom. Earlier this month, a Swiss man kidnapped by the group escaped after nearly three years in captivity following a fierce struggle with one of his captors over a machete. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, which has provided military assistance and training to Filipino troops to hunt down the group. The Philippines military hope the rewards will encourage more sources to come forward with information . | Four masked and hooded informants are seen clasping bundles of cash .
The rewards follow the arrest of suspected of members of Abu Sayyaf .
It is thought men also assisted in arrest of leader of the New People's Army .
A total of $270,000 was handed over in rewards at Camp Aguinaldo . |
214,828 | a21f3407e1a38ff0694583a04e14defb4e15328c | By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 12:56 EST, 8 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:06 EST, 8 July 2013 . Like father like son? NFL legend Lawrence Taylor's son Lawrence Taylor Junior, pictured, has been arrested in Georgia for alleged statutory rape, sodomy and child molestation . The son of NFL star Lawrence Taylor has been accused of statutory rape and sodomy just three years after his father faced charges for sexually assaulting a minor. Police were called to a home in Powder Springs, Georgia, at 5 p.m. Saturday, where an underage female claimed Lawrence Taylor Junior had forcibly performed oral sex on her. Another minor at the scene told officers Taylor Jr., 32, had sex with her five or six times in February 2012, according to a warrant. The first accuser said the son of the ex-New York Giants star 'asked her if he could (perform oral sex on her) repeatedly in which she stated no,' according to TMZ. Next, he allegedly 'with force spread her legs then pulled her bathing suit to the side and gave her oral sex.' Taylor Jr. was charged with aggravated sodomy and child molestation for the alleged forced oral sex on the first young girl. 'Sodomy' generally refers to anal sex but can also refer to oral sex. He was also arrested on July 7 on suspicion of statutory rape for allegedly having repeated sex with the second minor. The NFL legend's son was born in 1981 and is listed at 6'1" and 230 lbs. According to TMZ, he has a Japanese symbol tattooed on his back and multiple tattoos on his shoulders. The former Giants linebacker was . arrested in 2010 after having sex with the then-16-year-old girl in a . hotel room in Montebello, just north of New York City. Taylor, 54, eventually pleaded guilty to one count of patronizing a prostitute and one count of sexual misconduct. Giants: The former Giants linebacker, pictured, was arrested in 2010 after having sex with the then-16-year-old girl in a hotel room in Montebello, just north of New York City . Together: When he was 18, Taylor Jr., left, acted as 'presenter' when his father, right, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1999 . His . accuser, Cristina Fierro, claims that an abusive pimp forced her to . have sex with Taylor for $300. She sued Taylor in federal court in . Manhattan, claiming he should be held accountable. The Brooklyn-born Fierro, 19, wept . while testifying in the 2012 trial that a hulking Taylor refused to stop . having sex with her, even after she told him it hurt and tried to push . him away. He was sentenced to six years probation with no jail time and was added to the sex offenders register. When . he was 18, Taylor Jr. acted as 'presenter' when his father was inducted . into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1999. During . his trial, Taylor Sr. admitted that he paid for sex with a 'very, very . pretty' prostitute in 2010 but denied accusations that he ignored . obvious signs she was a teen runaway in distress. Statutory rape claims: Taylor, 54, left, eventually pleaded guilty to one count of patronizing a prostitute and one count of sexual misconduct after he was accused by Cristina Fierro, right . Taylor . told a Manhattan jury at the civil trial that he had a history of . hiring women for 'company' when on the road but didn't expect them to . automatically have sex with him. 'I still like the chase,' Taylor testified. But he added, 'I like to stack the odds in my favor... I don't like to work too hard.' Fierro testified that the aggressive pimp forced her to sleep with Taylor. 'I kept telling him I didn't want to be there,' she said. 'He's much bigger than me. I couldn't do anything.' She added that she told him it was her 'first time' and he replied, 'Just relax.' 'It was really rough and painful,' she said in court, adding thay she felt suicidal several months later and began taking medication for depression, insomnia and anxiety. Fierro testified that when the sex was over Taylor 'just pulled out money and said, "Here, can you turn the TV off on your way out?"' | Lawrence Taylor Junior has been charged with aggravated sodomy and child molestation for the alleged forced oral sex on an underage female .
Police were called to a Georgia residence at 5 p.m. Saturday where the minor told officers that Taylor Jr. had forcibly performed oral sex on her .
Another underage girl at the scene said he had had sex with her up to six times last February .
Lawrence Taylor, former New York Giants linebacker, is serving six years' probation for having sex with a 16-year-old girl in 2010 . |
156,740 | 56aa9e57781b1e9a02c99b0d3848323b64ea5200 | (CNN) -- A room with a commanding view demands attention. Some of the world's most desirable lodgings are clifftop aeries that transport guests far above the fray, affording unobstructed panoramic views and an unparalleled sense of privacy without the feeling of total isolation. Cliff dwellings have historically offered attributes that lowland abodes can't match. As far back as A.D. 600, the Anasazi people, who once lived in what is now the American Southwest, built precipitously high in the sandstone cliffs -- likely for protection from enemies. In medieval times, as barbarian hordes wreaked havoc across Europe, monastery towns perched high up on the Amalfi Coast afforded excellent vantage points from which to observe the gathering militias. (Today the cliffs are more likely to attract armies of jet-setting moguls.) In peaceful times, a clear view from high atop a cliff was deemed spiritual, bringing pilgrims closer to God. Departures: Stunning hotel dining room views . There is also something utterly romantic about waking up to uninterrupted ocean views, especially when the waters in question are as captivating as the ones surrounding our seven choices. Nothing beats the bird's-eye perspective one gets when admiring the vast Indian Ocean from 1,000 feet above at the Bulgari Resort in Uluwatu, Bali, or the moody Bay of Naples, 1,000 feet below the Caesar Augustus in Capri. Rarefied air, indeed. Hotel Caruso Belvedere, Amalfi Coast . Breathtaking views were not what the founding fathers of Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast, had in mind: The town was hacked from the cliff during the fifth century to protect its citizenry from barbarian hordes. Perched on the Monti Lattari mountain range, Hotel Caruso Belvedere takes in picture-postcard Mediterranean views of the city of Salerno and Amalfi Bay, a sheer 1,150 feet below. Walking paths connect the hotel to the seaside town of Amalfi, and (fortunately) a free shuttle is available for the uphill climb. Rooms, from $852 (includes breakfast, lunch or dinner); 2 Piazza San Giovanni del Toro; 39-089/858-801. Departures: 10 stunning hotel penthouses . Aman Resorts Amankila, Bali . A three-tiered pool that echoes the region's rice paddies forms an extraordinary centerpiece at Amankila, the iconic resort that architect Edward Tuttle designed to take in the full splendor of the Lombok Strait. A paved path descends 75 feet from the hotel to the beach club, which features a 134-foot lap pool set amid a grove of coconut palms and shaded by a giant frangipani tree. Even the library maximizes the dramatic setting, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the top tier of the main pool. Suites, from $950; 62-363/41333. Birkenhead House, Hermanus, South Africa . The unassuming exterior of Birkenhead House, just 100 miles southeast of Cape Town, conceals a hotel built around a central pool that cascades down to the clifftop restaurant and plunge pool. Though the cliff itself isn't particularly high, staying here is like having dress-circle seats to the best show in town: the region's most idyllic swimming beaches, Voëlklip and Kamma Bay, are home to calving whales from June till November. At the base of the cliff, a six-mile path from Birkenhead House leads into town, and the hotel offers a shuttle for the return trip. Rooms, from $520 a person (includes all meals); 11th St. and Seventh Ave.; 27-28/314-8000. Bulgari Resort Uluwatu, Bali . The Italian luxury house's second resort, located on the rugged Bukit Peninsula at the southern tip of Bali, in an area that was once royal hunting grounds, makes the most of its drop-dead-gorgeous location. From nearly every point -- the glamorous, ultra-private suites tucked into the terraced hillside; the elegant Sangkar restaurant; the vast horizon pool and spa -- guests are treated to unforgettable vistas of the Indian Ocean. A glass elevator makes the 500-foot journey down the cliff face, stopping off at La Spiaggia restaurant and the Beach Club. The mile-long beach cannot be accessed by land or sea (a reef prevents boats from mooring), which makes for the ultimate secluded cove. The only visitors you're likely to encounter are friendly dolphins. Villas, from $1,000; 62-361/847-1000. Departures: World's most opulent villas . The Caves, Negril, Jamaica . At the westernmost tip of Jamaica rises the honeycombed cliff of natural limestone caves after which this hotel is named. The 12 villas are built into the rock shelf with expansive views over the impossibly blue Caribbean Sea, facing west to absorb Jamaica's flamboyant sunsets. Some villas have steps leading down to swimming platforms, and jumping platforms offer braver guests the chance to take the plunge from 30 feet up. Rooms, from $385; Lighthouse Rd.; 800-688-7678. The Chanler, Newport, Rhode Island . The wealthy industrialists who populated Bellevue Avenue in Newport no doubt appreciated the sea breezes and views, but it was their vast employee base that really took in the panoramic splendor. Staff members weren't allowed on the main street, so the three-and-a-half-mile-long Cliff Walk (which backs the mansions) was developed as a servant path. The only hotel on this storied footpath is The Chanler, a Civil War-era mansion built by former New York congressman John Winthrop Chanler. Gourmet meals at the hotel's Spiced Pear restaurant come with a side dish of attention-grabbing Atlantic Ocean vistas, while breakfast on the terrace offers a sweeping panorama of Easton's Beach and a daily parade of runners soaking in the million-dollar views. Rooms, from $489; 117 Memorial Blvd.; 866-793-5664. Caesar Augustus, Capri . Perched 1,000 feet above the Bay of Naples, the Caesar Augustus is situated on the side of Mount Solaro in Anacapri, a small hamlet located at the end of a 15-minute drive up a vertiginous mountain road, typically negotiated by convertible taxi. Almost every nook and cranny of the hotel offers sweeping water views, with the tiny town of Sorrento and, on a clear day, Mount Vesuvius, visible just 20 miles north. Reserve a poolside table on the Lucullo Terrace for a candlelit dinner with the Bay of Naples at your feet. Rooms, from $589 (with double occupancy); 4 Via G. Orlandi; 39-081/837-3395. Departures: See three more stunning clifftop hotels . © 2010 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. | A tiered pool that echoes Bali's rice paddies forms a stunning centerpiece at Amankila .
The Caves in Jamaica is built into the rock shelf with views over the Caribbean Sea .
The Chanler in Newport, Rhode Island, is housed in a Civil War-era mansion . |
29,043 | 527bc11858c635f20a9ba12e8e7e5ca6beeea313 | Sentencing a criminal to 1,000 years in an artificial hell may one day become a reality. At least, that is the claim of scientists at Oxford University who have been exploring controversial technologies that could extend human life. They say billions are being invested in techniques that could mean the cruellest criminals will be kept alive indefinitely in condition befitting their crime. Last year, a team of scientists led by Rebecca Roache began exploring technologies that could keep prisoners in an artificial hell . According to their research, prison firms could also develop drugs that make time pass slowly, making an inmate’s sentence feel like an eternity. Last year, a team of scientists led by Rebecca Roache began exploring technologies that could keep prisoners in an artificial hell. ‘Some crimes are so bad they require a really long period of punishment, and a lot of people seem to get out of that punishment by dying,’ Dr Roache told Ross Andersen in Aeon magazine. Dr Roache highlights what she describes as the ‘laughably inadequate’ sentence of 30 years in prison for Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek. Daniel died in March 2012 from a head injury, locked in a cold room on a soiled mattress. Dr Roache highlights the 'laughably inadequate' sentence of 30 years in prison for Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek . Daniel's mother Magdalena Luczak . (right) and stepfather Mariusz Krezolek (left) were found . guilty of murder . Life extension technologies could mean the cruellest criminals will be kept alive indefinitely in condition befitting their crime. As well as extending life, there are a number of psychoactive drugs that distort people’s sense of time. Dr Roache said that might not be far off developing a pill that could make someone feel like they were serving a 1,000-year sentence. Another scenario explored by the group is uploading the criminal's mind to a digital realm to speed up the 1,000 year sentence. This means that with sufficient computer power, it would be possible to speed up the rate at which an uploaded mind runs. Similarly, uploading the mind of a convicted criminal and running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours. The pair were convicted of murdering Luczak's four year-old son, Daniel, who was beaten, starved and tortured before his death. On her Practical Ethics blog, Dr Roache notes that Luczak and Krezolek will receive the humane treatment that Daniel never did. ‘They will, for example, be fed and watered, housed in clean cells, allowed access to a toilet and washing facilities, allowed out of their cells for exercise and recreation,’ she writes. Turning to human engineering as a possible solutions, Dr Roache looks at the idea of life span enhancements so that a life sentence in prison could last hundreds of years. ‘Dr Aubrey de Grey, co-founder of the anti-ageing Sens research foundation, believes that the first person to live to 1,000 years has already been born,’ she said. ‘The benefits of such radical lifespan enhancement are obvious - but it could also be harnessed to increase the severity of punishments’ As well as extending life, Dr Roache noted that there are a number of psychoactive drugs that distort people’s sense of time. She said that society might not be far off developing a pill that could make someone feel like they were serving a 1,000-year sentence. Turning to human engineering as a possible solutions, Dr Roache looks at the idea of life span enhancements so that a life sentence in prison can last hundreds of years. The technology could be used on the most serious crimes, such as those committed by Adolf Hitler . ‘Of course, there is a widely held view that any amount of tinkering with a person’s brain is unacceptably invasive,’ she said. ‘But you might not need to interfere with the brain directly.’ Time distortion, for instance, is already a technique used in interrogation, where people are exposed to constant light, or unusual light changes, so that they can’t tell what time of day it is. Another scenario being explored by the group is uploading the criminal's mind to a digital realm to speed up the 1,000 year sentence. ‘As the technology required to scan and map human brain processes improves, some believe it will one day be possible to upload human minds on to computers,’ Dr Roache said. This means that with sufficient computer power, it would be possible to speed up the rate at which an uploaded mind runs. Prison firms could also soon develop drugs that make time pass slowly, making an inmate¿s sentence feel like an eternity . Similarly, uploading the mind of a convicted criminal and running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours. ‘This would, obviously, be much cheaper for the taxpayer than extending criminals’ lifespans to enable them to serve 1,000 years in real time,’ said Dr Roache. If these technologies are developed, one crime that could ever justify eternal imprisonment was something that would endanger mankind. ‘Suppose there was some physics experiment that stood a decent chance of generating a black hole that could destroy the planet and all future generations,’ said Dr Roache. 'If someone deliberately set up an experiment like that, I could see that being the kind of supercrime that would justify an eternal sentence.’ | This is the scenario being explored by researchers at Oxford University .
They claim life extension tech could mean prisoners serve longer sentences .
Philosopher Dr Rebecca Roache also writes in her blog that a time distortion pill could make people feel like they were in prison longer .
Another scenario the group looked at was uploading mind to a digital realm .
Running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours . |
277,694 | f3b9e89a7344995fcccfeeb4140f91aeac0d2da9 | ROME, Italy -- Italian tennis players Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been banned by the ATP for betting on matches. Top Italian player Potito Starace has been suspended for six weeks for betting on matches. The country's top player Starace -- 31st in the ATP rankings -- has been suspended for six weeks from January 1 and fined $30,000 (20,890 euros) for making five bets totalling around 90 euros two years ago. Bracciali, world ranked 258, has been banned for three months and fined $20,000 (13,930 euros) for making around 50 five-euro bets between 2004 and 2005. The Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) confirmed the news on its website, www.federtennis.it. However, they denounced the penalties as disproportionate, saying the players never bet on their own matches. "Injustice is done," the statement said. "These penalties are absolutely, excessively severe compared to the magnitude of the violations carried out by the two players." The federation said the two were not aware of the ATP's betting regulations, and that they stopped placing the bets as soon as they learned it was against the rules. Another Italian player, Alessio Di Mauro, became the first player sanctioned under the ATP's new anti-corruption rules when he received a nine-month ban in November, also for betting on matches. Starace and Bracciali said they were scapegoats for a larger match-fixing scandal."It's disgusting," said the 26-year-old Starace. "The ATP doesn't know where to turn. It's all a joke." Bracciali said the two had been "sacrificed." "That's why they came after us," the 29-year-old said. "We are not champions and we don't count in the upper echelons." ATP officials could not be reached for comment on Saturday. Concerns about match-fixing have risen since August, when an online betting company reported unusual betting patterns during a match between fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina. The company, Betfair, voided all bets and the ATP has been investigating. Davydenko, who retired while trailing in the third set, denies wrongdoing. Since then, several players have said that they had been approached with offers to fix matches in exchange for money. E-mail to a friend . | Italian tennis players Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali banned by the ATP .
The pair have been suspended for betting on matches, although not their own .
Starace suspended for six weeks while Bracciali is banned for three months . |
212,775 | 9f845e6f7db0faa103487774b832d625bfc4035e | Imagine turning up to a Tinder date for the first time, only to be asked to have your photo taken as part of an art exhibition. Australian photographer Kirra Cheers used the online dating app, which has a reputation for its 'hook-up' culture, as an opportunity to discover the true meaning behind modern romance. Her exhibition 'Tinderella' - a common byline used by attractive females on Tinder - explores the reactions of 17 dates with the 27-year-old over two months. While Cheers only exposed herself to the online dating scene two years ago - when she first moved to New York and used the app as a tool to meet new people in a foreign city - she's turned her experience to document her honest connection with her confidants. And she founds the results were quite surprising. In most cases, she developed a strong relationship with her subjects while also being asked to 'charm my sack' by a Tinder romantic. Scroll down for video . Kirra Cheers decided to test out Tinder for the first time when she moved to New York about two years ago. She initially used it to meet new people and also explore the new city . The Australian photographer based in New York went on 17 dates, 11 of which allowed her to take photos of them, as part of her project on modern romance . The 27-year-old first used Tinder as a tool to meet people in a foreign city. While the photographer says she's had positive experience on the online dating app, she doesn't believe it would be a place where she'd find 'the one'. 'I initially signed up for Tinder because I was single and I had just moved to another country so it was a chance for me to get out and see the city,' she said. 'I had a good experience although I know a lot of people talk about how it's used as a sex hook up. But I've personally met great people through Tinder - some fabulous men and close friends. 'I think it's a useful tool to make friends and connect with people. But I'm not sure whether it’s the right place to look for a long lasting relationship due to the immediacy of the app. I think people are less willing to put time into a relationship these days.' Once hitting the American dating scene, Cheers - who grew up in Adelaide - also found it was quite different from what she was used to in Australia. 'Online dating in Australia is only just becoming socially acceptable whereas in New York it's the main platform to meet people,' she said. 'Dating is also very formalised here and it's socially accepted to be dating three or four people at a time so I think some women get frustrated with that.' Samuel, a 32-year-old videographer, who met up with Kirra at a fashion launch and then had drinks together at a friend's rooftop . Alex, a 25-year-old who works on finance, who also met up for drinks with Kirra. According to the photographer, she developed a strong connection with many of her subjects . Another subject who met Kirra at a bar - Freddie - who's 27-years old and works in finance. Kirra says she was able to develop a level of trust with her subject who then allowed her to take their picture . Dan who's a 26-year-old and works as an illustrator. Kirra met up with Dan at a bar. He is among the 11 Tinder dates who allowed her to take a photo . This was the inspiration behind her body of work quite aptly named Tinderella - a collection of black and white portraits from 11 of the 17 dates she had in June and July. 'I really wanted to go out with people I genuinely wanted to date and photograph the connection I had with them,' she said. From the experience, she gained 11 follow up dates and developed close friendships. But she also encountered the reality behind Tinder and perhaps what constitutes as 'romance' for some in today's day and age. 'Matt hit me up for sex right away but I think through the conversation - before you meet the person - you're able to tell if the person has an agenda,' Cheers said. 'It really depends on what you're looking for. If it's purely appearance based then I think you'll have an infavourable experience.' Cheers says this also comes to the changing notion of dating which she thinks is now seen as a game. 'Our idea of romance has changed from the traditional mind set we've had in the past,' she said. 'Many people see Tinder as a game and I think that while dating life has gone digital it too has turned into a game.' A man named Matt who asked Kirra to 'charm my sack' during their chat on Tinder. The photographer wasn't impressed with his pick up line . Sophie, 22, who's a translator. She and Kirra enjoyed people watching during their date. Sophie was part of Kirra's New York exhibition in August . Chris, a 27-year-old actor and model. During their date, Kirra and Chris shopped for their imaginary children at a toy shop then went for dinner . Jude, a 31-year-old designer, who had drinks and pizza with Kirra. She says online dating is more socially accepted in America than Australia . Justin, 33, who works in finance and real estate development. He met Kirra for brunch. She says dates in America are 'very formalised' Mike, a 26-year-old who works in finance, went for drinks with Kirra. She says a lot of her Tinder dates turned up to her art exhibition and were proud to be part of it . Andrew, a 32-year-old musician, who took Kirra out for dinner. She was very surprised by the open-mindedness of most of her dates . David, a 24-year-old law student, who had drinks with Kirra at a bar. She hope to further develop her project by interviewing her Tinder dates . Cheers says some subjects made it clear that they were uncomfortable with the idea of having their picture taken - some accusing of being a 'predator' or 'pervert' - but others were surprisingly open-minded. Most even attended her exhibition in August - her first art exhibition in New York. 'I was really nervous because it was so personal and I was opening myself up to people,' she said. 'But I had such an overwhelming response from the 400 people who showed up and even my dates came by and were proud to be part of exhibition.' While she hopes to further develop her project and continue interviewing her subjects, Cheers has decided to take a break from the online dating scene after suffering from what she calls a 'Tinder hangover'. 'It was exhausting. I was totally burnt out emotionally and physically,' she said. As for finding 'the one' - she hasn't quite achieved that through the project but says she is currently dating someone who met through - you guessed it - Tinder. | Australian photographer Kirra Cheers went on dates with people she was attracted to on dating app Tinder and documented her connection with them .
