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Tokyo (CNN) -- Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that he will give up his salary until the nuclear crisis in the country is over. He also said he would review the country's energy policy and consider other energy sources like wind and solar power. Kan said he would give up his prime minister salary which is 1,636,000 yen a month ($20,200 a month), but he would still receive his lawmaker's salary. The prime minister's announcement comes the same day that about 100 residents, who had been evacuated from an area close to Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, were allowed to return home Tuesday for a short visit to gather belongings. After donning protective suits to guard against radiation,the residents where allowed to go to their homes in the village of Kawauchi, officials said. They were only allowed one small bag and could stay in their homes for two hours. For some, this was the first time they had been home since April 22 when the Japanese government issued the mandatory evacuation from a 20-kilometer area around the nuclear plant. "I left my medicine even though I have a chronic illness. I need to get it," a man told Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Also left behind were pets. Residents may be able to go back and get their pets in the near future, officials said. After two hours at their homes, residents were taken to a base to undergo examinations for radioactive substances. Cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo, were knocked out by the devastating tsunami that struck Japan's Pacific coast after a massive earthquake March 11. The disaster triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as the cores of reactors 1-3 overheated and spewed huge amounts of radioactive contamination across the surrounding area. The disaster has led to mandatory evacuations of about 78,000 people living within 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of the plant. People living another 10 kilometers away -- or at least another 60,000 people -- have been ordered to remain sheltered. CNN's Junko Ogura and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.
Naoto Kan says he will give up his premier salary but not his lawmaker's salary . Kan's salary is 1,636,000 yen a month ($20,200 a month) About 100 residents returned to their homes in the evacuation zone for a short visit Tuesday . Residents are allowed to go into the area for two hours .
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(CNN) -- The Obamacare website might still not be working, but journalists are. All across the country, as Republicans try to highlight tragic tales of Americans losing their current health insurance and allegedly stuck with more expensive options, journalists are coming to the rescue. In case after case, journalists investigated these stories and called the policyholders and combed the insurance exchange websites to bring actual facts to bear in our public debate about Obamacare. Here are just some of the mythical stories journalists have helped dispel — and the lessons we can learn from them about the reality of the Affordable Care Act: . Deborah Cavallaro was making the rounds on television complaining about how her current insurance plan was canceled under Obamacare. So Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik talked to her. Her current plan cost $293 per month but had a deductible of $5,000 per year and out-of-pocket annual limits of $8,500. Also, the current plan covered just two doctor's visits per year. But in the California insurance exchange, which Hiltzik helped Cavallaro check, she could get a "silver" plan for $333 per month — $40 more than she's currently paying. But the new plan has only a $2,000 deductible and maximum out-of-pocket expenses at $6,350. Plus all doctor visits would be covered. Hiltzik writes, "Is that better than her current plan? Yes, by a mile." Dianne Barrette also popped up on television on a CBS news report in which she lamented that her $54-per-month insurance plan had been canceled under Obamacare. But Nancy Metcalf at Consumer Reports investigated Barrette's story and found that her current policy was a "textbook example of a junk plan that isn't real health insurance at all." According to Metcalf, if Barrette had ever tried to use her insurance for anything more than a sporadic doctor's visit, "she would have ended up with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical debt." The plan, for instance, only pays for hospitalization in cases of "complications of pregnancy." Instead, Metcalf found that Barrette could get a "silver" plan in the state insurance exchange for $165 per month that would actually cover Barrette in the case of any sort of serious or even moderate illness. Which is the very definition of insurance, isn't it? Edie Littlefield Sundby, a stage-four gallbladder cancer survivor, published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal blaming the Affordable Care Act for her canceled insurance policy. In her essay, Littlefield wrote that because of Obamacare, "I have been forced to give up a world-class health plan." But, according to Igor Volsky of Think Progress, Sundby's insurer, United Healthcare, "dropped her coverage because they've struggled to compete in California's individual health care market for years and didn't want to pay for sicker patients like Sundby." Earlier this year, United, which has publicly supported the Affordable Care Act, announced that it would pull out of the individual market in California. A company representative said it withdrew because its individual plans have never had a huge presence in the state. According to United, and in compliance with state law, the company won't be able to re-enter the California individual market until 2017. By then though, competitors will get stuck with sicker patients like Sundby signing up in the first wave of Obamacare. This means that companies like United can cover cheaper patients if it decides to go back to the California individual insurance market. According to a report by Dylan Scott at Talking Points Memo, a Seattle woman named Donna received a cancellation letter from her insurance company regarding her current plan. The letter steered Donna and her family into a more expensive option and said, "If you're happy with this plan, do nothing." The letter made no mention of the Washington State insurance exchange, where Donna could find plenty of other more affordable choices, because the company wanted a convenient excuse to jack up Donna's rates. Had Donna "done nothing," she would have ended up spending about $1,000 more per month on insurance than the cost of insurance she ultimately chose through the Obamacare exchange. In fact, the practice of trying to mislead customers has become so widespread that Washington state regulators issued a consumer alert to customers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Republicans who have been desperate from the very beginning to destroy Obamacare at any cost, regardless of facts or the urgent health care crisis facing America, will continue to dig up stories of people supposedly harmed by the law. And journalists will hopefully continue to investigate these allegations, helping us all sort fact from fiction. In the meantime, there's a side benefit to all this: If you are one of the small fraction of Americans who currently relies on the individual insurance market and has seen your current policy canceled, call a journalist — like one of those in the stories above. Reporters all across the country are hungry for real-life stories about how Obamacare is working. Plus, most reporters have access to high-speed Internet. If you can't get through to the Obamacare exchange site, there's a journalist standing by willing to help you navigate the exchange options and explore your pros and cons in terms of costs and benefits. The website might still be glitchy, but old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting is as reliable as ever. Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include United Healthcare' explanation of its withdrawal from California's individual insurance marketplace. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sally Kohn.
Sally Kohn: Republicans are desperate to destroy Obamacare at any cost . Kohn: Stories about people supposedly harmed by the law are not always true . She says journalists are digging into allegations, helping us all sort fact from fiction . Kohn: The website still has glitches, but old-fashioned reporting is very reliable .
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NORFOLK, Virginia (CNN) -- Negotiators aboard a U.S. Navy warship are trying to secure the release of an American freighter captain who is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia, according to Maersk Line Ltd. Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia. The crew aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge could see the lifeboat where pirates have been holding Capt. Richard Phillips since Wednesday, the company said in a written statement issued at 5 p.m. ET. Phillips has not been hurt, the statement said. Phillips, who has received provisions and batteries for his radio, has been in touch with the crews of the Alabama and the Bainbridge, the statement said. The pirates are the same four men who hijacked Phillips' vessel, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, early Wednesday hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa. The Alabama's 20-person crew later regained control of the ship, which is owned and operated by the Norfolk-based Maersk Line Ltd. In a written statement, Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers noted that "there have been many questions about how the crew re-captured the ship and how the captain came to leave the ship." But he would not clarify the matter. "Our immediate focus has been to bring the current situation to a safe resolution," he said. "There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full de-briefing." The U.S. Navy, which is in charge of the situation, requested the help of the FBI. FBI negotiators in the United States are in touch with the crew of the Bainbridge, which arrived on the scene earlier Thursday to assist, a senior U.S. defense official said. According to Maersk's last communication with the Navy, the 28-foot lifeboat was disabled and "dead in the water," Speers said Thursday morning. "We are encouraged that most of the crew is safe. They have been resilient and courageous throughout this crisis," Speers said. "But we will remain on watch, staffing our situation room and our family hot line until this situation is resolved and the captain is safely returned." On Thursday, the Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa, Kenya, with an 18-person armed security detail on board, according to Joseph Murphy, the father of the ship's first officer. Maersk and U.S. military officials confirmed the cargo ship had left the area on Thursday, but would not say where it was heading, citing security concerns. See how pirate attacks have increased » . Gen. David Petraeus, chief of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that the Bainbridge would be getting backup shortly. "I can tell you, there are definitely going to be more ships in that area in the next 24 or 48 hours, because there are two more sailing to it right now," he said. "Needless to say, we want to ensure we have all the capacity that may be needed over the course of the coming days." Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, told CNN's Barbara Starr in Bahrain that, "We have been moving forces in that direction." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama had been staying apprised of the situation. "Obviously, his main concern is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship, and he will continue to receive those updates," he said. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an international coalition of countries is working to address the piracy threat, but the area in question is immense. "I think the ocean area we're referring to is three times the size of Texas," she told reporters. iReport.com: 'Stop the pirates, Obama!' Referring to continuing problems with piracy in those waters, she said instability in Somalia has contributed to the flourishing of "an old scourge." The Alabama was loaded with food aid when the pirates hijacked it Wednesday, 350 miles off Somalia's coast -- a distance that used to be considered safe from pirate attacks. It was the first time in recent history that pirates targeted an American ship. Watch how pirates work off Somalia » . The pirates were armed with AK-47 assault rifles while the ship's crew carried no weapons, according to Ken Quinn, the second officer of the ship. Crew members managed to take one of the four pirates hostage, Quinn said. The crew -- apparently minus the captain -- locked themselves in the compartment that contains the ship's steering gear, where they remained for about 12 hours with their captive, whom Quinn said they had tied up. Watch Quinn describe the hijacking to CNN » . The pirates reneged on their agreement to exchange Phillips for one pirate whom the crew had captured. The pirate was released unharmed, according to Quinn, who spoke to CNN on Wednesday via a satellite call. The pirates had scuttled the small boat they used to reach the ship, Quinn said, so Phillips offered them the Alabama's 28-foot lifeboat and some money. "We returned him, but they didn't return the captain," Quinn said. The U.S. Navy issued a warning several days ago to ships in the area that pirates were operating farther offshore. Watch former Navy captain discuss options » . There are emergency rations to last 10 days on the lifeboat, but the conditions are most likely "uncomfortable," according to Murphy. "There's no toilet facilities or anything like that," he said. "The captain has a VHF radio, and I'm sure that he's in voice communication with the ship itself. The problem is, of course, that ... the [radio's] battery is going to die, and I'm not really sure how they're going to continue communication after that." iReport.com: How should the U.S. respond? It is common for crews of merchant vessels to travel through the area unarmed despite the risk of pirate attacks, experts said. An armed crew could provoke a firefight that would endanger the crew's lives or its cargo, which often contains flammable or explosive material. John Reinhart, chief executive and president of Maersk Line Ltd., said the crew can try to outrun the pirate boats or turn fire hoses on anyone trying to board the ship, "but we do not carry arms." Watch company spokesman say how captain is held » . The vessel was carrying relief supplies for USAID, the U.N. World Food Program and the Christian charities WorldVision and Catholic Relief Services. The U.N. agency said its portion of the cargo included nearly 4,100 metric tons of corn-soya blend bound for Somalia and Uganda, and another 990 metric tons of vegetable oil for refugees in Kenya. CNN's Jason Carroll contributed to this report.
NEW: Backup heading to scene of standoff, Gen. David Petraeus says . Maersk Alabama leaves scene with armed detail as negotiations for captain continue . FBI assists in negotiations with pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips in lifeboat . U.S. Navy warned that pirates increasing range of operations .
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Richard Branson's dream to charter commercial space flights has taken a step closer to reality. His company, Virgin Galactic, yesterday signed a deal with U.S. aviation authorities to let it blast paying customers into space. Commercial flights are to begin by the end of this year and more than 600 people have already signed up at $250,000 (£150,000) each to take a trip on SpaceShipTwo. Scroll down for videos . Richard Branson's dream to charter commercial space flights has taken a step closer to reality. His company, Virgin Galactic, yesterday signed a deal with U.S. aviation authorities to let it blast paying customers into space on SpaceShipTwo (pictured) The agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets out how routine space missions from the Spaceport America base in New Mexico will be coordinated with the normal air traffic control system. ‘Our team is working hard to begin routine and affordable space launches from Spaceport America and this agreement brings us another step closer to that goal,’ said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. The Virgin announcement came hours before Branson's main rival in the commercial space race was to unveil its latest spacecraft. Passengers climb to 50,000ft before the rocket engine ignites. They become 'astronauts' when they reach the Karman line, the boundary of Earth's atmosphere, at which point SpaceShipTwo separates from its carrier aircraft, White Knight II . The agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets out how routine space missions from the Spaceport America base in New Mexico will be coordinated with the normal air traffic control system. Pictured is the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft that will be used to fly passengers to space . Spaceport America's Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space Building is seen at the end of the road to the main runway, near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. This is the world's first purpose-built commercial space base and soon-to-be site of the first space flights . Ticket cost: The starting price for flights is $250,000 (£150,000) - the first ceremonial flight will be undertaken by Richard Branson and his family. Training: Passengers are required to go through a 'Pre-Flight Experience Programme', including three days of pre-flight preparing onsite at the spaceport to ensure passengers are physically and mentally fit to fly. Once aboard: SpaceShipTwo will carry six passengers and two pilots. Each passenger gets the same seating position with two large windows - one to the side and one overhead. The space ship is 60ft long with a 90inch diameter cabin allowing maximum room for the astronauts to float in zero gravity. Flight path: A climb to 50,000ft before the rocket engine ignites. Passengers become 'astronauts' when they reach the Karman line, the boundary of Earth's atmosphere, at which point SpaceShipTwo separates from its carrier aircraft, White Knight II. The spaceship will make a sub-orbital journey with approximately six minutes of weightlessness, with the entire flight lasting approximately 3.5 hours. The spaceship accelerates to approximately 3,000 mph - or nearly four times the speed of sound . Flight frequency: Initially one per week, eventually to have two flights per day. Elon Musk, chief executive and chief designer of SpaceX, present his company's ‘next generation’ Dragon V2 spacecraft at an event in California on yesterday evening. The group has proposed launching 12 rockets per year from a site near Brownsville in southern Texas, but has not yet confirmed that they will be built in the area. SpaceX, which already has craft supplying the International Space Station, has chosen Spaceport to test the Falcon 9 reusable rocket, meaning that it will launch vertically and then land intact. 'It really is the democratisation of space,' said Spaceport executive director, Christine Anderson, 'that you and I and our children and grandchildren can think about going to space, about going to Mars.' Ms Anderson estimates there will be 200,000 visitors per year to Spaceport 'when all our customers are flying.' As well as his dreams for commercial spaceflight, Richard Branson has said he wants to develop planes so fast that passengers will be able to travel between New York and Tokyo in less than an hour. And he says the technology could be available sooner than we think . Speaking to CNBC, the entrepreneur said that once his Virgin Galactic space tourism project is underway he will turn his attentions to developing supersonic commercial flights that fly at 19,000 mph (30,500 km/h) He said: 'After we've done the space programme, we will be producing supersonic planes, which will go far, far, faster than [the] Concorde.' The Spaceport America base in New Mexico will work with the normal air traffic control system to launch SpaceShipTwo . SpaceShipTwo will carry six passengers and two pilots. Each passenger gets the same seating position with two large windows - one to the side and one overhead . The Virgin announcement came hours before Richard Branson's main rival in the commercial space race was to unveil its latest spacecraft . Commercial flights are to begin by the end of this year and more than 600 people have already signed up at $250,000 (£150,000) each to take a trip on SpaceShipTwo. The carrier aircraft is pictured here .
Agreement sets out how missions work with alongside air traffic control . Flights to begin by end of the year with a ticket costing $250,000 (£150,000) News came hours before rivals SpaceX unveiled Dragon V2 spacecraft . Richard Branson has also said he wants to develop . planes so fast they will be able to travel between New York . and Tokyo in less than an hour .
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The saying diamonds are a girl’s best . friend has been taken to a whole new level as the world's most . expensive dress has been unveiled. The . dazzling dress is encrusted with 2000 stones in total including the star of the show: the world's rarest and most expensive red diamond. The Abaya created by British designer Debbie Wingham may be attracting masses of attention because of its £11.7m price tag, but will anyone actually buy it? Pricey: The Abaya created by British designer Debbie Wingham is the world's most expensive dress at £11.7m . Rare: The Abaya, which will go on sale at Raffles in Dubai, contains the world's rarest red diamond, which is valued at £4.98m alone . Debbie first made her mark on the fashion world when she unveiled a £3.5m black dress encrusted with . 50 two carat black diamonds that weighed a hefty 29lbs (13kg) last year. Her latest creation may be a simple abaya design (a loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world including in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsul) but the extravagant design and detailing makes it the most expensive item to ever go on sale. Meet the designer: The Abaya is designed to respect the culture of Dubai that Debbie (pictured here with model) admires . The extravagant garment will . launch on March 20th at the luxury Raffles Hotel in the Penthouse where she . will hold private consultations and viewings with clients. At the centre . of the dress dazzles the world's rarest and most expensive diamond. One in every . hundred million diamonds is a natural red colour and they are found on average every 50 years but generally too small to speak of, so this is something quite special. The individual diamond has a value of £4.89m. Shine bright like a diamond: There are 2000 stones in total, including fifty 2 carat flawless white diamonds, fifty 2 carat flawless black diamonds and 1899 pointer diamonds, all set in platinum . There are 2000 . stones in total, including fifty 2 carat flawless white diamonds, fifty 2 . carat flawless black diamonds and 1899 pointer diamonds, which are all set in platinum. The . Abaya boasts over 200,000 stitches, all of which are hand-stitched in . 14 carat white gold thread and delicate beading detail with a raised . flower effect all created by hand adds some interesting detail. Designer Debbie has chosen her favourite city Dubai as the place to launch her dazzling dress. The dress was born out of Debbie's love and affinity with Dubai and her plans to make it her second home. The . Abaya is designed to respect the culture of Dubai that she admires, but she . hopes to bring her signature flair to the design and breathe modern elements and couture techniques into the traditional dress. Special: One in every hundred million diamonds is a natural red colour, making this vibrant red sparkler the rarest in the world . From April 2013 onwards Tijans atelier Dar Tijan in Dubai will be the exclusive stockist of Debbie's abayas. Debbie, a self-taught . designer whose mother was a seamstress, started her trading at Greenwich . market at the age of 18 before opening her first boutique in Hoxton. A year later she crossed the capital, opening a showroom on the Kings Road. In . 2005, one of her gowns was worn to the BAFTAs, prompting a renowned . fashion columnist to write: 'the best dress at this year’s BAFTAs was a . dress designed by an unknown designer, but watch this space'. Seven years on, her designs have been worn by a client list including Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank, Amy Smart, Katherine Jenkins, . Rebecca Ferguson, and Dita Von Teese, but only time will tell if anyone will snap up her latest pricey design. Self-taught: Debbie is a self-taught seamtress whose fans include Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank, Katherine and Dita Von Teese, but will any of them snap up her latest design?
Created by British designer Debbie Wingham . Will go on display in Raffles, Dubai . The . Abaya is designed to respect the culture of Dubai that she admires . 2000 . stones have been used in total, including 50 2 carat  white diamonds . Celebrity fans include Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank and Dita Von Teese .
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Two "Dancing With the Stars" contestants are on the mend from injuries. On Monday night's show, contestant Amy Purdy landed in the hospital with a back injury following her performance with pro dancer Derek Hough. The 34-year-old athlete had won high scores from the show's judges with her rumba, but after the routine, she said, she "turned wrong" and then found herself in a world of pain. "Right after judging I kind of turned my head and my back cracked and it just seized up," Purdy said. "Everything's really painful right now, it's hard to breathe." Later Purdy tweeted that she was "in pain but I'm in good hands." Because of her injury, Purdy sat out a group routine and "Dancing With the Stars" ran rehearsal footage instead. Purdy tweeted that she isn't sure whether she'll be able to return to the competition next week, but she's hopeful and excited for the routine she and Hough are scheduled to perform. The Paralympic snowboarder isn't the only "Dancing" contestant whose hard work on the dance floor has led to offstage pain. During an April 24 rehearsal, Danica McKellar broke a rib. The former "Wonder Years" actress was still recovering when she performed on Monday, but she said support from her fans helped her pull through. "It's sore, but it's OK," McKellar said after her routine. "You fight through it and do your best."
Two "Dancing With the Stars" contestants are facing injuries . During Monday's show, Amy Purdy injured her back . Earlier, Danica McKellar broke a rib .
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Los Angeles (CNN) -- Prosecutors want another delay in the start of the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, but the judge will wait until next month to decide the request. "I'm not surprised by all of this," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said during a hearing Friday. The trial has already been delayed twice since Dr. Conrad Murray invoked his right to a speedy trial after his arraignment in January. "When I got myself involved in it, I said 'It ain't gonna happen,' " Pastor said, referring to the original starting date of late March. The case has been "creepy crawly," he said. Jury selection was under way in May when the defense requested a delay so its expert witnesses could have more time to prepare for new experts hired by the prosecution. Pastor then dismissed hundreds of prospective jurors and rescheduled the trial to start on September 8. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said Friday morning that the prosecution needed another three weeks to prepare because of "scheduling issues." Defense lawyers did not object to moving jury selection to the end of September. Pastor, who said he "rearranged all sort of cases, including capital cases" to start the trial in September, said he would wait until a July 12 hearing to decide. Also on Friday, the judge approved a plan to allow defense lawyers and prosecutors to view dozens of hours of raw video shot of Michael Jackson's last rehearsals. The video was bought by Sony Pictures for its film "This Is It." Pastor hasn't ruled on what clips, if any, defense lawyers might be able to show at the trial. He has previously limited the prosecution to just raw video of Jackson's last two days alive. Saturday is the second anniversary of Jackson's death, which the Los Angeles coroner ruled was from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol, combined with other drugs. Murray, who was hired as Jackson's personal physician as he prepared for his comeback concerts in London, is charged in the singer's death.
Dr. Conrad Murray's trial is now set to start September 8 . Judge Michael Pastor will decide on a three-week delay next month . The trial has been delayed twice already . The judge has approved a plan for lawyers to see raw Jackson video .
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Former teen idol David Cassidy faces his third drunken driving charge after being stopped for an illegal turn in Los Angeles on Friday night. Cassidy, 63, blew .19% -- twice the legal level -- on an alcohol test administered by the California Highway Patrol officer who stopped the singer-actor's rented Chevrolet Impala, according to a CHP statement Saturday. The former star of the TV series "The Partridge Family" was booked in a Los Angeles jail on a driving under the influence of alcohol charge early Saturday, the statement said. Jail records show he was freed on $15,000 bond several hours later. "Cassidy was observed making a right turn on a red light, in violation of a black and white regulatory sign indicating, 'No Right Turn On Red,'" the CHP said. The traffic stop happened off the 405 Freeway, near the Los Angeles International Airport. The officer noticed "the odor of an alcoholic beverage was emitting from the vehicle" when he approached Cassidy, who was alone in the car, the release said. Cassidy was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Schodack, New York, last August after he failed to dim his car's headlights at a police checkpoint, according to the police report. He blew a .10 in the Breathalyzer device, the report said. The legal blood alcohol limit is .08 in New York. Cassidy, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, entered a no contest plea as a first-time offender in February 2011 to a drunken driving charge that followed a November 2010 arrest in Florida. He was sentenced to a year's probation and his driver's license was suspended for six months for that conviction. He also attended a DUI school, paid a $500 fine and served 50 hours of community service. On the TV series, Cassidy played the eldest of five children of a widowed mother (Shirley Jones, who was Cassidy's real-life stepmother). The family, all musicians, traveled to gigs in a repainted school bus. When the show was canceled after four seasons, Cassidy launched his own pop music career, filling concert halls with screaming teenage girls attracted to such hits as "I Think I Love You."