The 27-year-old who grew up in Adelaide, took photos of her dates in New York City and used them as part of her modern romance exhibition 'Tinderella' in August .
She's developed close relationships with some of her subjects but also encountered notorious Tinder romantics who used pick up lines such as 'charm my sack'
Cheers also found that online dating is more socially accepted in America than Australia .
The photographer used the app for the first time when she moved to New York two years ago, to meet new people . |
141,714 | 4344c79d2d5d0a827ace0d793f207ea125df3bf7 | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 12:16 EST, 25 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:04 EST, 25 November 2013 . A thug has been jailed for seven years after he stabbed his girlfriend and one of her school friends to impress his mates. Wesley Harvie, 25, left Tami Hickey with a 6in deep stab wound when he plunged a kitchen knife into her abdomen following a petty drunken tiff. When old school friend Dean Maundrell leapt in to try to protect her, the yob thrust the knife right through his arm and then stabbed him in the chest. Swindon Justice Centre, which incorporates the Crown court, where Wesley Harvie, 25, appeared accused of stabbing his girlfriend and one of her school friends . Jailing him at Swindon Crown Court, Recorder David Bartlett said: 'Both of the men said don't use the knives but you did use them in what is said was a show a bravado.' The pair were drinking with friends at their home in Park North, Swindon, on April 21 when they had an argument. Miss Hickey went to the kitchen to see two friends but was followed by Harvie. Hannah Squire, prosecuting, said: 'He took two large knives from the knife block and grabbed her by the neck said "I'm going to kill you, and thrust one of the knives into her abdomen".' Incredibly, the huge knife missed her vital organs. Mark Ashley, defending, said his client felt he was being provoked by the others who were saying he wouldn’t do anything. He said neither victim wanted to give evidence against him and Miss Hickey was standing by him. Harvie - who was on early prison release for threatening to shoot a man at the time of the attack - admitted two counts of wounding with intent. | Wesley Harvie, 25, left Tami Hickey with a 6in deep stab wound .
Incredibly, the huge knife missed her vital organs .
The pair were drinking with friends at their home in Swindon .
Recorder David Bartlett said it was 'a show a bravado' |
230,094 | b5f3815e536a78342c617eb7baf9ca4a51bce116 | A collection of impressive jewels worn by the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida at the height of her fame smashed all estimates as it went under the hammer last night. Twenty three of the star's Bulgari gems, worn at landmark moments during her career, were sold at Sotheby's Geneva as part of the auction house's Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale. The biggest draw of the night was a pair of stunning diamond and pearl earrings from 1964, which broke the previous world record for a pair of pearl pendants when they sold to an anonymous bidder for an astonishing £1,567,771 ($2,391,321). The pearl earrings sold for more than five times their estimate as they went under the hammer last night . A . pair of natural pearl and diamond pendants dating from 1964 smashed . their estimate of £400,000 ($600,000), netting nearly £1.6m when they . were sold to an anonymous bidder . Firm favourite: The actress was particularly fond of the pearl drop earrings, wearing them dozens of times over the years . The jewels, which were highlights of the international touring exhibition Bulgari – . 125 Years of Italian Magnificence, also included a . Bulgari cushion-shaped diamond ring weighing 19.03 carats from 1962 and a diamond . necklace/bracelet from 1954. Speaking after the sale, Gina . Lollobrigida said: 'Jewels are meant to give pleasure and for many years . I had enormous pleasure wearing mine. 'Many people tried to persuade me to . sell them, but for a very long time I was unwilling. What changed was . seeing a little girl called Sofia suffering from a disorder which could . only be helped by stem cell treatment – treatment which she is unable to . receive in Italy. 'Selling my jewels to help raise . awareness of stem cell therapy, which can cure so many illnesses, seems . to me a wonderful use to which to put them. A pair of emerald and diamond Bulgari earrings from 1964 which had a guide price of £163,000 sold for £201,031 (left) and a Bulgari emerald and diamond ring sold for just over the guide price at £118,698 (right) A 19.03 carat diamond Bulgari ring set with a cushion-shaped stone from 1962 fetched £513,899 (left) and Bulgari emerald and diamond brooch, weighing 27.57 carats, sold for £703,267 (right) A model at Sotheby's auction house wears earrings and an emerald ring from the collection of actress Gina Lollobrigida set to be auctioned off for charity . Elegant: The actress in 1964, the year the earrings were made for her by Italian jeweller Bulgari . 'It is my hope that the Italian . parliament will approve this ground-breaking treatment, so that children . and adults in Italy should have free access to it without having to . travel abroad at great expense. 'It now gives me great pleasure to see . that these jewels will create a legacy which will live on after me and . continue to do good.' David Bennett of Sotheby's said: . 'Every so often a very special jewel collection comes along which is so . much more than the sum of its parts. 'Gina Lollobrigida’s magnificent . jewels captured the public imagination around the world and the prices . achieved this evening reflect not only the importance and rarity of . those pieces, but also the aura of fascination which this legendary . actress continues to exert. 'Sotheby’s was honoured to be . entrusted with the sale and we are delighted that the results will . contribute to the noble cause of stem cell research, reflecting Miss . Lollobrigida’s great generosity of spirit and her humanitarian work.' Sparkling . form: The Italian actress, here dressed to impress on a glamorous . evening in Monaco in 2001, adored jewellery and had an extensive . collection of gems. The emerald earrings and brooch she wears here were sold last night . The actress, known fondly in her heyday as La Lollo, was a great collector of fine jewellery. Some she bought for herself, some she was gifted by admirers - of which there were many. In an interview with Sotheby's magazine she said she adored the craftsmanship of each piece. 'I love the stones – the pearls and emeralds – because they are natural, the raw products of nature. 'Then there is the skill of the artist involved, the craftsmanship of turning these beautiful stones into works of art. Each one is like a sculpture.' Lollobrigida, who came from humble beginnings, rose to fame in the Fifties and Sixties and was one of the most popular actresses of the time, starring alongside Anthony Quinn n The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Frank Sinatra in Never So Few. A contemporary of Marilyn Monroe, when the two actresses were introduced in the U.S., Monroe confessed that she was often referred to as 'the American Lollobrigida'. Today the multitalented actress, now 85, is a photojournalist and sculptor working out of her studio near Carrara, Italy. Passion: Lollobrigida, again in the £635,000 ($1m) pearls, collected fine jewellery, saying she loved the 'craftsmanship' and detail of the pieces . A Bulgari diamond necklace dating from 1954 . Dripping with diamonds: Gina Lollobrigida in . 2006 wearing a Bulgari necklace that is up for auction with a top . estimate of £326,000 (£500,000), and right, wearing the necklace in 2002 . The Magnificent Jewels sale also saw other important diamonds go under the hammer, including an . internally flawless cushion-shaped diamond weighing 27.90 carats, a rare Kashmir sapphire ring weighing 11.71 carats . and an impressive sapphire and diamond pendant-brooch weighing 43.27 . carats. The Noble Jewels section featured a cushion-shaped Fancy . Yellow diamond jewel, weighing nearly 75 carats, formerly in the private . collection of His Late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (b.1898 . - d.1930), together with an important pink diamond and diamond necklace . set with a light pink brilliant-cut diamond weighing 6.93 carats and a . circular-cut diamond weighing 34.78 carats. Also featured was a 1965 Bulgari gem set . and diamond necklace from a European Royal family. Luxe accessories: A diamond Tubogas wristwatch and Piaget evening bag, both smashed their estimates of £9,000 ($13,782) | Natural Bulgari pearls smashed £400,000 ($600,000) estimate at Sotheby's .
Taylor's pearl earrings, also Bulgari, sold in 2011 for £1.3m ($1.98m)
Sotheby's saw Italian actress's jewels more than double their estimates .
Entire collection, largely Bulgari, sold for £3.2m (just under $5m)
Star to use proceeds to fund stem cell treatment and research in Italy . |
85,309 | f1f79ad7d43756eaf8459777a3c541fede786075 | By . Joanna Moorhead . PUBLISHED: . 16:33 EST, 8 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:49 EST, 8 September 2013 . An idyllic Mediterranean morning and I'm sitting in a cafe overlooking a harbour full of boats bobbing on the azure water. But it's not the boats I'm watching, nor the gulls gliding and dipping across the cloudless sky: it's the young couple on the adjacent table. They're in their 20s, fresh-faced, happy. Obviously newlyweds, the bands on their left hands are shop-window shiny. She taps hers self-consciously against her coffee cup. He leans forward to dust a croissant crumb from her lips. They're fun-looking, perhaps a touch naive. Their optimism shines as brightly as the gold on their fingers. Wedded bliss: Joanna Moorhead with her husband Gary on their wedding day in 1988 . They have no idea of what lies ahead and perhaps that's just as well- because if they did, they'd be looking far less relaxed and a great deal more scared. The people I'm staring at are strangers but they remind me very much of another couple who, 25 years ago, sat there, fingers intertwined, staring soppily into each others eyes. The woman was me, aged 25, and the man was Gary, 27, my new husband. Together we'd travelled to Menorca on honeymoon. We were on the threshold of everything: our careers, our lives, and most of all - our relationship. We'd never been back since, but a quarter of a century on, to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary, here we are again. We look older, a few pounds heavier and sometimes we're downright grumpy, but I'd like to think the sparkle is just about still there in our eyes, if you look hard enough. As hard-up honeymooners we rented a pied-a-terre; this time around we've got a huge villa with its own pool. It may sound as if we're better off but in truth we're not, for four very good reasons. We've brought along our daughters: Rosie, 21, Elinor, 19, Miranda, 14, and 11-year-old Catriona. Newlywed: Joanna on her honeymoon in Menorca with her husband . And although a big family doesn't come cheap, it has been worth any hardship because two-and-a-half decades ago we never would have dreamed we would produce such wonderful, beautiful children. I don't say that to be boastful, but before we had the girls, we had no idea of the true miracle children represent in a marriage, for those couples lucky enough to have them. When two people become three, four or even six, everything changes. Back in 1988, the last time I was in this harbour, I thought marriage was about me and Gary. Today I can see that was simply the starting-point: the whole axis of our relationship altered irrevocably once children came along. A baby parachutes into your life, into the heart of your coupledom, and overnight everything changes. Suddenly someone else is more important than anything else there is or ever has been. It's awesome - as my girls would put it. Looking at my daughters over dinner one night I couldn't help but well up with tears. 'What's wrong with Mum?' one of them would ask from time to time. 'Oh, you know how she is,' another replied. 'She's being all sentimental again.' Happy holiday: Gary pictured while on their honeymoon . I caught Gary's eye and I knew what he was thinking: how lucky are we? Having four children, I have to admit, was my idea - I come from a large Catholic family, Gary is from a tiny Presbyterian one. He had one brother, six years older; his parents were only children, so he had no cousins. But I wanted the kind of larger-than-life, eventful family I came from. Gary took me on trust, and I'm profoundly grateful. I know that if he had married anybody else he would have settled for just a couple of children, but he's been entirely won round to my big-family ethos. I've earned the right to be sentimental. A quarter of a century is a long haul for any couple and there were times I didn't think we'd make it. While we have enjoyed a great many highs together, we've also endured our share of lows, from ill health to money woes and career disappointments. Ten years in, Gary's devotion to his work, a trait I once so admired, became a source of huge resentment. His workaholism meant many nights I was left alone to cope with sick and fractious children. My enthusiasm for 'attachment parenting' - having our babies always with us, even in our bed at night - was tricky for him to negotiate. 'I caught Gary's eye and I knew what he was thinking: how lucky are we?' All of this is the fabric of marriage until, finally, you fall into one camp: you become one of the four out of ten who throw in the towel or one of the six who hang on in there. I feel proud that we're the latter - not that there weren't dark days in between. The scariest moment in a marriage, I once read, is not the moment you realise you don't love your partner any more: it's the moment it hits you that you no longer like them. A few years ago I did a series of interviews with couples who'd been married 60-plus years. They were candid about how they'd stayed the course. One thing I discovered was that, whenever the couples had come up against big problems, simply hanging on and waiting for the storm to pass had led to better times - not just once, but in every single case. Another thing the interviews taught me was this: what sometimes passes for 'perfection' in a marriage could very well be - whisper it - a touch boring. Some of the 'happy' marriages I heard about were rather uneventful. And whatever else has happened in our long years together, one thing I'm grateful for is that we've always had plenty to say to one another. Young love: Joanna, pictured 25 years ago whilst on her honeymoon, on the threshold of life . It might not have been smoochie stuff, but as far as I'm concerned my husband is the most interesting man I've ever had dinner with. He listens, he's well-read, he's fair, and he invariably has a take on an issue that I haven't considered. No matter what lies ahead we will never falter for conversation. Marriages rarely fail over just one issue - and sometimes, it seems to me, the problems lie not in the relationship, but in one partner's dissatisfaction with his or her own life. Often, I've realised the root cause of my fed-upness at any point wasn't Gary, but something else I could tackle: my job, friends, appearance. A marriage is the bedrock of a life - but it's not the entirety. Other things conspire to make a person unhappy - and marriage is too easy a thing to blame. There's always fault if you look for it. When my father died 48 years after my parents' got married, my mother wrote this tribute with her flowers on the coffin: 'So many happy memories.' That is what it's about. Gary and I have memories of babies being born; of small children playing on the beach; of older ones, in their too-big, pristine uniforms, setting off for their first day at school. 'So many happy memories': Joanna and Gary feel very lucky to have a family like theirs . From this summer we have a new memory: Rosie, our eldest, graduated from university. It was a hot July day, we sat side by side in a big hall with bright lights, and watched as our lovely daughter, in her gown and mortar board, stepped up onto the stage to collect her degree. There was no one I'd rather have been sitting beside than my husband, the only other person in the world who could feel exactly as I did. And I'm certain he'd say the same. I hope that in another 25 years we can return to Menorca to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. How wonderful if, by then, our brood has grown even more. If our daughters desire the big family we craved, we could be paddling in the sea with 16 grandchildren in tow. But now, I look again at the couple at the next table. I'm in awe of them; their chutzpah, their cheek. There they are, with laughter in their eyes, believing that whatever life throws at them, they can deal with it together. I raise my glass to them, and I hope with all my heart they are one of the couples who make it. | As newly wed twenty-somethings, we went to Menorca for our honeymoon .
A quarter of a century later, Gary and I returned with our children in tow .
Our marriage has certainly had its ups and downs .
But we're looking forward to the next twenty-five years . |
124,472 | 2ce7259dd9fe260dc08af2f7b7e7e54c66b73997 | By . Neil Sears . PUBLISHED: . 16:56 EST, 31 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:22 EST, 2 April 2013 . For a man who has just undergone a spectacular fall from grace, you wouldn’t have expected Chris Huhne to look so chirpy. Nor would you have expected the shamed former Cabinet minister to be sporting a flash of Lib Dem orange having been forced to resign from his beloved party. Swapping a sharp suit for a prison-issue jacket, Huhne is pictured here for the first time in the low-security Leyhill Prison in Gloucestershire. Bright and breezy: Disgraced former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne pictured for the first time walking in the grounds of Leyhill prison in Gloucester . Perhaps it’s no wonder he’s all breezy smiles. The open prison was once dubbed ‘the Savoy of Slammers’ because of its easy-going regime. The multi-millionaire is at the start of an eight-month sentence for perverting the course of justice when his ex-wife took speeding points for him ten years ago. As onlookers watched from a public footpath skirting the prison yesterday morning, Huhne, 58, could be seen sauntering around with his hands in his jeans pockets. Grim-faced: The former Energy Secretary was paid a visit by his partner Carina Trimingham on Saturday . After an evidently satisfying breakfast, he strolled back to his accommodation block, chatting to fellow inmates with the same ease he once employed when winning over potential allies in the corridors of the House of Commons. Huhne’s motoring offence fraud unravelled after he left his economist wife Vicky Pryce, 60, for his aide Carina Trimingham, 45. Embittered Pryce leaked the story to journalists, and both she and her husband have ended up inside – with both being moved to open prisons within weeks of being sentenced on March 11. Huhne and Pryce are no long on speaking terms but the politician’s smile may have been boosted by the visit he received on Saturday from Miss Trimingham. She spent two and a half hours inside the jail before leaving looking grim-faced. | Former Energy Secretary snapped at 'Savoy of Slammers' prison .
Chris Huhne moved to low-security unit in Leyhill Prison in Gloucestershire . |
49,432 | 8bac00379e4b7a85fde3a3e27dd07532598c57aa | (CNN) -- A replica of a 1910 aircraft built by flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright crashed Saturday in a field near Springfield, Ohio, killing the two men aboard, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported. The aircraft was reported downed shortly before 11 a.m., the agency said in a statement. It had taken off from Springfield Beckley Municipal Airport. Police identified the dead men as Don Gum, 73, of Beaver Creek, Ohio, and Mitchell Cary, 65, of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The cause of the crash remained under investigation, according to the highway patrol. It's looking into the incident along with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane, owned by Wright "B" Flyer Inc. of Dayton, Ohio -- a volunteer nonprofit group -- was a copy of a Wright Model B aircraft produced seven years after the brothers' celebrated first powered flight. It began test flights in June and performed well, according to a press release on the organization's website. The organization designed the plane to resemble the 1910 edition, but built it so that it could be more easily taken apart and shipped to international events, the company said in the June press release. It was built with a modern engine, controls and materials, the organization said. Gum and Cary were members of the group's board of trustees and Cary was a former president, CNN affiliate WHIO-TV reported. "Mitch and Don were highly competent pilots with extensive experience flying Wright 'B' Flyer airplanes and other experimental aircraft," WHIO quoted president Phil Beaudoin as saying. | Plane crashes near Springfield, Ohio .
Two men on board died .
The plane began test flights in June . |
97,009 | 08d8d29cb3ca020235b4733a27f09a13beb00366 | Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The Libyan government said Sunday that ruler Moammar Gadhafi's son and three of his grandchildren died in a NATO airstrike that the longtime strongman and his wife survived. Gadhafi and his wife were in their son's house when it was targeted, but they are in good health, government spokesman Musa Ibrahim told journalists. But the son, Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, and three of his children were killed, Ibrahim said. The Libyan government vowed to retaliate with death to "invaders" in the nation, and empty Western embassies were vandalized on Sunday, U.S. and Italian officials said. But CNN could not independently confirm the reported fatalities, and a spokesman for anti-Gadhafi rebels cast doubt on the claim even as it provoked celebratory gunfire in rebel-held Benghazi. Ibrahim slammed NATO after the airstrike, calling the attack an illegal act and a "war crime." He said the 29-year-old son killed was a student in Germany, the sixth of eight children. The strike destroyed the house in Tripoli, leaving a massive crater. Saif al-Arab Gadhafi is one of two sons of the Libyan leader whose names begin with Saif. Another son -- Saif al-Islam Gadhafi -- had previously touted reform, but has emerged as one of his father's most visible defenders in recent months. The commander of the NATO operation, Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, said NATO was aware of "unconfirmed media reports" that members of Gadhafi's family had been killed in an airstrike. "We regret all loss of life, especially the innocent civilians being harmed as a result of this ongoing conflict," said Bouchard, a Canadian air force general. But he said all targets "are military in nature and have been clearly linked to the Gadhafi regime's systemic attacks on the Libyan population ... We do not target individuals." But Russia, which has criticized the allied campaign, said it had "serious doubts" about NATO's assertion that it is not targeting Gadhafi and his family. "The disproportional use of force, all the more so, beyond the mandate of U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1973, which in no way stipulates the replacement of the Libyan leadership, is leading to harmful consequences and the death of civilians," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official RIA Novosti news agency. "We are again calling for strict compliance with the provisions of the decisions made by the international community on the Libyan conflict, for an immediate cease-fire and the start of a political settlement without any preconditions." The airstrikes started March 19, after the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution authorizing the use of force to protect civilians demanding the ouster of the ruler, who has been in power for nearly 42 years. A senior official in President Barack Obama's administration said the U.S. government is "very aware" of the reports of Gadhafi's son's death, but cannot confirm who, if anyone, died in a strike until they see the evidence. Gunfire broke out around Tripoli after the news came out. A crowd of demonstrators gathered around the ruler's compound. Images on Libyan state TV showed what appeared to be dozens of people chanting and waving flags. Protesters could be heard yelling, "We want to redeem the martyr," and, "Oh youth, this is time for jihad." They were joined at one point by Ibrahim, who told the demonstrators, "Every one of you are Saif al-Arab." "We will make Libya the grave of all invaders," he told the crowd. A spokesman for the Libyan opposition doubted the report of the death. "In all honesty, we never heard of Saif al-Arab until the start of the uprising," said Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the Transitional National Council in Benghazi. "We don't believe this is true," Ghoga said. "It is all fabrications by the regime in a desperate attempt to get sympathy. ... This regime constantly lies and keeps lying." Despite skepticism by some rebels, some opposition members celebrated the report of Saif al-Arab's death in the streets of Benghazi. Revelers danced and sang overnight as the sound of celebratory gunfire pierced through the air. "By God, we're not supposed to rejoice anyone's death," one man told CNN. "But we want him to feel the pain and sorrow that we're going through with our own people he killed." Many of the reported civilian deaths have come out of the western city of Misrata. On Sunday, a witness there described especially intense shelling by government forces in the country's third-largest city and speculated that the intensified attacks were tied directly to reports of the death of Gadhafi's son. This is not the first time the ruler has reportedly been at the site of an airstrike that killed one of his children. In April 1986, his adopted daughter, Hanna Gadhafi, was killed when U.S. forces launched an airstrike that targeted his residential compound. At the time, U.S. President Ronald Reagan said the strikes were an act of self-defense following the bombing of a West Berlin, Germany, club that killed two American servicemen and injured several others. CNN's Reza Sayah, Kareem Khadder, Saad Abedine and Phil Gast and contributed to this report. | NEW: Empty Western embassies are vandalized after Gadhafi's son is reported dead .
NEW: Russia says it has "serious doubts" about NATO's targeting .
A NATO airstrike also killed 3 Gadhafi grandchildren, the Libyan government says .
The government vows to "make Libya the grave of all invaders" |
86,822 | f6684731eb1bc9665b88c642051686d870b929a0 | Hurricane Gonzalo which is tearing through the Atlantic will batter Britain this week bringing with it Gale Force 10 winds and heavy rain. The Met Office has issued a ‘yellow’ weather warning for most of the country for Tuesday as gale force winds of 55mph are expected to make driving conditions difficult and cause chaos for rush hour commuters. Experts are warning the worst of the hurricane will hit on Monday night with severe gales worst affecting northern parts of Ireland, Wales and England as well as Southern and Eastern Scotland. Forecasters say Gale Force 10 winds can range between 55 and 63mph and typically damage buildings, trees and cause high churning white seas. Scroll down for video . Windsurfers made the most of the gusty conditions today in Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire as heavy rains lashed the south west of Wales . Forecaster Simon Partridge, from the Met Office, said: ‘This storm is what’s left of Hurricane Gonzalo. ‘It is going to reach the UK late Monday night and into Tuesday morning and bring some heavy rain with it. ‘It will be moving through quite quickly and is likely to clear most of the UK within six to eight hours. ‘There will be up to 20mm of rain, which is not out of the ordinary for the time of year, and up to 40mm in Scotland. A little girl gets a soaking as she gets close to the water's edge as stormy seas battered West Bay on the coast of Dorset this afternoon . Choppy seas lashed the coast of Dorset as visitors to the iconic cliffs of West Bay in Bridport and dog walkers watch on earlier today . ‘Winds will increase throughout Monday night and they will be strong to gale force in northern parts. We could see speeds of 50 to 55mph. He continued: ‘The main reason for the warning is the timing, as strong winds will be coming through the Tuesday morning rush hour – it will be wet and windy and there will be spray on the roads. ‘Also the trees are still quite full of leaves at the moment and with those strong winds we could see a lot more leaves on the roads.’ Hurricane Gonzalo has been causing chaos over the weekend as it crushed trees and flattened power lines on the tiny Atlantic island chain of Bermuda. A surf school prepare to enter the sea after gale force southerly winds and heavy rain lashed Broad Haven in Pembrokeshire overnight . Wind conditions made perfect sailing for these windsurfers in Pembrokeshire today but gales are set to get stronger into next week . The storm – one of the strongest ever to hit the island – tore through the nation at 110mph on Friday night and was still causing major problems this morning as it moved northward over the Atlantic. Residents were warned not to go outside as the calm eye of the storm moved in. Mr Partridge added that the south coast of England was feeling the effects of another hurricane overnight. ‘Last night it was three degrees warmer overnight on the south coast with temperatures reaching 17 degrees due to winds left of Hurricane Fay after it made its way across the Atlantic.’ He also said that it could start to feel colder this week as temperatures are likely to return to normal for the time of year. A satellite image of Hurricane Gonzalo taken this morning as it moves away from Bermuda and makes its way north-eastward towards UK . The clean-up in Bermuda has begun after Hurricane Gonzalo brought down trees, damaged yachts and brought down power lines . | Met Office has issued a 'yellow' weather warning for most of the country for Tuesday as gale force winds move in .
The storm is expected to make driving conditions difficult and cause chaos for the morning rush hour commuters .
Forecasters say worst will hit Monday night in northern areas of Ireland, England and Wales and Southern Scotland .
Motorists are warned to take extra care on the roads due to large amount of spray and potential for wet leaves .
Hurricane Gonzalo caused chaos on tiny island chain of Bermuda as trees were crushed and power lines flattened . |
164,242 | 60629af78258a5b70281bf94086e7b59ae9a00ef | Washington (CNN) -- Former President George W. Bush left the White House more than five years ago and has since stayed out of most Washington debates. But it would be hard to tell that if you have been listening to Hillary Clinton over the past month. From defending her record at the State Department to defining her economic vision, Clinton has used Bush as her primary rhetorical device to both explain her vision for the future and defend her past. "The biggest accomplishment in the four years as secretary of state was helping to restore American leadership and we did that in a number of ways," Clinton said earlier this month before faulting Bush for the U.S. standing on the world stage when he left the White House in 2009. Democrats have always been fond of faulting Bush and it was part of President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. But the fact that Clinton, who is admittedly thinking about running for president in 2016, is attacking him says as much about how she views her future as it does about the state of the Republican Party. The former first lady has started pointing to the Bush administration when talking about the turmoil in Iraq, too. When pressed about Obama removing troops from the country, Clinton regularly points out -- and did so at a CNN town hall on Tuesday -- that the withdrawal decision was made by Bush, not Obama. When asked earlier this month in New York about troops in Iraq and the failure to get a status of forces agreement, Clinton said, "The deadline on Iraq was set by the prior administration, that if there were not a status of forces agreement... there would not be American troops." Strategy not without problems . Democrats close to Clinton love the Bush lines. "Seems to me Hillary thinks George W. Bush was a terrible President," Paul Begala, a CNN contributor and a longtime Clinton confidant, said before enumerating a number of ways he feels Bush failed, including two "botched" wars, turning "a massive surplus into a crippling debt" and presiding "over an economic collapse." "I hope she keeps it up," Begala said. But the strategy does not come without problems. While Bush was unpopular in office -- and still is with Democrats -- his standing has improved since leaving Washington. His overall approval rating hit a seven-year high in 2013 with 47% of Americans approving how he handled his tenure. While 50% said they disapproved, the trend has been been up in recent years. Most presidents experience this when they leave the job. By bashing Bush, Clinton is also looking backward. Her book tour/campaign has carefully tried to keep her looking forward. She told an audience in Canada on Wednesday that she doesn't think much about her legacy because she is "very present-oriented and future-oriented." Republicans see any strategy that has Clinton looking backward as a winner for them. "She is the personification of a political system that voters believe needs new blood and new energy," said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist and former Mitt Romney spokesman. "So looking back, Clinton may feel that she has an advantage because she gets to point fingers at George W. Bush, but it is problematic for a candidate who is essentially part of the status quo for the last 25 years," Madden said. People close to Clinton reject that idea. "Part of charting a new course for the future is a clear-eyed assessment of where we are and how we got here," Begala said. "Hillary is simply speaking her mind. Radical candor -- I love it." The enemy of my enemy is my friend . For Clinton, bashing Bush might be more than just a standard red and blue tactic, though. In front of a liberal audience at the New America Foundation in Washington last month, Clinton brought out her most fiery Bush rhetoric. The speech was, in part, an attempt to make inroads with progressive Democrats, some of whom have been apprehensive about Clinton's more moderate positions. Bush, she said, "allowed the evolution of an entire shadow banking system that operated without accountability" and failed "to invest adequately in infrastructure, education, basic research and then the housing crash, the financial crisis hit like a flash flood." Clinton then went on to say that the Bush years showed that "we can turn surpluses into debt, we can return to rising defects, that is what happens when your only policy prescription is to cut taxes for the wealthy." CNN contributor and progressive activist Sally Kohn said if she were in Clinton's camp, bashing Bush "is exactly what I would be doing." Kohn is an outspoken Clinton critic. In a recent CNN opinion piece she asked, "Does Hillary Clinton have to be so boring?" Other than changing her positions on a number of fundamental issues, Kohn said, siding with the left by showing her distaste for a shared bogeyman could be effective. "He is a universally known quantity," Kohn said. "It is a way for her to run against something that is concrete because she can't run against President Obama." To Kohn, Bush is Clinton's foil against the left. She shows that she shares their opinion on him, but subtly says to progressives that she doesn't "want too much noise or else" you will get another Bush. Don't elevate anyone current . Few president run for elected office again and Bush seems more content these days with painting than politicking. And Clinton knows that. By focusing on Bush, Clinton isn't elevating any other potential rivals who don't have the name recognition she does. When Clinton is asked about gridlock in Washington or the lack of legislation getting passed on Capitol Hill, she regularly mentions House or congressional Republicans in general terms and never mentions some of her possible 2016 contenders -- like Sen. Ted Cruz or Sen. Rand Paul - by name. "There is no distinctive Republican head of the party for her to post up against," Madden said. "So she is again going to this habitual reflex: Just blame Bush." On the contrary to Clinton, Republicans like Cruz and Paul are ready and willing to be mentioned with Clinton. Paul regularly jumps at the opportunity to fault Clinton and frequently says the Benghazi terrorist attack should disqualify Clinton from holding higher office in the future. Asked about Paul's attacks last week, Clinton told ABC that "He can talk about whatever he wants to talk about. And if he decides to run, he'll be fair game too." Clinton did not, however, refer to Paul by name in her answer. Cruz, too, is eager to confront Clinton. "Secretary Clinton from the beginning has stonewalled on this rather than acting as a partner getting to the bottom of what happened," the Texas Republican said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" after the town hall. This strategy, Madden says, helps elevate their profile on a level with hers and may be the most potent way to build "a strong national profile as a potential Republican candidate." | Hillary Clinton has used Bush to defend her record, explain vision for the future .
Democrats applaud her strategy but there are risks as Bush's popularity rises .
Republican strategist says pointing fingers at Bush won't help member of "status quo" |
237,093 | bedc8a5d95011e2921e5415f027f066950eb5653 | Philippe Coutinho is laughing at the bone-juddering memory. His command of English is limited but he understands the question perfectly. With the help of universal sign language — a fist crashing against a hand — Coutinho is being taken back to his introduction to the rough and tumble of English football, when he realised artistic midfielders are not afforded the same time and space as on the continent. Standing next to Coutinho in an interview room at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, you cannot help but wonder how he survives. He is 22 but his boyish face and diminutive frame make you think he is not long out of school. Philippe Coutinho left Brazil at the age of 18 to pursue a career in European football . Silk, rather than steel, is a quality that you would associate with this young man from Rio de Janeiro. Looks, though, are deceptive. Daniel Sturridge may have given Coutinho the nickname ‘David Blaine’ for his magical abilities but those talents would not be on show without inner steel. Coutinho left home at 18 to chase his dream with Inter Milan. He had to contend with homesickness and constant upheaval at the San Siro and, given the circumstances, it would have been easy to shirk the challenge. But nothing was going to get in the way of his ambitions — especially not a few heavy tackles. ‘My parents stayed with me in Italy for a while, that helped at first,’ says Coutinho. ‘But then they went home and it was hard. When they left you start to appreciate how big a step it is leaving behind everything that you know. Coutinho made the move from South America to join Italian side Inter Milan in 2010 . Jose Mourinho was in charge of the Italian side when Coutinho signed, but he left before the Brazilian joined . Coutinho was helped by Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan, but feels he never played with confidence and struggled . BORN: June 12, 1992 in Rio, Brazil . HEIGHT: 5ft 7in . WEIGHT: 11st 2lb . FORMER CLUBS: Vasco da Gama (09-10), Inter Milan (10-13), Espanyol (loan 12) TOTAL TRANSFER FEES: £11.6m . CLUB GAMES: 128. Goals: 19 . INTERNATIONAL CAPS: 5 . ‘My home was a simple place, near a few favelas. The famous Favela da Mangueira was close by. I never had any problems in childhood, my father (Jose Carlos) worked hard to give me and my brothers (Cristiano and Leandro) every opportunity. ‘My dad has always been passionate about football. But it was one of my friends’ grandmother who told my father to get me into the soccer school. She said I had talent. I signed for Inter when I was 16 but moved when I was 18. You miss your family and friends but you have to deal with it. I have been away four years now and I still miss them. My ambition was to succeed and you have to get on with life.’ Perhaps a family reunion at Christmas is one of the reasons Coutinho has started to spark back into life again; his family and the family of his wife, Aine, stayed with him for the festive period, meaning 18 people were squeezed into his home in Liverpool’s leafy suburbs.They returned to Brazil on Thursday but any sadness at their departure has been balanced by Liverpool’s schedule; on Tuesday, after all, there is the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final against Chelsea and a reunion with the man who helped entice him to Europe. Brendan Rodgers pounced to sign Coutinho from Inter Milan for £8.5million in January 2013 . Coutinho was surprised at the physicality of the English game and was helped to adapt by Rodgers . Jose Mourinho was in charge at the San Siro in 2008 when Inter struck a deal with Vasco da Gama for Coutinho; he would have liked the opportunity to work with Mourinho but his successor at Inter, Rafa Benitez — a man Liverpool fans hold close to their heart — played a key role in helping him settle. ‘I trained with Inter for two days when I went to sign,’ Coutinho reveals. ‘I met Mourinho and had a couple of conversations with him. He was helpful because it was someone who spoke Portuguese. I never got the chance to work with him as he left in the summer I joined. By then, Rafa Benitez had come in. He was very helpful. Training was good but I didn’t play well at Inter. I didn’t have confidence.’ Sent to Espanyol on loan, where he regained belief under Mauricio Pochettino, he has thrived since Rodgers signed him two years ago. Having missed the World Cup, he is now a regular in Brazil’s squad and Rodgers has been important to his development. ‘He has helped a lot,’ Coutinho agrees. ‘He gave me time to adapt. The physicality takes you by surprise. When you put your head up in England, you see two or three players ready to hit you. Coutinho has thrived at Liverpool and scored some big goals, including this one against Manchester City . The Brazilian feels his Liverpool team are improving of late after a slow start to the season . ‘The intensity, the speed is what really takes time to adjust. You can never relax for a minute in one game. In Brazil, Italy and Spain you have time and space to play the ball.’ Movement and control, technique and vision, Coutinho has all the attributes The Kop associates with its leading men and when a new era dawns without Steven Gerrard the onus will be on the 22-year-old to step forward and show why Rodgers thinks so highly of him. Coutinho is one of a number of players who Liverpool want to secure on long-term contracts and the idea of committing for a lengthy period appeals; what appeals even more, however, is the prospect of winning some silverware. The 22-year-old says he would be happy to stay at Liverpool for a long time and wants to win trophies . ‘The start to the season was slow but we are improving and results have been much better over the last few weeks,’ he said. ‘If we could win a trophy that would be very important for the team and the club. ‘The major difference is the (3-4-3) system we are now playing. We have more options in each position. We press high, we are creating more opportunities and we have intensity again. We have our confidence back. ‘It is not a hot topic for me about signing a new contract. But I would be very happy to stay here for a long time and, maybe, I could become like one of the great players who have been here. I want to win trophies here of my own.’ Philippe Coutinho was speaking ahead of Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on behalf of Capital One — the card in your corner. Visit facebook.com/CapitalOneUK . | Philippe Coutinho left his native Brazil aged 18 to join Inter Milan .
The Brazilian signed a deal with the Italian side when he was 16 when Jose Mourinho was in charge, but joined two years later .
Coutinho struggled for confidence at Inter under Rafa Benitez and was sent on loan to Espanyol where he worked with Mauricio Pochettino .
Coutinho joined Liverpool for £8.5million in January 2013 .
Brazilian wants to stay at Liverpool and win trophies with the club . |
190,811 | 83148d4f63dd4c394ae75ad1a1da40d64d1433cc | By . Daniel Bates . If you can’t bear to be away from the office then this luxury car might be the answer - by keeping you working on the move. The Bentley Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept is a fully operational mobile business suite which means that even traffic won’t hold you up. It has in-built Wi-Fi, three TVs and two docking stations with wireless keyboards that iPads can slot into. Scroll down for video . The mobile office: The Bentley boasts six screens and wifi to keep in touch on the road . A Mac Mini sits in a ‘bespoke boot drawer’ coordinating all the electronics, and there is an iPod which can play music and acts as the remote control for the entertainment system. Just like the executive car of old there is also a telephone, which is inside the armrest. The Mulsanne is aimed at executives who need to be connected even during long commutes and cannot afford to waste time. Bentley has not released the price of the concept yet, but the normal version cost £202,000 ($325,000). According to the specifications, the main TV is a 15.6-inch high definition screen whilst the smaller TV sit in the back of the front headrests. There are electric powered wood veneer picnic tables that drop from the backs of the front seats which have the iPad workstations on them, including a Bluetooth wireless keyboard. Two iPads are contained in special 'picnic tables', and have wireless keyboards . An iPad Touch is docked on the armrest - and has a special app to control the entertainment, and you can even use it to control the satnav to instruct the driver . The Mac Mini has 20GB of storage space for films and music which is broadcast through a 200W, custom 20 speaker system. The satellite navigation is state of the art and has voice zip code recognition - plus those in the back can put in new destinations too. Among the other features are slots in the seats for the wireless keyboard when you are not working, a rear view camera and an iPod dock on the armrest. There are task lights and vanity mirrors which mean you can check your appearance before Skyping. There is even a cooler and something that might come in handy if the electrics pack up - a special Tibaldi pen. Whilst clearly aimed at the luxury market, for those willing to pay for the Mulsanne it could help them significantly improve their productivity. A special compartment in the boot holds a Mac which controls the system, and special Bentley wireless headphones . Should the technology fail, there's also a designer pen built in . According to the US Census Bureau, the average American spends more than 50 minutes per day commuting to work. In the UK figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the average worker spends nearly five weeks a year commuting to and from work. Those working in London have the longest commuting time, with the average worker spending 277 hours getting to and from work, or 37.8 minutes per journey each way in the capital. The Mulsanne was shown off at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car was first shown off at the Frankfurt Motor Show . The driver's compartment is more traditional, although does boast a built in screen to control the satnav and entertainment system . VIDEO: Never leave your car again! See inside the Bentley Mulsanne Executive... | Interior boasts built in wifi, two iPads mounted in seats, a Mac in the boot and TVs on the back of the seats .
iPod acts as remote for the car's entertainment system .