Cassidy blew .19% on an alcohol test, the California Highway Patrol says . The singer-actor was charged with drunken driving in 2010 in Florida and 2013 in New York . The CHP stopped his car after an illegal turn near the Los Angeles airport, it says . Cassidy starred in the 1970s TV series "The Partridge Family"
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Madonna was today threatened with legal action and accused of being an ageing self-publicist after she depicted the head of one of France’s biggest political parties as a Nazi. An image of National Front leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead appeared on a giant screen at the singer's concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday. The furious politician has threatened to sue Madonna if she repeats the stunt when her tour reaches France in July. Swastika: Marine Le Pen's image appeared on a giant screen, with the Nazi symbol on her forehead . Ms Le Pen said: 'We understand how old singers who need to get . people talking about them go to such extremes.’ Asked if she was likely . to sue, Ms Le Pen, 43, said: ‘If she does that in France, we’ll be . waiting’. Madonna, who will turn 54 in August, is due in France next month, when she will appear at the Stade de France in Paris and then in Nice on the Riviera. Other sources in the National Front, which has frequently been linked with anti-Semitism and racism, said Madonna had offended all of its members. ‘We are not a Nazi party, and object to being depicted as such,’ said a source in the party, which won a fifth of the popular vote during the first round of presidential elections in April. Controversy: Madonna, onstage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 31 . ‘If you accuse the National Front of . being anti-Semitic and racist then you accuse a fifth of the French . people of being anti-Semitic and racist. 'If Madonna repeats this slur in . France then she will certainly be taken to court.’ Wallerand de . Saint-Just, the National Front’s lawyer, confirmed he was looking into . the possibility of legal action. Marine Le Pen pledged to reform the party after taking over the leadership from her notorious father, Jean-Marie Le Pen last year. He is a convicted racist and anti-Semite who has in the past denied that the Nazi Holocaust actually took place during World War II. Despite this, he came runner-up in the French presidential election in 2002, proving that he had widespread support. Ms Le Pen has toned down the party’s extremist views, but regularly pledges to limit Muslim immigration, and to clamp down on Islamic culture in France. Madonna’s depiction of Ms Le Pen appeared as she performed her song ‘Nobody Knows Me’ in Tel Aviv last Thursday. The international superstar is well known for her provocative acts, and is currently dating a Frenchman called Brahim Zaibat who has a North African Muslim immigrant background. Ms Le Pen won just under 18 per cent of votes in the presidential election and is currently standing to become an MP in France’s National Assembly .
Le Pen's face appeared on a giant screen with a swastika on her forehead . She threatens to sue if Madonna repeats stunt in France next month .
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The military coup d'etat that ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy brought with it some diplomatic complications for other nations -- namely, that they want to avoid calling it a coup. A description of this week's events -- the military placing the president under house arrest and naming a new leader of its choosing -- fit the definition of a coup. But labeling it as such could mean an end of U.S. military aid to Egypt, and subsequently a deterioration of relations with an important ally in the Middle East and North Africa. For now, Western nations have avoided using the word "coup," preferring to watch developments unfold, and pointing to the fact that popular sentiment appears on the side of the military. Defining a "coup d'etat" The most accepted definition of a coup is a sudden overthrow of a government by a group of conspirators. The events in Egypt are troubling because Morsy's government had been elected democratically. But an autocratic style had turned many of those who voted for him against his leadership and created deep divisions in Egypt. The massive protests that took place before the coup, and the celebrations afterward, lead some observers to define it as a revolution. But there are previous examples of situations where the public turned on a leader and were labeled a coup nonetheless. The environment that led to the ouster of former Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya in 2009 was similar to what was seen in Egypt. "There was a significant amount of conflict within the country. There's a degree -- a high degree -- of polarization. There was a worry about the -- some of the policies that the president undertook and so on," then Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela said of Honduras. The State Department was slow to call it a coup, but eventually stated the action against Zelaya was unjustifiable. The United States temporarily stopped some aid programs to Honduras. Still, when it comes to conflicted countries, the United States has more interests tied to Egypt than Honduras, keeping the Obama administration from calling it what it is -- a coup. Repercussions of a coup . It matters what the government calls the Egyptian military's seizure of power, because there is money at stake. Call it a coup and some of the $1.5 billion in annual aid that the United States gives Egypt is put in jeopardy. "If this were to be seen as a coup, then it would limit our ability to have the kind of relationship we think we need with the Egyptian armed forces," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told CNN. Egypt is a key player in U.S. foreign policy in the region, and anything to sour that relationship could have unintended consequences. So it was no coincidence that President Barack Obama's statement on the coup did not actually use the word "coup." He didn't call upon the military to restore power to "the democratically elected civilian government," but rather to "a democratically elected civilian government." In other words, it need not be deposed President Mohamed Morsy's. The thinking of the president and administration officials, according to a knowledgeable source, is that while the administration is not explicitly supporting the removal of Morsy from power -- it expressly did not support the move -- it is seeking to push the Egyptian military in a direction. But U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called Friday for the suspension of U.S. aid to Egypt's military. "We cannot repeat the same mistakes that we made at other times in our history by supporting the removal of freely elected governments," the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services told CNN affiliate KNXV. Once the military sets a timetable for elections and a new constitution, "then we should evaluate whether to continue the aid," he said. A democratic coup? The Egyptian coup presents a unique case in that there was a popular uprising that accompanied it. While military coups usually have the goal of concentrating power in the hands of the armed forces, in this case, the generals immediately named a civilian jurist as interim leader. It is a role reminiscent of the uprising that ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. In that instance, the military took over in the interim until democratic elections could be held. Once again, the military is stating that it does not want to impose a military dictatorship, but instead usher in another democratically elected government. Law professor Ozan O. Varol published a paper in the Harvard International Law Journal after Mubarak's ouster, arguing that the events of 2011 broke the mold of traditional military coups. "Although all coups have anti-democratic features insofar as they place the military in power by force or the threat of force, some military coups are distinctly more democracy-promoting than others," he wrote. "In these coups, the military responds to popular opposition against an authoritarian or totalitarian regime, overthrows that regime, and facilitates fair and free elections within a short span of time." The current situation in Egypt is still playing out, but Varol's research explains why many see this week's coup as the expression of the popular will of the people.
The overthrow of Egypt's Morsy meets most definitions of a coup . But the events in Egypt are not universally being called a coup . Calling it such may lead to a halt of aid to Egypt .
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For most people, the game Sunday between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is the Super Bowl. But for many business owners, it's simply the 'big game' or 'game day', due to the NFL's strict policies on the trademarked name. The strict policy means radio hosts are tripping over their tongues and airport signs are carefully worded to keep from referring to it as the Super Bowl. So as not to infringe on the NFL Super Bowl name trademark, all non-rights holders have to use different wording to promote any Super Bowl (restaurant in Phoenix pictured) Mom-and-pop shops and large companies hoping to cash in on the game — but also don't want to run afoul of league lawyers — have found ways to color inside the lines. Tyler Ellis, whose Coney Island Grill is located within the downtown Super Bowl Central village, is selling souvenir tie-dye shirts. The garments say 'Coney Island 2015' as well as 'the big game.' The $15 shirts come in pink, red, blue and green. Fortunately, the restaurant owner was fully aware of the league's reputation for coming down on trademark infringers. 'I'm just an NFL follower. You can't even YouTube their videos. They're just strict with their licensing,' Ellis said. Grocery chain Whole Foods has avoided using 'Super Bowl' on in-store signs and social media. The Facebook page for the central Phoenix location offers recipe ideas for 'your Big Game party.' Signs at American Airlines ticket counters in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport greet travelers with 'Welcome to the big game.' American Airlines spokesman Casey Norton said though it is the official airline for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, the company isn't an NFL partner. 'Like any brand, we work to protect our valuable intellectual property and the rights we extend to our partners,' NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. What constitutes a violation is determined on a case-by case basis, McCarthy said. For example, a restaurant writing up a Super Bowl menu on a chalkboard wouldn't be an issue. And according to trademark law, a fair use exception allows for news organizations to use the Super Bowl moniker. This Whole Foods grocery store sees a customer pass a promotional display for 'the big game' McCarthy said if a potential infringement is discovered, the league will notify the party involved. If nothing changes, then a cease-and-desist letter follows. McCarthy declined to discuss how many companies have received letters in recent months. One of the participants in the Super Bowl is not a stranger to trademark disputes. Texas A&M University has long held the trademark for the term '12th Man,' the nickname for the Seahawks' large and vocal fan base. The Seahawks and university reached a settlement in 2006 that allows the team to use some versions of the phrase. And the NFL is not the only sports organization to be vigilant about its brand. Congress has created protections for the U.S. Olympic Committee so it has exclusive rights to use 'Olympics' and the interlocking rings logo. International soccer governing body FIFA is requiring countries that host the World Cup to create special rights in their constitutions to protect advertisers, said Jeff Greenbaum, a New York-based advertising lawyer with the firm Frankfurt Kurnit. Roger N. Behle Jr., an intellectual property lawyer with the firm Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, said the NFL's monitoring is about maximizing revenue. 'They do have a right to police it. They spent a lot of money to build the brand up, make it profitable and not have any Tom, Dick and Harry use the marks,' said Behle, who has worked on licensing deals with the NFL and other major sports leagues. Greenbaum said the NFL's enforcement is also about protecting its sponsors. The league creates 'official' beers, chips, sodas and other items, which can give a business a distinct advantage over its competitors. 'The strategy that they're employing is to create enough concern among marketers that they're afraid to even get close to the line,' Greenbaum said.
Business owners must not use 'Super Bowl' name due to strict trademark policies . What constitutes a violation is determined on a case-by case basis, says the NFL spokesman . If a potential infringement is discovered, the league will notify the party involved - if nothing changes, then a cease-and-desist letter follows .
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A multi-million pound sports super-centre backed by Judy Murray and Colin Montgomerie could affect archaeological remains from the Jacobite Campaign, it emerged today. The proposed Park of Keir development promises to create jobs and includes a hotel, a tennis and golf super-centre, and 100 homes near Stirling in Central Scotland. A planning application for the sports club, which would be built on greenbelt land between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane, was lodged in July. Sports centre: The full proposal for Park of Keir includes plans for a new tennis and golf centre; a museum and visitor centre; indoor and outdoor tennis courts, pictured above in a concept design . Training: An artist's impression of inside the Park of Keir leisure centre shows indoor tennis courts. The group behind the project have been told that planned work will have a 'negative impact on archaeological remains' Sprawling: A birds-eye view of the site shows plans for hotel, a tennis and golf super-centre, and 100 homes near Stirling in Central Scotland. National and local sports clubs have supported the application . Backing: The Park of Keir Group is led by Judy Murray, left, and supported by golfer Colin Montgomerie, right . It has been publicly backed by the Lawn Tennis Assocation, the Professional Golfers Association, and Tennis Scotland. Local sporting clubs such as Dunblane Soccer Club also support the plan as they state there is a need for more facilities in the area. But the Park of Keir Group, led by Judy, the mother of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, was met with opposition earlier this year when 200 residents who have objections with Stirling Council. Now the project, which is also backed by Scottish golf star and former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, has been told that it will have a 'negative impact on a series of known archaeological remains' if the plans go ahead. A series of maps and drawings of Roman archaeological sites in Scotland highlight the area where the development is planned as a route where troops passed through in the Jacobite Campaign. In a consultation document, Murray Cook, Stirling Council's archaeologist, said: 'There are a number of existing and emerging policies relevant to this application with regard to Archaeology. The Jacobites were the supporters of King James VII (of Scotland) and II (of England) and his heirs. James VII and II ruled Britain from 1685 to 1689 but because he was a Roman Catholic he was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, the Dutch Prince William of Orange. Those who continued to support the exiled James became known as ‘Jacobites’. In 1689, the Jacobites were opposed by the Williamites, or Whigs, those Britons who supported the Protestant cause and would not tolerate a Catholic kingdom. The first of the three main Jacobite uprisings was the 1689 rising, which was led by ‘Bonnie Dundee’, John Graham of Claverhouse, and quickly quelled. The second was Mar’s Rebellion, or the ‘Fifteen’, which took place between 1715-16, was provoked by the death in 1714 of the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne, and the accession of King George I. The third Jacobite uprising was the ‘Forty-Five’, that took place from 1745 to 1746. The 'Forty-Five' was when Charles Edward Stuart - the famed ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ - led a Scots army against the Hanoverian dynasty. It is remains of this third campaign that experts said will be disturbed by the current plans for Park of Keir. Source: Educating Scotland . 'There is no doubt that the proposed development will have a direct and negative impact on a series of known archaeological remains for example the Stirling to Crieff military road used in the Jacobite Campaign on 1745, which is likely to be associated with objects dropped by both Government and Jacobite troops.' The group's full proposal includes a new tennis and golf centre; a museum and visitor centre; indoor and outdoor tennis courts as well as a golf course with clubhouse and practice areas. There are also plans to build a hotel with leisure and conference facilities and multi-user sports pitch and outdoor play area. The super-centre will be accessed via a combination of cycle trails, footpaths and new access roads. Mr Cook noted that he had 'no objection' to the development, but recommended that if plans go ahead, an archaeological contractor should carry out a survey in order to scan for any hidden remains. He said that there should be a heritage trail designed around the proposed development that identified key features of interest. Mr Cook added that should excavation be necessary, developers should fund the work. But, despite its findings, the report concluded that 'The development represents an opportunity to improve the management, accessibility and interpretation of the hillfort and any impact on setting would be more than compensated for by such general improvements'. The plans hit trouble last month when the council's principal planning officer, Claire Milne, said that the economic benefits of the scheme were outweighed by its detrimental costs to the environment. Ms Milne reported: 'Although it is accepted [that] the tennis, golf, tourism and recreational element of this development proposal may provide a degree of social as well as economic benefit to the local area, what is proposed is essentially a private commercial venture. 'The submitted business case is not sufficiently convincing to warrant approval of the proposed housing. 'The net economic benefits of the proposed development are considerably outweighed by the significant detrimental costs to the environment and the lack of physical and social infrastructure to support the development. Benefits: While the report identified the impact Park of Keir could have on the remains, it concluded that it also represented an opportunity to 'improve' the hillfort. Above, an artist's impression of one of the buildings . Heritage trail: A council archaeologist suggested that there should be a trail around the site that identifies key interest points relating to the Jacobite uprising of 1975. Above, a concept design of Park of Keir . 'On this basis the development cannot be supported in policy terms.' If the plans are given the green light, it will result in the building of the second hotel linked to the Murray family. Earlier this year, Andy opened a five-star resort in Perthshire, north of the proposed Park of Keir development site. Five-star Cromlix, which was crowned Scottish hotel after opening in April, boasts 10 bedrooms and five suites which overlook manicured grounds and tennis courts. Councillors will consider the Park of Keir application at a later date, and it is likely to end up with Scottish ministers making the final decision. The Park of Keirs partners said in a statement: 'The Park of Keir partners are committed to ensuring that any development at the site is handled sensitively and this is confirmed in detail in the accompanying Environmental Statement submitted with the planning application earlier this year. 'We remain confident that our proposed development represents sufficient benefit to the people of the local area to allow members of the planning committee to approve our application.'
Park of Keir development features 12 tennis courts, six-hole golf course . Stirling Council has received almost 200 objections to the proposal . Report warned that the site will affect Jacobite 'archaeological remains'
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(CNN) -- Arvind Mahankali, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Bayside Hills, New York, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, correctly spelling the word "knaidel." "It means that I am retiring on a good note," said Mahankali, who attends Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74 and was in his last year of eligibility. "I shall spend the summer, maybe the entire day, studying physics." Mahankali, who wants to become a physicist, had finished third in the two previous national bees, being eliminated after misspelling words with German roots. "I thought that the German curse had turned into a German blessing," he said, when asked what he thought when he heard the final word, a German-derived Yiddish word for a type of dumpling. Pranav Sivakumar, a 13-year-old from Tower Lakes, Illinois, finished second. He missed on "cyanophycean" before Mahankali nailed "tokonoma" and "knaidel" for the victory. The annual contest offers the winner a healthy dose of classroom cred, $32,500 in cash and savings bonds, a trophy and a library of reference materials. Contest isn't bee-all and end-all . Eleven million schoolchildren participated in preliminaries leading up to the national contest this week. Of those, 281 children made the trip to Oxon Hill, Maryland, just outside Washington, for the national bee. Eleven spellers made it through to the finals. Among them were 63 children who had been to at least one national bee before, and had to prepare for some changes in the rules for this year's events. For the first time, participants had to demonstrate proficiency in vocabulary in addition to spelling. Organizers also added an additional computer test for the semifinals, imposed time limits on computer-based spelling and vocabulary tests and added a rule that resulted in automatic elimination for any participant who misspelled a word on stage in the second or third rounds. CNN's Athena Jones and Michael Pearson contributed to this report.
Arvind Mahankali had twice finished in third place . Winner correctly spells "tokonoma" then "knaidel" Prize package includes $32,500 in cash and savings bonds .
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Crawley striker Matt Harrold played in goal for the entire second half and won his first man-of-the-match award for the club as only a 96th-minute equaliser denied them the win over MK Dons. The 30-year-old replaced goalkeeper Brian Jensen after he dislocated his finger in the 39th minute and, with no replacement on the substitutes' bench, Harrold was told to go between the sticks. Harrold had never played in goal during a match or in training before, and admitted feeling a little awkward that his first man of the match came from stopping goals rather than scoring them. Crawley's stand-in goalkeeper Matt Harrold punches clear during the League One draw with MK Dons . Harrold earned his first man-of-the-match award by playing in goal for Crawley during the 2-2 draw . 'I've never played in goal before. Not even in training,' Harrold told BBC Surrey after the 2-2 draw. 'I got pressured into it because everyone just looked at me and said "you're big". 'It's a bit embarrassing because it's my first man of the match for the club. It was such a late goal to concede and we're all devastated but we would have taken a point when I went in goal. 'It was a bit like playing with 10 men because we dropped deep and they hung high balls up at me but I did enjoy it. I felt comfortable in there in the second half after having a bit of a shocker when I first came on.' The draw means Crawley remain in the League One relegation zone but Crawley Town interim boss Dean Saunders was proud of Harrold's performance in goal. 'The fourth official put the board up with five minutes extra and played 96,' he said. 'Eventually there're so many people in the box that one of the balls has dropped to them and it feels like we've lost two points. 'We've got one goalkeeper at the club which I find unbelievable really but we have one keeper at the club and I was hoping we could get through this game and next week I can address it. 'Matt Harrold has gone in goal - hero. All the players have done well today and I can't pick any of them out.' Tottenham striker Harry Kane likewise went in goal when they faced Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League . Kane conceded late on too as Tottenham beat the Greek club 5-1 in the Europa League at White Hart Lane .
Matt Harrold went in goal after Brien Jensen dislocated his finger . The Crawley striker conceded twice against MK Dons on Saturday . Crawley would have won had it not been for a 96th-minute equaliser . The 30-year-old forward won his first-ever man-of-the-match award . Harrold: 'I got pressured into it because everyone just looked at me and said "you're big". I've never played in goal before. Not even in training'
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By . Alex Gore . PUBLISHED: . 10:48 EST, 29 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:44 EST, 29 March 2013 . Britain's oldest prison which was once home to notorious criminals including the Kray twins has shut after more than 400 years. Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset - officially known as HMP Cornhill - has been home to thousands of convicts since opening its doors in 1610. The 189 inmates, who included murderers and sex offenders, at the Category C lifer, Grade II-listed prison were transferred to other jails around the country ahead of yesterday's closure. Life sentence: Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset was closed yesterday after more than 400 years . Fond farewell: Prison historian Francis Disney, 82, who worked as a guard for 15 years says a final goodbye . Service: The longest serving prison officer, Clive Vincent, right, presents the colours to the prison's governor Andy Rogers during a ceremony at Shepton Mallet - officially known as HMP Cornhill - ahead of its closure . Community service: Employees of the prison, past and present, hugged each other at a closing ceremony . Moving on: Of the prison's 118 staff, 30 have taken voluntary redundancy and 90 are moving to other facilities . Saddened: Governor Andy Rogers said Shepton Mallet had been 'part of the community since 1610' In the 1950s, the prison became home to . London's feared East End gangsters Ron and Reggie Kray, who were serving sentences for assaulting a police officer while AWOL from the National service. Slammed shut: The prison housed 189 inmates . During their stay the twins met . future rivals Charlie Richardson and George Cornell, who Ron later shot . dead in The Blind Beggar pub in London's Whitechapel. It is one of seven in England and . Wales to be closed by the Ministry of Justice, which is considering . building a super prisons for around 2,000 convicted criminals to save £63million a year. Authorities are still to decided what . to do with the building with plans ranging from a holding centre for . illegal immigrants awaiting deportation to a commercial development such . as a supermarket. The closure is viewed with sadness by the local community, many of whom worked at the prison at some point during their lives. Of the 118 staff employed there when it shut, 30 have taken voluntary redundancy, 20 are moving to Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire and 70 will be moved to other facilities. Governor Andy Rogers said: 'I am . obviously saddened because a lot of staff have a history of working on . the site and it has been part of the community since 1610. 'But I understand that things move on. There are better places for offenders to be relocated that are more economic.' Inmates: Ronnie Kray and Reggie Kray, pictured in 1966, were held in Shepton Mallet in the 1950s . Gangster: London mobster Charlie Richardson, pictured in 1980, met the Krays while in Shepton Mallet . End of an era: The prison has housed thousands of convicted criminals since it first opened in 1610 . Cost-cutting: HMP Cornhill is one of seven in England and Wales to be closed by the Ministry of Justice . A Ministry of Justice spokesperson . added: 'We are determined to drive down the cost of running our prisons, . this is why we are replacing older accommodation that is expensive to . run with newer, cheaper and more efficient accommodation that will . provide better value for money.' More than 200 prison staff - past and . present - joined the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price . for a closing ceremony at the prison yesterday. Staff who still had the full dress uniform were asked to wear it for the service, complete with hats and medals. The longest serving prison officer, Clive Vincent, presented the colours to governor Andy Rogers during the ceremony. Also present was Francis Disney, 82, a prison historian who worked as an officer at Shepton Mallet for 15 years. Rich history: The prison was used for judicial executions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Vast complex: An aerial view shows the scale of Shepton Mallet in Somerset . Uncertain future: The authorities are still to decide what will happen with the prison now that it is closed . Multi-use: Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the prison was used by the British military . He told MailOnline: 'The walls are as solid as every and its is a real shame it's closing. It was very upsetting for the town.' Bloody past: The prison's execution room, which was turned into a library in 1997 . Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the prison was used by the British military. The . War Cabinet sent some of the country's most important historical . documents there in case of invasion, including the Magna Carta and . Domesday Book. Nelson's logbook from the HMS Victory and dispatches from the Battle of Waterloo were also stored there, along with the agreement singed at the 1938 Munich Conference by Neville Chamblerain and Hitler. Later in the war, the U.S. military used Shepton Mallet, including for the execution of 18 servicemen - nine of whom were convicted or murder, six of rape and three of both. This harked back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the jail hosted judicial executions. A . parliamentary inspection report from 1773 highlighted the squalid . conditions there, painting a picture of an overcrowded, disease-ridden . prison. It closed in 1930 because of under use, with only 51 convicted criminals serving sentences there. Shepton . Mallet returned to civilian use in 1996 and a year later the execution . block was turned into the prison library. It became a Category C prison . in 1991.
Shepton Mallet opened in 1610 and in 1991 became Category C lifer prison . Its 189 inmates have been transferred to other prisons around the country . The Krays were there in the 1950s after going AWOL from National Service . They met their future East End gangster rival Charlie Richardson inside . Prison was used by U.S. military during Second World War for executions . It was also used to store historical documents, including the Magna Carta .