20 speakers to turn car into a mini movie theatre . |
130,073 | 3426998659efbef3133faaaf45aacdd24fd4da3f | Victim: Hani Abou El-Kheir, pictured, was fatally stabbed by a gang wielding knives and swords in the Pimlico area of London last night . A boy of 16 pleaded ‘don’t do it’ moments before he was killed by a hooded gang wielding knives and swords in a street lined with multi-million-pound homes. Hani Abou El Kheir tripped as he desperately tried to escape from around 15 teenagers wearing hoods and bandanas who were chasing him. Moments later the gang pounced ‘like a pack of dogs’ and Hani was repeatedly kicked and stabbed as he pleaded for his life. His attackers left him for dead and jogged off ‘as if nothing had happened’. Hani’s mother Pauline Hickey, 39, with whom he lived in a nearby flat, was said to have been ‘wailing’ as she was held back at a police cordon while medics tried to save her son. He died in hospital less than two hours later. The attack took place at about 6.45pm on Sunday in Pimlico, an affluent district in central London where Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has a home. On the north side of the street where Hani was attacked are houses worth millions of pounds. However, to the south sits the crime-ridden Churchill Gardens estate, which has recently seen a sharp rise in drugs offences, according to a youth worker. Yesterday one witness to the attack said: ‘We saw him running really fast but then he tripped. 'There were about 15 of them, most wearing dark hoodies and bandanas over their faces. A lot of them were wearing tracksuits. Scene guard: A policewoman stands guard on Lupus Street this morning while a police investigation goes on . Horrific: The stabbing happened close to the junction of Lupus Street and Westmorland Place shortly before 7pm . ‘They had wide kitchen knives and . other knives and they jumped on him like a pack of dogs. He was shouting . ‘‘don’t do it’’ but they just went ahead. 'One put a blade in near his ribs. Others then kicked him before just jogging off as if nothing had happened. ‘They put their weapons in socks and . then shoved them up their sleeves as they were going. We tried to help . him as he was lying on the ground.’ Stabbing: Police forensics carry out investigations in the street, on one side of which houses sell for an average of £500,000 . Community: Neighbours this afternoon described the victim as a 'nice boy, polite' Teodor Watson, 22, who lives in a flat overlooking the crime scene, said he heard what sounded like a brawl. ‘I heard a lot of commotion, the victim was shouting,’ he said. ‘I came outside and saw the victim standing and holding his stomach. 'There were about three or four young . blokes running down the street. He was reeling and swaying for about 20 . seconds and then fell.’ Mohammed Alzubaidi, 49, said his friend witnessed a gang of black and white teenagers carrying out the attack. ‘He said they were carrying knives, some of them with wide swords,’ he added. Hani is understood to have suffered multiple stab wounds to his chest and stomach. Within minutes of the stabbing, his mother ran up to the police cordon. Shocked: Nearby residents have said a gang of black and white teenagers were seen carrying out the attack . Crime scene: The scene in Lupus Street is still cordoned off this morning as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack on the boy . Steve Russell, 46, a project manager, . said: ‘She was screaming with grief and shouting her son’s name but they . wouldn’t let her through.’ Miss Hickey, who is separated from Hani’s father Hicham, was too upset to talk about the loss of her son yesterday. But in a note attached to a floral . tribute near the scene she wrote: ‘My heart is broken. I love you so . much. The pain is unbelievable. Your loving mum.’ A man at the family home said: ‘He didn’t deserve to end up on a slab. He was a nice boy.’ Forensics: Police were called to the scene on Lupus Street in Pimlico, central London, at 6:50pm last night . Investigation: A police forensics tent pictured at the scene where a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Pimlico, central London, last night . Forensics officers were yesterday scouring the scene for clues. Last night Scotland Yard said no arrests had been made. It remained unclear what led to the . murder. One theory is that Hani became caught up in a row over the sale . of drugs on the estate. Youth worker David Savizon said Hani was ‘on the periphery of having some sort of contact with gangs or activity such as drugs’. He added: ‘We are very concerned about the impact of drugs, and competition between dealers in this area. ‘Younger and younger children are . being recruited. From the ages of ten or 11 they are enticed by a £20 . note to act as runners and it escalates from there.’ Popular area: The boy was stabbed in Lupus Street in Pimlico, a popular residential area of central London, sitting just south of Victoria train station on the north bank of the River Thames . Inquiry: A police officer makes notes close to the scene where a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in Pimlico . Hani had been a pupil at the nearby Pimlico Academy but left some time ago and is thought to have been unemployed. Jerry Collins, head of Pimlico . Academy, said: ‘Hani was a popular boy who conducted himself in an . exemplary manner and will be much missed.’ Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: . ‘It is heartbreaking to see the life of another young Londoner taken so . tragically. My thoughts are with this young man’s family at such a . terrible moment. Scene: The stabbing took place in the Pimlico area of central London . Tributes: Flowers are left at the scene in Lupus Street where a teenager was stabbed yesterday evening . Heartfelt: A tribute is left for Hani Abou El-Kheir in pimlico today . Hunt for clues: Forensic police search bushes near the crime scene today . ‘This horrific incident serves as an . unwelcome reminder that although violent crime in the capital continues . to fall, we must continue our fight to tackle youth violence and get . knives off our streets.’ Hani is the first teenager to be murdered in London this year. Last year aspiring football coach Oliver Husseini, 17, was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in a nearby street. | Residents claim that a gang were seen armed with knives and swords .
Victim is named locally as 16-year-old Hani Abou El-Kheir .
Witnesses claim that the victim's mother was crying at the scene .
No arrests made yet and detectives keeping 'open mind' in investigation .
Houses on one side of road where he was killed sell for half a million pounds while on the other side is a gang-plagued seventies estate .
The former Pimlico Academy student was also described as 'calm and funny'
He has been described as 'popular' and 'exemplary' by his old school .
London Mayor Boris Johnson described the murder as 'heartbreaking' |
79,217 | e086efaa96f4adfb3ff98b7ee3c6b0b3244ab752 | By . James Rush . US Air Force and RAF pilots had a mid-air row in the skies over Norfolk after the American pilot accused a Tornado of flying too close to parachutists during an exercise, according to a new report. The pilot of the American MC-130 transport craft filed a near-miss report about a Tornado GR4 fighter, claiming it came too close to the parachutists it had dropped near the village of Sculthorpe last November. After the US pilot radioed a warning to the British fighter, the Tornado pilot radioed back that he 'had every right to be here' according to a UK AirProx Board (UKAB) review of the incident. The aircraft came within two miles of each other at their closest point, according to the UKAB, which investigates near-misses. The pilot of an American MC-130 transport craft filed a near-miss report about a Tornado GR4 fighter (file picture shows an MC-130 aircraft) The USAF pilot claimed there was a 'high' risk to the parachutists during the incident. But the RAF pilot, flying one of several Tornados in the area in November 7, told the UKAB they had been visible at all times and the severity of the incident was 'low'. Local military air traffic control reported it as 'negligible'. The UKAB report said the USAF pilot was . 'clearly frustrated by the continued presence of the Tornados' but it . had determined there was no risk to the parachutists. After the US pilot radioed a warning to the British fighter, the Tornado pilot radioed back that he 'had every right to be here' according to a UK AirProx Board (UKAB) review of the incident (file picture shows a Tornado GR4) The report states: 'The Board quickly agreed that both the MC130 and the Tornado pilots were entitled to be operating in the area and blocks reported.' Some members of the investigation board felt the Tornado pilots could have been more flexible, it said. It added: 'However, members felt that the mis-match in perception could quite easily have been prevented with the application of effective co-ordination between these two units who both commonly use the busy East Anglian airspace.' | US Air Force MC-130 pilot filed near-miss report about a Tornado GR4 fighter .
MC-130 pilot claimed Tornado came too close to parachutists in exercise .
UKAB report has determined there was no risk to the parachutists . |
85,115 | f16446db34e2861f0450dfa34d8cdda541ab7b19 | (CNN) -- A lawyer who served in the Clinton administration and more recently was an adviser to California's lieutenant governor pleaded guilty to a child porn charge in a San Diego federal court Monday. Wade Rowland Sanders admitted to having 600 images of minors on his computer, including a video depicting "several prepubescent females engaged in sexual conduct with an adult male and performing oral sex on one another," according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt. FBI agents raided Sanders' home last May after they suspected his home Internet service account was used to download several pictures and a video showing underage girls having sex with adult men, according to an investigator's sworn statement. "Sanders admitted that he had downloaded child pornography using the program Limewire but that he deleted the files once he noticed that they had been downloaded," FBI Special Agent John Caruthers said. A search of Sanders' computer found the child porn files saved on his hard drive in two "My Documents" folders, Caruthers said. At least one of the young girls in the photos was identified and is a "known victim," the investigator said. When Sanders, 67, is sentenced on March 30, he could get up to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. The minimum sentence for the charge is five years with supervised release for his lifetime and registration as a sex offender, the prosecutor said. FBI agents discovered the illegal downloads as part of a nationwide initiative called Project Safe Childhood. The multi-agency program, which began in 2006, is "designed to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse," the U.S. Attorney's statement said. Sanders was a U.S. Navy Swift boat captain during the Vietnam War, where he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a captain. Sanders was chosen by fellow Swift boat veteran John Kerry to introduce him at the 2004 Democratic Convention, when the senator accepted the presidential nomination. He briefly entered the 2000 congressional race in a San Diego district, but withdrew citing lack of funding. He ran as a Democrat. Sanders served as the senior adviser to California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi for Veterans and Military Affairs until the time of his arrest, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. He was also in the Clinton administration as a deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. When Garamendi's office announced Sanders' appointment in July 2007, it said he was a practicing lawyer and a community activist. "He is a member of the San Diego Police Department Senior Oversight Committee and has served on many non-profit boards," the lieutenant governor's office said. | Wade Rowland Sanders admitted to having 600 images of minors on his computer .
Sanders was chosen to introduce John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic Convention .
Sanders will be sentenced March 30 and could get up to 10 years in prison . |
224,403 | ae91278a35e5659564fe40eaf38ea8ebaeae86ce | Chased: Gedling Borough Council spent £200,000 pursuing Trevor Evans for a £2000 council tax bill . A 'blinkered and aggressive' local authority spent £200,000 chasing a schizophrenic pensioner over an unpaid council tax bill after 'ignoring' the fact he was mentally ill. Gedling Borough Council splashed out £50,000 in legal costs alone pursuing vulnerable Trevor Evans for a bankruptcy order over the unpaid bill of less than £2,000. The Nottinghamshire local authority wrongly ignored the fact Mr Evans, 80, was schizophrenic and has dementia in chasing him over the payment, a judge ruled today. The ruling means Gedling Borough . Council now have to pay trustee fees of £70,000 and pay Mr Evans's legal . costs, which solicitors estimate will amount to a further £80,000. Those . figures takes the total council spend to an astonishing £200,000 - more . than a hundred times what Mr Evans owed in council tax. A District Judge ruled the authority did not show compassion towards Mr Evans in pursuing the 'disproportionate' legal action. District . Judge Jane George said in her ruling that Alistair Townsend, the . council's tax manager, had 'demonstrated a lack of understanding' when . he said in a statement that there was 'no indication that Mr Evans was . suffering from a mental illness' and he was 'under no duty to make . detailed inquiries about Mr Evans' health'. The judge added: 'The court is satisfied that it is more likely than not that when the bankruptcy order was made, Mr Evans was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and vascular dementia and that by reason of those mental disorders he lacked capacity. 'The council could have shown compassion for him [Mr Evans] even if it did not accept the legal arguments advanced on his behalf. 'Purely on economic grounds it is not proportionate to have pursued Mr Evans for £1,909 and to have incurred what is likely to be in excess of £100,000 of costs and expenses.' Legal representatives for Mr Evans had previously argued that Mr Evans's illness made it very difficult for him to deal with his own financial matters. The pensioner, who lives in Bestwood Village in Gedling, Notts, was made bankrupt in 2004 after his debt problems mounted when he neglected to pay a council tax bill totalling £1,900. Barrister Margaret Griffin, representing Mr Evans, said at a previous hearing that Gedling Borough Council showed a 'blinkered and aggressive' attitude in pursuing the debt and pushing for the bankruptcy order. The council insists its insurance will cover the costs and the taxpayer will not be affected. It does admit that its insurance premium has gone up, but says this is by a 'negligible' amount. A council spokesman said: 'The council now accepts that Mr Evans lacked capacity at the time he was made bankrupt and apologises to him for any distress caused. 'At that time, the council was not aware of any issues surrounding Mr Evans's mental health, and if it had been made aware of these issues, it is unlikely that the action would have been pursued.' The council says it has put in place measures to prevent known vulnerable people facing similar problems. But a spokesman added: 'The council is concerned about the implications of the judgement, because it has no means to assess the mental health of debtors where it is not told that there is a problem. 'The council has been advised that there could be grounds for a positive appeal on this basis but has decided not to take this step because of the potential cost to the public purse and the further distress and uncertainty this may cause for Mr Evans.' Matthew Hill, solicitor for Mr Evans, said: 'The council's decision to make Mr Evans bankrupt, for such a relatively small sum of money, and to carry on with this case for so many years demonstrates a worrying attitude towards vulnerable individuals. 'Mr Evans was lucky that help found him. However, I am sure that there are many other at-risk people who just slip through the net. 'This case should act as a stark warning to others, including other local authorities, who might seek to make people bankrupt.' | Gedling Borough Council 'aggressive' in chasing Trevor Evans, 80 .
Trevor Evans's illness 'made it difficult for him to deal with financial matters' |
256,874 | d879f674f7ca8b436e449877a8dfb084c0a0f0cd | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Nancy Dolman, the wife of actor-comedian Martin Short has died, Short's representative said. "Sadly, we can confirm that Martin Short's wife did pass away," Camille Kuznetz said Monday. "We do not have any other comment to make." No details about the time, location or cause of Dolman's death were released. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call for emergency medical help at the couple's Pacific Palisades home Saturday morning, LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Paramedics did not transport anyone from the home, Humphrey said. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office had no record of her death, but the office would only be aware if a death was sudden, unexpected or from unnatural causes, a spokesman said. The couple had three children during their 30-year marriage. Dolman, 58, was a comedic actress and, like Short, a native of Canada. Her acting career included a recurring role on TV's "Soap" in the late 1981, although she soon gave up her acting career to raise her children, according to the Internet Movie Database. CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report . | Martin Short's representative would not release details of his wife's death .
Paramedics were called to the couple's home for a medical emergency Saturday .
Short, Nancy Dolman had been married for 30 years and had 3 children . |
50,802 | 8fbeaabc4a1e97292a082631b5ad9bf3ca7e2e57 | A child at the centre of the alleged Westminster paedophile ring in the 1980s has been traced by police and may be 'ready to spill the beans' about the politician he says abused him, it emerged today. The unnamed man, who is now in his 40s, says he was attacked by a senior political figure when he was eight and knew then he worked in the 'big house' - a reference to the Houses of Parliament. Scotland Yard has traced the alleged victim, who is a successful entrepreneur based in the United States but he has yet to make a formal statement to police. Scroll down for video . Abuse: A child at the centre of the alleged Westminster paedophile ring has been traced by police (file photo) But detectives have traced a copy of a statement he made more than 30 years ago when he was rescued from the abuse. During his interview in 1982, the child said his abuser worked in ‘the big house’, which detectives believe refers to the Houses of Parliament. The man subjected him to a horrific sexual assault and police working on the case at the time, who interviewed him, are said to have corroborated some of his evidence. Police have visited the victim, as the Mail reported in April this year, but he refused to give a statement confirming he had been abused. Detectives from Scotland Yard’s Operation Fernbridge – the unit set up to investigate allegations of an ‘Establishment’ paedophile ring – have been examining the case of the alleged victim. Campaign: There are calls for a public inquiry over alleged abuse by figures including Cyril Smith (pictured) A detective from the US, who conducted a secondment with the team, interviewed the man on behalf of Scotland Yard earlier this year. The alleged victim initially indicated that he would give a statement to police, only to change his mind. Although police obtained independent evidence of the specific abuse, it was not enough to execute an arrest. Scotland Yard has also spoken to an officer who worked on the original Elm Guest House case, and who interviewed the boy who is now in the United States. According to the Daily Telegraph the politician's name was not included in witness statements and never put forward in case of prosecution. It is alleged the man feared that he would be disciplined or lose his pension, so was reluctant. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Unnamed man is now in his 40s said he was abused at the age of eight .
Alleged paedophile said to be a senior politician in Establishment ring .
Man who was rescued 30 years ago is yet to make a formal statement .
Detective who interviewed boy feared losing job if he named politician . |
69,107 | c3f5e5136a27a55a1392e34e4832bf484586a8c5 | By . Deni Kirkova . A mother-of-three has lost 9st thanks to the healthy meals cooked for her by her chef husband. Morgaen Warner, 35, from Brighton lost the weight when her husband Rohan, 33, started cooking healthy versions of kitchen classics for her in the evening. She was able to drop nine dress sizes and was spurred on by encouragement she received from friends when she posted pictures of the tasty nutritious meals on Facebook. Morgaen and her husband Rohan before she started dieting (left) and after her nine stone weight loss (right) She said: 'Rohan is a genius in the kitchen - and he can cook anything. 'He cooks delicious meals for me every night. We eat Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian and even exotic dishes from Africa and South America. 'He has been so supportive helping me lose weight. He cooks me low-calorie meals with fresh and healthy ingredients helping me to shift the pounds.' Morgaen struggled with her weight from an early age. But it wasn't until after giving birth to her three children, Daniel, 13, Logan, 10, and Tanya, nine, that she ballooned to 17st. She said: 'I wasn't confident in myself and I hated it. We would never go out as I was too depressed to go anywhere. 'I had tried every diet under the sun but nothing worked.' Morgaen cutting wedding cake with Rohan. She stated putting on more weight after having children . Rohan a trained chef, would cook up delicious meals every night - serving enormous portions of Mexican, Chinese, Indian and Italian food. Morgaen said: 'Every night after dinner I would then sit in front of the telly scoffing on cakes, chocolate, ice cream and drinking wine. 'I knew my diet wasn't good for my health. I suffered from agonising back and knee pain and just walking to the shop for a pint of milk could leave me feeling like I'd run a marathon. 'I was too self conscious to socialise and I also hid away and made excuses not to see friends.' Desperate for a change Morgaen went to visit her doctor - who told her she had to overhaul her lifestyle or it could kill her. Morgaen before her weight loss with her husband and two of her children . Morgaen said: 'Not only was my size causing me excruciating pain - I was putting myself at risk of diabetes and deadly heart disease. 'Tears rolled down my cheeks as she told me I'd have to act immediately or my weight could kill me before I had a chance to see my children grow up.' The doctor ordered Mrs Warner to change her diet and start exercising. 'On my first trip to the gym I spotted a sign for the local Slimming World and I decided to sign up right away,' said Mrs Warner. 'Armed with advice about healthy eating, I rushed home and begged Rohan to cook healthy alternatives to our favourite meals. 'I worried that I'd miss his delicious dinners but his first offering, a quorn pasta bake, was so scrumptious I was hooked.' Chicken, salad and sweet potato (left) and omelette with salad (right) cooked for Morgaen by Rohan . A meal cooked for Morgaen by her husband Rohan. She has lost 9st thanks to his healthy meals . Rohan swapped food cooked in fatty sauces and covered in oil for grilled lean meat served with fresh vegetables. On a typical day before she started dieting Mrs Warner skipped breakfast and lunch - surviving on just a few cups of coffee throughout the day. She would then gorge herself with a big plate of pie and chips at the end of the day before settling down in front of the television to continue snacking. Now Morgaen starts the day with fresh fruit and natural yoghurt for breakfast. For lunch she has a cheese omelette with mushrooms and Quorn sausages and for dinner she will have a chicken curry cooked from scratch with lots of vegetables, lean meat and fresh ingredients for the sauce. She has also stopped snacking on chocolate, ice cream and cakes in the evening and instead reaches for a piece of fruit if she feels peckish between meals. Morgaen started posting pictures of the healthy recipes her husband prepared for each night on Facebook. She said: 'I wanted to show people that delicious food could also be very healthy. 'Pretty soon, friends were posting lots of lovely comments, encouraging me to keep going with my weight loss. 'Every . time I lost a few pounds, I uploaded a status telling everyone how I . was doing and their support really spurred me on - especially when I . found myself reaching for an extra biscuit after dinner.' Morgaen spotted a sign for the local Slimming World on her first trip to the gym and decided to sign up . A delighted Morgaen after her weight loss completing a charity skydive . Soon the pounds were falling off and three years after she began losing weight, Mrs Warner dropped to a slim eight stone and is now a slinky size eight. She said: 'My confidence grew and I started taking the kids out to the park, without worrying about strangers staring. 'I've started singing and acting again - something I did as a kid and I never felt like I could do it before. 'Recently I took part in a charity skydive - it was always on my bucket list but my weight stopped me from trying it, they probably wouldn't have even got me off the ground. 'It was the greatest feeling of my life and as soon as I landed I wanted to do it again. 'Thanks to my lovely hubby and my army of Facebook friends, I'm half the woman I used to be - and I couldn't be happier.' Breakfast: Coffee . Lunch: Coffee . Dinner: big plate of pie and chips . Snacks: Unhealthy food continuously eaten in front of the television . Breakfast: fresh fruit and natural yoghurt . Lunch: Mushroom omelette with quorn sausages . Dinner: Home cooked veg and chicken curry . Snacks: Fruit . In three years Morgaen dropped to 8st and is now a dress size eight . | Morgaen Warner, 35, from Brighton struggled with weight from an early age .
Reached peak of 17st after giving birth to her three children .
After dinner she would then sit in front of the TV with cakes and wine .
Went to her doctor who told her to overhaul her lifestyle or it could kill her .
Started eating well, going to gym and Slimming World - she's now size 8 . |
251,836 | d1f3be2b2b5c77fd440b78c6ec53613ab480f6c6 | LeBron James took on former club Miami Heat for the first time since leaving in July as the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed victory in a pre-season game in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. The Cavaliers won 122-119 in overtime, with James scoring seven points and picking up eight assists in 20 minutes at the HSBC Arena. It was the first time James played against the Heat since returning to Ohio after leading his former teammates to two NBA titles in four years. VIDEO Scroll down to watch LeBron James put on a brilliant slam dunk show . The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (right) drives to the basket past Miami Heat's Danny Grainger . James (left) shakes hands with former team-mate Dwayne Wade after the pre-season game in Rio de Janeiro . James (left) gives Wade a hug as the pair reunite on the court at Rio's HSBC Arena on Saturday . 'For me it was a special moment to be back there competing against my old teammates,' James said. 'I didn't get that awkward feeling, but a lot of memories came back about the things that we accomplished." James barely talked to his teammates before and during the game, though, doing his usual game routine. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was glad the first meeting was finally out of the way. James (right) shoots under pressure from Heat's Mario Chalmers as the Cavaliers claim victory . James dunks the ball as the Cavaliers go on to beat Heat 122-119 in overtime in the pre-season game . 'If you have to do something like this, I think it really benefits both teams to get the awkwardness out of the way in the preseason,' Spoelstra said. 'There was certainly a level of strangeness to it.' He said he didn't think it really affected the way the teams approached their preparations, though. 'I think both teams also used this week just to concentrate on themselves,' Spoelstra said. 'We have quite a bit of work to do to get our defense and our continuity offensively together. This was just another step, so in terms of game plan I don't think either team spent a lot of time on that.' James (right) shakes hands with opponent Chalmers after the game concludes . James high fives the fans as the Cleveland Cavaliers star departs the court following victory . | LeBron James took on old club Miami Heat for the first time since leaving .
The Cleveland Cavaliers claimed a 122-119 victory in Rio de Janeiro .
James scored seven points and picked up eight assists in 20 minutes . |
90,667 | 009dd6c51d81072a7db7e811ec7edebd20b9ac2f | Mersane Warria, also known as Raina Thaiday, who has been arrested for murder after the deaths of eight children on Friday . He should be celebrating his daughter's 14th birthday but a Cairns father is instead grief-stricken and in shock, trying to make sense of her tragic death. 'I've lost a beautiful daughter,' says the elderly man, who asked not to be named for cultural reasons. 'What for? What has she done?' He says tears streamed down his face when he and his wife were told their girl was one of eight children found murdered at a house on Murray Street in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday morning. Mersane Warria, the 37-year-old mother of the other seven children, who were aged between 18 months and 14 years, has been arrested and is under police guard in hospital where she is being treated for stab wounds. Their bodies were found by her 20-year-old son on Friday. The father said on Saturday his daughter had been staying with the woman, the girl's aunt, in the Murray St house for about a week. '(The son) told us that everyone is dead,' he said. Mourners embrace next to a memorial in the park next the Cairns home of a multiple stabbing in the suburb of Manoora . The community pay their respects to the eight children and lay flowers at their memorial . 'I said how come you are telling me this,' he said. 'And I was crying and (my wife) was crying, everybody was crying.' He last saw his daughter the night before she died at a local McDonald's restaurant where she was eating dinner with friends. 'I said come with me but she said: "Oh no dad, I'm going with my friends, my aunty",' he told AAP. The man said he and his wife are now searching for answers. 'What happened?' he said. 'Do you know what happened? Me and my wife we want to know.' Police remain at the crime scene since the eight children were stabbed to death at the property . One of the children who were murdered at the Cairns property would have celebrated her 14th birthday on Saturday . A number of candlelight vigils were held around Cairns on Friday night . He was shocked by news the aunty may be responsible. The man said his daughter had spent many weekends and holidays at the house and there had never been problems. He said Warria had recently decided to turn her life around and was again attending church. He said his daughter loved her friends, school and reading. 'When I dropped her at the house a week ago, everyone was happy,' he said. 'The last time I saw her she kissed me. She said she loved me and she asked for $100 which I said I'd give to her on Saturday morning on her birthday. 'My daughter, she was beautiful.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | A 37-year-old woman has been arrested for murder while under police guard at Cairns Hospital .
She is believed to be Mersane Warria, also known as Raina Thaiday .
The woman is a mother to seven of the children and an aunt to the eighth child who was due to turn 14 on Saturday .
The father of the teenager says he dropped off his daughter at the Cairns home a week ago .
He said he saw his daughter a night before her death, eating at a local McDonald's with friends . |
204,626 | 94eed289f1e87c868bcb967e380ca2dbaa3fde09 | By . Dan Bloom . Police are launching a crackdown on domestic abusers during the World Cup after research showed it sends violence soaring - even when England wins. Forces across Britain are drafting in extra resources, launching hard-hitting poster campaigns and even paying personal visits to known offenders. It comes . after a study showed domestic incidents increase by more than a third . when England loses a World Cup match - but also rise by 26 per cent when . the team wins. Hard-hitting: Police are launching poster campaigns to counter abuse including in Northumbria (pictured) Stress: A study looked at how testosterone levels can spike during a dramatic match (file photo) In Essex 117 fans, seven of them . women, will reportedly be handed warnings after officers analysed their . history of domestic and footballing crime. A similar tactic is being employed in Northumbria, where officers warn they will be paying 'special attention' to people who are known to be a risk. Elsewhere posters in single-sex toilets and on bus stops will depict distraught women next to slogans including 'Leave the striking to the players' and 'What time is kick off in your house?' It comes after a report found a steep increase in domestic violence during the tournament. Researchers from Lancaster University examined crime figures from Lancashire Police during the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups and found there was more violence on days when England played. In Surrey the increase was far more dramatic - with a 61 per cent leap in domestic violence reports on the day England drew 0-0 with Algeria in South Africa four years ago. Leap: Domestic violence soared by 61 per cent in Surrey on the day of England's 0-0 draw with Algeria in 2010, a tense match in which Wayne Rooney (left) berated fans in the stadium for booing their own team . Beautiful game, ugly consequences: In Lancashire posters are going up on bus stops with hard-hitting slogans . Despite rising awareness, abuse has got worse since 2002. The . Lancaster University study, published in September in the Journal of . Research in Crime and Delinquency, found the number of reports on match . days rose from 64 in 2002 to 99 in 2010. The . study's authors, Dr Stuart Kirby and Professor Brian Francis wrote: . 'Although it is difficult to say the tournament is a causal factor, the . prestigious tournament does concentrate the risk factors into a short . and volatile period, thereby intensifying the concepts of masculinity, . rivalry and aggression.' Lancashire Police Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said heavy drinking was often to blame . Several police forces have launched World Cup domestic violence campaigns today. Essex Police will pay personal visits to 117 fans known to be a risk, The Guardian reported. In Lancashire the football clubs Preston North End, Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley have joined emergency services to launch a hard-hitting poster campaign. In . Hampshire, volunteers will accompany police on domestic violence calls . to discuss the victim's relationship history and look for ways to . escape. And in Northumbria, officers specialising in domestic violence cases will be on duty during the matches. Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: 'Residents across the county will be coming together to watch the World Cup this summer, and it should be a time for fun and celebration. 'But unfortunately, experience tells us the tournament is also likely to be a time for excessive drinking – which can have devastating consequences.' Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird added: 'It is well known that there's a tendency for incidents of domestic violence to increase during high profile sporting events, particularly as more alcohol is consumed. 'High risk domestic violence offenders and those with links to football violence have been identified across the force area and officers will be paying special attention to them.' She added: 'It's important that we use these high profile events to raise this issue again, ensuring people generally know that this crime continues to happen even when most people seem to be happy and enjoying themselves. The tournament begins on Thursday in Brazil, with England's first match against Italy this Saturday in the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus. | Forces across Britain are launching campaigns and using extra resources .
Posters declare 'leave the striking to the players' and 'let's have no foul play'
In Essex 110 men will reportedly get personal visits, as will seven women .
Study found abuse up 38% whenever England lose - and 26% when they win . |
230,808 | b6e08989d7dde1faf4f3eb8ea82033ebb5240e64 | By . John Drayton . Robert Pires has followed former Arsenal team-mate Freddie Ljungberg in signing up for the inaugural Indian Super League. It was announced last week that former Sweden midfielder Ljungberg had penned an ambassadorial contract with the ISL, while Pires is expected to line up for one of the league's eight teams. The 40-year-old Frenchman spent time with Villarreal and Aston Villa following his six-year spell at Arsenal and will now ply his trade in Asia, although details of which team he will play for are yet to be released. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Freddie Freddie Ljungberg and Arsenal cheer on Ian Poulter . Fresh start: Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires will play his trade in the Indian Super League later this year . Still got it: 40-year-old Pires will represent one of the ISL's eight clubs between October and December . Relaxed: Pires has been enjoying a holiday in the sun with his wife Jessica . Former Liverpool winger Luis Garcia is among a host of other marquee players who have already signed up for the ISL - he will turn out for Atletico De Kolkata - and Pires is excited at the prospect of joining them. Following the announcement of his signing, Pires told the ISL's official Twitter feed: 'I am very happy to be part of the new League when passion for football in India is on the rise. 'It will be great to play in front of enthusiastic Indian fans as well as share my knowledge with my team-mates.' The ISL will run between October and December. Floating around: Jessica Pires chills out in a natural pool during her break with husband Robert . Ambassador: Ex-Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has signed up to promote the new Indian Super League . Ready for action: Former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia (right) will play for Atletico De Kolkata in the ISL . | Pires has joined the Indian Super League which kicks off in October .
The former Arsenal midfielder is expected to play for one of the league's eight teams .
Ljungberg has signed on as an ambassador for the ISL .
Former Liverpool player Luis Garcia will play for Atletico De Kolkata . |
16,530 | 2ee9c6ba8a21837564b4a33d34441cc5e4889845 | (CNN) -- It is a gruesome scene, even in a country that has seen its share of violence: three men, beheaded, with wounds peppering their bodies on all sides. The most surprising part? The attack happened inside a jail. A Brazilian newspaper on Tuesday released a video of this stomach-turning scene inside the Pedrinhas jail in Brazil's northeastern state of Maranhao. The video was recorded on December 17, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported, describing how "other prisoners pose with the bodies, showing them off like trophies." A union of jail workers gave the gory footage to the newspaper. Many will view the video simply for the shock value, but behind this incident is a myriad of problems in the Brazilian penal system that allow an environment where something like this could unfold. The Pedrinhas jail was already under scrutiny even before the video was made public. A judge visited the jail just days after the decapitations and wrote a report demanding that the state government regain control of the inmate population. In all, 62 inmates were killed inside Pedrinhas in 2013. The judge, Douglas Martins, also documented violence against women, saying that female visitors were forced to have sex with the leaders of gangs inside the prison. "The relatives of the powerless prisoners inside the jail are paying this price so that they won't be murdered," Martins told Brazil's judicial news agency. "It is a serious violation of human rights." Overcrowding is also a problem at this jail. There are 2,196 inmates at Pedrinhas, which was built to hold only 1,770, according to state jail officials. At the root of the violence at Pedrinhas is fighting between two rival factions -- inmates from the state's capital, and inmates from the interior of the state. In response, the federal government this week reached an agreement with the state to transfer the leaders of these warring factions to federal prisons, the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency reported. The woes at Pedrinhas are not unique to Maranhao state. Overcrowding and violence in jails are a problem in other parts of Brazil, as well as throughout Latin America. Along with the video, Folha de Sao Paulo identified the three decapitated inmates: Diego Michael Mendes Coelho, 21; Manoel Laercio Santos Ribeiro, 46; and Irismar Pereira, 34. | A newspaper releases a video of a gory scene .
Three inmates were decapitated inside a jail .
Brazil's jails face problems of violence and overcrowding . |
159,608 | 5a4ecf606c3dfe9a1ae7880ece0e0593ddf6d70f | (OPRAH.com) -- For more than 20 years, actress Christina Applegate has kept audiences laughing. "It doesn't feel the same, and it's hard to carry your purse," Christina Applegate says. "I cry at least once a day." During her teenage years, she lit up the small screen as Kelly Bundy on the hit sitcom "Married with Children." After 11 hilarious seasons, Christina's career branched out to the big screen and Broadway. In 2007, Christina landed the starring role on "Samantha Who?" an acclaimed comedy series. After receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance, it seemed that nothing could stop Christina's triumphant return to TV. Then, in April 2008, shocking news silenced the laughter. At 36 years old, Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, Christina says she lived quietly with the disease. "It's hard to live quietly," she says. "I went through five weeks of work without telling anyone that this was going on in my life." Now, Christina is going public with her personal battle to raise awareness among young women who may not think they're at risk. As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, Christina says she's been vigilant about getting regular mammograms since she was 30 years old. In 2007, doctors recommended extra precautions. "My doctor said that the mammograms weren't enough for me because of the denseness of my breasts," she says. "He suggested that I get an MRI." Christina went in for her first MRI screening, which produced disturbing results. "They found some funky things going on [in one breast]," she says. Doctors told her they needed to perform a biopsy. Then, the excruciating waiting game began. Christina continued to work and promote her sitcom, but the impending results were never far from her mind. A week later she says she got the phone call every woman dreads. "[The doctor said], 'It came back positive,'" she says. "Right now I'm sitting here shaking remembering that moment." Doctors explained that the cancer was only in her left breast, and thankfully, they caught it at an early stage. Christina says she held back her tears and immediately went into survival mode. The day after her diagnosis, Christina says she went in to see an oncologist and a surgeon. "I'm a Sagittarius," she says. "We need things done now. So, for me, I had to get in now, and I wanted to have my surgery now." Within a week, Christina had her first lumpectomy. Doctors also did a biopsy of her lymph nodes to make sure the cancer hadn't spread. Since the cancer was caught early on, Christina was told she'd need six weeks of radiation instead of chemotherapy. Then, she received more life-changing news. A test for the BRCA gene -- also known as the "breast cancer gene" -- came back positive. Oprah.com: Should you get tested for the gene? "That sort of changed everything for me," she says. "Radiation was something temporary, and it wasn't addressing the issue of this coming back or the chance of it coming back in my left breast. I sort of had to kind of weigh all my options at that point." Christina was given two options... go forward with the radiation treatments and continue testing for the rest of her life or have both breasts removed. Christina made the dramatic decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. "It came on really fast. It was one of those things that I woke up and it felt so right," she says. "It just seemed like, 'I don't want to have to deal with this again. I don't want to keep putting that stuff in my body. I just want to be done with this.' & I was just going to let them go." Before she went in for her surgery, Christina says she staged her first -- and last -- nude photo shoot. "I made sure that I have close-up photographs of them from every angle so I can kind of remember them," she says. Christina's tears finally spilled over the day she met her surgeon. "I met with my doctor, and I told him that was my decision," she says. "He brought the surgeon in, and it was like it was the floodgates just opened up and I lost it." Oprah.com: Going through a double mastectomy surgery . In July 2008, Christina went through with the surgery, which has left physical and emotional scars. "It can be very painful," she says. "It's also a part of you that's gone, so you go through a grieving process and a mourning process." Before she went under the knife, Christina says the only mastectomy she'd ever seen was the one her mother received. "[Her surgery] was in the '70s, and they didn't do a very good job back then," she says. "So in my own mind I'm thinking, 'My God, I'm going to be butchered, and it's going to be horrible. I'm never going to love that part of me again.' & But I did a lot of research, and they can make some pretty boobies." Currently, Christina says she has saline expanders in her body, which will make way for the new implants. Though she's proud of her proactive decision, she says she's reminded of her loss every day. "It doesn't feel the same, and it's hard to carry your purse," she says. "I cry at least once a day about it because it's hard to overlook it when you're standing there in the mirror. When you look down, it's the first thing you see... So you're reminded constantly of this thing -- this cancer thing that you had." On the bright side, Christina says she won't have to wear a bra ever again. She also feels victorious in the fight against breast cancer. "I have taken a very progressive stance in the rest of my life," she says. "For that, I'm really grateful." Days after her diagnosis, Christina says she reached out to family and friends, including Melissa Etheridge, a Grammy winner and breast cancer survivor. Melissa shared the lessons she learned during the fight for her own life. "The first thing she said to me is: 'Christina, this is a blessing that's happened to you in your life. Right now, you get to start over, and right now you get to change everything -- the way that you deal with things in life, the way that you react to things. Fear can hurt you. Stress can hurt you. This is the time that you have this opportunity to change the way you eat... everything you do,'" Christina says. Christina now looks at her health scare as a blessing. "I am a 36-year-old person with breast cancer, and not many people know that that happens to women my age or women in their 20s," she says. "This is my opportunity now to go out and fight as hard as I can for early detection." As she's learned, early detection may not come from a mammogram. Christina says she will fight for women to have access to MRIs and genetic testing, which many insurance companies won't pay for. Christina says her health scare has shifted her priorities completely. "[There's] this need and this desire to make every single day count," she says. "I used to say... 'Don't sweat the small stuff -- not even the big stuff.' At the end of the day, none of it matters but your own joy, your own spiritual journey that you go on, God, your loved ones, your friends, your animals. These are the things you've got to cherish and love and embrace." From "The Oprah Winfrey Show" "Christina Applegate: Why She Had a Double Mastectomy" © 2008 . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Christina Applegate opens up about her decision to remove both breasts .
Applegate stars in comedy series "Samantha Who?"
Actress' test results for BRCA gene -- "breast cancer gene"-- were positive .
"I have taken a very progressive stance in the rest of my life," she says . |
91,933 | 02424f336d5a62f1566e8bc75c308229ea59f8c7 | We've seen Kraft swallow Cadbury and US chemist's Walgreens bid for Boots. Now another British icon has fallen prey to a giant American corporation – after the London Eye was renamed the Coca-Cola London Eye. The tourist attraction, which has become a symbol of the London skyline, now glows red at night rather than blue to mark the landmark's sponsorship deal with the fizzy drinks firm. Scroll down for video . The London Eye shining red following the attraction's new sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, which has seen the pods having the drink's branding inside . The deal was signed last September and the wheel began turning again over the weekend, following its annual closure for maintenance earlier this month. Visitors were shocked to see that every pod of the Eye is now branded with its own Coca-Cola logo. Staff have been kitted out in red Coca-Cola uniforms – including Coca-Cola beanie hats for security workers – and the ticket office has been plastered with Coca-Cola posters. The move left plenty of people seeing red yesterday, with the Eye's owners accused of selling out, and health campaigners criticising the decision to promote such a sugary drink. One can of Coca-Cola contains nine teaspoons of sugar. The maximum recommended daily intake of sugar is 30 teaspoons for men, 22.5 teaspoons for women and 21 for children. Malcolm Clark, from the Children's Food Campaign, told The Observer: 'It's totally inappropriate for a major family attraction to be sponsored by a sugary drinks company. 'It sends completely the wrong message, not just here in London, but right across the globe. Soft drinks are the largest source of sugar in children and teenagers' diets, associated with weight gain and obesity, diabetes, heart disease and poor dental health.' Volunteers from the Children's Food Campaign were at the London Eye yesterday handing out 500 toothbrushes to families visiting the attraction . The campaigners say that it is inappropriate that Coca-Cola, a sugary drinks firm should be sponsoring the London attraction . Yesterday campaigners handed out 500 toothbrushes at the Eye to symbolise the 500 children who are admitted to hospital because of tooth decay every week. The London Eye was sponsored by British Airways for the eight years after its launch in 2000. The airline was one of the original joint owners until the attraction was bought by Merlin Entertainments in 2005. Yesterday Merlin Entertainments said customers were able to make their own minds up about what to include in their diets. But Dr John Middleton, vice-president at the Faculty of Public Health, said: 'Coca-Cola is the flagship for sugar marketing and therefore the flagship for rotten teeth and diabetes.They're taking over a high-visibility attraction and a major icon of the London landscape.' He added: 'What next, Buckingham Palace sponsored by Coca-Cola? There needs to be a much bigger public debate about advertising control before commercial corporate interests infiltrate every aspect of the public landscape.' | London Eye has been rebranded after signing partnership with Coca Cola .
The attraction, which reopened yesterday now shines red due to the deal .
The pods have the drink's branding inside as do the staff uniforms .
Critics have spoken of their concern of the company sponsoring the Eye .
Campaigners handed out 500 toothbrushes to families at the attraction .