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A new survey of retired NFL players' brains has found signs of a degenerative disease in what is heralded as the first evidence of early detection in former players while they're still alive. Until now, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had not been spotted in the brains of players until after their death. Such was the case with former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, who was found to have the disease - which can lead to dementia and behavioral problems - months after he committed suicide in May. NFL players who suffer repeated head injuries in the course of their professional careers could be more prone to CTE, but it has been reported in other athletes and members of the military. Scroll down for video . Study: Brain scan imaging shows a normal brain, left, and the brains of two of the five former NFL players who have shown signs of having CTE from hits they took in their careers . Loss: Former linebacker Junior Seau, in Dec. 2008, committed suicide in 2012. An autopsy showed he suffered from a degenerative brain disease after 20 seasons in the NFL . Scientists at UCLA used a new image . technique to analyze the impact of head trauma on the brain health of . five retired NFL players. Results . from the scans, known as positron emission tomography (PET), show the . accumulation of abnormal tau protein, which can indicate the onset of . future brain disease. The tau proteins are believed to be connected to CTE and Alzheimer's disease. 'This is the first time we have done these PET scans in NFL players who are retired,' Dr Gary Small, UCLA’s Parow-Solomon Professor on aging and a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, told FoxNews.com. Degeneration: Another recent study of CTE shows a comparison between normal brain tissue, left, compared with that of an NFL player, center, and a 70-year-old former boxer, right . Dominating: Seau, right, was one of the most feared linebackers in football . 'So it's the first time to show what . we think are these tau protein deposits. What's extraordinary about that . is the patterns of the deposits were identical to patterns in CTE, . which is only diagnosed through autopsy. The logical conclusion is . that's what we’re seeing - suggestive this is the first time we're . visualizing CTE.' Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems later in life and can eventually cause dementia. Also known as punch drunk syndrome, it has been most common in boxers and is associated with receiving multiple concussions. In recent years, CTE has been shown to exist in other athletes, including professional and college football players and pro hockey players. Sufferers can show symptoms such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression which may appear within months of the trauma or many decades later. To test . the brain imaging scan, Dr Small injected a chemical biomarker called . FDDNP, which attaches to the tau proteins, into the brains of the five . former athletes. This allowed scientists to identify which sections of the brain had higher levels of FDDNP. Scans revealed that the more concussions the athlete had experienced, the higher levels of tau protein were discovered. Seau was a star linebacker for 20 NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and . New England Patriots before retiring in 2009. He died of a self-inflicted shotgun . wound. An autopsy on the athlete showed he suffered from the brain disease. He joins a list of several dozen football players who have had CTE. CTE often impacts a person's behavior with symptoms including depression, suicidal thoughts and memory loss. 'There are other connections here that are relevant,' Small said. 'Recent studies have found that NFL players have a four times greater probability of dying from Alzheimer's than the general population. 'In other studies, if you look at people, not just athletes, but people in general who’ve had a concussion that has led to an hour of unconsciousness - it doubles their risk of Alzheimer’s.' Long term impact: Scientists are analyzing the impact of head trauma and brain disease in former NFL athletes (stock photo) Watch video here .
UCLA survey finds signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in brains of living subjects for the first time . CTE has been found in numerous former athletes, including Junior Seau, who killed himself last year . CTE most commonly reported in professional athletes and members of the military.
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Ahead of this weekend's Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Southampton's home clash with Manchester United... Southampton vs Manchester United (St Mary's) Team news . Southampton . Jack Cork faces at least six weeks on the sidelines as Southampton's injury problems mount ahead of Monday's Premier League clash with Manchester United. Saints manager Ronald Koeman revealed the midfielder sustained ankle ligament damage in Wednesday's defeat at Arsenal, where Toby Alderweireld was forced off with a hamstring complaint which makes him a doubt. Southampton's Jack Cork (right) tracks Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during the Saints' 1-0 defeat at the EMirates Stadium on Wednesday, a match which saw him pick up an ankle injury . Morgan Schneiderlin is unavailable, as are long-term absentees Jay Rodriguez (knee), James Ward-Prowse (foot) and Sam Gallagher (knee), but Dusan Tadic has overcome a knock. Provisional squad: Forster, K Davis, Cropper, Clyne, Alderweireld, Fonte, Yoshida, Gardos, Bertrand, Targett, Wanyama, Reed, Hesketh, S Davis, Isgrove, Mane, Tadic, Long, Mayuka, Pelle. Manchester United . Wayne Rooney will be fit to face Southampton on Monday, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed. Captain Rooney had a scan on Thursday to examine a possible knee problem but has been given the all-clear. However record signing Angel di Maria will not be ready to return from his hamstring injury in time for the trip to the south coast. Angel di Maria limped off for Manchester United in their 3-0 win over Hull in November . Luke Shaw (ankle), Jonny Evans (ankle), Rafael (groin), Daley Blind (knee) and Phil Jones (calf) are all expected to miss out. Provisional squad: De Gea, Lindegaard, Amos, Vermijl, Rojo, Smalling, Blackett, Thorpe, McNair, Pereira, Fletcher, Valencia, Lingard, Fellaini, Anderson, Carrick, Young, Herrera, Mata, Januzaj, Falcao, Rooney, Van Persie, W Keane. Kick-off: Monday 8pm - Sky Sports 1 . Odds (subject to change): . Southampton 7/4 . Draw 9/4 . Manchester United 8/5 . Referee: Kevin Friend . Managers: Ronald Koeman (Southampton), Louis van Gaal (Manchester United) Head-to-head league record: Southampton wins 23, draws 23, Manchester United wins 48 . Key match stats (supplied by Opta) Southampton have scored the first goal in four of their last five PL meetings with Man Utd but lost three and won none of those four matches. Wayne Rooney has scored five goals in five Premier League starts against Southampton. Manchester United have won nine and lost just one of the last 12 Premier League games against Saints. Robin van Persie has scored five goals in six Barclays Premier League games against Southampton. This will be the first Premier League game to be contested by two Dutch managers. Southampton haven't won their last 10 games against Manchester United, with their last victory coming in August 2003 when James Beattie (second right) headed home with two minutes to play at St Mary's in the Saints' 1-0 top flight win against the then Premier League champions . Just six of Manchester United’s 25 points so far this season have been claimed away from Old Trafford (W1 D3 L2). Of all teams to have played more than twice in December. Manchester United are the only team in Premier League history to average more than two points per game in the month (2.19). Southampton have started the fewest spread of players this season in the Premier League (15), while Man Utd have handed starts to more than any other team (26). Manchester United have used a league-high 31 players this season and David de Gea is the only Red Devil to play in all 14 games. Nathaniel Clyne has made more tackles than any other Premier League player this season (63).
Manchester United face Southampton at St Mary's on Monday night (8pm) Wayne Rooney will be fit for Manchester United following knee injury . However, Angel di Maria is ruled out with a hamstring complaint . Jack Cork ruled out for at least six weeks with ankle injury . Toby Alderweireld a doubt after limping off in 1-0 defeat at Arsenal . Morgan Schneiderlin unavailable but Dusan Tadic has overcome a knock . Southampton haven't won their last 10 games against Manchester United . Red Devils aim to leap frog Saints into third in Premier League table . READ: Louis van Gaal's feud with Ronald Koeman continues to simmer . Ronald Koeman: Forget about my feud with Louis van Gaal .
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Beware the hotel front desk. Not only do they hold the key to your room, they also hold the key to the difference between an average or a premier stay. Knowing how to ask staff for things, how much to tip, how to book, when to push your cause and when definitely not to can transform the service you receive. Doyen of the hotel industry Jacob Tomsky and author of Heads In Beds: A Reckless Memoir Of Hotels, Hustles, And So-Called Hospitality started life as a valet in New Orleans more than a decade ago and rose through the ranks to land a front desk job in New York. Scroll down for video . Jacob Tomsky says never book through discount websites such as Expedia or you'll get the worst rooms . As a result, he knows some of the best and worst secrets of the industry and shared some with Metal Floss. Here, we run through some of his best revelations. 1.) Hotels make a packet on room rates . According to Jacob, the average cost to turn over a room and keep it sleep-worthy is just £25 ($40). That covers everything from washing sheets to electricity, hourly wages for housekeepers, minibar attendants, front desk agents and cleaning supplies. In other words, the whole shebang. 'The fact that a hotel could fail to be profitable astounds me,' says Jacob. Given that the average price of a four star hotel in London is about £140, they should be raking it in. Stay somewhere that costs much less than £25 a night and you'll know some serious corners are being cut. The average cost to keep a room operational is £25 ($40) so anything that costs less than that you should avoid . 2.) Never pay for the mini bar . Mini bars sit in every hotel room begging you to spend money. Amazingly, Jacob says you can almost always wriggle out of paying for them. According to him, the process for applying a mini bar bill is always horribly inexact and anything from keystroke errors, delays in restocking, double stocking and many other mishaps can cause miscalculations. People at the front desks don't want an argument. Jacob says, 'Even before guests can manage to get through half of the 'I never had those items' sentence, I have already removed the charges and am now simply waiting for them to wrap up the overly zealous denial so we can both move on with our lives.' Happy hour: Employees hate haggling with guests over the bar bill as all too often processing issues can occur . 3.) Phrase it right . Getting the front desk to take your latest gripe seriously can be tricky. Jacob has some tips. 'Though most complaints should be delivered to the front desk directly, in person or on the phone, keep in mind that most issues will not have been caused by the front desk at all. So briefly outline your problem, offer a solution if you have one, and then ask whom you should speak with to have the problem solved. 'Should I speak to a manager about this?' 'Should I speak to housekeeping about this?' Those are wonderful and beautiful questions to ask.' Make it personal: Asking for the person's name who is dealing with your complaint will get it fixed faster . Best of all? Ask for the employees name as nothing concentrates the mind better than knowing you can identify them later if everything is not resolved. 4.) Don't book on discount sites and expect the world . It's obvious but if you want the best room you have to fork out for it. Hotels give those who book through last minute discounts sites such as Expedia the worst, smallest dingiest rooms. They know you've come to them because of a one-off deal - rather than through their own website - and most likely won't be a repeat visitor. It's obvious, but if you want the best room you have to fork out for it. Discount sites get given smallest rooms . James explains, 'First of all, we earn the slimmest profit from these reservations...[Secondly] since we have no reason to assume Internet guests will ever book with us again, unless our discount is presented to them, it truly makes business sense to save our best rooms for guests who book of their own volition.' 5.) Tip like your life depends on it . Every front desk wields a certain amount of power when it comes to awarding a guest a better time, and they're almost always authorised to upgrade for special occasions. Money talks: According to Jacob, all you need is £12 ($20) tip to ensure the front desk is in your pocket . Birthday or anniversary? Almost every front desk employee has the ability to upgrade for special occasions . There's always a room with a bigger TV screen, a room that, according to the building's layout, has a larger bath and two sinks or a room that although listed as standard has a great view. All it takes? A decent tip. 'When I feel that $20 (£12) you slipped me burning in my pocket, I will find [that upgrade] for you. And if there is nothing to be done room-wise, I have a slew of other options: late checkout, free movies, free minibar, room service amenities, and more. I will do whatever it takes to deserve the tip and then a little bit more in the hope that you’ll hit me again.' Play nice: To ensure you're not first on the list to get pushed from an overbooked hotel don't be rude to staff . 6.) Don't be shafted . Like airlines, hotels overbook rooms to compensate when people don't show up. Most guests still have to pay at least a 10 per cent charge for a no-show, so if the hotel fills the room on top of that they're laughing. If you're unlucky and everyone shows up the front desk will have to send some people packing or put them up for a night elsewhere. To ensure it's not you Jacob suggests (if you can) not using a discount site when booking, being a repeat customer, booking in for more than one night and not being rude or obnoxious to staff.
Front desk employee Jacob Tomsky spills beans on industry . Average hotel room costs just £25 a day to stay operational . Staff don't want a fight so will back down over mini bar 'discrepancies' The front desk is authorised to upgrade guests on special occasions . You'll get the worst room in the house if you booked through discount sites .
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(CNN)He's a two-time Olympic gold medalist, successful businessman and has a killer nickname that attests to his daredevil nature on the slopes. But what Ted 'the Shred' Ligety most wants is a repeat of his triple gold-medal-winning performance at the 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships. The U.S. star took top prize in the Giant Slalom, Super Combined and Super G events in Schladming, Austria, two years ago -- the first time any skier had achieved such a feat since the legendary Jean-Claude Killly did so in 1968. Now the 30-year-old has his sights firmly set on doing it all again as he prepares to make his first appearance at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado. "It would be awesome to repeat that," Ligety recently told CNN's Alpine Edge. "There's a reason it hasn't been done in 45 years. It's because it's so hard, because so many different guys are specializing in different disciplines." "To be able to do that in three very different disciplines is a tremendous feat and definitely the biggest achievement of my career." In the period since he became "The King of Schladming," Ligety has gone on to secure Giant Slalom Olympic gold in Sochi (to add to the Super Combined gold he won in Turin 2006) and the fifth World Cup crystal globe of his career in 2014 for the same discipline. Yet he's far from had it all his own way. "The Shred" finished way back in 12th and 14th position in the Super Combined and Super G events in Sochi respectively. And he currently lies in 12th position in this year's overall World Cup standings, way off the impressive pace set by Austria's Marcel Hirscher. Hirscher has won the overall title for the past three years and is heavily fancied in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek. Other challengers include the in-form Kjetil Jansrud of Norway who has won three downhill events this season and picked up Super G gold in Sochi last year. The likes of Alexis Pinturault, Hans Reichelt and Dominik Paris will also fancy their chances of tearing up Ligety's dream script. But Ligety feels the intricacies of the Birds of Prey course could help play into his hands. "(The course) is really great in every discipline and downhill it's probably the most fun course around," he said, adding that "the Super G hill is really good for me ... in giant slalom I've had a tonne of success there over the last five years." Having the backing of an enthusiastic home crowd will also doubtless help. "I've always liked racing in the US," he said. "I think it's kind of an understated disadvantage for North Americans in general having to race World Cups which are generally in Central Europe." "So it's nice to be able to take those Euros out of their element and make them live out of their duffel bags for a couple of weeks and experience the travel side of things." With the likes of Steven Nyman and Travis Ganong on form and Lindsey Vonn back after a lengthy injury layoff, hopes are high for the U.S. contingent. Some have even suggested this could be the strongest U.S. side ever going into a World Championship. "We've got an amazing team right now," Ligety said. "I think we have a really good chance to get some medals on the downhill side of things and on Super G ... (there's) myself and Andrew Weibrecht. "On the women's side you have Lindsey (Vonn) who's already dominating again which is pretty incredible. Mikaela (Shiffrin), who's found her stride again in the middle of this year, is dominating ... and winning Giant Slalom as well. "So I think we have a lot of different athletes on both the men's and the women's side that could win a lot of medals." Ligety reserves particular praise for Vonn who broke the record for all-time career wins with her 62nd World Cup triumph late last month. "I think most of us are so taken aback by how fast she came back from having a two-year break," he said. "Being able to dominate so quickly, I think that's the biggest thing we're surprised about. "I think none of us are surprised that she's won (now 64) World Cups or something because that was kind of an inevitability I think in a lot of our minds. (But) that's cool that she's able to achieve that for sure." Away from the slopes Ligety has been kept busy building his own Shred brand of ski clothing and equipment in recent years. He describes it as a fusion of the best technical and most stylish gear on the market. So successful has the venture been that some of his biggest rivals on the slopes, like Alexis Pinero and Carlo Janka, have even been spotted using Shred goggles. But the stresses of the business world will be way to the back of Ligety's mind when race time arrives over the coming weeks. Of more concern will be winning and making the most of the unique set up of the World Championship event. "I think the World Championships is awesome because there's so few races we're racing men and women together so it's kind of cool to be able to feed off that energy. "Normally we'll have a giant slalom and a slalom one place and then you have to ... get in your car and drive a couple of hours and then you go do a downhill and a Super G the next weekend. "It's nice to be able to do everything all in one place. The World Championships, like you said, it's second Olympics. It's really cool to have those races that really mean a lot and then to be able to do it in the United States is a huge opportunity for us."
Ted Ligety eyes World Championship success at Beaver Creek . U.S. has strong team going into event including likes of Ligety, Steven Nyman and Travis Ganong . Ligety has launched his own range of Shred ski gear .
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Beijing (CNN) -- In the latest twist of a widening anti-corruption campaign, Chinese authorities have detained a popular and controversial television anchor with the national broadcaster, state media reported. Rui Chenggang's anchor chair was left empty for Friday night's newscast on China Central Television after prosecutors detained the star journalist shortly before airtime. It appeared that Rui, known for his "big get" interviews as well as nationalistic sentiment, was taken into custody less than an hour before the start of "Economic News," which his co-anchor presented alone. Speculation about Rui's troubles began last month when his longtime patron Guo Zhenxi, the head of state-run CCTV's financial news channel, was detained for allegedly accepting bribes. Several other senior figures at the channel were also implicated, the government said. 'Face of New China' Rui, 37, denied through an assistant last month that he was under investigation. He tweeted at the time to his 10 million followers on Sina Weibo -- China's equivalent of Twitter -- a philosophical conversation between two ancient Zen masters that implied time would eventually clear his name. State media cited CCTV sources on Saturday as saying that Rui's detention was closely linked to Guo's case, as well as an investigation into his own possible profiting from using CCTV resources. Rui, who's known for wearing designer suits and driving fast cars, commands more social media followers than any other CCTV personality and has been called the "face of the New China" by his admirers. His official CCTV bio says he has interviewed hundreds of business and political leaders around the world. The New York Times has profiled him and even the popular American comedy program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" has featured him in an episode. Fluent in English, Rui began his broadcast career at CCTV's international service, but his stardom soared under Guo after the young journalist jumped to the network's financial news channel in 2008. An unapologetic self-promoter, he has authored two popular autobiographical books touting his friendship with the world's rich and powerful. Controversial figure . Rui became a more divisive public figure as his celebrity grew. He successfully led a controversial campaign to kick Starbucks out of Beijing's Forbidden City in 2007, calling the American coffee shop's presence in the historic palace museum an encroachment on Chinese culture. He grabbed a global spotlight in 2010 when U.S. President Barack Obama said he would give the final question at a news conference in Seoul to South Korean media. "I'm actually Chinese, but I think I get to represent the entire Asia," Rui said before asking a long-winded question on how Obama might prevent his policies from being misinterpreted. At an economic forum in northeastern China the following year, Rui asked Gary Locke, then the U.S. ambassador to China, a question that some critics called a nationalistic publicity stunt. Others applauded it as a sign of an increasingly confident China standing up to the United States. "My colleagues told me you flew economy class from Beijing to Dalian," Rui asked Locke. "Was that a reminder that the U.S. still owes China money?" Locke replied that it was standard government policy for American diplomats and other officials to fly coach. 'Tigers and flies' Rui's reported detention came on the heels of the downfall of several former high-ranking officials, including a retired top general of the 2 million-strong People's Liberation Army. Gen. Xu Caihou, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission that runs the world's largest standing army, was expelled from the ruling Communist Party and handed over to prosecutors after being found to have accepted bribes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported early this month. Xu was also a member of the Politburo, China's decision-making body, before retiring in 2012. State media have characterized Xu as a big "military tiger" caught in the massive anti-graft campaign launched by President Xi Jinping, who is also the commander in chief. Xi banned official extravagance -- from banquets to year-end gifts -- and vowed to target "tigers and flies" alike in his fight against corruption. He resolved to spare no one, regardless of position. CCTV recently touted the capture of 35 "tigers" since Xi took power less than two years ago. Zhou Yongkang . Some China watchers have noted ties between an increasing number of disgraced officials and Zhou Yongkang, the former domestic security czar who has been rumored to be under investigation for some time. Guo, the CCTV executive who was Rui's patron, has long been considered belonging to the Zhou faction. State media have reported official probes into many of Zhou's family members as well as former associates in the domestic security apparatus, state oil industry and southwestern Sichuan province -- three places Zhou once ruled. If he is actually charged, Zhou would become the highest-ranking official ever to face corruption charges in the history of the People's Republic. Some 182,000 officials were disciplined in 2013, while courts nationwide tried 23,000 corruption cases, according to the Communist Party's disciplinary commission. State media have cited the trial and conviction last year of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai -- which Bo supporters called politically motivated -- as one prime example of Xi's determination to clean up the party. Top China aides ousted from Communist Party . 'Endemic corruption' Longtime China observers, however, point to the limits of Xi's war on corruption. "Corruption is so widespread and so endemic that campaigns are just not going to do it," said Frank Ching, a Hong Kong-based commentator and columnist on Chinese politics. "Something has to be done about the system." "There have been public calls for a law to require officials disclosing their assets. There has been no indication that they are going to do that. In fact, a number of people calling for this law have ended up in prison," Ching said. "I think people will be much more convinced of the seriousness of this anti-corruption campaign if there were a move to enact such a law." Top Chinese general expelled from Communist Party for corruption . Crackdown on more than 1,000 'naked officials' in Guangdong .
Rui Chenggang is known for his "big get" interviews and his nationalistic sentiment . Prosecutors took Rui into custody just before the start of "Economic News" Rui's patron Guo Zhenxi was detained in June for allegedly accepting bribes . Rui's detention is the latest twist in a widening anti-corruption campaign in China .
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By . Kerry Mcqueeney . PUBLISHED: . 04:17 EST, 5 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 5 October 2012 . A scientist who helped design the trigger mechanism for the atomic bombs used in the Second World War has died, at the age of 96. Robert F Christy, a former California Institute of Technology (Caltech) professor, was one of the early recruits to the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Laboratory, a U.S. government research project to develop atomic weapons during the war. However - during his research - he was never told the true purpose of the experiments, he later said. Robert F Christy pictured, left, in recent years and, right, as a young scientist. He was one of the early recruits to Project Manhattan and his work helped develop the trigger mechanism for the atomic bomb . The mushroom cloud formed by the explosion of an atomic bomb. Christy said that, at the time of their work, he had no idea their research would be used for a weapon . He had been hand-picked to join by J. Robert Oppenheimer - his professor at the . University of California, Berkeley, with whom Christy studied quantum mechanics. The Canadian native devised what came to be known as the Christy bomb or Christy gadget, a plutonium implosion device. Christy died of natural causes at his home in Pasadena, surrounded by his family, according to Caltech spokeswoman Deborah Williams-Hedges. According to a 1994 interview recorded in Caltech's archives, Vancouver-born Christy showed mathematical prowess early in his . schooling and skipped grades to graduate from the University of British . Columbia when he was 19. The Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico, one of Project Manhattan's research centres . When the first bomb was tested at Los Alamos (pictured), Christy said everyone was pleased to have succeeded in the experiment . Before the Manhattan Project began, Christy researched with the era's leading physicists, including Italian Enrico Fermi and Hungarian Eugene Wigner. He said in the 1994 interview: 'What I was told was that they were trying to make a chain reaction. 'And the purpose of the chain reaction - well, it might be to drive submarines, or whatever. I was not told about bombs at the time.' When the first bomb was tested at Los Alamos, Christy said everyone was pleased to have succeeded in the experiment, but a month later, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, it was a very sobering experience. He added: 'There had been bombs dropped on cities. There had been firestorms, and so forth. I believe people nowadays don't realise that in war your objective is to beat the enemy. 'And unfortunately, mostly that involves killing a lot of the enemy to do that. So war is a very bloody thing. Later in life, Christy opposed the further development of nuclear weapons. He became a member of the National Research Council's committee on dosimetry . 'I felt then that although this was a terrible event, it probably saved many, many more Japanese lives. They probably would have lost millions if they had had to defend themselves against an invasion.' Later in life, Christy opposed the further development of nuclear weapons. He became a member of the National Research Council's committee on dosimetry, which studied the radiation effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. Christy taught theoretical physics, nuclear physics and astrophysics at Caltech, going on to serve as faculty chair, vice president and provost, as well as acting president. While at Caltech, he investigated pulsations in the brightness of stars, which are used to measure cosmic distances. Christy was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society's Eddington Medal for his work. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1965. Caltech Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Chair B. Thomas Soifer said that Christy was a major figure at the private university and a founder of a very important area of astrophysical research. Soifer added: 'Bob was an outstanding theoretical physicist; his contributions to scientific research, to public policy and his leadership helped in shaping what Caltech is today.' A joint effort between the U.S., the UK and Canada, the Manhattan . Project was a research and development programme that produced the first . atomic bomb during the Second World War. It began in 1939 as a modest operation, but grew to involve more than . 130,000 people costing about $2billion working across 30 sites in . America, Britain and Canada - some of them top secret. The first-ever nuclear device was detonated in New Mexico on July 16 1945. Less than a month later it was unleashed on unsuspecting Japan. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a massive atomic bomb on . Hiroshima. The equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, the a-bomb . killed approximately 70,000 of civilians and flattened the city (pictured). Another 70,000 died from the effects of radiation with five years. Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, which killed about 70,000 people.
Robert F Christy was one of the early recruits to research project to develop atomic weapons during the war . Native Canadian devised what became known as the Christy bomb or Christy gadget - a plutonium implosion device . He died of natural causes at his home in Pasadena, surrounded by friends and family .