They say this represents the number of children hospitalised every week due to tooth decay . |
7,158 | 1447d6faba2090771f6dfa39f50990162c4e8259 | By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 04:58 EST, 11 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:33 EST, 11 April 2013 . When Candace Frazee began to affectionately nickname her then-boyfriend Steve Lubanski 'Hunny Bunny', an obsession was born. Steve bought Candace a pet rabbit as a token of their love the next Valentine's Day and the couple began exchanging bunny-themed gifts on a daily basis. They have now amassed an astonishing 28,500 items - a Guinness World Record - and opened a museum for all things rabbit at their home in Pasadena, California. Scroll down for video . Obsessed: Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski are so devoted to bunnies that they've turned their home in Pasadena, California, into a rabbit museum . Living museum: As well as 28,500 rabbit themed items on show, the couple also have live rabbits who are litter-trained running around their house . Vast collection: Steve and Candace have amassed the world's largest collection of rabbit memorabilia . Can't say goodbye: The California couple are so obsessed with rabbits that they keep their dead pet rabbits in the freezer until they can afford to have then freeze-dried . But the couple's obsession spreads further than novelty nick-nacks. Alongside tubs of ice cream and their wedding cake, the couple keep their dead pet rabbits in the freezer. Steve and Candace can't bear to part with their pet rabbits after they've died and keep them in the freezer until they can afford to have them freeze-dried at $500 a time. As a surprise gift for their 19th wedding anniversary, Candace secretly took one of the dead rabbits - called Garetta - from the freezer and sent it off to the company that freeze-dries the corpses, ready to present to him as a romantic gift over dinner. Romantic nickname: The couple's obsession began when Candace gave her then-boyfriend the affectionate name 'Hunny Bunny' while they were dating . Handle with care: As well as stuffed toys, furniture and even toiletries, the couple have a vast array of china rabbits . Well-behaved: The couple say that their real pet rabbits roam free around the house because they are litter trained . The couple, who have been featured on new entertainment channel TLC's programme My Crazy Obsession, opened the museum at their home in 1998 and say that they attract visitors from all over the world. Most of their home is decked out in rabbit-related furnishings, including the light fittings, kitchenware and toiletries. As well as the 28,500 rabbit items, the couple also have real rabbits that do not live in cages and are apparently litter-trained roaming free around the house. Rebecca Chulew from Texas is also featured on My Crazy Obsession because of her all-consuming love of Barbie dolls. She was bought her first doll at the age of seven by her mother Margot and even had a special custom doll made up to look like her mother in her favourite photograph when she died in 2007. Rebecca looks set to pass the obsession on to her 15-month-old daughter Veronica as she has custom dresses made at a cost of $300 a time to match different Barbie outfits. I'm a Barbie girl: Rebecca Chulew, from Texas, dresses herself and her 15 month old daughter like her favourite doll . She even goes to the hairdressers once a week and takes a different Barbie along as inspiration for her new hair style. Rebecca has amassed 500 vintage Barbie dolls thought to be worth around $80,000. The young mother also scours recycling plants looking for discarded Barbies to restore. She has added around 8,000 to her collection over several years. Vast: Rebecca shows off some of her dolls . Home business: The couple opened their rabbit museum back in 1998 and say that it attracts visitors from all over the world . Keepsake: The couple's collection includes bags of real rabbit fur . Nick-nacks: Some of the items on display at the museum are more expensive than others . Work cut out: Candace has a long job on her hands keeping the exhibits dust free . But of all the items on show at the museum, the one that is said to attract the most attention is an Elvis rabbit. The couple say that while rabbits like Roger Rabbit are only known in certain cultures, the popularity of Elvis transcends cultures. My Crazy Obsession follows people whose fondness for objects has turned into an obsession, and reveals the effort needed to maintain these passions. Hopping mad: Candace and Steve have all manor of rabbit-related goods from the traditional to the 21st century . Romance isn't dead: As a 19th wedding anniversary present to Steve, Candace secretly had one of the couple's frozen dead rabbits freeze dried as a gift . Outlandish tastes: Even many of the couple's home furnishings and toiletries are rabbit-themed . The Best family from Las Vegas claim to be the world's strongest family and will also appear on My Crazy Obsession. Nick and Callie Best, their 11-year-old son Dylan and even five-year-old daughter Jessica are all obsessed with working out in the $80,000 gym they have built in the garage of their home after they were banned from three local gyms. Between them, the family of four spend a staggering 240 hours a week in the gym and eat ten dozen eggs a week. Flexing family: The Bests from Las Vegas claim to be the world's strongest family . Strong: Despite only being aged 11, Dylan can already deadlift 14lbs . Nick and Callie, who are both regular competitors at strong man and strong woman contests, met at a competition and have passed their fitness obsession onto their two children. Already Dylan can deadlift 140lbs despite his young age and five-year-old Jessica can lift more than double her body weight already. As well as working out in the gym, the family sling huge tyres down the street. Nick, who eats an astonishing 10,000 to 15,000 calories a day also pulls a truck weighed down with family and neighbours along the street once a week. Bizarre: Father Nick pulls a truck along the street, weighed down with family and neighbours, once a week . | Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski have a rabbit museum at their home .
They keep dead pet rabbits in the freezer until they can freeze-dry them .
The pair hold the Guinness World Record for the most rabbit-related items .
Their obsession has been featured on TLC series My Crazy Obsession . |
219,562 | a83686f042fa9d4ac82ce098cd9eab60f21973cc | RIVERVIEW, Florida (CNN) -- The captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama ignored explicit warnings to stay well off the coast of Somalia before his capture by pirates in 2009, according to 16 of its 19 crew members. "It's almost like he wanted to be captured," the ship's chief engineer, Mike Perry, told CNN in an interview to air on tonight's "AC360." Capt. Richard Phillips spent four days as a hostage after the attempted seizure of the Maersk Alabama. After his rescue by U.S. Navy SEAL commandos, Phillips was lauded as a hero, and the publisher of his new book promoted him as a sea captain who risked his life by offering himself as a hostage "in exchange for the safety of the crew." The 16 crew members have been far less public about the events, even as Phillips toured the country this spring to promote his book, "A Captain's Duty." But now they are telling a different version of what took place in the waters off the Somali coast in early April 2009. Perry, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, was the chief engineer aboard the Alabama as it sailed from Oman, in the Persian Gulf, to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of relief supplies. He told CNN Correspondent Drew Griffin that Phillips' decision "certainly warrants an investigation." "I just want an investigation, for this to be looked at properly before that man winds up going back to sea on another ship and endangering somebody," Perry said. Perry said he sailed on the Alabama after the pirate incident and retrieved e-mail warnings -- seven in all -- that urged the Alabama and other ships in the area to stay clear of the Somali coast and sail 600 miles away if necessary to avoid pirate attacks. Another former crew member, third engineer John Cronan, told CNN that Phillips "was advised to change course by competent deck officers and he overruled them." "Stay on course, make our ETA, stay on the same course," Cronan quoted Phillips as saying. For his part, Phillips said his preparations went beyond the industry standard for safety. He said the crew's version of events is linked to a suit filed against the Danish shipping line Maersk, which owns the Alabama. So far, six former crew members, not including Perry, have filed suit, claiming the company "knowingly sent their employees into pirate-infested waters, rather than taking safer routes." "We live in a litigious society," Phillips said. "So I can't really talk about what their complaint is. Their complaint is with the company, so it's not my place." Maersk has no comment on the lawsuit, the company told CNN. According to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, the Alabama was attacked about 380 miles off the Somali coast. Most of the e-mail warnings were sent by a private maritime security agency called Securewest International and were directed at all ships in the area, though one was specifically sent to Phillips. Each e-mail was based on information from British and U.S. naval authorities and urged the Alabama to stay clear of the shipping lanes where Phillips was heading. "Vessels should consider maintaining a distance of more than 600 nautical miles from the Somali coastline," one of the Securewest messages advised. Phillips acknowledged the existence of those e-mails, but said he could not respond to the accusations because of the lawsuit. Another crew member, Abu Tahir Mohammed Reza -- who goes by the initials "ATM" -- told CNN that he was on the Alabama's bridge when the Somali pirates began their attack. He said he spotted the pirates about three miles behind and to the right of the container ship and said Phillips "laughed at me" and "ignored me completely" when he reported the fast ship attack. Phillips disputed that account, saying he did not ignore any first warnings. "I'm not someone who laughs a lot. Ask my crew, do I laugh a lot and tell jokes? I think the majority will say no," he said. Phillips conceded, however, that in his book that he erred in identifying Reza as a Pakistani -- the sailor is from Bangladesh -- and that he was also wrong in writing that Reza gained U.S. citizenship via a lottery. And he said the real heroes are the Navy SEALs and his crew, whom he says stayed calm, followed orders and instincts and prevented a tragedy. "They did a wonderful job," he said. "It's in the book. Everywhere I speak, I say what a great job they did." As for the widely repeated notion that he gave himself up to the Somali pirates in exchange for the safety of his crew, Captain Phillips told CNN "the media got everything wrong." "I didn't give myself up," he said. "I was already a hostage by then." He added, "I think you're forgetting they had guns." Sailors aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge killed three of the four pirates who held Phillips and captured the fourth, Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse. Muse pleaded guilty last week to charges he hijacked the Alabama and kidnapped the captain, and he faces a maximum sentence of almost 34 years behind bars. The crew members who allege Phillips ignored warnings about Somali pirate attacks have created a Facebook page, "Alabama Shipmates." Perry said none initially wanted to go public with their assertions, but decided to do so as a group after the publication of Phillips' book in April. "We vowed we were gonna take it to our graves," he told CNN. "We weren't going to say anything. Then we hear this PR stuff coming out about giving himself up and he's still hostage, and the whole crew is like, 'What?' " Perry told CNN the crew had heard numerous international radio broadcasts declaring Phillips had exchanged himself for the safety of the crew. When told that many of his crew feel slighted by him, Phillips said, "There's not much I can say." "The media made everything out to be me," he said. "But that's the media. When I came home, I really didn't go and put myself in front of the media. A lot of my crew did. I didn't." Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here. | Captain of Maersk Alabama ignored warnings, 16 of 19 crew members say .
Capt. Richard Phillips became hero after pirate capture, rescue in April 2009 .
Chief engineer retrieved e-mails warning ships to stay well off Somalia .
Phillips says crew's claims are tied to a lawsuit against Maersk shipping line . |
172,101 | 6abfe1b3d06a64fb7670a239a59bf942eeaf0710 | (CNN) -- A 28-year-old Oregon woman has been charged with murder after the body of a new mother was found in the crawl space of her home. Police released a photo of Korena Roberts, who is charged with murder. Rescue crews first went to Korena Roberts' home in Washington County on Friday in response to a call of a newborn in distress. They found Roberts' boyfriend unsuccessfully trying to revive the baby using first-aid techniques. Roberts told deputies the baby was hers, the county sheriff's office said. Medics noticed a lot of blood at the home, and sent Roberts and the baby to a hospital. "Doctors at the hospital were not able to revive the baby," said Sgt. David Thompson of the Washington County Sheriff's Office in a news release. "They also discovered that Ms. Roberts had not delivered a child at anytime in the recent past." Deputies returned to the home, where they found the body of 21-year-old Heather Snively in the crawl space under the kitchen, Thompson said. Authorities learned Snively had been pregnant at the time she was attacked, and they determined she was the mother of the infant. An autopsy will now determine how the baby was delivered, and whether he died before or after birth, Thompson said. The outcome could result in another murder charge for Roberts, deputies said. Residents in the woman's Mill Creek Drive neighborhood said Roberts had told them she was expecting a child, according to CNN affiliate KPTV. "She didn't appear to be pregnant to us," neighbor Doug King told KPTV. | Rescue workers called to Korena Roberts' house after report of baby in distress .
Roberts told medics she had just delivered baby .
Doctors unable to save baby; then learned Roberts had not been pregnant .
Authorities later find baby's mother's body in crawl space of Roberts' house . |
232,164 | b8a36ef9eb0b9a5ce952f16ea6a6d3fb451a6e36 | Manchester City face a daunting trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in their opening Champions League encounter. The two sides have been drawn in the same group together for the third time in four seasons, meaning this is their fifth encounter since September 2011. Here, Sportsmail looks at how the two side's likely starting line-ups compare... BAYERN MUNICH . MANUEL NEUER - 9 . The sweeper keeper is the best in the world. He takes strong command of his area and it usually takes something special to beat him. German World Cup-winning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will hope to keep a clean sheet against Manchester City . DAVID ALABA - 7.5 . Young Austrian has recovered from being elbowed in the face by Zlatan Ibrahimovic on international duty. Poses danger going forward. David Alaba is likely to form part of a Bayern back three against Manchester City at the Allianz Arena . JEROME BOATENG - 8 . Pacey defender who rarely misplaces a pass. Vastly improved from the player he was at the Etihad. Jerome Boateng (left) will face former side Manchester City when he lines up for Bayern Munich on Wednesday . DANTE - 6.5 . The bulky Brazilian defender can lose concentration easily. Could be a weak link for City to exploit. Dante (centre) will be at the heart of Bayern's defence as they look to beat Man City in the Champions League . PHILIPP LAHM - 8.5 . A consistent performer, steady passer and solid defender. Philipp Lahm will captain Bayern Munich from the heart of midfield against Manchester City on Wednesday . XABI ALONSO - 7.5 . Will try to dictate the pace of the game. In the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger will be an important player in midfield. Xabi Alonso has thrived in midfield for new side Bayern Munich since his summer switch from Real Madrid . MARIO GOTZE - 7.5 . Scored the winning goal in the World Cup final and netted in Bayern’s 2-0 Bundesliga win over Stuttgart last week. Mario Gotze (centre) scored the winning goal in the World Cup final and will be a threat to the City defence . JUAN BERNAT - 7 . Bayern new boy is a Spanish under-21 international signed from Valencia. Highly rated for his tackling and danger he poses to opposition defence. Juan Bernat (left) will form part of an attacking trio for Bayern Munich against Manchester City on Wednesday . XHERDAN SHAQIRI - 7.5 . The 5ft 6in midfielder was a transfer target for Liverpool. His speed can be difficult to deal with. Xherdan Shaqiri scored a hat-trick at the World Cup and will aim to break down the Manchester City defence . THOMAS MULLER - 8.5 . This unorthodox striker sometimes appears bumbling but he works hard, has great awareness and scores plenty of goals. Thomas Muller scores important goals for club and country and will work his heart out for Bayern Munich . ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI - 8.5 . Polish front man has yet to find his feet at Bayern since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer but he thrives on the big occasions. TEAM AVERAGE - 7.8 . Robert Lewandowski was Pep Guardiola's big summer signing and he is a predator in front of opposition goal . VIDEO City's European time is now - Guardiola . MANCHESTER CITY . JOE HART - 7.5 . Commands respects from teammates but can get himself in sticky situations. Was beaten at his near post by Franck Ribery in Bayern’s 3-1 victory at the Etihad last season. Joe Hart was dropped after struggling against Bayern last season so it is a huge match for the City stopper . BACARY SAGNA - 7 . A capable deputy for Pablo Zabaleta but perhaps does not possess the same blood-and-guts determination as the fearsome Argentine. Bacary Sagna (left) will make his Champions League debut for Manchester City at the Allianz against Bayern . VINCENT KOMPANY - 8 . The captain is a fearless and steely presence in defence. Important because of the discipline he instils on the pitch. Vincent Kompany, Manchester City's captain, will be key to his side's chances at the heart of their defence . MARTIN DEMICHELIS - 7 . Has improved concentration levels but still prone to the occasional defensive error. A useful aerial threat from set pieces as demonstrated against Arsenal last week. Martin Demichelis has gone from a laughing stock last season to Mr Dependable at the back for Man City . ALEKSANDR KOLAROV - 8 . Has a sweet left foot and has scored two Champions League goals for City which bodes well. Aleksandr Kolarov will offer an attacking threat from left-back for City but he can be caught out defensively . YAYA TOURE - 8.5 . Dominates and still very much the focal point of the City midfield. On the brink of signing new contract at the Etihad according to Kompany. Yaya Toure should return in midfield and his power will be a key asset for City in the middle of the park . FERNANDINHO - 7 . Cannot be faulted for his commitment to the cause. Works tirelessly and makes crucial tackles. Fernandinho will once again shield the Manchester City back four from Bayern Munich's attacking threats . DAVID SILVA - 8.5 . Oozes class on the ball, the midfield magician can fashion a chance out of the most fleeting of opportunities. David Silva is crucial to Manchester City's attacking plans and he will aim to thread balls through for strikers . SERGIO AGUERO - 9 . He and Silva are the players that will most scare Bayern. Possesses an exciting burst of speed and capable of getting in behind defenders. Sergio Aguero is in fantastic goal-scoring form and he will hope to continue that on Wednesday at the Allianz . SAMIR NASRI - 7.5 . Creative and versatile but sometimes shirks defensive responsibilities. Samir Nasri can blow hot and cold but he is on song he is dangerous due to his trickery and guile . EDIN DZEKO - 7.5 . Vastly improved under the tutelage of Manuel Pelligrini. Looks hungry for the ball and is sharp in the box. TEAM AVERAGE - 7.6 . Edin Dzeko looks likely to be given the task of leading the line for City against Bayern at the Allianz Arena . | Manchester City face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday .
Two sides meet for fifth time in Champions League since September 2011 .
City and Munich have been drawn in same group three times in four years .
Here, Sportsmail looks at how the side's likely starting line-ups compare . |
211,498 | 9ddef5f80afba160fd9326ecbd47f2e42536aac0 | (CNN) -- When celebrating an important anniversary, it's always good to look your best. At least that's the theory behind the latest kit for Spanish football team Cultural y Deportivo Leonesa, whose players donned a somewhat special uniform for a preseason tournament Wednesday. A cross between formal evening-wear and a sporting outfit, the tuxedo-esque strip was specially designed by Danish firm Hummel to celebrate the third division side's 90th birthday. The club will give 10% of the proceeds to charities for mining families based in the region of Leon where it is based, while local children will also receive free football kits and coaching classes. Fan reaction has been mixed since last week's preview, says Hummel's marketing manager Henning Nielsen, but the jersey has garnered worldwide attention for a team which has only once graced Spain's top flight -- back in the 1955-56 season. "The club wanted to help the mining industry in the region, which is having some really tough times," Nielsen told CNN. "We wanted to go in and explore the club's heritage and find what has local character, and incorporate that into the design. "The club is celebrating its 90-year anniversary, so instead of having a formal reception with wine and drinks and snacks the club decided to do something ... another way with a bit of character." The concept of designing a special-edition football kit to carry a special message is far from a new one -- especially in Spain. In 2000, Deportivo Alaves released a shirt that featured the name of every season ticket-holder at the club to show solidarity between the then top-flight team and its fans. Second division club Deportivo Lugo, meanwhile, has released two special-edition kits for the coming preseason that take the appearance of a glass of beer and an octopus -- two delicacies of the Galicia region in northwest Spain where the side is based. La Hoya Lorca has played the last two Segunda B seasons in a broccoli-style shirt which is said to represent the southern Murcia region's reputation for growing vegetables. Even some of Spain's most famous clubs, like Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, have gotten in on the act. Last season Barca's away kit was based on the Catalan flag, while Bilbao's 2011-12 away strip reflected the Basque flag and a few years earlier its "spilled blood" shirt was designed by a local artist whose work features in the city's Guggenheim Museum. Click through the gallery above to view the most eye-catching football shirts over the years. Which do you think are the world's best and worst sporting kits? Have your say in the comments box below. | Spanish club to celebrate 90th anniversary in tuxedo kit .
A percentage of the profits made from the strip will go to charity .
Other clubs have designed kits that embody pints of beer and octopuses . |
147,404 | 4a94d80f3dccffd275af7f63184cfd62b498827d | (CNN) -- Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel led a Red Bull one-two in practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix Friday as Mercedes struggled with new tires and the blistering heat in Budapest. Vettel was fastest on Pirelli's soft offering in the morning and repeated the trick in the afternoon on mediums with teammate Mark Webber just behind. Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have dominated practice and qualifying in recent races, but were off the pace this time in sixth and seventh place respectively in the afternoon runs. The team had been excluded from last week's tire testing at Silverstone and have catching up to do admitted Rosberg. "We know it's quite challenging for our car in these hot conditions," he told the official F1 website. "Some of the other teams look quick here, so we have more work to do," added the German. Hamilton, a three-time winner at Hungaroring, was more upbeat. "We can generally pull out a bit more in qualifying so let's see how tomorrow goes." Vettel is seeking his first win in Hungary to follow a maiden triumph in Germany in the previous round and all the omens look good for the German star. "It's nice when you feel in control of the car and you can play around. I think the car suits the track. "There is still a bit of work to do, but we need to make sure we get everything out of the car tomorrow," he added. Webber, who will retire at the end of the season, was just 0.044 seconds adrift of his teammate with Romain Grosjean third fastest for Lotus. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso and his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who sustained life threatening head injuries in a freak accident at the circuit in 2009, were fourth and fifth quickest. Kimi Raikkonen made contact with the McLaren of fellow ex-world champion Jenson Button during the session and finished eighth fastest. Button finished just behind him, a boost for his struggling team with the Force Indias of Adrian Sutil, taking part in his 100th grand prix, and Paul di Resta next. Saturday will see final qualifying with track temperatures expected to remain over 40 degrees Celsuis for Sunday's race proper. | Sebastian Vettel fastest in both practice sessions for Hungary GP .