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The family of an NYPD officer shot dead in broad daylight on Saturday has forgiven his murderer, a relative revealed. Rafael Ramos' cousin, Ronnie Gonzalez, insists their focus is on remembering the 40-year-old officer, father of two boys, rather than gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley. '[Brinsley] in the hands of God now,' Gonzalez told Pix11. 'We don't believe in vengeance, we just forgive.' He added that Ramos was due to graduate as a chaplain this weekend. 'We don't believe in vengeance': A cousin of officer Rafael Ramos (the slain cop who is pictured left with his wife) claims the family has forgiven killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley (right) saying 'he is in the hands of God now' 'My cousin had a couple of priorities in his life,' Ronnie Gonzalez told the Wall Street Journal from outside the Brooklyn home where Officer Ramos grew up. 'One was God, because he was a God-loving man,' said Mr Gonzalez. 'I wish I could be half the man my cousin was. He was sweet. He didn't deserve…to die.' His words come just 24 hours after Ramos and his partner officer Wenjian Liu were gunned to their deaths while they ate lunch in a patrol car on their first day in a new precinct. It has since emerged Brinsley asked passersby to follow him on Instagram and said 'watch what I'm going to do' before killing the two men. NYPD officers: The gunman fired a fatal round of bullets at Wenjian Liu (left) and Rafael Ramos (right) 'We have to move forward': Ramos' aunt Lucy Ramos told reporters the city needs to reach peace . Vigil: Hundreds of mourners gathered on the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle Avenues to remember the cops . The 28-year-old had earlier posted to the social network boasting that he would take the lives of two policemen. He walked up behind the patrol car of officers Ramos and Liu, parked up in Brooklyn, then fired four bullets at their heads, 'execution style'. Brinsley had already been arrested 19 times for offenses including concealing a weapon, disorderly conduct, and trespassing. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce revealed a timeline which began with the shooting of an ex-girlfriend near Baltimore, and ended with Ismaaiyl's suicide on a subway platform. Mourning: The crowds sang 'we shall overcome' and 'this little light of mine' while laying flowers and candles . Tributes: NYPD badges were seen strewn among the mementos, including Christmas wreaths and holly . United: Members of the police force stood with members of the public to sing and mourn together . Gesture: New York Jets center Nick Mangold took to the stadium in an NYPD cap on Sunday . Worldwide statement: His message was broadcast across the world as he was filmed at the coin toss . Describing the final moments, caught on surveillance cameras, he said: 'We have found on one of our videos two males who spoke with the perpetrator just prior to the event. 'He asks them three things: For their gang affiliation, he asks them to follow him on Instagram, then he says 'watch what I'm going to do'. 'He then walks north down on Tompkins, past the two officers in the car, circles back around, goes across the street, then comes up behind the officers.' Grief: Residents and NYPD officers gather around a memorial during a vigil for the two murdered cops . Paying respect: NYPD officers participate in a moment of silence for the two slain cops before an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons yesterday . Mourning: NYPD officers around the city paid their respects last night while hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at the scene of the shooting with blue flowers . Boyce added that Brinsley threatened to hang himself a year ago, and had been disowned by his mother and two sisters for being violent and aggressive. He said: 'His mother ... states he had a very troubled childhood and was often violent. His mother expressed fear of him and she hasn't seen him in one month. 'Brinsley attempted suicide in the past and attempted to hang himself a year ago.' Last night, hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at the scene of the shooting with blue flowers, NYPD badges, Christmas wreaths and candles to pay tribute to officers Ramos and Liu. They sang This Little Light Of Mine and We Shall Overcome. Bereaved: Jaden Ramos wrote the moving message in a public post after his father was murdered yesterday . Gift: Jaden posted this picture online some days ago as a birthday present to his father . New York Jets center Nick Mangold offered his condolences by wearing an NYPD cap as he entered the MetLife stadium on Sunday. Ramos' 13-year-old son Jaden expressed his devastation that will never see his father again in a Facebook post on Sunday. He said he was heartbroken after Ramos was murdered along with his partner 'just for being a police officer'. Shared loss: A message of condolence is lit up by candlelight at the memorial to the NYPD officers . A mountain of flowers and other tributes lie on the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle Avenues in Brooklyn . Fallen colleagues: Four NYPD officers pay their respects at the makeshift memorial during last night's vigil . 'Today I had to say bye to my father. He was their for me everyday of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It's horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer,' Jaden posted. He continued: 'Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad.' It was a somber addendum to an earlier December post in which he honored his dad's 40th birthday. 'Happy birthday to the best dad in the world, you are always there for me even when it's almost impossible,' he wrote on December 9. 'We have so many good times it's not even funny, I love you so much.' Two men release a sky lantern as demonstrators gathered in Central Park for a candlelight vigil and march . Mourners attending last night's vigil sang This Little Light Of Mine and We Shall Overcome . Clergymen and a clergywoman stand shoulder to shoulder during last night's outpouring of grief . Standing together: Brooklyn residents held up candles and sang songs during last night's vigil . The New York Yankees' Silver Shield Foundation has announced it will pay for the education of Rafael Ramos' two children. The group will also set aside money for education-related expenses needed by both spouses of the murderered officers. William Walters, chairman of the group which funds academic expenses for slain law enforcement officers, told ABC News: 'We just want to do good for these people that take care of us'. He said they plan to discuss the funds with the families on Monday. Before: This picture and chilling message was posted on the alleged shooter's page two hours beforehand . The first official words from Ramos' family came at a press conference on Sunday night. The officer's aunt, Lucy Ramos, told reporters: 'I would like to thank all those who have shared their sympathy and support for our beloved family member, Rafael Ramos, who will always be loved and missed by many. 'I hope and pray that we can reflect on this tragic loss of lives that has occurred so that we can move forward and find an amicable patch to a peaceful coexistence.' She added that the family extends their condolences to relatives of Officer Liu.
The admission comes from Ronnie Gonzalez, cousin of Rafael Ramos . He said Ramos was due to graduate as a chaplain this weekend . Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, murdered Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Saturday . Brinsley's rampage began when he shot girlfriend in Baltimore . He had bragged about the planned killing in posts on Instagram .
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It's not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football! There's £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest-scoring manager! As the Premier League season gets going, Sportsmail take a look at players new to the top flight with the potential to light up England's top tier over the coming campaign. DARYL JANMAAT IN A NUTSHELL . The domino effect of Arsene Wenger taking Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal saw Newcastle seek a replacement. That prompted manager Alan Pardew to bring in a right-back by the name of Daryl Janmaat. The 25-year-old from Feyenoord, arriving for a cool £5million, gave those in Tyneside a taster of what he is capable of with Holland at the World Cup in Brazil. There, he brought his total caps to 21 since making his debut against Turkey in September 2012. From U20 to U21 to the senior level under now-Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, Janmaat looks a player the 52,000 at St James' Park can get excited about. New boy: Holland right-back Daryl Janmaat moved to Newcastle United from Feyenoord for a cool £5million . All smiles: The 24-year-old is an attacking full-back and is expected to fit straight into Newcastle's defence . Looking up: Janmaat is quick and likely to excite the 52,000 at St James' Park with his overlapping runs . Debuchy would cost you £5.1m in our Fantasy Football game. Janmaat? £4.9m. CLICK HERE and start picking now! SO, JANMAAT OR DEBUCHY? Janmaat is designed to replace his French counterpart, but what do the statistics say? Look away Arsenal fans - and don't shoot the messenger - but Janmaat wins in almost every department from last season, according to Squawka, who kindly did the math. Looking at everything from passing to tackling to chances created, Janmaat scores 23.38 points compared to Debuchy's 14.69. He also wins in the defensive market - 9.87 to 8.99. Janmaat completed an average of 38.20 passes per match with an 82 per cent success rate - Debuchy made just 25.14 passes with 73 per cent finding their destination. Assists? Five to three. Minutes on the pitch? 2,644 to 2,491. Debuchy does win the occasional battle, though. The former Newcastle defender wins in tackles by the skin of his teeth - 2.45 to 2.20. But, in doing so, he commits more fouls - 1.41 to 0.83. Make of these what you will, but Janmaat looks the safer bet on paper. Tackle: Janmaat (left) is not afraid to make a challenge and is eager to add to the attacking element of teams . Why pay top dollar for an overly-expensive defender when you can get Janmaat for less than £5m? 1. £7m - V Kompany, Manchester City . 2. £6.9m - B Ivanovic, Chelsea . 3. £6.8m - J Terry, Chelsea . 4. £6.7m - P Metresacker, Arsenal . 5. £6.6m - P Zabaleta, Manchester City . 53. £4.9m - D Janmaat, Newcastle United . BUT HOW WILL HE GET YOU POINTS? Janmaat, a rare breed of a defender, loves to get forward while also fulfilling his duties at the back. Not only will he get you those appearances and clean-sheet points, the Dutchman will chip in with the occasional goal and assist too. Last season, Janmaat scored twice (that would be 10 points apiece in Sportsmail's Fantasy Football game) and nabbed five assists (three apiece). Not a bad return for a full-back. It appears the ex-Feyenoord star has been given licence to do the same at Newcastle by Pardew, so do you fancy a gamble on the attacking full-back that costs just £4.9m? SO, WHO WOULD COST YOU MORE? Take your pick. Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne, Stoke's Erik Pieters and Everton's Sylvain Distin all cost more than Janmaat. In the list of defenders by price, Janmaat falls 51st. Can you afford not to pick him as a substitute? Going Dutch: Janmaat played five times at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for Holland under Louis van Gaal . IS HE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE? Judging by Brazil 2014, he is. Janmaat had to rise through the ranks to earn that orange shirt, and did so impressively. Van Gaal isn't the easiest man to please after all. Not to mention, he's confident. Janmaat describes his transfer to Newcastle as the 'perfect move'. The right-back, having also been linked with Juventus, Arsenal and Manchester United in the past, shows no signs of weaknesses yet. He's there to bridge a gap, and should do so fittingly. CLICK HERE TO START PICKING JANMAAT FOR YOUR TEAM! YOU'RE NOT TOO LATE! Step-up? Janmaat has better league statistics than outgoing full-back Mathieu Debuchy had last season .
Daryl Janmaat costs just £4.9million in Sportsmail's Fantasy Football game . The Newcastle United right-back is a replacement for Mathieu Debuchy . Janmaat beat Debuchy in almost every statistical department last season . CLICK HERE to start picking your team for the Premier League season now!
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By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 16:00 EST, 7 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:40 EST, 7 November 2012 . A failed engine on a Delta jet carrying 102 passengers prompted . an emergency landing in Syracuse, New York late Wednesday morning. The pilot of flight 1430 from Detroit to Hartford, Connecticut reported one of its two engines not working in midair though details to its failure weren't immediately available. 'The aircraft landed safely, all 102 passengers were taken off the aircraft,' Syracuse Department of Aviation Commissioner Christina Callahan told MailOnline. Emergency: A Delta passenger jet made an emergency landing in Syracuse, New York on Wednesday after one of its engines failed between Detroit and its final destination in Connecticut . The MD-80 made its landing around 11.20am at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Ms Callahan projected affected passengers being shuttled by bus or another aircraft to meet their final destination. In the end, a described 'plane without wings' was the end ticket for those stranded according to claimed Delta passenger Brian Gardner who glumly Tweeted his travel's progress. 'Left engine went out in air; emergency landing in Syracuse. Waiting to hear what @delta is going to do to get us to Hartford,' he wrote. Evacuated: All 102 passengers were safely removed from the Delta flight and said to have been moved onto a bus for the remainder of their journey (file photo) Travel ahead: Expecting to continue the remainder of their journey by bus, one disgruntled passenger Tweeted this photo before what he estimated would be a 4.5 hour drive . Later replying to news of a charter bus picking up the remainder of his journey appeared to do little for the worn customer. 'Not sure how @delta sees a bus (4.5 hour drive according to maps app) as an acceptable alternative to an airplane. GET ANOTHER PLANE HERE,' he added, along with a photo. A request for comment from Delta was not immediately returned.
Flight 1430 from Detroit to Hartford, Connecticut made an emergency landing in Syracuse, New York just before noon . The aircraft made a safe landing with the cause of the engine failure not immediately released . One claimed passenger tweeted his upset with a charter bus carrying the passengers for the remainder of their trip .
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By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 13:52 EST, 16 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:27 EST, 16 May 2012 . A jury has convicted Steven Powell of voyeurism charges that stemmed from an investigation into his missing daughter-in-law, finding him guilty on all 14 counts. Powell looked off into a corner of the courtroom as the verdict was read. Anne Bremner, an attorney who represents Susan Powell's family, smiled. Authorities brought the voyeurism charges last year after searching Steve Powell's home during their investigation into the disappearance of Susan Powell of Utah. With the conviction on all 14 counts, Powell faces the possibility of up to five years in jail for each. His sentencing is scheduled for June 15. Guilty: Steve Powell, left, talks with his attorney, Mark Quigley, as they wait for the start of closing arguments in Powell's voyeurism trial yesterday . Relief: Denise Cox, sister of missing Susan Powell, hugs a relative after the guilty verdict is read in Steven Powell's voyeurism trial today . Powell will also be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Prosecutors claim images used as a basis for the charges were found on a disc in his bedroom. Though they have said Susan Powell was the subject of many of Steve Powell's photos, those images were not part of the case. Instead, prosecutors focused on images of two young girls who lived next door to Steve Powell as he had hundreds of images of them bathing, getting dressed and going to the toilet. Susan Powell's family believes Steve Powell has information on her disappearance, and authorities say he has been uncooperative in the investigation. Susan Powell's husband, Josh, killed himself and the couple's two young children earlier this year by taking a hatchet to his sons before blowing the house up. Speaking after the verdict today, Jennifer Graves, Powell's estranged daughter who testified for the prosecution, revealed she was pleased with the verdict. 'I am so relieved, so relieved. So much tension was building during this last week,' she told the Deseret News from her West Jordan home. 'I hope it (time behind bars) goes higher than lower. I'd like to see him off the streets for quite a while. For my peace of mind and other people's safety.' Voyeur: The court was shown a slide show of where Steve Powell's house is in proximity to the neighbor's home he was found guilty of spying on . Graves said she also believes her father knows what happened to missing Utah mother Susan Cox Powell. During closing arguments yesterday, Pierce County prosecutor Grant Blinn methodically showed photos of the young girls to the jury while saying that Powell captured the images from his bedroom window. 'He was sitting there, lurking in the shadows, leering at the girls,' Blinn said. 'It is difficult to imagine a more obvious invasion of privacy.' Jurors deliberated for three-and-a-half hours yesterday before they were dismissed, according to ABC. They returned twice to the courtroom seeking information on two issues - the first was to learn whether the evidence found in boxes only belonged to Steve Powell and the second was to ask for the disc in which Powell allegedly taped himself viewing the images of the young girls. Prosecutors claimed Powell was 'naked, urinating and masturbating'. Today they returned to the courtroom about 45 minutes into deliberations to ask whether all of the exhibits had been presented to them. In total they deliberated for six-and-a-half-hours to reach a unanimous verdict. Victim: Evidence relating to Susan Powell was not allowed to be used for the trial, though Powell was convicted on all counts of voyeurism anyway . Listens: Chuck Cox, the father of missing Utah mom Susan Powell, sits with other family members during the closing arguments in the voyeurism trial of Susan Powell's father-in-law, Steve Powell, yesterday . Trial: Steve Powell at the trial last week after the court was shown a slideshow of the pictures he took of his neighbor's children while they were bathing and dressing . Authorities say the files show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet. The girls, identified in court only by their initials, were about eight and ten years old when the images were captured. They testified they had no idea someone had taken photos of them in the bathroom. Defense attorney Travis Currie argued there were too many uncertainties in the evidence to convict. He questioned whether Steve Powell was the one who actually captured the images, noting others lived in the home. He also wondered whether the images were used for sexual gratification. 'There are people who are nosy, who like to spy on their neighbors,' Currie said. When talking about the burden of 'reasonable doubt', Currie reached as high as he could into the air, towering over the jury to emphasize how high of a bar that standard is. Among the images recovered from Steve Powell's home were many of Susan Powell that appeared to have been filmed without her knowledge, investigators said. There were also journals in which Steve Powell detailed his obsession with Susan Powell, they said. Much of that evidence has been barred from the trial as unduly prejudicial against the defendant. Steve Powell is not charged with acts of voyeurism involving Susan Powell because authorities can't prove she didn't know about the filming. Strain: Steven Powell appears at court in Tacoma, Washington yesterday where he faces up to 70 years in prison for allegedly filming girls aged eight and ten from his home . Legal team: Mark Quigley, right, and Travis Currie, left, attorneys for Steve Powell, view photos projected on a courtroom screen during Powell's voyeurism trial . Revelations: Charlie and Braden were beginning to speak more and more about their mother, saying she was 'in the trunk' and then that she disappeared . Tragedy: Powell blew up his Washington home, pictured, killing himself and the two young boys when they were dropped off for a supervised visit .
Powell faces up to five years in prison for each of the 14 counts . Will be sentenced on June 15 . Showed no emotion as the verdict was read . Jurors asked to see disc in which Powell allegedly taped himself viewing the images of the young girls .
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In the wake of the Christchurch office sex romp-which saw a married father caught cheating in a string of viral images-many are questioning how much they can trust their partners. For some, this means enlisting extra support to give them peace of mind, and that’s where Lipstick Investigations come into play. The Sydney based company is Australia's highest profile investigation business to specialise in infidelity, and they've been flooded with business in the New Year. Scroll down for video . Lipstick Investigations is Australia's highest profile investigation business, and they say they have been inundated with business of late . Managing director of the company David King said: 'It’s a certain type of person that will seek an investigator. Most people will see the clues and call it quits, but some need more closure' David King, the managing director of the company, told Daily Mail Australia the investigations are conducted across a number of fields. ‘We primarily deal with surveillance, but we also delve into database work and internet investigations. It varies from case to case,’ he said. Investigations typically begin with a phone call to the client, which sees the investigator ask two dozen questions to establish the plan of attack. ‘It’s a certain type of person that will seek an investigator. Most people will see the clues and call it quits, but some need more closure. It’s can also come down to cultural differences.’ A unfaithful partner caught in the act by Lipstick Investigations, who claim to have an 80 per cent success rate . King said harsh anti-surveillance laws in Australia hinder the equipment they can use on jobs, such as computer hacking and electronic tagging . Clients are charged a flat rate of $95 an hour, and while some jobs take a handful of hours, some can drag on much longer. ‘We had one client who spent half a million dollars over four years. We had plenty of evidence, but it was a drawn out case and it ended up becoming quite complicated.' King says the company also handles an array of other investigative work. ‘Private investigations are a very small industry. We take on anything from council work to companies trying to catch out employees taking a sickie.’ King said harsh anti-surveillance laws in Australia hinder the equipment they can use on jobs. ‘We’re pretty hard up. We can’t do electronic tracking, can’t hack into accounts. The office incident in New Zealand would be an ideal result for us, because that’s working within the parameters of the law.’ He said most of his results come from conventional surveillance, which includes the use of forensic tools, hidden cameras and night-vision equipment. They also arrange honey-trapping job, where a decoy is sent into partners favourite watering hole or gym to flirt with them and see what happens next, to catch out infidelity before it has even happened. The investigations include the use of use of forensic tools (pictured), hidden cameras and night-vision equipment. David King (pictured) said he takes on anything from council work to companies trying to catch out employees taking a sickie . ‘Social media has really transformed the industry. There is a drop in business because people can do the process themselves, chasing the leads of their partner on Facebook and such.’ ‘The other side of the coin is social media means there are more digital footprints left that could spark suspicion. So we can more clients from that. I think the overall workload is the same, it’s just a different dynamic.’ King says the work is consistent throughout the year, with a surge in business on certain obvious dates such as Valentine’s Day. ‘You can never put your finger on busy times. We just had the busiest January since we started our business, but I couldn’t tell you why.’ A recent study from Lonergran Research showed that one in four Australian's admits to cheating on their partner, while two-thirds of couples don’t share their deepest secrets . King says the work is consistent throughout the year, with a surge in business on certain obvious dates such as Valentine’s Day. Agent Ange. King said investigators are occasionally spotted by investigators . When asked if the investigators ever get caught in the act, King said: ‘Ultimately we’re not invisible, and we do get caught out sometimes. We can’t be ten blocks behind the suspect.’ He said investigations have about an 80 per cent success rate, but that ‘it would be a 90 per cent if clients had more money. Generally, if you have suspicions they are probably warranted.’ You can see the official Lipstick Investigations website here .
Lipstick Investigations is Australia's highest profile investigation business . Investigations are done across a number of fields including the internet . Jobs include the use of forensic tools, hidden cameras and night-vision . The company has been inundated with business in the New Year . The investigations have about an 80 per cent success rate .
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Nova Friburgo, Brazil (CNN) -- The death toll from devastating flooding in Brazil continued to rise Sunday, surpassing 600, the government said. At least 631 deaths were reported in a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, northeast of the city of Rio. Other states in the South American country have also seen heavy rainfall. Are you there? Share your photos, videos and stories . Last week, authorities in neighboring Sao Paulo state said 24 people had been killed by flooding. Forecasters there said late Sunday that an approaching cold front could bring more flooding and landslides. Most of the deaths in Rio de Janeiro state were reported in the cities of Nova Friburgo and Teresopolis, with 287 and 269 fatalities, respectively. The state's health and civil defense department reported 56 fatalities in the town of Petropolis and 19 in Sumidouro. Officials in that office also warned residents of the risk of waterborne diseases. Several thousand vaccines against tetanus and diphtheria have been distributed, they said. Rescuers have not been able to reach some hard-hit areas, and many more people are feared dead. The rain is predicted to continue for several days in areas already submerged in water or slathered with mud. Members of the army entered parts of Teresopolis and were able to rescue 110 families. Thousands of families are still living on mountain slopes or on riverbanks and face extreme risk of being washed away. One resident described the disaster as a tsunami that fell from the sky. In a statement, Rio Gov. Sergio Cabral said he had a panic attack when he was traveling to Nova Friburgo and saw a devastated mountainside. Outside a makeshift morgue in Teresopolis, a crowd of people waited for their turn to identify loved ones. Marco Antonio Siqueira Costa said the last time he saw his brother, sister-in-law and niece was a few days ago, before mud buried their house. "I think that last meeting was God's way of granting us a farewell," he said. Residents in the city donned masks and helped clean streets or deliver first aid. Others combed the city, searching desperately for missing loved ones. Red Cross volunteer Maria Helena de Jesus was helping with first aid. "You have to almost have a heart of stone," she said. "It was very difficult." Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek declared his city a natural disaster area. President Dilma Rousseff flew over flood-affected areas last week and landed in Friburgo, the agency said. The floods are her first test as president. She trudged through mud to talk to residents in a neighborhood where four of seven firefighters trying to rescue people had been buried under mud. The other three were pulled out alive. "We are going to take firm action" to help the devastated areas, said Rousseff. Brazilian authorities have been criticized for a lack of disaster planning and allowing people to build homes in areas known to become treacherous in the rainy season. They are under increasing pressure to show a strong response. Brazil is scheduled to host the World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics. Journalist Fabiana Frayssinet contributed to this report.
NEW: Forecasters say more flooding and landslides could hit Sao Paulo state . At least 631 deaths are reported in Rio de Janeiro state . Officials warn of the risk of waterborne diseases . Troops arrive to help rescue those who are trapped .