Tops Friday's morning and afternoon runs in his Red Bull .
Teammate Mark Webber second fastest .
Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg off the pace . |
51,819 | 92c1a38828be207471e2a77cbf6cc97e86e4bf12 | A promising teenage artist has died after police Tased him for allegedly spraying graffiti on a wall. Israel Hernandez-Llach, 18, had sprayed an 'R' - the first letter of his artist name, Reefa - on an abandoned McDonalds when police saw him and gave chase in Miami, Florida at 5am on Tuesday. After officers followed him over fences and down alleys, the teen ran towards them and, fearing a physical alercation, officers Tased the youth to the ground, Police Chief Ray Martinez said. Scroll down for video . Loss: Israel Hernandez-Llach, 18, has died after he was Tased by police who caught him spraying graffiti on an abandoned building. The teenager was known for his art and photography in Miami . 'During the foot pursuit, the subject . encountered officers face to face... and ignored officers' commands to . stop,' Martinez said. 'In order to affect his . arrest, an officer deployed his conducted electrical weapon (TASER). 'The officers were forced to use the Taser to avoid a physical incident.' He was hit once in the chest and . collapsed, and when officers saw he was in distress, he was transported . by fire-rescue to Mount Sinai Hospital. He was pronounced dead at . 6.15am. His friends Felix Fernandez and Thiago Souza said they had been serving as lookouts when he was seen by police on Tuesday morning. 'Art obsessed': Hernandez, pictured helping out on a photo shoot, did nothing but think of art, his sister said . Incident: The teenager had tried to escape from police after they spotted him on Tuesday morning, but they eventually caught up with him. He died after he was Tased once in the chest . According to Amnesty International, between 2001 and 2008, 351 people in the U.S. died after being shocked by police Tasers. Another report said there were another 190 taser-related deaths in the U.S. between 2009 and 2013, bringing the total to 541. Critics of Taser guns have argued that the stun device can cause cardiac arrest or heart attacks and subsequently death, even in those who appear healthy. Pre-existing medical conditions or drug use - in association with the shock - have also been blamed for the deaths. Earlier this week, it was reported that John Wrana, a 95-year-old World War II veteran, died after he was Tased and shot with bean-bag ammo by police after he brandished his cane at officers. Police had been called to his Chicago assisted living home because he was being combative while being involuntarily committed for medical treatment, it was reported. They claimed that, after he was . captured, they saw the officers push the teenager against a wall and . high-five as he lay motionless on the ground. 'That made me feel terrible inside,' Fernandez told WSVN. 'These cops are gruesome, and they don't really care.' 'They . were making fun of how he tensed up when he got Tased,' one of the . teenagers told CBS Philadelphia. 'They were just laughing, "You should've seen him, you . should've seen him".' An . autopsy has been completed but the medical examiner has not yet released a cause of death. The death is also under investigation by the city and . the state attorney's office. Deaths by Taser are uncommon but not . unheard of. Autopsies often find that the victim had been taking drugs . or suffered from a pre-existing medical condition, the Miami Herald noted. Hernandez's friends told CBS Philadelphia that earlier in the day they had been smoking marijuana and a toxicology test is now being carried out on Hernandez's body. Scene: He had sprayed the letter 'R' on this wall - for his street artist name, Reefa - when he was caught . Worth it? Hernandez had drawn this 'R' - the start of his artist's name, Reefa - before he was caught . Promising: A video shows some of Hernandez's vibrant art work in a high school exhibition . Exhibit: 'He wanted to change the world somehow through art,' his sister said following his death . 'The city of Miami Beach would like to extend their condolences to the family of Israel Hernandez,' Martinez said. The Miami News Times reported that the teenager had only sprayed a few inches of graffiti - which spelled the letter 'R' - before he was chased. Hernandez, . who moved from Colombia with his family when he was 13, was already an . award-winning artist known in the area for his sculptures, paintings, . photographs and graffiti work. An image on a Facebook page which appears to belong to Hernandez shows a . Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congress for his . participation in an art competition for high school students. The award . is signed by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida U.S. Representative. Model student: Hernandez, pictured modeling for a photographer friend, had won awards for his work . Helping out: Hernandez, right, prepares a model during a shoot with a photographer friend . Herb . Kelly, one of his art teachers at Miami Beach High, said: 'It was an . honor to work with him. He was cutting edge. He had such awesome . potential. To lose his life the way he did is tragic.' The . teenager, who was also a skilled skateboarder, had recently launched a . line of skateboards that he designed and had art exhibited at various . galleries in the city. 'He wanted to change the world somehow . through art,' Hernandez's sister, Offir, told the Herald. 'We want answers. We only want to know what happened.' The family has hired a lawyer, Todd McPharlin, who said they want an independent investigation. A protest march to demand answers from the police is being held in the city at 1pm on Saturday. Talented: Hernandez, who also loved skateboarding, designed his own line of skateboards before his death . High hopes: Teachers said that Hernandez had 'awesome potential' and called his death a tragedy . | Israel Hernandez 'had sprayed three inches of graffiti before the chase'
Officers followed him over fences and when he ran at them, he was Tased once in the chest and pronounced dead an hour later .
Friends: 'They were mocking him after he was Tased'
Hernandez was an award-winning artist who displayed works in galleries .
An investigation into his death is underway . |
79,318 | e0dc3231219dd4722b750788f4e76c051714dff2 | Australia’s meteorologists were yesterday forced to create a new weather chart as they prepared for the worst wildfires on record, with national parks evacuated and homes continuing to burn. The Bureau of Meteorology added deep purple and pink to their weather chart's colours as its range was extended to 54°C from a previously capped 50°C, in anticipation of record temperatures. Remote parts of southern Australia have already soared to 54°C, while Sydney hit a scorching 42°C. Scroll down for video . Australia's Met Bureau has extended its forecast map's temperature range (far right) to 54 celsius in anticipation of record temperatures as wildfires continue to rage across south east Australia . Burning up: In this photo provided by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, a wildfire near Deans Gap, Australia, crosses the Princes Highway . New South Wales Rural Fire Service worker spraying water on a bush fire at Green Point in New South Wales . Authorities warn of . 'catastrophic' conditions as 100 people remain missing in Tasmania after they fled homes engulfed by flames. 'We are shaping up for one of the . worst fire danger days on record,' New South Wales Rural Fire Service . Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. 'You don’t get conditions worse . than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas . leaving early is your safest option.' Catastrophic threat level is the most severe rating applicable. For the first six days of 2013, the 'national area-average' temperature had been in the top 20 hottest days on record. In Boomer Bay, a seaside town in southern Tasmania, Merle and Terry Klug watched the fire ‘come in all around’ and said they were fortunate to be alive. A melted boat at the Boomer Bay jetty on the Tasman Peninsula after bushfires swept through the south east region over the weekend. Residents have been urged to seek refuge ahead of a renewed bushfire threat . Eleven-year-old Zac Palmer stands amidst the remains of his grandparents' home which was destroyed after bushfires swept through the region over the weekend at Boomer Bay on the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania . Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters tackle a grass fire just outside of Gunning in New South Wales as more than 100 fires are still reported to be burning . ‘We couldn't go anywhere,’ Mrs Klug told . ABC Radio. 'The heat was horrendous. It's a wonder everything didn't go . up.’ She added that the fire came ‘over the hill like a bullet, . cracking in the air’. The Australian Met Bureau weather forecast map had its temperature range extended to 54 degrees – well above the all-time record temperature of 50.7°C reached on January 2, 1960 at Oodnadatta Airport in South Australia. Already the forecast outlook has started to deploy the two new shades of purple that represent plus-50°C. 'The scale has just been increased and I would anticipate it is because the forecast coming from the bureau's model is showing temperatures in excess of 50°C,' David Jones, head of the bureau's climate monitoring and prediction unit, said. Map of Tasmania locating recent and current areas with wildfires as the region grips itself for the worst fires on record . Even as the sun sets, a large number of swimmers can still be seen cooling off in the sea at Bondi Beach . Large crowds early evening at Bondi Cafe where temperatures reached 42.5°C in Sydney. Even at 8pm temperatures on the beach were above 32°C . It was the first time that average . national top temperatures over 39C had been recorded on five consecutive . days, the bureau said. Wildfires have razed 50,000 acres (20,000 . hectares) of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since . Friday. In New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, the fires . had burned through more than 64,000 (26,000 hectares) of land. No deaths had been reported, although . officials in Tasmania were still trying to find around 100 residents who . have been missing since a blaze tore through the small town of . Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying . around 90 homes. Bondi Beach basks in extreme heat as sun worshippers look to cool off . Crowds cooling off at Bondi Beach as record high temperatures grip Australia . This picture taken from Lake Conjola shows bathers looking on as smoke billows from a bushfire at Deans Gap in New South Wales . Some 120 holidaymakers and staff were evacuated from the Kings Canyon Resort in central Australia as a fire in the Wartarrka National Park had begun to damage its property. People were evacuated from there to Mereenie Oil Fields,and more from the nearby Aboriginal community of Lilla, police said. 'There is substantial damage to the resort,' resort spokeswoman Louise Longman said. Northern Territory Police said the fire had a one-kilometre front and had damaged property at the resort although all staff and guests were safe and accounted for, police said. Meanwhile hundreds flocked to the famous Bondi Beach too cool off, including scores of British holidaymakers and backpackers. Tourist Dean Fitzgerald, 27, from Kimberley, Notts, said: 'It’s absolutely scorching but at least the sea is cold.' Smoke billowing as a bushfire burns near Green Point in New South Wales . Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits the remains of the Dunalley Primary School in Dunalley yesterday . Ambulance crews were also called out . to several of the city’s landmark destinations such as the famous Opera . House where elderly visitors had collapsed in the extreme heat. Broken Hill, 700 miles west of Sydney where the Mad Max films were made, hit 44 degrees C.Flames . across the three states were whipped up by 105km/h winds, enabling the . bush fires to move at a terrifying 7sq/m every second. On Wednesday record temperatures across southern Australia cooled but the extreme heat has shifted to northern and central Australia. The national capital, Canberra, dropped from a high of 36C to 28C and Sydney dropped from 43C to 23C. Wildfire smoke can be seen rising from hills behind the village of Numeralla in New South Wales state . Three teens were arrested in Sydeny's west on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of deliberately starting a blaze, which firefighters managed to put out. On . Tuesday night, residents of the popular tourist spot Sussex Inlet, 120 . miles south of Sydney, was issued with a warning after fires began . threatening property there. During the day, two homes destroyed at Chepstowe, Victoria, where two people were also injured. Also in Victoria, the historic Carngham Train Station was burnt to the ground. In Tasmania, 40 fires were continuing to burn on Tuesday night. In remote South Australia, temperatures hit an incredible 54 degrees C. A home destroyed by fire in Dunalley, . Tasmania . Fire fighters battle a grass fire in Oura, near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales . One fire was threatening about 30 homes near the . small town of Cooma, south of the capital of Canberra. Cooma-Monaro . shire mayor Dean Lynch told Australia’s Sky News that some residents had . been evacuated to the nearby town of Nimmitabel. Strong winds were hampering efforts to . bring the fires under control. Wind gusts more than 62mph (100kph) were . recorded in some parts of the state. All state forests and national parks . were closed as a precaution and total fire bans were in place with . temperatures in excess of 45°C (113F) in some areas. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said residents had to stay alert. 'The word catastrophic is being used for good reason,' she said. 'So it is very important that people keep themselves safe, that they listen to local authorities and local warnings. A sky crane water bombing helicopter flies through thick smoke over the town of Wandandian south of Nowra . A kangaroo hops through a burnt out paddock after a grassfire in Sunbury north of Melbourne, Victoria . 'This is a very dangerous day.' One volunteer firefighter suffered . severe burns to his hands and face while tackling a grass blaze near . Gundaroo village, about 138 miles (220km) south-west of Sydney, . yesterday. He was flown to a hospital in Sydney for treatment. Fire chief Mr Fitzsimmons said the . firefighter’s condition had improved, and he was expected to be released . from hospital in the next few days. Wildfires are common during the . Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria . state killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes. A dead wallaby lies in a paddock on Dawson Road near Cluny Lagoon . | Country's forecasting chart's temperature range extended to 54°C .
'Catastrophic' conditions as 100 people remain missing in Tasmania .
120 holidaymakers and staff evacuated from central Australian resort .
Tasmania locals: 'Fire came over hill like a bullet and heat was horrendous'
Heatwave moves north as southern states welcome cooler weather . |
3,995 | 0b84d59af80862f46fbcf868acd57eeb0b41e36f | A former aide to then-presidential candidate John Edwards testified Tuesday he helped cover up Edwards' affair with a campaign videographer. The scheme, according to Andrew Young, included him claiming he was the father of Rielle Hunter's child to protect Edwards. Young is the star government witness against Edwards, who is accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars from 101-year-old heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and another donor to conceal his affair with Hunter. The candidate asked him to allow Hunter to move in with his family in North Carolina after newspapers began looking into a possible affair in the campaign, Young testified. The woman lived with the family three months and expected others to dote on her, Young said. "She could go shopping at Neiman Marcus, but she couldn't go to grocery store," said Young. More serious was Young's description of how money was allegedly funneled beginning in late 2007. Young, the first witness in the trial, said Mellon was an enthusiastic supporter who apologized for not being able to give the campaign more than $1 million. Mellon made personal checks out to her interior decorator, who would write checks that would end up in the account of Young and his wife, the witness told jurors. Hunter eventually moved to a gated community and the money was used to pay $2,700 monthly rent and purchases of furniture, television and a BMW, Young said. Hunter also was given a credit card bearing a different name. Prosecutors say Edwards broke federal law by accepting about $725,000 from Mellon and more than $200,000 from Fred Baron, a now-deceased Texas lawyer who was his finance chairman. The money was used to pay for Hunter's living and medical expenses, travel and accommodations to keep her out of sight while he made his second White House run in 2008, prosecutors say. Edwards is accused of concealing the money from the public and the Federal Election Commission, which polices political contributions, by filing false and misleading campaign disclosure reports. Young is testifying for the prosecution under a cooperation agreement with the hope that he won't be prosecuted. Young, who has not undergone cross-examination, also testified that Edwards made a disparaging comment about his mistress after she called to say she was pregnant. "She was crying, she was distraught, and she needed to speak with Mr. Edwards immediately," Andrew Young told jurors about his conversation in 2007 with Hunter. "I said, 'Somebody better be pregnant or dying. She said, 'nobody's dying,' " Young recounted. He said he told Edwards about Hunter's pregnancy. Young quoted Edwards as replying that, " 'She's a crazy slut' and there's a 1-in-3 chance it was his child." Reporters located a pregnant Hunter at a Cary, North Carolina, grocery story in December 2007 and two men came to his house, Young said. "They knew about affair between Ms. Hunter and Mr. Edwards and they wanted to ask me about it," said Young. The cover-up, according to Young, began the next day when he got a call from Edwards. Edwards proposed that the campaign's account of an affair would be between two staffers -- Hunter and Young, the latter testified. Eventually, all parties agreed to the plan, with Edwards thanking his aide. "We had been lying a great deal, but also what he was saying rang true, we believed in the causes," Young said. "I wanted my friend to be president. Being friends with the most powerful person on Earth, there's benefits for you, your family." Edwards admitted his affair with Hunter in 2008, after his presidential ambitions foundered. In 2010, he admitted that he was the father of Hunter's daughter. "This affair was a gamble with exceedingly high stakes," prosecutor David Harbach told jurors during Monday's opening statements. "If the affair went public, it would have destroyed any chance to become president, and he knew it. Two of his most enthusiastic supporters happened to be wealthy, and he knew that, too. He made a choice to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars. He made a choice to break the law." Young also testified Tuesday that Hunter was upset because Edwards wouldn't return her calls. "If I don't talk to him immediately, this is over. I'm tired of living a lie. I'm going to go public," Hunter said, according to Young. Edwards indicated that Hunter needed to be kept on an allowance, said Young. "$5,000 a month was the typical amount, but there were a couple of times where we gave $12,000 a month," said Young. According to Young, Edwards tried to distance himself from the Mellon money of which he was aware while he was interested in becoming U.S. attorney general in a new Democratic administration. "He said he couldn't know about any of this in case he had to be sworn in for attorney general," Young said. Young is the author of "The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down," in which he accuses Edwards of using money from his benefactors to maintain his relationship with Hunter. The defense argues that the money Edwards received from Mellon and Baron was for personal reasons: to protect Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, who was dying of cancer, and his family from public humiliation. Edwards has said his actions were wrong but insisted that they were not illegal. "This was a fall from grace," defense attorney Allison Van Laningham told jurors. "It was that humiliation he was trying to avoid all along." Edwards could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of all six felony and misdemeanor counts against him. Seven of the 16 jurors, four of whom are alternates, are women. Edwards' lawyers wasted no time attacking Young's credibility, starting with their opening statements Monday. Van Laningham alleged that Young consulted with three other witnesses about testimony after the witness list was released three weeks ago and portrayed him as a greedy staffer who has said Edwards is his ticket to the top. Van Laningham also pointed out that Young had his own affair, a one-night stand with a campaign employee. Experts say the government faces an uphill battle to convict Edwards in a legal field riddled with loopholes. The former senator refused a plea bargain to misdemeanor charges that would have given him a few months in prison but would have allowed him to keep his law license. His wife, Elizabeth, died of cancer in December 2010. The pair had separated after Edwards acknowledged the paternity of Hunter's child, but Edwards was at her bedside when she died. Jurors also heard voice mails of calls between Edwards and Young. In one excerpt, the candidate tells Young he should tell his wife about the situation. And a January 2008 call by Edwards made a reference to Hunter, according to Young: . "Just wanted for all of you, including her, to know that I'm thinking about you." | Ex-aide Andrew Young testifies he helped cover up John Edwards' affair .
Young tells about Edwards' response to the new his mistress was pregnant .
Edwards is accused of using campaign contributions to hide his mistress .