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Between three and four billion years ago, changes in an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter hurled a devastating barrage of space rocks at our planet. Astronomers are only now beginning to understand the scale of the bombardment - analysing the impacts from tiny 'spherules' preserved in rocks today. Some of the asteroids were bigger than the 9-mile rock that wiped out the dinosaurs - but the 700-million-year barrage may have delivered chemicals crucial to the beginnings of life on our planet. Astronomers are only now beginning to understand the scale of the bombardment - analysing the regularity and size of the impacts from tiny 'spherules' preserved in rocks today . Researchers are learning details about asteroid impacts going back to the Earth's early history by using a new method for extracting precise information from tiny 'spherules' embedded in layers of rock . ‘What we have done is provide the . foundation for understanding how to interpret the layers in terms of the . size and velocity of the asteroid that made them,’ said Jay Melosh, . professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, physics and aerospace . engineering at Purdue University. 'This is the first real solid evidence that this asteroid bombardment . actually happened,’ Melosh said. ‘Some of the asteroids that we infer . were about 25 miles in diameter, much larger than the one that . killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. But Melosh and his team believe that the bombardment may have delivered chemicals crucial to the evolution of life on our planet. The study also seems to show that the bombardment lasted far longer than previous estimates, which suggested the 'Late Heavy Bombardment' lasted roughly half as long as Melosh's team estimates. 'But when we looked at the number of impactors as a function . of size, we got a curve that showed a lot more small objects than large . ones, a pattern that matches exactly the distribution of sizes in the . asteroid belt. For the first time we have a direct connection between . the crater size distribution on the ancient Earth and the sizes of . asteroids out in space.’ Melosh and his team use 'spherules' - tiny markings in rocks - to work out the scale of the asteroid bombardment. The spherules were created when asteroids crashed into the Earth, vaporizing rock that expanded into space as a giant vapor plume. Small droplets of molten and vaporized rock in the plume condensed and solidified, falling back to Earth as a thin layer. The round or oblong particles were preserved in layers of rock, and now researchers have analyzed them to record precise information about asteroids impacting Earth from 3.5 billion to 35 million years ago. The period of heavy asteroid bombardment - from 4.2 to 3.5 billion years ago - is thought to have been influenced by changes in the early solar system that altered the trajectory of objects in an asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter, sending them on a collision course with Earth. Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona: Some of the asteroids were bigger than the 9-mile rock that wiped out the dinosaurs - but the barrage continued for up to 700 million years, as an entire asteroid belt 'emptied' itself at our planetBecause craters are difficult to study directly, impact history must be inferred either by observations of asteroids that periodically pass near the Earth or by studying craters on the moon. Now, the new technique using spherules offers a far more accurate alternative to chronicle asteroid impacts on Earth, Melosh said. ‘We can look at these spherules, see how thick the layer is, how big the spherules are, and we can infer the size and velocity of the asteroid,’ Melosh said. ‘We can go back to the earliest era in the history of the Earth and infer the population of asteroids impacting the planet.’ For asteroids larger than about 10 kilometers in diameter, the spherules are deposited in a global layer. ‘Some of these impacts were several times larger than the Chicxulub impact that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago,’ Johnson said. ‘The impacts may have played a large role in the history of life. The large number of impacts may have helped simple life by introducing organics and other important materials at a time when life on Earth was just taking hold.’ A 40-kilometer asteroid would have wiped out everything on the Earth's surface, whereas the one that struck 65 million years ago killed only land animals weighing more than around 20 kilograms. ‘Impact craters are the most obvious indication of asteroid impacts, but craters on Earth are quickly obscured or destroyed by surface weathering and tectonic processes,’ Johnson said. ‘However, the spherule layers, if preserved in the geologic record, provide information about an impact even when the source crater cannot be found.’ The Purdue researchers studied the spherules using computer models that harness mathematical equations developed originally to calculate the condensation of vapor. ‘There have been some new wrinkles in vapor condensation modeling that motivated us to do this work, and we were the first to apply it to asteroid impacts,’ Melosh said. The spherules are about a millimeter in diameter. The researchers also are studying a different type of artifact similar to spherules but found only near the original impact site. Whereas the globally distributed spherules come from the condensing vaporized rock, these ‘melt droplets’ are from rock that's been melted and not completely vaporized. ‘Before this work, it was not possible to distinguish between these two types of formations,’ Melosh said. ‘Nobody had established criteria for discriminating between them, and we've done that now.’ One of the authors of the Southwest Research Institute paper, David Minton, is now an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Purdue. Findings from the research may enable Melosh's team to enhance an asteroid impact effects calculator he developed to estimate what would happen if asteroids of various sizes were to hit the Earth. The calculator, ‘Impact: Earth!’ allows anyone to calculate potential comet or asteroid damage based on the object's mass.
Findings from analysis of tiny 'spherules' in present-day rocks . Rocks from asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter four billion years ago . Bombardment lasted up to two times as long as previously thought .
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Thierry Henry says that Costa Rica showed England how to combat Andrea Pirlo and proved that team ethic triumphs over individual quality. The unfancied Central Americans booked their place in the last 16 and condemned Roy Hodgson’s side to an early exit following their 1-0 victory over Italy. England had been beaten 2-1 by the Italians in their Group C opener having allowed midfield playmaker Pirlo to dictate the contest. Circle of life: Costa Rica celebrate their 1-0 victory over Italy which sends them through to the last 16 . Joy: Costa Rica have booked their place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare . Grounded: Andrea Pirlo did not inspire Italy as he had done against England . But Costa Rica subdued the Juventus man as Bryan Ruiz’s first-half header gave them an unlikely but deserved win. Henry also believes Costa Rica were good value for their success and drew comparisons with England’s failure to deal with Pirlo. ‘Costa Rica went forward and were pressing Pirlo. He never had one chance to turn and pick a pass. If you let Pirlo play he will expose you,’ said the BBC pundit. ‘They did not show Pirlo any respect during the game.’ Out: England will be heading home after the group stage . Flying Bryan: Fulham flop Bryan Ruiz celebrates the goal which gave Costa Rica a first-half lead . Verdict: Thierry Henry was full of praise for Costa Rica and critical of England . The former France international added: ‘I’m sure you didn’t know one player from Costa Rica. But if you have a good team, sometimes you don’t need names. ‘Costa Rica showed us that without the quality that England, Italy and Uruguay have, if you are well organised and have an idea of what you need to do then you can win.’ Fellow pundit Clarence Seedorf echoed Henry’s sentiment. ‘I think Costa Rica are better tactically (than England) because the (Italy) midfield was completely blocked,’ said the former Holland midfielder. ‘I agree with Thierry, it’s about having a team.’ Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, says that England did not deserve to remain in the competition on the evidence of their defeats to Italy and Uruguay. ‘You have to earn the right to stay in a tournament and England have not done that,’ he said. ‘They have been a bit naïve in situations. When they got back into it against Uruguay at 1-1 we had a chance to get a point and say “right, we’re ready for the last game” and they didn’t.’ And ITV pundit Patrick Vieira said: ‘You can't say that England have played badly over the 2 games. But you need to score when you have momentum.’
Former international stars say Three Lions were not as good tactically as Costa Rica . Henry believes they showed what team work and organisation achieves . Their 1-0 victory over Italy means England are eliminated at World Cup group stage for first time since 1958 .
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By . Dan Bloom . A priest who was jailed for killing a 23-year-old nun in a botched exorcism has been chased out of his village and forced to live in a remote forest hut. Father Daniel Corogeanu, 33, left Sister Irina Cornici bound, gagged, strapped to a cross and without food or water for five . days at an isolated monastery in Romania. Corogeanu, whose crime inspired a Cannes prize-winning film, was jailed for seven years in 2005 and vowed to build a monastery in her memory when he was released. But when he arrived at the site of his proposed centre, the eastern commune of Zapodeni, furious villagers reportedly chased him into hiding. Scroll down for video . Hounded out: Father Daniel Corogeanu (right), pictured praying after the botched exorcism ritual which killed Sister Irina Cornici (foreground) has been chased out of a Romanian village and forced to live in a remote hut . Horror: Daniel Corogeanu, whose crime inspired a Cannes prize-winning film, holding a holy book and surrounded by nuns at the Tanacu Monastery a day after Irina Cornici died in an exorcism ritual . A local council official said the priest has now set up home in a wooden hut in the forest, which he refuses to leave. Corogeanu was jailed in 2005 along with four other . nuns who helped him with the ritual at the Tanacu monastery in eastern Romania. They said they were just trying to help Cornici but a court in the northeast city of Vaslui convicted the priest and nuns of holding her captive, resulting in her death. Nun Nicoleta Arcalianu was sentenced to eight years in prison, and the other three - Adina Cepraga, Elena Otel and Simona Bardanas - received five-year sentences. Dozens of Corogeanu's supporters packed the courtroom and prayed at the time of his conviction . Dozens of Corogeanu's supporters packed the courtroom and prayed for the priest, with several bursting into tears when the verdict was announced. Romania's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Corogeanu against his conviction. The crime was a national scandal for the Romanian Orthodox Church, which excommunicated the priest and promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries. But the outcome of the case is still shrouded in mystery and doubt, despite the conviction. There are allegations that the court had not properly considered the . suggestion that the nun might have died from an adrenaline overdose . injected by paramedics. Coroner . Dan Gheorghiu admitted recently that the was some credence to the theory, . saying: 'I was part of the team who handled the exhumation of the nun's . body. 'It was concluded that the woman died of an overdose of adrenaline. Don't ask me, I don't know why the judges did not take that into . account.' It also emerged after her death that . Cornici had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic and her 'possession' was . unlikely to be more than a series of schizophrenic episodes. At . the time Father Corogeanu told the court: 'I consider myself not guilty because Irina Conrici's death was . not down to the fact that we kept her locked up. 'We tied her up because . she kept hitting and harming herself and we would have found her dead in . her room eventually. 'I . admit I tied her up and stuck a towel in her mouth and kept her like . this for five days. 'I admit that I used to cover her mouth with tape . while she took part in daily mass, but only because I did not want her . to disturb the service. Corogeanu, who was jailed for seven years in 2005, said he was just trying to help Cornici but a court in the northeast city of Vaslui convicted the priest and four nuns of holding her captive, resulting in her death . Media attention: The current fate of the former Orthodox priest has been widely reported in his native Romania . 'Four . nuns helped me tie her up and guarded Irina for days. They tried to . give her food and water but she refused. All she accepted was holy . water. This was the best solution for her because she had to recover . from her constant agitation.' He added: 'Had I not . called the ambulance, she would have been well now. It was the last . stage of her exorcism and it is normal that a person possessed by demons . faints when all the prayers end. She was supposed to recover after . that.' The death inspired the screenplay for . the film Beyond the Hills, a Cannes and Palme d'Or award winning film by . Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. In 1999 the Vatican issued its first new guidelines since 1614 for driving out devils, which urged priests to take modern psychiatry into account in deciding who should be exorcised. And earlier this month the Papacy gave its blessing to exorcisms as a standard practice in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has emphasised that Satan exists and was previously thought to support exorcisms. Last year he appeared to cast out a demon from a wheelchair bound man who said he was possessed by the devil.
Father Daniel Corogeanu was jailed for seven years after ritual killed nun, 23 . She was strapped to a cross and left without food or water for five days . He promised to build a monastery in her memory when he was released . But he was hounded out of its proposed base in Zapodeni, eastern Romania . He is now hidden in remote wooden hut and refuses to leave, an official said . The disturbing story inspired Cannes prize-winning film Beyond the Hills .
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Louis van Gaal has been warned by the FA as to his future conduct following comments made about the referee after Manchester United's FA Cup fourth round draw against Cambridge United last month. The Dutch manager's comments came after last month's goalless draw at the Abbey Stadium and Van Gaal implied that referee Chris Foy was 'against' his side. He said: ‘We have to come here, the pitch isn’t so good, the opponents always give a lot more than they normally give and defending is always easier than attacking and then you have seen the referee. Louis van Gaal has been warned as to his future conduct following comments made about the referee after last month's FA Cup fourth round draw against Cambridge united . Van Gaal implied that referee Chris Foy was against his side and was subsequently charged by the FA . Cambridge players express their joy after securing a lucrative replay in Manchester thanks to their determined performance . Despite the charge Van Gaal, who denied he had brought the game into disrepute, has escaped punishment . Van Gaal was charged by the FA for the comments but on Wednesday it was announced he had escaped punishment and had received just a warning. 'Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing on Wednesday 18 February 2015, Louis van Gaal has been warned as to his future conduct after he was found to have breached FA Rules in relation to media comments,' a statement on the FA's website read. 'The Manchester United manager denied that his comments which followed The FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Cambridge United on 23 January 2015 alleged and/or implied bias on the part of the match referee, and/or brought the game into disrepute.' Radamel Falcao and Co were unable to find a way through against the League Two side in January . Robin van Persie came off the bench for United but he was unable to help his team find a breakthrough . The 52-year-old referee Foy was not involved in any major controversies during the game and the FA accused Van Gaal of questioning Foy’s integrity. An FA statement released earlier this month said: ‘Louis van Gaal has been charged by the FA for media comments he made after Manchester United’s FA Cup Fourth Round match against Cambridge United on Friday 23 January 2015. ‘It is alleged that the Manchester United manager’s comments allege and/or imply bias on the part of the match referee and/or bring the game into disrepute.'
Louis van Gaal was charged by the Football Association . But united boss has escaped with just a warning from the FA . Dutch boss made comments about the referee after Manchester United's FA Cup draw against Cambridge United last month . Van Gaal said 'everything is against you at Manchester United' FA believe Van Gaal's comments 'allege and/or imply bias on the part of the match referee' CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news .
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An unemployed woman who lived on £58 a week has scooped £26.5million in the EuroMillions lottery. Margaret Loughrey, from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, won the massive jackpot in last Tuesday night’s draw. The 48-year-old told her local newspaper, the Strabane Chronicle, that despite winning the big win, she doesn’t intend to move away from her hometown. Lottery winner: Margaret Loughrey, from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, who scooped a £26.5million prize on the EuroMillions with a lucky dip ticket . She said: ‘Definitely not. It won’t change who I am. Strabane will always be home for me.’ Ms Loughrey told how she bought the Lucky Dip on Tuesday after applying for another role at her local job centre. ‘I left the house on Tuesday because I heard there was a job advertised and I wanted to apply for it. So I went to the Jobcentre and printed out the job application before going to the Supervalu shop. ‘I can’t always afford to do the EuroMillions, but I had a couple of extra pound in my purse and just on the spur of the moment, I did a Lucky Dip.’ Miss Loughrey recalled the moment on Wednesday morning when she found out she had won the money. Winning ticket: Margaret Loughrey, 48, bought the lucky dip ticket from this SuperValu grocery store near her home in Strabane . Modest home: Margaret Loughrey's small property in Strabane, County Tyrone which she has pledged not to move out of . ‘I must have checked 10 times. I took a walk out to the back garden and sat out there for a while before coming back in and checking again. ‘I must have walked around the house for five hours before ringing my brother and asking him to call up. ‘I never panicked. I’m level-headed and I know I’ll think it all through and do the right thing, see to the right people.’ She insisted the money would not change her life but said her family will benefit from the windfall including her four brothers, sister and 75-year-old mother, Elizabeth, extended family and a few close friends. Last night, her brother Paul told the Irish Daily Mail his sister was ‘beside herself’ with the win. Shop assistant, Nadine O'Kane, handed her the slip with the numbers 19, 23, 27, 42 and 44 with Lucky Stars 3 and 5. Miss O'Kane told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘Its nice to see it happen to her. I didn’t know her. I only found out on Sunday after I was told to come into work to get my picture taken.’ Local SuperValu store manager Colm Gallagher said: ‘I don’t know what Margaret’s going to do with the money but I wish her all the best with it.'
Margaret Loughrey, 48, bought the ticket on 'the spur of the moment' She 'checked her ticket 10 times in disbelief' as she came to terms with scooping the huge jackpot in Strabane, Northern Ireland . Margaret bought the ticket as she returned home from the job centre .
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By . Jaymi Mccann . PUBLISHED: . 04:39 EST, 30 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:08 EST, 30 March 2013 . It is the driest desert in the world, with some weather stations there having never recorded any rainfall. But the Atacama Desert in northern Chile may come to life as researchers use water collected from fog to grow plants in the previously desolate area. Photographer Neil Hall captured images of locals at the village of Chanaral who use huge specially designed nets to gather water from vaporised droplets in the air. Scroll down for video . A man collecting drinking water after tiny droplets of fog condense in the net and run through pipes . The nets are made from a polypropylene mesh that is extremely efficient at collecting water droplets . The Atacama desert is the driest place in the world, with some weather stations in the area having never recorded any rain fall . The striking photographs show a process that may help reverse the desertification of the area. Scientists at the Alto Patache research centre, run by the Universidad Catolica have shown that water spilt during the collection of fog water has led to a variety of plantlife growing in the desert. The garden grew from seeds hidden in the desert for many years. Later experiments showed that by using fog water the desert could be transformed and turned into large scale farms and gardens. The Atacama Desert, spanning from Chile to Peru, is considered the driest place on Earth. It is so arid that even mountains reaching as high as 22,589 ft are completely free of glaciers . Although there is no water on the ground, moisture in the air from a heavy coastal fog passes through the net and condenses before travelling through pipes into tanks where it is stored. Juan Olguin Cabezaz and Hugo Streeter from a water collecting co-operative in Chanaral, northern Chile sit by a large fog collecting net. Local people, such as Hugo Streeter (pictured), are able to use the fog water for agriculture and drinking . Nicolas Prado of the Universidad Catolica Santiago waters a small garden at the Alto Patache fog Oasis near Iquique in Northern Chile . Farmers at a fog collection co-operative in Chanaral, northern Chile inspect aloe vera plants which they grow using the water from large fog collecting nets . The fog collectors are huge nets hung between two poles and are made of a polypropylene mesh that captures the droplets. When the droplets gather together they then run into the storage tanks. The water is pure for drinking and can be used for agriculture, with a collective in the village of Chanaral use the water for small-scale aloe vera farming. However, if the process was used on a larger scale the possibility to change the hostile desert environment is great. The water is pure enough to drink and can also be used for agriculture, helping to boost the local economy . The fog water condenses on the nets and is collected in large containers. With more investment the water could help revitalise the area . Nicolas Prado of the Universidad Catolica, Santiago checks the water level of a tank that stores water collected from fog catching nets at the Alto Patache fog Oasis . The plants grown from water spilled during the process shows that there are a wide variety of seeds in the ground. Fog water has been used to transform once arid patches of desert into gardens. Currently water is piped to towns from hundreds of miles away in the Andes or driven by water trucks, so fog collection could prove to be a sustainable way to revitalise the area. Non-profit organisation FogQuest, who make collection nets, say that each cubic meter of fog contains 0.05 to 0.5 grams of water. FogQuest projects have been established in Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cape Verde Islands, Eritrea, South Africa, Yemen, Oman, Ethiopia, Israel, and Nepal. Neil Hall is an award-winning corporate and editorial photographer based in London. He has photographed everyone from Amy Winehouse, to David Cameron.
Photographer Neil Hall captured images in the desolate Atacama Desert . Locals collect water from the coastal fog for drinking and agriculture . The process has shown that it is possible to grow plantlife on the arid land . Fog water is collected as tiny droplets of moisture condense on giant nets .
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Manchester United and Barcelona’s summer transfer plans have suffered a blow after Atletico Madrid announced star midfielder Koke has signed a new five-year contract. The 22-year-old, who was integral as Atletico won La Liga for the first time in nearly two decades and reached the Champions League final, will become one of the club’s top earners. His contract will expire in 2019, with right-back Juanfran also signing a new four-year deal at the Vicente Calderon. Pass master: Koke (right) was La Liga's second-highest assist maker with 14 last season . Koke, who is valued at £30million, has emerged as one of Europe’s top young midfielder in the past two seasons, with Barcelona and Manchester United heavily linked with a move for the Spain international. World Cup to forget: Koke was part of the dismal Spain squad that crashed out at the first hurdle in Brazil . Last month Spanish newspaper Sport reported that new Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is a huge admirer of the midfield maestro - who has often been compared to Xavi. The publication added that Enrique tried to sign the Spain international when he was 19 during his stint as Roma boss in the 2011-12 season. Keen admirer: New Barcelona boss Luis Enrique tried to sign Koke at Roma, when he was a 19-year-old . In an interview in March, Xavi hailed Koke as his successor in the national team. 'Koke is an extraordinary footballer,' Xavi was quoted as telling Atletico's club website. Missed opportunity: Koke has often been compared to Barcelona and Spain stalwart Xavi (left) 'He has everything: talent, physical ability, he is a footballer of the present and the future. 'He has been marked out as the conductor of Spain's orchestra for the next 10 years. 'I have a special affection for him because we play in the same position and I think he is an extraordinary player,' he added. Staying put: Juanfran has also signed a new deal at the Liga champions, which will expire in 2018 .
The 22-year-old had been linked with a move after the World Cup . He was part of the Spain squad that crashed out at group stage in Brazil . Midfielder is valued at £30million after two fine seasons at Atletico . He was key for Diego Simeone's side as they won first La Liga since 1996 .
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Five employees of the Blue Rhino propane gas plant in Florida that violently exploded last night . are fighting for their lives in critical condition today as . investigators examine whether a simple spark from a forklift at the site . could have caused the terrifying blast. Eight . people were injured in the explosion in Tavares in Lake County, . Florida, about 11pm on Monday, though miraculously no one was killed. The explosions forced the evacuation of all residents within a mile radius of the plant - as firefighters feared the three massive bulk tanks at the site, each with 30,000 pounds of the gas, would detonate. Authorities say the plant had 53,000 small 20-pound propane tanks on site when the blast ripped through the facility. Dozens of the tanks were sent high into the air as the gave inside them ignited. Photos of the aftermath show the ground littered with charred propane tanks. Scroll down for video . Blast: The explosion at the propane gas plant sent smoke and flames high into the air Monday night and early Tuesday . Thousands of detonated propane tanks litter the grounds of the Blue Rhino gas plant following a fire that caused thousands of bounds of the gas to explode . Wreckage: Thousands of propane cylinders fueled the blast and resulted countless small explosions as fire tore through the plant . Workers at the plant refilled and refurbished the propane tanks for resale for use in gas grills, RV campers and turkey friers. Firefighters have said they do not yet know what caused the late-night explosion, though they say a preliminary investigation indicates a combination of human error and equipment malfunction. A fire department source told WFTV that investigators are examining whether a spark from a passing forklift on site set off propane cause that another worker was releasing - setting off the entire explosion. For nearly an hour, firefighters were forced to stand back and watch as the propane tanks exploded, one after another after another. 'In my 36 years in the fire service, I've never seen anything like this,' Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith said. Neighbors up to ten miles away from the plant reported seeing, hearing and feeling the explosion . Firefighters say they are thankful that the plant's three large tanks - which hold 30,000 pounds of propane each - did not ignite . Officials said between 24 and 26 workers were . doing the night shift at the site when the explosions began, and . then continued every few seconds for a period of around two . hours. Fifteen were initially reported missing, feared dead, but Blue Rhino said that by 2 a.m. Tuesday all of its employees had been accounted for. Two . critical burns patients were flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center, while another five were . transported, either air lifted or by ambulance, to other regional . hospitals. An additional three workers drove themselves to hospital. Injuries: A massive emergency response was called for after multiple injuries were reported . Explosions: A series of explosions have rocked a gas plant in Florida, pictured, injuring scores of people and forcing residents up to several miles away to evacuate . More than 200 firefighters and law . enforcement personnel were on scene as of 1:30 a.m. as the inferno . continued to burn on the plant that had some 53,000 20lb propane . cylinders on site. 'All Blue Rhino employees who were there tonight have been accounted for. They left and got out of harms way and ended up in a few different locations,' Lake County . spokesman John Herrell said just after 2 a.m. He added that they were able to get out because they were in the main part of the building, which wasn't on fire. At an earlier press conference Herrell described the terrifying blasts as 'really surprising,' adding 'it's very, very dramatic and surreal.' Herrell said no neighboring residents were injured. A source told the Sentinel that someone may have been filling a propane tank with a leak . and a spark ignited. But Herrell said it wasn't clear what started the blaze and that the cause was being investigated. The first blasts happened inside the plant and blew the roof off, Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders said. Plant: The Blue Rhino gas plant, pictured, continued to burn into Tuesday morning . Don Ingram, a former plant worker, told Wesh.com at least 15 to 20 people work on the plant each night . Witnesses, some of whom filmed the blasts, said thousands of 30-foot-high propane tanks loaded on pallets continued to explode every minute or two as of 11:25 p.m. The blasts began again about 12:30 . a.m. on Tuesday in tractor-trailers loaded with pallets of propane . tanks. After the second round of explosions, Tavares Fire Chief Richard . Keith evacuated his firefighters out for fear that they would be . injured. Witnesses, . some of whom filmed the blasts, said thousands of 30-foot-high propane . tanks loaded on pallets continued to explode every minute or two as of . 11:25 p.m. Residents described hearing sounds . similar to bombs going off, shotguns being fired and fireworks popping. They also said they saw bursts of light and a bright orange glow in the . sky. 'I . heard a loud bomb sounds,' Lisa Garner, 43, who lives in Lakeside, a . Tavares subdivision near County Roads 461 and 448, told the Sentinel. 'I . thought somebody ran into my house.' Blue Rhino relocated to Tavares about seven years ago. Its headquarters is in North Carolina. The plant is used to recommission Blue Rhino propane tanks. It is believed trucks were stacked with used tanks, that still had residue of propane. Shards of exploded tanks could be seen scattered around the plant. Fire officials worked for hours to contain the blazing fires, that were dying down by around 1:30 a.m. Watch more on the 11thHour's YouTube . Flames: Several locals reported seeing flames and hearing loud explosions . Blue Rhino: The propane explosions went off at the Blue Rhino LP gas plant, pictured, in Tavares . Early Tuesday morning, the evacuation . zone was reduced to a half-mile radius but will remain in effect until . at least 6 a.m., Herrell said. A shelter has been set up at the First United Methodist Church near the plant for displaced residents. Officials set up a mass casualty on scene. The hundreds of firefighters on scene couldn't get near the flames for a long period because of the extreme heat. They waiting until the fire burned down and in the meantime contained the perimeter. Don Ingram, a former plant worker, told Wesh.com the staff clock in from around 5-7 p.m. and work a 10 hour shift. He said previously many of the staff were contractors. The workers refurbish and refill propane tanks, like those used for backyard barbeques. During the 10-hour shift they fill around 4,000 to 5,000 tanks, Ingram said. Blue Rhino's tank exchange service allows customers to trade in an empty tank for a full one at retail locations, according to CNN.
Between 24 and 26 workers were doing the night shift on Monday at Blue Rhino, a propane tank-exchange business in Tavares, Lake County . The huge blasts began just after 11 p.m. and then continued every few seconds for a period of around two hours . Fifteen workers were initially reported missing, feared . dead, but Blue Rhino said that by 2 a.m. Tuesday all of its employees . had been accounted for . Residents within a mile of the plant were initially evacuated but the zone was later reduced to half a mile . Some living more than 10 miles away reported bomb-like blasts and their homes shaking .
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By . Sophie Jane Evans . With her twinkling eyes and beaming smile, it is hard to believe Her Majesty will mark her 88th birthday tomorrow. This portrait of the Queen, taken by celebrated British photographer David Bailey CBE, was released today ahead of the occasion. It shows the monarch smiling at the camera - while donning a pearl necklace, earrings and a brooch. 'Kind eyes': This portrait of the Queen, taken by celebrated British photographer David Bailey, was released today ahead of her 88th birthday. It shows the monarch beaming at the camera in pearl jewellery and a dress . Her jewellery is accompanied by a simple dress by Angela Kelly, who has served as the Queen's personal assistant and senior dresser . since 2002. The black-and-white photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace in March and commissioned on behalf of the Government's GREAT Britain campaign. It was captured by 76-year-old Bailey, who has been photographing celebrities, royals and other famous people for more than 50 years. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'Bailey's name was suggested by Number 10 and the GREAT campaign and the Queen agreed. All smiles: Dressed in blue, the Queen attends the Easter Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, today . Arrival: Her Majesty, who was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, marks her 88th birthday tomorrow . 'The Queen agreed to sit for it in recognition of the work of the GREAT campaign.' Bailey, whose previous subjects have included Diana, Princess of Wales, the Beatles, Sir Mick Jagger and model Kate Moss, said he had always been a 'huge fan' of the Queen. 'She has very kind eyes with a mischievous glint,' he said. 'I've . always liked strong women and she is a very strong woman.' Acclaimed: The Queen's latest portrait was captured by 76-year-old Bailey, who has been photographing celebrities, royals and others for more than 50 years . The GREAT Britain campaign aims to generate jobs and . growth through highlighting the UK as a world-class destination for . trade, tourism, investment and education. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'The Government's GREAT campaign is promoting Britain as a world-class destination for trade, tourism, investment and education. 'The portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by renowned photographer David Bailey CBE, celebrates her 88th birthday and supports the aims of the campaign, to showcase everything that is great about the UK to an international audience.' It is hoped the image will encourage overseas visitors to experience the country's royal heritage. Britain's monarchy, including royal heritage and property, is one of the biggest drivers of tourism into the UK, generating an estimated £500 million per year from overseas tourism spend. The Royal Family has given strong support to the campaign over the last two years - and the latest portrait of the Queen continues that support. The campaign has delivered economic returns worth more than £500million to the economy - with a further £600-£800m of returns forecast from activity in 2013-14. Grinning: Her Majesty smiles as she meets members of the Royal College of Organists during a visit to commemorate the RCO's 150th anniversary at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, earlier this month . Previous encounter: The Queen is pictured with Bailey at a reception for the British fashion industry in 2010 . Royal home: The photo, commissioned as part of Britain's GREAT campaign, was taken at Buckingham Palace . It is the Government's most ambitious international marketing campaign, showcasing the best of what Britain has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the country. Launched by the Prime Minister in September 2011, the initiative is a global campaign, deployed by Britain's diplomatic posts in 144 countries around the world. Renowned: David Bailey was the photographer behind the portrait of the Queen, released today to mark her 88th birthday tomorrow . David Bailey was the acclaimed photographer behind the portrait of the Queen, released today to mark her 88th birthday tomorrow. Over the past 50 years, the 76-year-old has become a star in the . same league as many of the personalities whose images he has captured. Some . of his most celebrated works have featured the East End criminals the . Kray twins, model Jean Shrimpton, who was a former girlfriend, actor . Terence Stamp, the Beatles, Sir Mick Jagger and model Kate Moss. Bailey, . who grew up in the east end of London, made his name in the 1960s as . one of a group of young photographers, including Terence Donovan, who . documented the era in the capital and rubbed shoulders with stars from . the worlds of the arts and fashion. He . graduated from being an assistant with fashion photographer John French . in 1959, and gained fame working for Vogue magazine, emerging as a . chronicler of the Swinging Sixties, providing lasting images of a decade . of change. Celebrities he . has photographed include Diana, Princess of Wales, Naomi Campbell, Jack . Nicholson, Sir Michael Caine, Johnny Depp, Andy Warhol and Francis . Bacon. Bailey, whose four . wives have included French actress Catherine Deneuve and model Marie . Helvin, was appointed a CBE in the Birthday Honours list of 2001 for . services to art. His lengthy . career is currently the subject of a major exhibition, Bailey's . Stardust, at the National Portrait Gallery in London, which is . displaying 250 works chosen by the photographer.
Portrait of Her Majesty released today ahead of 88th birthday tomorrow . Features the Queen beaming at camera, while sporting pearls and dress . Black-and-white image was captured by photographer David Bailey CBE . The monarch has 'very kind eyes with a mischievous glint,' says Bailey . Photo commissioned as part of the GREAT campaign to promote Britain .
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New York City bars have complained anti-booze campaigners are trying to drive them out of business on the Lower East Side. The group - who at the end of last year released a 12-minute video of drunken revelry and destruction in NYC's 'Hell Square' - are said to seize on every minor violation as an excuse to call in the authorities. The two blocks in the Lower East Side, saturated with bars, are a go-to destination for Manhattan dwellers on a night out. Infuriated with the 'demonic possession' of the area, the 12-minute YouTube video from December by neighborhood group LES Dwellers has been designed to drive the partygoers out. 'Hell Square': A video taken in New York City's Lower East Side at 3.30am displayed typical drunken antics . It is a campaign that has sparked outrage among bars between Ludlow Street and Rivington Street who claim the group is spoiling the fun and needlessly trying to hamper their business. Taken at around 3.30am on December 21, the video shows a street fight break out, a woman sprawled on the floor, and one man screaming 'PASTRAMI!' for no apparent reason. A couple slam against a wall after being refused entry to a bar, opting instead to entertain themselves. Police watch, unsurprised, as they systematically arrest people for brawling. And one man faces a difficult battle to publicly urinate while struggling to stay awake. Tumble: This woman could barely speak, had fallen over, ripped her jeans, and took two minutes to stand up . Say it like you mean it: Among the crowds, this man was screaming 'pastrami' for no apparent reason . Arrests: Three fights broke out in the space of 12 minutes leaving police to follow and make arrests . The group, which was founded in 2012, said in a statement: '[This] illustrate[s] how bad the Lower East Side's Hell Square continues as late night bars and clubs continue to foster a SantaCon-style environment of binge drinking, public urination and vomiting, brawls and arrests every weekend. 'What is depicted in the videos is not outside the norm but is the norm. The bars, lounges and restaurants in this area over serve alcohol creating a dangerous environment. 'This weekend was an outrage—ranking as one of the worst on record: It was SantaCon without the costumes. He's hit a wall: This man became embroiled in a difficult battle to stay awake while publicly urinating . 'Assaults and crime are up in our neighborhood due solely to the proliferation of late night liquor licenses in the neighborhood.' But Robert Bookman, counsel to the New York City Hospitality Alliance, told the New York Post, the LES Dwellers are not welcomed by all residents. 'They go for the jugular,' he said. 'They go above and beyond any other community groups I've ever seen. They'll bring up violations you had five years ago.'
Lower East Side neighborhood group LES Dwellers took 12-minute film . Old footage shows drunk people kissing, urinating and fighting at 3.30am . The campaign has prompted backlash from some members of the area .
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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 05:14 EST, 24 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:16 EST, 24 November 2013 . He began his career in television 61 years ago - and he's not stopping now. Veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough will return to the small screen in the New Year with a new wildlife series that could be his most extraordinary adventure yet. The 87-year-old will bring to life a dozen iconic skeletal and fossilised exhibits in London's Natural History Museum for a groundbreaking 3D film. Veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough will bring to life a dozen iconic skeletal and fossilised exhibits in London's Natural History Museum . Among the resurrected beasts are the museum's diplodocus, . the huge dinosaur named 'Dippy' that has dominated the central hall since 1905. Other creatures chosen by Sir David include the moa, a giant . flightless bird that became extinct in the 14th century, and . a gigantophis, a huge snake that grew up to 36ft in length about 40 million years . ago. The exhibits will be . revived for David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive using advanced computer-generated imagery and . the latest 3D technology. Sir David, who first visited the museum when he was eight, said: 'We've applied the very latest technology to bring back to life some of the most romantic extinct creatures imaginable. The iconic plaster replica of a diplodocus in the museum's central hall is set to make a starring role . The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, where Sir David's film is set . 'We've also drawn on the expertise of . the museum's specialists to explore some of the biggest and, until now, . unanswered questions surrounding their existence.' The film was shot at night in the . museum over seven weeks last summer and at one stage Attenborough worked . 10 nights in a row from 7pm to 4.30am, The Sunday Times reported. Anthony Geffen, producer and chief executive of Atlantic Productions, said: 'Remember how old he is and how hot last summer was? Yet David was on remarkably good form throughout.' In the film, Sir David appears to react to the CGI images as they walk or fly around the museum and watches in delight as the diplodocus comes alive.
Veteran broadcaster will return to the small screen in the New Year . The 87-year-old will bring to life iconic skeletal and fossilised exhibits . Creatures will be . revived using advanced computer-generated imagery .
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A dedicated dog owner had to be rescued from a muddy bog after he dived into a harbour to try and rescue his blind animal who had walked off the end of a pier. Simon O'Brien found himself stuck in thick silt and mud after he jumped in at Whitstable Harbour in Kent. His beloved pet Skippy, a 12-year-old border collie who is half blind, had accidentally walked off the harbour edge and plummeted 20ft into the thick mud. Simon O'Brien (right) dived into thick mud to rescue his dog Skippy after the half-blind animal strolled off the end of Whitstable Harbour pier and fell 20ft into thick mud and silt, both dog and owner had to be rescued . Mr O'Brien climbed down a ladder and dived into the mud to save Skippy. He managed to get the dog onto the stern of a moored fishing boat but then realised he needed help himself. Police officers helped pull him free from the harbour. The Coastguard Rescue Team then hoisted Skippy, who was caked in mud and silt, to safety. Tim Judge, a member of the rescue team, climbed down onto the boat before placing the dog in a bag and hauling him back to the top of the quay. Mr O'Brien managed to get Skippy into the stern of a boat before getting stuck in the mud himself . Coastguards were called to the scene and decided to climb down to rescue the 12-year-old border collie . Tim Judge climbed down to rescue Skippy and put him into a bag so he could be winched clear to safety . Skippy the dog was left stranded on the stern of the boat, which was moored in the thick muddy bog . Skippy was covered in mud and was later tested for hypothermia but was found to be in good health . Neither of the pair were injured or suffering from hypothermia after the incident. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency Spokesperson said: 'We're pleased that Skippy is now back safe with his owner and that this has a happy ending. 'We would like to remind the public not to attempt a rescue unless trained and equipped to do so to avoid getting in trouble yourself.'
Simon O'Brien was walking his half-blind dog Skippy at Whitstable Harbour . But the 12-year-old dog accidentally walked off the end of the Kent pier . Dog plunged 20ft down into thick mud and silt and was soon stuck fast . Mr O'Brien clambered down steps and dived into mud to save his pet . He got Skippy onto stern of a moored boat but was then stuck himself . Police and coastguard winched Mr O'Brien and border collie to safety .
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(CNN) -- London's Metropolitan Police have praised the good behavior of Scotland fans during Sunday's match against Brazil, despite claims by Brazilian striker Neymar that a banana was thrown at him as a form of racist abuse. Santos striker Neymar, 19, scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, the home of English Premier League side Arsenal. But the Brazilian attacker later revealed that he was subjected to racist taunts from Scottish spectators, which culminated in the banana-throwing incident. However, the police confirmed they had received no complaints about any form of racism being displayed during the match on Monday. Will Neymar win 2014 World Cup for Brazil? Match commander, Chief Inspector Mark Shearan, issued an official press release which read: "The Scottish supporters who travelled down to the game in their numbers were friendly and good-natured, colourful and supportive of their team. "There were six arrests at the match -- of which only two were definitely Scottish supporters and were drink-related. This figure must be the seen in the context of a 53,000 strong crowd." After his two-goal winning performance, Neymar had earlier claimed to Brazilian media that he had been the subject of racist abuse: "This atmosphere of racism is totally sad. "They were jeering me a lot, even when I was about to kick the penalty the entire stadium was jeering. "We leave our country to play here and something like this happens. It's sad. I would rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating." Neymar's teammate Lucas Leiva, who plays in England for Liverpool and removed the banana from the pitch, added: "There is no more space for racism in the world. "Europe is where it happens the most. That has to change, everybody is equal today and it's a matter of respect." The Scottish Football Association (SFA), in a statement on their official website, denied the claims from Neymar. "There was no evidence of such instances but the Scotland supporters have confirmed they booed the player for perceived unsporting behaviour during the match. "The tens of thousands of Scotland fans who travelled to London were, in fact, commended for creating a carnival atmosphere not just inside the stadium but across the city throughout the weekend. "The Scottish FA has contacted the Brazilian Football Federation and the match organisers, Kentaro, to inform them of our information and of our supporters' unhappiness at the unfounded accusations," the statement read.
London Police praise behavior of Scotland fans during the match against Brazil . Police reveal they have received no racism complaints from Sunday's game . Two-goal striker Neymar told media that a banana was thrown at him during game .
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(CNN) -- We still can't watch baseball without a bunch of big dopes getting in our way. There we were that Monday, a day when yet another of the game's great players (Ryan Braun) got expelled for doing something bad, right in the middle of a very entertaining season, witnessing good things galore. A beautiful, king-of-the-hill, top-of-the-heap New York, New York moment for retiring pitcher Mariano Rivera at the All-Star Game. A breakout, star-is-born summer for a Baltimore boy named Chris Davis who is belting home runs at a remarkable clip. A revival of the Los Angeles Dodgers following the arrival of Yasiel Puig, a young Cuban kid with incredible charisma. Oh, and let's not forget the low-budget, low-expectation Pittsburgh Pirates looking like bling-ring contenders for a change. And the large-budget, lousy-last-year Boston Red Sox looking a whole better than a lot of experts expected them to look. And a lot of other fun in the sun. Only to get rained on again. Major League Baseball stepped up that day to suspend a big, big name of the game, Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, his league's Most Valuable Player of 2011, for the remainder of 2013. Ryan Braun suspended . In a vaguely worded statement, the 29-year-old Braun alluded to having "made some mistakes" as he accepted a ban from the field for the rest of this season. Braun had dodged this bullet once before, having failed a 2011 drug test only to successfully appeal it. Now he conceded, saying, "I am not perfect." Guess not. It is not a perfect game, baseball, but it sure can be a thing of beauty when it is played the right way. To our continuing disillusionment, we keep adding names to a Dead Sea-like scroll of players who go at it the wrong way (or sure do seem to). Some of us simply roll our eyes, the way we do when politicians get caught doing something unattractive, take themselves out of the game for a while, then magically reappear to run again on the I Am Not Perfect ticket and seek your vote. You can expect Braun to be back, much the same way. A fan or two will boo in 2014 when his name is announced at a game, but if he hits the ball over the wall, a thousand or two others will stand and give him a hand as he rounds the bases, saying "nice job, Brauny," thrilled to have him back. Milwaukee itself won't mind this latest suspension as much as it would if its team were not currently in last place. Trust me, if the Brewers were neck-and-neck right now with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pirates in their division's race for first place, beers would be cried into from Madison to Beloit to Sheboygan. This guy is a huge deal there. "Braun" jerseys aren't often seen on Broadway or in the Bay Area or deep in the heart of Texas, but in Wisconsin, he seemed to be the Hank Aaron of his generation, a rising star in his 20s who could well be a legend by his 40s. In six seasons, Braun has been voted Rookie of the Year in one, then an All-Star in the next five. He already has 211 home runs. Robin Yount, who spent his entire 20-year career in Milwaukee before being elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, hit a total of 251 homers in that span. That'll give you a small idea of how big Braun could be. He is paid a king's ransom, if Kate's and Will's new baby in England won't mind us saying. Braun has a nine-figure contract in Milwaukee that runs through the year 2020. He is expected back at Miller Park, same time next year, tail between legs but bat in hand. Kwik Trip drops Braun after drug suspension . I doubt if many elsewhere would recognize Ryan Braun today if he came walking down the street toward you. He probably wouldn't be mobbed by paparazzi in, say, New York, a city with a history of big baseball stars. Or mobbed by autograph hounds in downtown Chicago, which is just 90 miles from Milwaukee, which is where Braun absolutely IS a big baseball star. He wouldn't have many smartphone cameras aimed his way while having dinner in Los Angeles, which is in the general vicinity of Braun's hometown. He is no Derek Jeter, a famous face coast-to-coast. Nor is he Alex Rodriguez, but they definitely do have something in common. A-Rod's name has been linked to Biogenesis, a so-called "anti-aging" clinic in South Florida that is being investigated over the possibility of making performance-enhancing drugs available to a number of athletes. Braun's name also surfaced in that investigation. Some believe his suspension Monday will be just the first of several more to follow in the days ahead. Again and again, the game of baseball has taken measures and given assurance that steroid use or substance abuse in any form will not be tolerated. We tend to nod and believe none of today's players would be foolish enough to take such a risk, but the fools could very well be us. CNN Explains: Performance enhancing drugs . It was only a year ago that the All-Star Game was won by the National League -- and, as a reward, home-field advantage for the World Series -- with no small thanks due to Melky Cabrera, a player from the San Francisco Giants who was voted the midsummer game's MVP. But shortly thereafter, Cabrera was suspended for a positive drug test and did not return to the Giants, who happily enjoyed their home-field edge in the World Series anyway. Thank goodness this year's All-Star Game hero was the Yankees' heroic figure Rivera, a man whose career has been pure to the point of immaculate in its lack of controversy or reputation stain. I am certain that Mariano must have been guilty of doing something wrong during his career -- a parking ticket, perhaps, or leaving a sock in his locker -- but he remains among the hundreds of major leaguers who give us hope that baseball is a game more clean than dirty. Ryan Braun pulled the old Lance Armstrong routine, casting aspersions on the work of those who did the testing and investigating, making it sound like somebody was out to get him. A lot of people bought it. He was going to be the one who really did get unfairly tagged as a doper (and a dope). Sure he was. And then rainy days and Mondays come around, and there was Braun's permanent stain for all to see. It gets tiresome, doesn't it? Hearing about this stuff? Reading about it? (Writing about it sure as hell does.) Wouldn't it be sweet if we could just get through an entire season talking about nothing else except whether the Oriole boy would wallop 75 home runs, or if the Pirates would finally get to hold a World Series in their beautiful ballpark, or if L.A.'s fans would introduce a "Puig Leagues" section in the outfield seats as prominently as the "Hollywood" sign? Oh, and don't the Braves look good, too? And, hey, the Rays are really on a roll. And that's a nice trade the Rangers just made. And, whoa, that Reds kid sure does throw hard. And maybe the A's really are in it to win it. And the town might be bankrupt but Detroit's team is loaded, man. And plenty of good seats in Miami still available. Dopes, go away. We're trying to watch a game here. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mike Downey.
Ryan Braun suspended for the rest of the year by Major League Baseball . Mike Downey says news of suspension comes in midst of a great season . People want to focus on Mariano Rivera, Chris Davis, Yasiel Puig, Downey says . Downey: Baseball's troubles with drugs are tiresome and distract from the game .
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(CNN) -- For the second straight year, Taylor Swift won entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. "I want to say to my fellow nominees in this category, I respect you so much and I love you," said the 22-year-old star, who was the only female nominated in the category this year. She beat out Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. "To the fans for voting, thank you for doing this. This is exciting," she said. "Thank you!" Swift's award was the last to be handed out Sunday night in Las Vegas during the 47th annual awards show. Earlier winners included Lady Antebellum and country power couple, Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Lambert snagged top awards for female vocalist of the year and album of the year for "Four the Record." "I own every record in this category and I've been listening and listening, thinking -- man, not going to get it. Every record is amazing and I'm so thrilled," she said after winning the album award. Her husband, who hosted the show alongside Reba McEntire for the second year in a row, won male vocalist of the year. Lady Antebellum, which led in group nominations with five, won the vocal group of the year award, while American Idol alum Scotty McCreery took home the award for new artist. The Eli Young Band walked away with one of the first awards of the night -- song of the year -- for "Crazy Girl." Sunday's show featured performances by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Sara Evans, among others. About an hour and a half into the show, which was broadcast by CBS, a real-life couple took to the stage to get married as Martina McBride and Pat Monahan sang the song "Marry me." Chesney had been up for nine awards, the most of any artist, while Swift led solo female nominations with three. Chesney has won entertainer of the year four times since 2004. His domination of the country music awards included a nomination for male vocalist of the year, his 10th; two album of the year nods for "Hemingway's Whiskey;" double nominations for single record of the year and vocal event of the year as artist and producer on "You and Tequila." That tune was also up for song of the year. Swift was nominated for entertainer of the year for the third year in a row, female vocalist for a fifth year and for video of the year for "Mean." Keith's homage to the ubiquitous party drink container -- "Red Solo Cup" -- was honored with three ACM nominations, including for video of the year and a double nomination as artist and producer for single record of the year. The list of first-time nominees included Grace Potter with three, Aaron Lewis with two, and Thompson Square and Love and Theft earned single nominations.
Taylor Swift retains her title as ACM entertainer of the year . Host Blake Shelton wins male vocalist of the year . A real-life couple gets married on stage to "Marry Me" Shelton and Reba McEntire host the annual awards show on CBS .