A donor said she thought Edwards would be "savior of America," Young testifies . |
50,858 | 8fe7e034afbaf2d1354521df5afaa8678c701928 | New York (CNN) -- Pro basketball is a staple of American athletics, taking its place with Major League Baseball and the National Football League as one of the pre-eminent U.S. sports leagues. And it's big business, too, pumping tens of millions of dollars into the U.S. economy. So the owner of the Brooklyn Nets raised eyebrows this week when he said he planned to transfer ownership of the team to a company in Russia -- at a time when tension between the U.S. and Russia is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War. That raised two questions: Will it happen? Does it matter? The billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, Monday reiterated his year-old intention to transfer the Brooklyn Nets ownership base to Russia, but has since toned down his rhetoric. "This is a long process which may or may not come to fruition and nothing is imminent," Prokhorov's company, Onexim Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBA basketball team, said in a statement released via the Brooklyn Nets. "Of course, no steps in this direction could or would be taken without the full knowledge and approval of the NBA." On Monday, the 48 year-old Russian national told reporters in Moscow, "I have already stated that I will transfer the basketball club (under the Russian jurisdiction)," according to Russian news agency ITAR-Tass. Not so fast, the NBA said, telling CNN the transfer has yet to begin. "The Nets are owned by Mikhail Prokhorov through a U.S.-based company," Mike Bass, executive vice president of NBA communications, told CNN. "We have received no official application, nor is there a process under way through our office to transfer the ownership of the Nets to another company." If an application to change ownership was submitted by the Nets, 75% of NBA team owners -- or 23 of 30 -- would have to approve the move, Bass said. He said that the NBA's Board of Governors (the 30 team owners) would have to decide whether there are any issues with the transfer of ownership application. Currently, the NBA has no rules prohibiting a foreign company from owning an NBA team. The back-and-forth comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin pushes Russian businessmen to "de-offshore" companies owned abroad. Last week, Putin stressed the importance of bringing the companies home and making them pay Russian taxes to help grow the economy, according to the Kremlin website. "Entrepreneurs need to understand their responsibility," Putin told a group of Russian businessmen last week. "Our priority stance is that Russian companies have to be registered here, in their home country and have a transparent ownership structure." Onexim Group is described as a private investment holding company that owns or manages various metals companies, financial companies and media outlets, as well as the Nets, according to the site. In recent weeks, Washington has imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials and what officials called "cronies" of Putin, as well as a bank, after warning Putin against annexing Crimea from Ukraine. President Barack Obama also signed an executive order that authorizes his administration to target Russian companies vital to the economy, including financial services, energy, metals and mining. When asked about the idea of a basketball team transferring its ownership to be based in Russia, the State Department declined to comment. Onexim says the discussions to move the Brooklyn Nets under Russia's jurisdiction began in the spring of 2013. At the time, Prokhorov intended to run for public office and the move was an attempt to comply with Russian laws regarding political candidates. "Mikhail was not in any way tying it to the current political situation," Ellen Pinchuk, director for international projects at the communications adviser group Mikhailov & Partners, said this week. Prokhorov called the move "an outstanding opportunity to use NBA technologies for the step-by-step development of basketball in Russia," according to ITAR-Tass. Alexander Kliment, director of Russia research and emerging markets at Eurasia Group, a global political risk and consulting firm, said there is a basic agreement between Putin and oligarchs permitting them to make money as long as they stay out of government. They're also expected to comply with government demands, he said. "Prokhorov is falling into line with the Kremlin's broader emphasis on returning the assets of Russia's wealthiest businessmen back to Russia," Kliment said. "There's a political dimension to that: to ensure that the wealthiest are as dependent on him as possible and as independent of the west as possible." Russia's oligarchs always had to balance keeping assets at home versus abroad, Kliment said, but pressure has been increasing. "For a long time the political risk of keeping assets in Russia appeared to be higher, but in the past month that has shifted because of pressure from both the Kremlin and the White House," Kliment added. Courtney Brunious, associate director of the USC Marshall Sports Business Institute, said such a move in the sports world could be complicated by the current political situation. "Any type of moves that take into consideration the residency of who owns the team would be impacted by whatever laws in the country in which they reside and any type of sanctions that currently or could potentially be placed on a country, such as Russia," Brunious said. If NBA team owners gather to discuss the transfer they have to consider the best interest of the league and owners, as well the ramifications of ownership change, he said. "Anyone that has a background, like Prokhorov, that could be aligned with sanctions, needs to be taken seriously," Brunious said. He added: "The NBA as a whole wants draw from a large audience. They want to focus on the talent and competition on the court, they don't necessarily want to link up with geopolitical issues." "Unless the move raises issues with the league or the U.S. government, Nets fans probably shouldn't be worried. As long as the Nets ownership group is financially sound and not running afoul of those groups, the team won't likely feel much of an impact," Brunious said. Prokhorov became principal owner of the Nets in 2010. He bought 80% of the team, as well as a 45% stake in the Barclays Center, the iconic new facility the team has called home since 2012. The Brooklyn Nets are worth $780 million, the 5th most valuable franchise in the NBA, according to Forbes. Prokhorov -- worth $10.4 billion, the 120th richest person in the world and the 11th richest in Russia, according to Forbes -- gained his wealth through minerals and metal investments in the years after the fall of communism in the early 1990s. He's got a reputation as a financial sage. "I like business, it's my profession," Prokhorov told CNN's Matthew Chance in 2011. "I spend, like, 15 hours a day in the office. It's the great joy in my life, and I never think about money." Prokhorov has shown interest in politics in the past, and even ran for president in Russia as an independent against Putin in 2012. At the time, some saw him as too close to the regime in power. Many Russians suspected the Kremlin put Prokhorov up to garner some legitimate votes without being a true threat to Putin, giving the impression that the contest was fair. CNN's Leigh Remizowski, Quand Thomas, Jillian Martin and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report. | Russian billionaire owner of Nets considers ownership move to Russian jurisdiction .
The move is "not in any way tying it to the current political situation," the owner's rep said .
Obama signed an order that can target Russian companies vital to its economy . |
126,727 | 2fd38b6248686893ebbf5c65fb94bcbe1c3c9b9e | Kentucky police say a man tortured his neighbor's dog to death by feeding it razor blades wrapped in Canadian bacon because it barked too much. Robert Hamme, 60, of Elizabethtown was arrested for animal torture on Sunday after admitting that he left the deadly treats in his neighbor Jim Stotts's yard for the family's dogs to eat, according to a police report. The Stotts had been forced to put their 14-year-old beagle mix Nibbles to sleep after finding a mysterious blockage in his intestines that put the dog 'in agony.' Medieval torture: 14-year-old beagle mix Nibbles was fed razor blades wrapped in Canadian bacon by a neighbor who believed he barked too much . 'Every time he tried to drink, he would throw up in the water bowl,' Stotts told WLKY. 'He'd lay down and look up at me and crawl towards me, you could tell he was in serious pain,' Stotts added. The family couldn't afford the operation that might have saved their dog's life, so the beloved pet was put down to end his suffering. On the day of Nibbles's death, Stotts found his other dog, Bolt, chewing on a piece of Canadian bacon in his yard. Stotts discovered 'broken pieces of razor blade stuffed in the straight side' to conceal the deadly objects. He found two other pieces of Canadian bacon in his yard containing razor blades and small nails, and believes a fourth piece was responsible for Nibbles's death. Grieving: Jim Stotts says that his family's beagle mix Nibbles was living 'in agony' and for days the family did not know why . Elizabethtown police had gone to warn Hamme about meat in his own yard when he admitted to leaving the bacon-wrapped blades for Stotts's pets, according to The News-Enterprise. Stotts claimed that Hamme often complained about dogs in the neighborhood barking, but he believes there was no justification for killing his dog and calls what Hamme did 'an evil act.' Hamme was charged with two counts of animal torture, one of which is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. | Robert Hamme concealed broken razor blades in pieces of Canadian bacon and left them for the Stotts family's dogs .
The Stotts were forced to put 14-year-old beagle mix Nibbles to sleep because they couldn't afford an operation to save his life .
Jim Stotts found a piece of blade-laced meat in the mouth of his other dog Bolt .
Hamme admitted his crime to police after they visited his home to warn him about meat in his own yard . |
189,768 | 81bbfcb1f1dba6ccdb291209d298164e4b4e8d88 | By . Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 05:13 EST, 20 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:05 EST, 20 November 2012 . As the daughter of a £13million lottery winner, Ffion Jenkins was perhaps entitled to hope for a pretty special 17th birthday party. Unfortunately for her, that hope was shared by about 200 teenagers who arrived at her house to join the raucous celebrations after the event was advertised on Facebook. While Ffion’s mother, Sandra Fosbrooke, was at the local pub which she co-owns, partygoers were running riot at her six-bedroom home. Jackpot: Sandra Fosbrooke, with former partner Ken Henry in 2005 when they won £12.8 on the Lottery. Ms Fosbrooke was at the nearby Stag Pub in Five Roads, which she jointly runs, while her daughter Ffion's daugher descended into chaos . The police had to be called after the party descended into violence, and six arrests were made amid reports of fights and windows being smashed. Yesterday Mrs Fosbrooke, who won £12.8million on the lottery in 2005 with her then partner Ken Henry, would not comment on the chaotic event. But she may have been left wishing she had spent some of her winnings on hiring a security guard or two for the evening. As for Ffion, despite apparently already having fallen foul of the social networking site, she took to Facebook again after the party to declare that it had put the village where she lives ‘on the map’. Witnesses said it took police 40 minutes to calm the party down at the family home in Five Roads near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, on Friday night. Lottery winner Sandra Fosbrooke, pictured left, refused to comment after her home was trashed by 200 gatecrashers who read about the birthday party of her daughter Ffion Jenkins 17, right, on Facebook . Home sweet home: Six people have been arrested after Sandra Fosbrooke's house in Five Roads, Llanelli, was trashed by gatecrashers . One said: ‘There were about 200 people, with fights starting everywhere. It was chaos. I think someone threw a flatscreen telly out of the window. The house has been badly damaged.’ In a series of internet posts after the party, Ffion wrote: ‘Five Roads is now on the map of madness :( urrrggg.’ She commented that ‘everything kicked off’ and she did not think she ‘should show my face in this village again!’, adding that her birthday and Christmas had been ruined and that none of her family wanted to talk to her. While she appeared to be at least somewhat repentant, friends complimented her on the party. One wrote on her Facebook page: ‘You had one hell of a party – many thanks, you deserve a pat on the back!!’ while another added: ‘It was brilliant while it lasted!’ High life: Former Asda worker Ms Fosbrooke and former bingo caller Ken Henry shared the jackpot in 2005. Since their win Ms Fosbrooke has gone back to work at a historic pub she rescued from closure . After their lottery win seven years ago, Mrs Fosbrooke, then a £5.44-an-hour supermarket cashier, and Mr Henry, a cleaner in a factory, went all over the world on exotic holidays, including a trip to Las Vegas. The couple, who each had two children from previous relationships, with Ffion being the youngest, splashed out on property and cars as well as buying gifts for relatives. They moved a few miles from their terrace house in a mining village and bought the most expensive house for miles around – a £1.2million gated five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion mockingly called Buckingham Palace by locals. The pair earned more than £1,750-a-day in interest – but also became members of their local bingo club. When they broke up earlier this year, dividing their fortune, Mrs Fosbrooke moved into a £415,000 luxury property round the corner, which is where Friday’s party was held. Recent move: Lottery winning mother Sandra Fosbrooke moved in to the property earlier this year after breaking up with her partner Ken Henry, pictured above . A police spokesman said: ‘Police attended a property in the Five Roads area of Llanelli following reports of a disturbance. ‘The call was received at approximately 9.20pm on Friday November 16. Six people were arrested for public order offences, criminal damage and possession of cannabis.’ A girl of 18 and boy of 19 are due to appear in court next month. The others, including two aged 17, were freed on bail. It is the latest in a string of teenagers’ parties to be gatecrashed after details were posted online. Earlier this month, a court heard how a 13-year-old girl’s birthday party was stormed by 60 older teenagers who had seen details on Facebook. The girl’s father, architect Shaun Beverley, tried to get the uninvited mob to leave his award-winning £1.1million home in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, in July but was punched to the floor, kicked and spat on in a ‘vicious and horrendous’ attack. Chaos: Regulars from The Stag Pub in Five Roads, near Llanelli, pictured, went to check on the party where they found it had spiralled out of control . | Sandra Fosbrooke was working nearby as youths descended on her £415,000 Five Roads, Llanelli, home .
Six face charges of criminal damage, affray or possession of drugs .
Witnesses said a television was thrown out the window during the party that has been compared to film Project X . |
142,791 | 44abe20ab4242ef2c4c000ddbffb3ceba5edd7c0 | (CNN) -- Since April, 117 law enforcement agencies in 18 states have decided to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests to keep foreign-born people in jail on suspicion they might be undocumented immigrants. These "detainers" ask local and county agencies to hold individuals up to 48 hours after local charges are resolved to allow ICE time to investigate their immigration status. California, Oregon and Washington state have seen the highest number of agencies changing their policies out of fear of being sued. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in Florida and Polk County Sheriff's Office in Iowa last week were the latest agencies to change their detainer policies. Police agencies began reacting after several federal judges ruled that police were violating the constitutional rights by not releasing the immigrants after resolving their state charges. The advocacy group Catholic Legal Immigration Network says that more than 190 agencies in three states and the District of Columbia enacted policies that reduce or eliminate cooperation with ICE detainers. But ICE spokesman Nestor Yglesias disputed that number, saying that "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is aware of 134 different law enforcement agencies throughout the country that are no longer honoring ICE detainers." That number includes agencies that opted out before April. Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents most of the 3,083 sheriff's agencies in the country, said the national organization has not taken an official position on the matter. "It's not a viral movement, but it's raising some legitimate legal issues," Wilson. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office explained its new policy: "Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office will require Orders of Deportation or Warrants signed by a federal judge/magistrate, or other court related order, to hold individuals beyond the time they would otherwise be released," the agency said in a written statement. The issue boils down to due process, immigration advocates say. Every person in the United States -- citizen or illegal immigrant, has the same basic right of due process under the Constitution, says south Florida immigration attorney Jeffrey Devore. "Detain first, ask questions later," is the problem with ICE detainers, Devore said. "Under our Constitution, you have to have some reasonable reason to detain people." In an Oregon case, Maria Miranda-Olivares pleaded guilty to violating a domestic restraining order and was sentenced to time served. Clackamas County officials held Olivares 19 additional hours until transferring her into federal custody under an ICE detainer. She sued and on April 11 a federal judge found the county violated her Fourth Amendment rights for unreasonable search and seizure by holding her without probable cause and with no warrant for her arrest. The federal judge in Oregon cited other cases that ICE immigration detainers are "requests" -- and, therefore, not mandatory. Yglesias, in a written statement said, "When law enforcement agencies turn over criminals into ICE custody rather than into the community, it helps protect both public safety and the safety of law enforcement." Law enforcement sends fingerprints of anyone arrested in the United States to the FBI and prints of those born outside the United States are forwarded to ICE for an immigration status check. The Secure Communities program, started under President George W. Bush in 2008 and expanded largely under the Obama administration, was designed to prevent undocumented immigrants from committing serious crimes. ICE updated its policy last year and eliminated detainer requests for undocumenteds arrested for misdemeanors and petty crimes, saying its priority is to remove undocumented immigrants who commit serious crimes. In 2013, ICE removed 368,644 immigrants from the United States. Most were apprehended crossing the border illegally. Of those arrested within the country, ICE says 82% had been previously convicted of a crime. Advocates for immigrants are concerned the increased deportations separate families, said Jennifer Riddle, an attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Pro-immigrant groups have pushed hard for law enforcement agencies, and local and state government officials to change their detainer policies. The Immigration Legal Resource Center focuses its online efforts to teach advocates how to best "explain the risk of civil liability if they continue to hold immigrants for ICE," Riddle said. "It's not the local law enforcement's job to do immigration enforcement," Riddle said. "They are to protect their local community," said the advocate. The Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is taking steps to avoid legal pitfalls. In its decision to not enforce ICE detainers, its attorney cites two judges' rulings against police agencies. "In light of these cases, personnel should not honor ICE detainers unless they are supported by probable cause," wrote the sheriff's legal in June. In Austin, Texas, Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton disagreed with county commissioners decision to stop enforcing federal detainers. The sheriff said his organization will continue to honor the federal request since it keeps his community safe. | Police agencies declining to hold suspects for immigration authorities over lawsuit fears .
Immigration and Customs officials acknowledge that more than 100 agencies have opted out .
ICE wanted suspects held before local authorities released them to check their immigration status . |
29,261 | 532180b37b8163def5f5b7f3cea6c1ed524521f5 | By . Steph Cockroft . In the depths of a bitter winter, during one of the bloodiest wars in history, two warring sides laid down their weapons and took part in one of the most powerful shows of peace in history. On Christmas Day 1914, the sounds of firing rifles faded and British and German soldiers, who had been at war for five months, broke into an impromptu game of football in No Man's Land in Flanders, France. The poignant meeting between the trenches signalled a Christmas truce along the Western Front, which would prove to be only of the only glimpses of chivalry in an otherwise brutal war. Players took part in a reenactment of the iconic football match which took place on Christmas Day 1914 in Flanders, when British and German armies agreed a truce . The impromptu game broke out during the First World War after a German messenger walked across No Man's Land on Christmas Eve to broker a temporary ceasefire . The match, which was a replica on the Christmas Day truce came, took place in blistering temperatures - in direct comparison to the freezing winter which troops faced at the time . After Christmas Day, the war continued for another four years, killing up to ten million people. Now that match has been recreated on Saltburn beach, Teesside, to mark the First World War as the centenary of its start approaches. In starkly different circumstances, . including sweltering temperatures, two teams dressed up in historic wartime gear to reenact a version of the 1914 game. Watched by thousands of spectators, the two teams battled it out on the sand, in tribute to those who lost their lives during the conflict. Truce: A depiction of British and German soldiers playing football in 'No Man's Land' on the battlefield in World War One . The two teams dressed up in vintage army uniforms and played the game, which ended up with a 5-2 win to the 'British' side. There was also a . field of 8,000 poppies laid to create a temporary 'war cemetery' in tribute to the fallen. A Tiger Moth plane also flew overhead, scattering 40,000 poppy petals onto the crowds below. The 1914 game was one of many unofficial ceasefires . that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914 during that war. The truce began after a German messenger walked across No Man's Land on Christmas Eve to broker the temporary ceasefire. The event attracted thousands of people down to the beach, where the match was followed by many other activities to commemorate the fallen from the First World War . Two teams dressed up in vintage uniforms to replicate the match, which was also written about in the wartime novel Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks . Organiser Allan Whiley said the event - which ended up with a 5-2 win to the British team - was arranged to commemorate the futility of war, as the centenary of the start of the Great War approaches . British soldiers then went out and . recovered 69 dead comrades and buried them. The impromptu football match . soon broke out between the two sides when a ball was kicked out from . the British lines into No Man's Land. To commemorate the game, and the war that followed, organisers arranged a complete day of events. When the tide came in, there was a short service by a . church leader from Saltburn as a lone bugler plays The Last Post. Silent Night, which was sung by German soldiers on the day of the truce football match, was also sung in both German and English. The event became well known after it was written about in Sebastian Faulks' war time book, Birdsong. The men, who were split in British and German teams as they were in the trenches, raised a truce flag at the event . A sea of 8,000 poppies were also laid to mark the fallen, while a Tiger Moth plane flew overhead, dropping 40,000 poppy petals to the crowds below . Silent Night, which was sung by German soldiers on the day of the truce match, was also sung in both German and English at the event . Allan Whiley told the Northern Echo: 'If the soldiers had continued playing football instead . of being forced back into battle perhaps a lot of lives would have been . saved not just in the First World War but the second one as well. We . want to commemorate the futility of war. 'We knew we couldn’t do this on Christmas Day, which is when the match . actually happened, so we thought we would hold it nearer the time of the . outbreak of the war.' Proceeds from the event, to be match funded by Barclays, will go to the . East Cleveland branch of the Royal British Legion who will use the funds . to restore Saltburn's War Memorial. Spectators look on from Saltburn pier during a commemoration event . A lone buglar played the Last Post, pictured left, after a short service, which was attended by thousands - young and old alike, pictured right . Thousands of people enjoyed the sun as they went down to the commemoration event . | The football match spontaneously broke out in No Man's Land in Flanders, France on Christmas Day 1914 .
It signalled a truce along the Western Front, as British and German soldier lay down their weapons for one day only .
After that, the war continued for four years, claiming more than ten millions lives .
Now that historic game has been recreated on Saltburn beach, Teesside, to commemorate the Great War . |
60,087 | aaad53130d0d5e816b8f47db0e05d5ac5a3eb985 | The US Air Force has told a sergeant he will have to leave the military unless he agrees to take an oath with the phrase 'so help me God,' officials said Tuesday. In the latest religious controversy to roil the air force, the atheist airman last month was denied his request to re-enlist because of his refusal to swear to God -- and he is now poised to take the military to court, his lawyer said. 'We have not received word from the Air Force regarding our letter. It has not indicated a willingness to settle out of court,' said Monica Miller, an attorney for the American Humanist Association, which has taken up the service member's case. The US Air Force has told a sergeant he will have to leave the military unless he agrees to take an oath with the phrase 'so help me God,' officials said Tuesday. The airman is based at Creech Air Force base in Nevada . With the deadline for re-enlisting expiring in November, the technical sergeant at Creech Air Force base in Nevada - whose name has not been released - will be forced to sue the government in a federal court, Miller told AFP. In the past, an airman could opt for an alternative phrase and omit the words 'so help me God,' but the US Air Force changed its policy in October 2013. The other branches of the American military do not require the reference to God and make the phrase optional. The other branches of the American military do not require the reference to God and make the phrase optional . 'This is the only branch to my knowledge that's actually requiring everyone in all instances to use the religious language,' Miller said. The requirement violates the US Constitution, which bars religious tests to hold office or other positions, Miller said of the case, which was first reported by the Air Force Times. 'The government cannot compel a nonbeliever to take an oath that affirms the existence of a supreme being,' she said. The sergeant's service expires in November and he has until then to re-enlist and take the oath, said US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. In the meantime, 'a written legal opinion is being requested' from the Pentagon's top lawyer, she said. The air force has been plagued by controversy for years over religion and the role of Christian evangelists. The US Air Force Academy in Colorado faced accusations several years ago that evangelical Christians exerted a dominating influence over the institution. But attempts to counter the perceived bias in the service have sparked criticism from Christian activist groups, who allege a new rule stifles the religious expression of troops. The disputed rule bars commanders from promoting their religious convictions to their subordinates. Advocates of the policy say it protects troops who worry their careers could be jeopardized if they do not take part in their superior's Christian activities. | Airman denied his request to re-enlist because of his refusal to swear to God .
He is now poised to take the military to court, his lawyer said .
Sergeant's service expires in November and he has until then to re-enlist .
The requirement violates the US Constitution . |
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