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards pleaded not guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter charges and other crimes stemming from a shooting incident in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead. Former Blackwater Worldwide security Donald Ball, center, leaves court after his arraignment Tuesday. Each of the former guards has been charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. The five defendants, seated in a row at a courtroom table, remained silent in court, and as they entered and departed the courthouse. A lawyer entered their plea on their behalf. Attorney David Schertler, speaking for all the defendants outside the courthouse, predicted they will be proved innocent. "We want to make it clear to everyone these men committed no crime. They were defending themselves on a battlefield in a war zone when this occurred," he said. If convicted, the defendants would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each manslaughter count, seven years in prison for each count of attempted manslaughter, and a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence for the firearms charge. Judge Ricardo Urbina set a trial date for February 1, 2010. He agreed with defense attorneys that preparations for the complex case will require a full year, including the likely need for lawyers to travel to Baghdad to gather information and conduct interviews. "The United States government had a year and a half to investigate the case, and we did not. So we need a year to catch up," Schertler told reporters. Lead government prosecutor Kenneth Kohl did not comment outside court. The Baghdad incident, which occurred September 16, 2007, exacerbated the feelings of many Iraqis that private American security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for Iraqi law or life. It also created an extremely delicate political situation for the Bush administration and the Iraqi government. The five defendants are Donald Ball, 26, of West Valley City, Utah; Dustin Heard, 27, of Knoxville, Tennessee; Evan Liberty, 26, of Rochester, New Hampshire; Nick Slatten, 25, of Sparta, Tennessee; and Paul Slough, 29, of Keller, Texas. A sixth former security guard, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, 35, of California, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. Prosecutors did not bring manslaughter charges for three of the 17 fatalities because they do not believe they have enough evidence to win a conviction in those deaths. The company of Blackwater Worldwide does not face any charges. The indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-Defense Department contractors under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which was amended in 2004 to allow the Justice Department to prosecute such personnel providing services "in support of the mission of the Department of Defense overseas." The attorneys for the defendants contend that Blackwater's employees in Iraq are exempt from the provisions of MEJA because the company has a contract in Iraq with the State Department, not the Defense Department. Also muddying the case are assurances of immunity initially given to the guards by State Department diplomatic security agents, who were investigating the incident before the FBI tried to interview them once it took over. The State Department maintains its agents did not offer blanket immunity from criminal prosecution, but promised only that the statements the guards made on the scene could not be used against them in any prosecution. But when the investigation was turned over to the Justice Department to examine possible criminal activity, FBI agents discovered some guards believed they were immune from prosecution and therefore refused to be interviewed again, complicating the FBI probe. A recently approved U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement pointedly specifies that U.S. civilian contractors will no longer be immune from Iraqi prosecution for crimes committed in that country. CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report.
Five guards facing 14 counts of manslaughter, other charges . Charges stem from shooting in Baghdad square that left 17 Iraqis dead . Attorneys say men were defending themselves on a battlefield . Case is the first prosecution of non-Defense Department contractors .
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By . Simon Jones . Wigan have signed Oriol Riera from Osasuna for £2million after the 28-year-old striker agreed a three-year deal. The 27-year-old, who began his career with Barcelona's B team, is Uwe Rosler's first signing of the summer. Riera underwent a medical at the DW Stadium on Saturday and will join the Championship side, subject to international clearance. Experience: Riera competes for the ball with Gareth Bale at the Bernabeu during a league match . 'He netted the majority of the goals for Osasuna last season and shone out in a difficult season for the club' Rosler told the club's website. 'It was a complicated transfer and the chairman played a crucial role in getting the deal over the line. 'I think our fans will like him. He is very direct and physical, good in the air, a real worker but also has an eye for goal scoring the majority of his goals inside the box. Pleased: Rosler has praised the club's chairman for getting the Riera deal pushed through . 'He has attracted the attention of many clubs and we are delighted he has agreed to join us. 'He is in the prime of his career and is physically and mentally ready to take on the challenge of coming to England. He is definitely the type of player we have been missing in our squad. 'It was a complicated transfer and the chairman played a crucial role in getting the deal over the line. 'He is a proven goalscorer and we have got him at the right price and within our current wage structure in the Championship.' Hard worker: Riera challenges Pedro Mosquera for the ball during Osasuna's match against Getafe .
The forward scored 13 times in 37 league appearances last season . Uwe Rosler describes him as 'a real worker but with an eye for goal'
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(EW.com) -- First thing's first: TLC's new ratings release for "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" is now calling the Thompson clan "America's favorite family." Did we all agree to this? Was there a vote I missed? The reality show is getting more popular, however. The Georgia pageant brood's third week premiere on Wednesday night delivered 2.3 million viewers, a season high. The plot: Six-year-old Alana was forced to part ways with her beloved pet pig, Glitzy. Yes, that was the story! Meanwhile,Thursday night's broadcast ratings were dull. Do you want to know that CBS' "Big Brother" had 6.4 million viewers and a 2.2 in the adult demo, the same as last week? Is fall here yet? See the full story at EW.com.
TLC's "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" is gaining in popularity . The third week premiere on Wednesday had 2.3 million viewers . That episode's ratings were the highest of the season .
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By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 09:29 EST, 24 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:47 EST, 24 July 2013 . NYPD cold case detectives are seeking help from the public to identify the little girl dubbed 'Baby Hope' whose body was found inside a cooler off the Henry Hudson Parkway in 1991. On Tuesday, the 22nd anniversary of the unsolved crime, police circulated the neighborhood around Dyckman Street in Washington Heights near the wooded area where the child was found, speaking to residents and offering a $12,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. The discovery by highway workers of a little girl, believed to be between . three and five years old, tied with rope . and squeezed into a picnic cooler beneath full cans of Coca-Cola struck a nerve with police and residents alike. Missing: Police were handing out this poster on Tuesday featuring images relating to the Baby Hope case. The first picture is a current, age-progression sketch of Baby Hope, the second is the sketch released in 1991, and the third photo is of the cooler which the child was found inside . Write caption he . Grisly discovery: The cooler containing Baby Hope was found in Washington Heights, on an embankment off the Henry Hudson Parkway . She had been malnourished and tests showed she had endured sexual abuse and she died of asphyxia. She was naked except for a hair-tie with yellow plastic baubles on it. She had black hair and was white, possibly Hispanic. The child was badly decomposed, making . her facial features unrecognizable, and no one came forward to claim . her. No one had filed a missing persons report and there were very few . clues. Hopeful: Locals examine a poster put up by police in the area where Baby Hope was found . Outpouring: (left) The gravesite of Baby Hope, paid for by the NYPD's 34th Precinct and (right) a sketch of what Baby Hope may have looked like . Even for hardened New York City cops, the case was a sad and grisly one. Detectives named the girl 'Baby Hope', in the hope that someone would come forward and help them find out who she was and what happened to her. Two years after her discovery, Baby Hope was buried in St Hamond's ceremony. The police of the 34th Precinct pooled their money and paid for her gravestone. She was buried in a white communion dress. Years passed, and still no one came forward. In 2007, Baby Hope's body was exhumed to try and extract a DNA sample, but her bones were in such bad condition it was impossible. A second attempt in 2011, using improved technology yielded a complete DNA profile, and police immediately ran a check on all their convicted felon and missing persons databases but came up empty-handed. Changing neighborhood: Washington Heights has one of the lowest crime rates in Manhattan, but in the '80s and early '90s, when Baby Hope was killed, the area was deeply affected by a crack cocaine epidemic and gang activity . On Tuesday, police made their latest attempt to close the case of Baby Hope. Police handed out fliers all day, and according to The New York Times, a Police Department Crime Stoppers van drove around the neighborhood equipped with a loud speaker broadcasting a request for help in both English and Spanish. 'It's hard for me to believe that nobody knows who she is,' Detective Joseph Neenan told The New York Times in 1991. The officer in charge of the case, he was accustomed to searching for missing persons. 'We have the opposite,' he said. 'We have her. We don't know who she is.' Hope: Police canvass the neighborhood in Washington Heights where the little girl's body was found 22 years ago . Now, 22 years later, Detective Robert Dewhurst echoes him: . 'I feel somebody knows who this girl was,' he told the New York Daily News. Perhaps Baby Hope 'had little girlfriends that are grown now and know something wasn’t right on the block when she was gone.' 'Everything about this case is already out there,' Sergeant Carlos Nieves, a police spokesman, told The New York Times. “They’re hoping that somebody who hasn’t come out sees this.' At the time of Baby Hope's death in 1991, Washington Heights was in the thrall of a crack cocaine epidemic and the area was known for gangs and violence. Now, it has one of the lowest crime rates in Manhattan and families with young children walk the streets with impunity. There are a lot of new faces, but police are optimistic that some of the older members of the community remember the case of Baby Hope.
Police are seeking new information in the case of a child found dead in a picnic cooler in a Manhattan park . The child had been starved and sexually abused and suffocated to death . She was never reported missing and no one came forward with any leads as to her identity . The NYPD is offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest .
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Arsene Wenger will subject his players to a video nasty of their 3-1 Champions League home defeat by Monaco after admitting it was painful to watch what has been described as one of Arsenal’s worst performances in his 17 years at the club. With Gary Lineker leading the criticism, calling the display ‘beyond amateurish’, Wenger says he will go over the basic defensive errors with the team, with Arsenal caught three times on the break. On Sunday, Wenger’s team take on Everton, fresh from their Europa League triumph on Thursday, and though Arsenal have won five out of the last six Premier League games, the team will have to win over a potentially mutinous Emirates Stadium. Arsenal look dejected during their disappointing performance against Monaco in the Champions League . Geoffrey Kondogbia lets fly and his shot takes a deflection off Per Mertesacker's chest to beat David Ospina . Arsene Wenger will subject his players to a video nasty of their 3-1 home defeat by Monaco . Wenger conceded that reviewing the Monaco game was difficult given the number of basic errors his team had made. ‘I haven’t shown the tape to the players yet,’ he said. ‘I have watched it myself. It is always hard. It is hard to see that you make mistakes.’ Wenger insisted he would maintain his focus, dismissing Lineker’s analysis as over the top. ‘The comments are always extreme, he said. ‘I let people talk and I don’t talk too much. What is important is to give a strong response. ‘I love to win and when I don’t win I’m hurt. But the defeat hurts more than the criticism.’ In a further blow, Wenger revealed that Jack Wilshere has had fresh surgery to relieve some irritation on his injured ankle, so he will be out for at least two weeks. Dimitar Berbatoc celebrates scoring Monaco's second goal of the night in north London . Ferreira-Carrasco sprints behind Ospina's goal after giving Arsenal a mountain to climb in the return leg . Arsene Wenger admitted it had been painful watching the game again due to the number of mistakes . Wilshere returned to the bench last weekend after missing three months with damaged ankle ligaments. But to support the ligaments, doctors inserted small pins in his ankle area — and these have now been removed as they were hampering his progress. Wenger added: ‘The match on Sunday is a different competition and it is important we continue our run in the Premier League.’ Striker Olivier Giroud will be under pressure after a series of misses. But Wenger does not expect Giroud to dwell on them. ‘I hope not,’ said Wenger. ‘He’s a strong character, Olivier. We lost as a team. We fight for each other as a team.’
Arsenal lost 3-1 to Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League tie . The Gunners were heavily criticised for their defensive performance . Arsene Wenger said he had watched the video back . The Arsenal boss said it had been 'hard' watching the mistakes . The Arsenal players will be made to watch the match again .
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By . Emma Glanfield . A mother has told of the terrifying moment a stranger apparently tried to walk off with her three-year-old son in the middle of a supermarket. Lucy Wooldridge, 30, said the worrying incident occurred while she was momentarily distracted buying sweets for her two young children at a Co-operative store in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. An unknown man allegedly took her young son, Kristian, by the hand and attempted to lead him away saying ‘come here’. Lucy Wooldridge, 30, said the worrying incident occurred while she was momentarily distracted buying sweets for her two young children at a Co-operative store in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex (above) However, the young boy screamed ‘mummy’ and his mother brought him back to her side. She said: ‘It was horrible - I could hear the panic in Kristian’s voice when he shouted to me. ‘I knew something was wrong so I ran around and saw this man. ‘I called at Kristian to come to me and the man let go and walked away. ‘At first I thought maybe the man was trying to find me, but then staff in the shop said the man hadn’t been in the shop and he had seen Kristian, walked in and grabbed his hand. ‘If I was two seconds later getting to him, he would have gone.’ The terrifying experience has left Ms Wooldridge, from Basildon, Essex, scared to let Kristian out of the house. She said: ‘I am still a nervous wreck about what happened. ‘I will never forget it - it will stay with me forever.’ Police are are now reviewing CCTV footage of the incident, which happened shortly before 5pm on June 26. Pictured: Essex Police headquarters in Chelmsford . Police are now reviewing CCTV footage of the incident, which happened shortly before 5pm on June 26. Officers said inquiries are continuing. An Essex Police spokesman said: ‘Police were contacted shortly before 5pm to suspicious circumstances at the Cooperative, in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff. ‘It was reported a male had offered to take the hand of a three-year-old boy. ‘Police arrived at the scene and reviewed CCTV.’ Kristian’s grandmother, Debbie Spooner, 53, is now warning parents to speak to their children about what to do if approached by a stranger. She said: ‘People need to be aware of what happened. ‘The first thing I thought of was Jamie Bulger. ‘Lucy had told them if they ever can’t see her to shout at her - he remembered to do it. ‘Afterwards, once my daughter knew everything was okay, she just collapsed in tears. ‘It was awful - you can’t put into words the fear that goes through your mind.'
Lucy Wooldridge, 30, said stranger tried to walk off with young son Kristian . Said incident occurred while she was momentarily distracted buying sweets . Unknown man allegedly took three-year-old boy by hand saying 'come here' Kristian shouted 'mummy' and man left Co-op store in Westcliff-on-Sea .
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The owner of a maraschino cherry company shot himself dead on Tuesday as police broke into a secret drug lab hidden behind the factory walls. Company president Arthur Mondella, 57, had cooperated with investigators for five hours who were at Dell's Maraschino Cherries factory in Brooklyn, New York over allegations the generations-old, family business had been dumping hazardous waste. Investigators reportedly came across suspicious shelving in a storage unit - then behind a door found a false wall with the smell of weed seeping through. The entrance to a dug-out basement was then found, with three bags of marijuana inside. Scroll down for video . Arthur Mondella, (pictured) 57, the owner of Dell's Maraschino Cherries, shot himself in his office bathroom at the company's factory in Brooklyn . FBI crime scene investigators leave the maraschino cherry factory in Brooklyn with bags of evidence on Tuesday . A pot operation was found to be operating behind the walls of the family business during a separate investigation into hazardous waste . The factory floor at Dell's Maraschino Cherries - behind the owner's office, shelves of pot and hundreds of thousands of dollars was discovered . According to the NY Post, generators were found inside the factory along with a high-tech security outfit of dozens of cameras, barbed wire and motion-detector lights. Mondella then excused himself to go to his private bathroom, locked the door and shot himself at 1.30pm, a law enforcement source told Daily Mail Online. Before committing suicide, the third-generation cherry tycoon told his sister who was present, Joanne Capece, to 'take care of my kids'. Those present heard a single gunshot, according to CBS New York.  Mondella later died at a local hospital from the .357 magnum gunshot wound. Family man: Arthur Mondella with his daughters Dana Mondella Bentz (left), Dominque Mondella (center) and wife, Elaine Pajchert Mondella pictured for for Dominque's 16th birthday . Arthur Mondella asked his sister Joanne Capece (pictured left) to 'take care of his kids' before taking his own life at his factory on Tuesday. His daughter, Dominque Mondella, who promoted the business in the press late last year (pictured right with boyfriend Michael Palmieri) Salvatore Capece (left), nephew of owner Arthur Mondella, and Dominique Mondella, his daughter, continue family legacy at Dell's Maraschino Cherries Company (pictured in 2009) Dominque pulls a cherry from the vat at the family business at Dell's Maraschino Cherries factory in Brooklyn . Mondella had a gun permit but it was unclear if he was carrying weapons at the time. Daily Mail Online was awaiting a comment from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office on Wednesday. The DA's office and environmental regulators discovered 80lbs of pot in three large bags and hundreds of thousands of dollars concealed in the secret room. Shelves operated by magnets had been used to conceal the operation. A row of luxury, vintage cars were also found covered in tarp in a back lot of the factory in the industrial area of Red Hook. Calls to the business went unanswered on Wednesday. Investigators had been looking into the company over allegations it was dumping hazardous material into the sewage system and waterways - but had suspected that the facility was also being used as a grow lab. Hundreds of thousands of dollars along with 80lbs of marijuana were reportedly discovered in the secret room behind the factory walls in Brooklyn, New York . One official told the New York Daily News: 'It appears there was another activity going on, that's for sure. I don't think you kill yourself over a bag of weed. There has to be more to it.' Brooklyn District Attorney's office had received a tip-off about the marijuana operation in 2013, the New York Post reported. Despite watching comings and goings at the factory for six months, the DA's office was unable to work out if there was a marijuana business operating inside. An anonymous source told the paper that the environmental offense warrants were simply used to get into the building. The DA's office said 'no further information about this tragedy is available at this time'. Officers consult paper work during the investigation of the cherry factory on Tuesday. The Brooklyn district attorney's office had a tip-off in 2013 that the firm was fronting a marijuana operation . The production line at the cherry factory (left) and a jar of Dell's Maraschinos from the company which has been in business for 76 years . The NYPD have become involved in the investigation and were seen removing bags of evidence from the factory late on Tuesday. Dell's Maraschino Cherries, which has been in business for 76 years, supplies to Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A and TGI Fridays for use in cocktails and desserts. Arthur Mondella's grandfather, Arthur Mondella Sr, started the business as a Brooklyn storefront in 1948. The Brooklyn factory now turns out 400,000 bottles of cherries each week - and 19 million pounds of cherries a year. The company recently underwent a $5million overhaul and redesigned their bottles with a retro label last year after the company suffered following the financial crash in 2008. At the time Mr Mondella told The Wall Street Journal: 'At this point, the maraschino cherry is just another commodity. We’re trying to change that.' Some 25 investigators arrived at the facility at 8am on Tuesday with search warrants to inspect its operations. Mondella is survived by his ex-wife Yevgeniya and their five-year-old daughter Antoinette. Dell's Maraschino Cherries, which has been in business for 76 years, supplies to Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings and TGI Fridays .
Arthur Mondella, 57, shot himself dead in the bathroom of  Dell's Maraschino Cherries factory in Brooklyn, New York . Investigators looking into environmental offenses smelled marijuana coming from the walls . Mondella went into his private bathroom and shot himself in the head . Investigators had entered the premises on environmental warrants but suspected factory was being used as front for a grow lab . Officials discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars, 80lbs of pot and a fleet of vintage cars .
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By . John Edwards . Follow @@JEAlty . Every Hull City player can claim to have defied the odds as he strides on to the Wembley pitch on Saturday, but none more so than David Meyler. Not so long ago, Hull’s former Sunderland midfielder was unsure he would be striding anywhere, after a challenge with Manchester United full back Patrice Evra left his career hanging in the balance. As he lay on the turf at the Stadium of Light in 2010, medical staff had to administer oxygen before stretcher bearers were able to carry him off. VIDEO Scroll down to watch David Meyler say Hull will win the FA Cup . Thankful: Hull midfielder David Meyler is looking forward to the FA Cup final after fearing his career may have been cut short . Serious: Meyler was carried from the pitch on a stretcher after rupturing a cruciate ligament against Manchester United in 2010 . Scans revealed a ruptured cruciate ligament, and after operating on him, Bradford-based surgeon Steve Bollen spelled out the possible consequences. ‘Never mind kicking a ball, he told me I might never walk properly again,’ Meyler, 24, reflected. The worst-case scenario was avoided after a gruelling nine-month rehabilitation, but he was left  fretting over his future once more when the same knee buckled beneath him against Aston Villa in 2011. Again, he had to be carried off, and while the diagnosis proved less serious, it is little wonder he intends savouring every moment of Hull’s attempt to upset favourites Arsenal. ‘After the first one, I was told I might never walk properly again, so you can put that in context, alongside possibly playing in an FA Cup final,’ he said. ‘I don’t know yet whether I will be in the team, but  to have the opportunity would be fantastic, just remarkable for me and my family. ‘It will be some day out, and I believe we are going to win it. Please God we do. It was 2010 and then 2011, the injuries. A long time ago now, but you don’t forget. ‘I made a right mess of my leg with the first one, and I knew I wouldn’t be right for a long time. It was  that bad. The second one felt like someone had broken my fingernail, by comparison. Back of the net: Meyler scores against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley . Confident: Meyler believes Hull have what it takes to beat Arsenal on Saturday . ‘When you spend a total of 18 months out injured, it is never nice. Just being able to train every day is something I relish and enjoy now, and when I look at a couple of players in our squad who have been out injured, I can sympathise with them. I have been there. I know what you are going through. Keep working hard, and with the physios here, who are top lads, you will get back.’ Meyler went on to insist there was no malice in the incident involving Adnan Januzaj at Old Trafford that could have cost him his Wembley place. He trod on the Manchester United midfielder’s shin but escaped punishment from the FA. ‘It could have been taken the wrong way, but it was an accident in the sense that it was clumsy from me,’ he said. Accident: Meyler claims that he didn't mean to catch Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj . Unlucky: Meyler says Januzaj's speed was the reason he ended up standing on his leg at Old Trafford . ‘I was tired, it was the 90th minute and Januzaj was too quick for me. My leg is in the air, he’s kicked the ball away and as I’m coming to plant my foot to push off, I’ve ended up accidentally standing on him. ‘Of course, there was worry and anxiety. Sometimes things can be taken the wrong way or over the line, but it is all done and dusted now and I can look forward to the Cup final.’ Meyler knows what it is like to  be on the end of a controversial incident; he was the victim of Alan Pardew’s headbutt earlier in the season. Pardew apologised to Meyler straight after the game and, he says, ‘that was the end of it’. Forgotten: Meyler has moved on after being headbutted by Newcastle boss Alan Pardew in March . The 24-year-old from Cork has  blossomed under Hull manager Steve Bruce. He described the sales pitch that persuaded him to follow  manager Bruce from Sunderland to Hull: ‘When I spoke to him, he said, “Meyler, I want you to come and be a part of this”. I said, “How do I know you are going to be promoted?” So he just said, “Trust me, I will get this team promoted”. ‘And within one year he did. You’ve got to give him credit for that. It just goes to show what a great  manager he is.’
Meyler suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament against Manchester United and was told his career may be over . Hull midfielder believes his side can upset Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday . Meyler insists he did not mean to stamp on Manchester United winger Januzaj's leg at Old Trafford . Former Sunderland man Steve Bruce deserves credit for the job he has done at Hull .
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(CNN) -- A few weeks ago, Emmanuela Kolman brought home her middle-school report card. She got an A in band, and her parents couldn't be prouder. Any parent would be pleased by an A. But for 13-year-old Emmanuela, who goes by Mano, that A in band is a symbol. It represents eight months of hard work, a collection of new skills, and, most importantly, a complete turnaround in Mano's social and academic life. Mano has high-functioning autism. That means she walks and talks a little differently than other kids, her parents say, and she's "painfully aware" of these differences. Some students at her Staunton, Virginia, middle school treat her "as someone who is not very cool," said her father, Barry. Mano has few friends and frequently eats lunch by herself. She sometimes comes home crying because of teasing. She also experiences sudden outbursts of anger and frustration. Luckily, Mano has the dream team of parents on her side. Barry is a clarinetist and music professor at Washington and Lee University. Her mother, Grace, is a counselor working toward her Ph.D. in counseling and supervision at James Madison University. Last summer they were trying to come up with a strategy to help Mano deal with some of the bullying problems at school and decided to attempt an experiment: Barry would start giving her clarinet lessons. Why did they think music would help? There were a variety of reasons, from emotional to scientific. Her father thought it would help Mano "channel her frustration through music." Her mother was interested in the neuroscience behind how the brain deals with music. "We cannot prove anything, but there are many studies that say how the brain can change when you do music-making ... the part of the brain that wasn't working very well has to find another way to work." This is your brain on music . Plus, they both desperately wanted to give Mano a social outlet and help her become part of a group. So they began. Barry had taught clarinet to other kids Mano's age but never someone with autism. He immediately learned he would have to adjust his teaching style. The first lesson, they spent 30 minutes just putting the instrument together. "With autism, you really need to do one thing at a time," he said. "In music, you usually give about four or five commands per sentence, but for children with autism, you just can't do that. They kind of freeze; they don't know what to do first. So I had to kind of slow down." He learned to speak Mano's language, too. When she described the different kinds of notes on a page of sheet music as looking like different types of chocolate -- dark or white -- he went with it. "There are so many things just to get a note, all this coordination, which is very important in Mano's case," he said, explaining that it's sometimes difficult for children with autism to perform several tasks at the same time. But once she got it, Mano took to the clarinet "like a duck to water." Her parents noticed changes in her almost right away. It's been less than a year since she started playing and already, they say, her speech has improved and she's more focused in school, which has led to better grades. Although neither of Mano's parents is technically a music therapist, data published in the Journal of Music Therapy backs up their observations. A 2005 study showed that people with autism who participated in music therapy for a year improved by at least 25% in one of five areas of focus, including behavior/psychosocial and language/communication. According to the American Music Therapy Association, which publishes the journal, "Research supports connections between speech and singing, rhythm and motor behavior, memory for song and memory for academic material, and overall ability of preferred music to enhance mood, attention and behavior to optimize the student's ability to learn and interact." Everything I need to know, I learned in music class . But by far the biggest change the Kolmans have seen has been the improvement in Mano's social life. "Playing music can soothe the pain of isolation and provide a safe space where she is accepted," said Barry. Before, Mano wasn't part of a group. Now she has the band. Her parents can tell from the way she brags about being a member that it's made a world of difference. Mano's mother cried as she described how being part of the band has affected Mano -- and the whole family. "I wanted her to have an experience where she would feel good about herself -- that the bullying would be so small in the world that she would not fill herself with anger," she said. "And this was a big change. I think the way she's dealing with bullying now is much different. She's not coming home crying as before. It's such a relief." Barry keeps a journal about the results of teaching Mano clarinet, and he's posted suggested lesson plans for children with autism on his website. The Kolmans, who have spoken and written about their experience (including on CNN iReport) so that others can benefit, say they've received dozens of e-mails from parents of children with autism. They're planning to write a book or manual about their method, and they presented a paper, titled "Autism Spectrum: Emotional Regulation through Clarinet Lessons," at last year's Virginia Counselors Association convention. As for Mano, she just loves to play in the band. When asked about the experience of taking clarinet lessons from her dad, she replied, simply, "He's the best."
Barry and Grace Kolman taught their daughter clarinet to help her cope with bullying . Mano, who has autism, started playing in her middle school band last fall . Her parents say it's given her a social outlet and a way to express her feelings . They hope to publish a book so other children with autism can benefit from music .
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A late Stevan Jovetic penalty gave Montenegro a 1-1 draw against Sweden in a lively Euro 2016 Group G qualifier after Zlatan Ibrahimovic fired the visitors ahead with an opportunist first-half strike on Saturday. The result left Sweden second on six points from four games, one ahead of Montenegro and Russia and four behind leaders Austria who beat the Russians 1-0 earlier on Saturday to stay firmly in the driving seat. The Swedes will feel hard done by after Scottish referee William Collum disallowed an added time goal by midfielder Albin Ekdal and awarded Montenegro a contentious free-kick for what looked like off-the-ball tugging between two players. VIDEO Scroll down to see trailer for upcoming Zlatan Ibrahimovic documentary . Zlatan Ibrahimovic is congratulated by his Sweden team-mates after scoring in the ninth minute . The Paris Saint-Germain ace was unable to help his side claim all three points against Montenegro . Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic cancelled out Ibrahimovic's early goal from the penalty spot . Ibrahimovic, having recovered from a niggling heel injury which kept him out of Sweden's last two qualifiers silenced a raucous home crowd with a fortuitous ninth-minute effort. He headed a long ball towards the penalty box and, when a clearance by Zarko Tomasevic rebounded off Sweden midfielder Erkan Zengin back to him, Ibrahimovic side-footed a first-time shot past keeper Mladen Bozovic. It was his 51st goal in 101 internationals and the towering striker missed several chances to add to his tally, hitting the post with a ferocious free kick in the second half after blasting high an easy chance midway through the first. Manchester City striker Jovetic had a powerful header saved by Andreas Isaksson shortly after the Montenegrins fell behind but despatched the spot kick after Vladimir Jovovic was fouled by two defenders as he burst into the area from the right flank. Montenegro centre back Marko Basa skied a shot over a gaping net from two metres in a frantic finish before the home fans twice let out a huge sigh of relief when Ekdal first returned the favour and then saw his rasping volley ruled out by Collum. Montenegro's Vladimir Volkov challenges Sweden's Mikael Lustig and Jimmy Durmaz during the clash . Ibrahimovic controls the ball as Montenegro's Zarko Tomasevic attempts to close him down . Ibrahimovic, who was named Sweden's football of the year earlier this week, captained his side .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the ninth minute to add to his impressive tally . Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic scored late penalty to claim point . Sweden take on Euro 2016 hosts France on Tuesday evening .
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British make-up artist and former model Jemma Kidd has offered a glimpse inside her stunning English country house. The 39-year-old - who became a countess after marrying Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, in 2005 - moved from London to the Hampshire estate with her husband four years ago, shortly after their twins, Darcy and Mae, were born. In images from the new issue of Elle Decor, the 18th century home, which she calls an 'oasis,' boasts a huge garden, lavish rooms and heirlooms from the first Duke of Wellington's personal collection - as well as their own modern, personal touches. Home sweet home: In the new issue of Elle Decor, British make-up artist Jemma Kidd, who became a countess after marrying Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, in 2005, opens up the doors to their Hampshire estate . Spacious: The house is located on the Stratfield Saye estate, which has belonged to the Earl of Mornington's family for two centuries. They keep seven horses on the property . The house is named the Old Rectory and is located on the Stratfield Saye estate, which has belonged to the Earl of Mornington's family for two centuries. Due to its rich history, the couple had to make some necessary changes when they moved in. 'Like in most English country houses, it took three hours to fill a bath,' explains Ms Kidd. What's more, the rooms were lined with antique paper and featured hand basins, and the heating was virtually nonexistent. To modernize it, they added 40 radiators as well as heating under the floors and state-of-the art boilers. Design: The Morningtons chose South African-born decorator Penny Morrison to do the interiors. 'Things should be more eclectic, as if you've collected them over the years,' Ms Morrison says . Mixed genres: In the kitchen, an antique French bench sits by the doors to the garden, and steel bar stools sit at the marble countertop . Warm: Red floral designs decorate the guest room, which features prints of English scenery, a wedding gift, on the walls . It's the mixture of old and new that make the home so charming. 'Everything is calm, happier, and less stressed,' she says of their country abode in comparison to living in London. 'As soon as you drive into the park, it's like you've entered an oasis.' 'Everything is calm. As soon as you drive into the park, it's like you've entered an oasis' One of the unique features is a collection of busts of the first Duke of Wellington, as well as antique trunks that carried his clothes. The latter have been stacked on top of one another in Wellesley's study to be used as tables. In one of the two libraries, large world maps hang on the walls and custom-made bookshelves house an assortment of colorful volumes. The cushions and ottoman are sewn in a . Moroccan pattern, and a faded mirror above the mantle gives the room a . rustic feel. In the drawing room, the fireplace is original to the . house. Making moves: The 39-year-old and her husband moved from London to the Hampshire estate four years ago, shortly after their twins, Darcy (right) and Mae (left), were born . Aristocracy: Ms Kidd's husband (left) is second in line to the title of Duke of Wellington, after his father Charles. Through his mother, Princess Antonia of Prussia, he is a descendent of Queen Victoria . The Morningtons chose South African-born decorator Penny Morrison to do the interiors after seeing one of her projects in a magazine. And they certainly see eye-to-eye when it comes to striking the right balance. 'Things should be more eclectic, as if you've collected them over the years,' Ms Morrison says. And Ms Kidd remarks that the decorator can 'make rooms look chic, but also incredibly comfortable, inviting, and warm.' In the kitchen, an antique French bench sits by the doors to the garden, and steel bar stools sit at the marble countertop. Ms Kidd, whose younger sister Jodie was . an international supermodel, told the magazine that she decided to . abandon city life for the country because it's better for raising a . family. Family: Ms Kidd, whose younger sister Jodie (right) was an international supermodel, told the magazine that she decided to abandon city life for the country because it's better for raising a family . '[In London] There were gas fumes, rubbish on the pavement, and people everywhere,' she explains. 'I just said, "That's it, I'm not going to bring my kids up here."' What's more, the property is spacious enough for her to pursue her passion - horse riding. 'In London there were gas fumes, . rubbish on the pavement... I just . said, "That's it, I'm not going to bring my kids up here"' Indeed, in one if the images, the mother-of-two - who was a member of the national dressage team in her teens - sits happily atop Montana, one of the seven horses the family keep at the estate. Arthur Wellesley is second in line to the title of Duke of Wellington, after his father Charles. Through his mother, Princess Antonia of Prussia, he is a descendent of Queen Victoria. Ms Kidd led a successful career in modeling before becoming a make-up artist and launching her own cosmetics line in 2006.
Jemma Kidd became a countess after marrying Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, in 2005 . The couple have four-year-old twins - a boy named Darcy and Mae, a girl .
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Steffon Armitage’s shock move from Toulon to Bath was in danger of collapsing on Tuesday night amid a club versus country stand-off over the payment of a transfer fee. The 29-year-old flanker had appeared to be on the verge of a sensational and immediate return to the Aviva Premiership in order to push for a place in England’s World Cup squad, as Bath attempted to hurriedly finalise a season-long deal. However, after the initial European deadline for registering players passed at noon, the West Country club’s head coach Mike Ford suggested that the deal was close to being ‘dead in the water’. Toulon flanker Steffon Armitage had been linked with a shock move to Bath but he will not return to England . Bath coach Mike Ford (right) says Armitage (left, pictured playing for England in 2010) will not be signed by the West Country club if he features for French side Toulon in Europe this weekend as is expected . If Armitage plays for Toulon against Montpellier in the opening round of the new Champions Cup on Sunday, he will be cup-tied and unavailable to represent Bath in European matches, at which point their pursuit of the openside will end. For now, it is thought that talks are on-going, but the sticking point appears to be the payment of a £300,000 fee to Toulon. There are striking similarities between this case and that of Sam Burgess in the build-up to confirmation of his cross-code move to Bath earlier this year. Sportsmail understands that the England management have privately welcomed the notion of Armitage returning to play in this country, which would mean he is once again eligible for Test selection . Dialogue has taken place between the men running the national set-up and their counterparts at Bath. The club are believed to be seeking financial input from the RFU on the basis that England stand to benefit from having renewed access to Armitage. However, as was the situation with the deal for Burgess, the union are adamant that they cannot have any direct involvement. Ford claimed in an interview that ‘the RFU were trying to do the deal’, while initial reports in France suggested that officials from the union had made contact with Toulon about a potential release agreement. But a source at Twickenham was adamant that the union’s chief executive Ian Ritchie has merely been kept informed about developments by his opposite number at Bath, Bruce Craig, adding: ‘We haven’t talked to Toulon.’ England coach Stuart Lancaster refuses to pick overseas-based players because of RFU policy . Armitage played in the Premiership for London Irish before upping sticks and moving to France with Toulon . The RFU are well aware that any financial contribution would be seized upon by Bath’s Premiership rivals as favouritism and would undermine the integrity of the league. Ritchie is said to be absolutely adamant that a line cannot be crossed, even if it leads to long-term benefits for England. So, despite the apparent will on all sides for the transfer to go through, it had reached an impasse on Tuesday night. Armitage’s hopes of forcing his way back into World Cup contention and adding to his tally of five Test caps were hanging by a thread. He had recently considered using a loophole in the eligibility criteria to switch Test allegiance to France, but he has had an abrupt change of heart. Bath are pursuing Armitage as a replacement for their injured Springbok flanker, Francois Louw, but Ford said: ‘We haven’t signed him. We tried to and we have the ability to do so with our injury dispensation. ‘We’ve been looking around for a while and our owner, Bruce, thought of Steffon. We tried to make it happen and it was very, very close. Steff was excited to come here but it’s just not been done. ‘I understand there were financial reasons. It’s unfortunate, because we were so close to signing a great player, who could have helped club and country. ‘The RFU were trying to do the deal and Bruce has been dealing with that. From my point of view, if he plays for Toulon in the Champions Cup this weekend then I would be stupid to sign him because then he can’t play for us in Europe. If that happens then it’s dead in the water.’ Asked if that appeared likely, Ford added: ‘At this moment in time, yeah.’ Armitage, playing for England, moves past the tackle of New Zealand winger Hosea Gear in 2010 . The Toulon flanker (centre) is expected to play in Europe this weekend, meaning he will not move to Bath . Bath have emerged as title contenders in the early stages of this season — playing a daring brand of rugby based on predominantly English talent. Ford believes Armitage, the current European Player of the Year, could fit into his side well, as well as the England squad, and lamented the fact that he might not have the chance to do so. He would have been a fantastic signing for Bath,’ Ford told Sky Sports News. ‘I spoke to Steff myself and over the weekend. He just wanted to come and play for Bath and have a shot at the World Cup, so I feel sorry for him that it’s not happened. 'What he’s done in the last few years has been brilliant and he is a world-class player. I think it would have been great for England as well, with a World Cup around the corner, for Stuart Lancaster to be able to pick a player of that potential.’ Early reports in France claimed that Saracens were also interested in signing Armitage, but that was flatly denied by their director of rugby Mark McCall. He said: ‘We weren’t involved and we won’t be involved. We are very happy with the back-row resources we have here.’ If there is to be another twist in this tale and a deal is eventually done, Armitage — a specialist openside poacher — could soon be a prime challenger for Chris Robshaw’s Test place, but the England captain appeared to relish the personal competition. ‘I played against Steffon quite a bit in schoolboy rugby so we crossed paths quite a bit and had quite a few good battles,’ he said. ‘He is a cracking player and if you look at what he has won in the last few previous years, it is pretty special.’ He has won countless personal awards and team prizes with Toulon, but what Armitage really craves is a shot at World Cup selection. It appears to be a fading fantasy. Armitage, the 2013-14 European player of the year, playing for Toulon in Heineken Cup final against Saracens . The flanker, pictured here at Twickenham in 2013, wants to return to play for England at international level .
Steffon Armitage must play in England to be eligible for national selection . The 29-year-old is the current European Player of the Year . Bath had made 'urgent enquiries' about signing the forward immediately . If Armitage features for Toulon in Europe this weekend against Montpellier then Bath will not pursue a deal for him during this season . But Armitage could still make the move if he does not play this weekend . Bath head coach Mike Ford says move 'has not been done'
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It was a case of practice makes perfect for Tulisa Contostavlos as she wore her best courtroom outfit to date on Wednesday. The former X Factor judge was in court to appeal against a conviction for punching the celebrity blogger Savvas Morgan at the 2013 V Festival in Chelmsford, Essex, as he followed her to a Winnebago for a party. But Judge David Radford, sitting at the appeal hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court, refused to accept that the singer had not punched him and threw out the appeal. Scroll down for video . Practice makes perfect: Tulisa wore her best courtroom outfit to date of a cape and knee-length dress at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday . Although it was an afternoon of bad news for the star, she did finally managed to pull off a chic court outfit, after several attempts to turn the courtroom into a catwalk last year ended in failure. Tulisa, 26, made of string of appearances in court in 2014, when she was cleared of arranging a drugs deal and also found guilty of assaulting a celebrity blogger. But although the results of the two cases were remarkably different, there was one constant - Tulisa's mismatched sense of style. She finally transformed her look for her appearance at Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday though in a thick black cape with ladylike striped dress beneath. Tulisa wore a thick black cape with ladylike striped dress. The hemline and loose fit were more demure than her previous outfits for her court appearances last year . The knee-length hemline and loose fit were demure enough for court, and made a stark change to the tight, thigh-length ensembles of 2014. The singer also injected some glamour with red patent platform heels and her long black hair worn loose. On her arm, she carried a large leather tote with ruched detailing and she also wore a simple pendant necklace. In court, the pop star was found guilty of hitting Mr Morgan, who she suspected of putting her sex tape online, at the 2013 V Festival in Chelmsford as he followed her to a Winnebago for a party. Judge David Radford, sitting at the appeal hearing,  refused to accept that the singer had not punched him and said she 'lost control'. The singer injected some glamour with her long black hair worn down - and red patent platform heels . During her days in court in 2014,Tulisa attempted something of a style overhaul, smartening up her look with an array of trouser suits, high-collared silk blouses and formal frocks - often very different from her usual look. Previously the singer was often seen in revealing . bandage dresses and shorts skirts but . she meant business as she stood up in court in super-smart attire. She ditched her usual style of cleavage-baring outfits and chunky gold jewellery in favour of a demure, no-nonsense image. But the singer unfailingly messed up the look every time, whether the the dress was too short, the coat and dress mismatched or the suit was simply too cheap-looking. Tulisa has clearly learnt from her fashion mistakes though. Tulisa wore a navy trouser suit with a white lace blouse to hear court ruling on assault charges on July 25 . Tulisa departing court after facing drug charges at Southwark Crown Court in July, 2014 . Last year, when Tulisa faced drug charges in relation to a story that appeared in The Sun at Southwark Crown Court, she took the case very seriously, attending every single hearing regardless of whether she was required to or not. During this time, she experimented with hair colour, heel height and hem length. But each time, it terms of style, the outfits never quite worked. Often, she matched a light pastel with a harsh black, creating a half-finished look. Tulisa in a pale pink drop hem dress and a shoulder-padded jacket at her drugs trial on Thursday, July 17 . Tulisa sports a black and white look on July 16, 2014, during her cocaine supply trial, and in a more casual look of floral dress and . long side pony on July 15, 2014 . One of her strangest looks was on June 27, when Tulisa marched into court in a pistachio green trouser suit, teamed with nude stilettos and a button-down blouse featuring a chain-link print design. A few days later, the star relaxed her image and she wore her hair in a long side ponytail and dressed in a floaty short dress. The £150 Ted Baker Eponi style featured a watercolour tree print, contrast trim and belt, three quarter sleeves and button fastening. Tulisa on July 14 2014 in her drugs trial (left) wearing a floral knee-length number, and in court charged with assault, Chelmsford Magistrates Court on July 2 (right), in a black top and trousers with a cream jacket . But the pale blue blazer that she added at the last minute was too bright next to the black on both the dress and handbag. Her appearances in court in late 2013 and early 2014 were much better as the star stuck to a simpler wardrobe. Her all-black outfits, accompanied with a blonde hairstyle left little chance for faults. It was only when Tulisa branched out during the summer months that her outfits started to falter. Tulisa marched into court in a tailored pistachio green trouser suit, teamed with nude shoes and chain-link print blouse, on June 27, 2014 (left) and opted for giant platform shoes and all-black look on April 22 (right) Tulisa at the beginning of her string of court appearances on Jan 9 2014 (l) and on Dec 19, 2013 (r) - sticking to an easier look of long blonde hair, mega heels and all-black clothing .
Tulisa wore a black cape and striped dress to Snaresbrook Crown court . Her appeal against an assault conviction was thrown out yesterday . But she finally nailed courtroom style after a string of dodgy outfits in 2014 .
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Napoli head coach Rafael Benitez has pointed the finger at assistant referee Elenito Di Liberatore for his side's 3-1 defeat to Juventus on Sunday. Benitez was fuming regarding one pivotal decision made by the linesman in the game at the San Paolo stadium. With the contest tied at 1-1, Juve's Martin Caceres headed Andrea Pirlo's free-kick past Napoli goalkeeper Rafael to put the visitors ahead in the 69th minute. Rafael Benitez was left incensed after he saw his Napoli side drop points to rivals Juventus . However, TV replays show Caceres and team-mate Giorgio Chiellini were in an offside position and the goal should have been disallowed. 'Juventus are a very strong side, but it's not hard to see Chiellini's white shirt and especially that bandage on his head with Caceres behind him,' Benitez told the Italian press. 'Against Juve it is always like this. 'We were in the game but the offside goal changed everything and we had to chase again.' Juventus defender Martin Caceres celebrates scoring from Andrea Pirlo's free-kick to put his side 2-1 up . Replays showed that both Caceres and his team-mate Giorgio Chiellini were in an offside position . Napoli could not find an equaliser and it was Arturo Vidal that wrapped up the win for Juve deep in stoppage time. 'We give credit to Juve because they have quality and work hard, which is why they have been winning the scudetto for three years and will win again,' Benitez said. 'Our anger comes from the fact we could not compete on level terms due to these errors.' Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal seals the points for Juventus as The Old Lady sit top of Serie A . The loss, Napoli's first at home to Juve since 2000 and their fourth of the season, dropped Benitez' side to fourth place, one point adrift of third-place Lazio, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot. Napoli travel to Rome on Sunday to face Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. The defeat sees Benitez' side drop out of the Champions League qualifying spots .
Rafael Benitez blasts assistant referee after Napoli's 3-1 loss to rivals . The Napoli  head coach felt that Martin Caceres's goal was offside . It was Napoli's first home loss to Juventus since 2000 . The defeat drops them out of the Champions League qualifying spots . Click here for Serie A table .
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Cheaper clothing, cars, household goods and electronic items are just some of the wins for consumers after Australia signed an historic free-trade deal with China worth an estimated $18 billion over a decade. Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of the pact by their respective trade ministers after Mr Xi addressed federal Parliament in Canberra on Monday afternoon, during which he praised Australia as a country of 'dynamism and innovation'. Under the deal, 85 per cent of all Australian exports will enter China tariff-free, with this figure expected to rise to 93 per cent within four years and 95 per cent when it is in full force. The agreement also removes significant trade barriers for agriculture, resources and energy, manufacturing exports and investment. Scroll down for video . Clothing and footwear, including from Chinese fashion brand Metersbonwe (pictured), is set to become cheaper for Australian consumers . Prime Minister Tony Abbott greets China's President Xi Jinping at Parliament House in Brisbane on Sunday . Australia and China will reportedly sign a free-trade deal worth $18 billion over a decade . Mr Abbott is confident the new pact will 'add billions to the economy, create jobs and drive higher living standards for Australians'. China is Australia's number one trading partner, with the two-way flow of goods and services exceeding $150 billion last year. Trade between the countries was worth just a quarter of that amount a decade ago. Mr Xi told parliament his country of 1.3 billion people was a 'market of immense potential', importing more than US$10 trillion in goods over the next five years and investing $500 billion overseas, while its people make over 500 million overseas visits. To further strengthen ties between the two nations, Mr Xi later announced a fifth Chinese consulate-general in Australia will open up in Adelaide, South Australia. The free trade deal is a boon for farmers, with fresh Australian milk selling at up to $9 a litre in China . Farmer Luke Cleary, whose milk sells to China, moves his dairy cows on his farm in Wauchope, NSW . China's President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan wave before departing the G20 on Sunday . Trade expert Alan Oxley said the main benefit for consumers in the long run would be in the fashion industry. 'But with the way the dollar is jumping around the place, we might not notice for a while,' principal of ITS Global Mr Oxley said. Mr Oxley said Australian exporters of food – especially dairy – would be big beneficiaries of the trade deal in the near future. 'In China there is a fair degree of fear about healthy food,' he said. 'There's a rising fear of people in the middle class willing to pay more for products, and the demand for food is just stupendous. 'That's the future for our farmers.' Mr Oxley said the trade deal would also enable Australian services industries to do business in China. 'Medical services, finance and insurance companies will be able operate in other markets. 'They'll be able to expand their business and do more business. 'That's the real long-term importance of this, because it's not goods that generates the growth it's services.' Trade Minister Andrew Robb, who has done much of the heavy lifting on the deal over the past year, said Australian manufacturers, farmers, miners and the service sector should be very happy with the agreement. Beef and dairy producers are set to benefit from a phase-down in Chinese tariffs, with dairy exports moving to a similar tariff reduction schedule as New Zealand, NewsCorp reports. Mr Robb described the China free trade deal as the completion of a 'powerful trifecta', but could not put a dollar figure on the final leg. But it looks to be huge. Mr Robb revealed the agreement with Beijing - coming hot on the heels of FTAs with Japan and South Korea - was concluded at 'five minutes to midnight' and, as a result, there was no time to do the modelling. Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks to the media at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Brisbane . A figure of $18 billion is frequently banded around, but that is from modelling done 10 years ago and does not include benefits to the services sector. And services are the breakthrough of this deal with greater access to China for Australia's banking, insurance and securities firms. 'China realises if it is to become a domestically focused economy it will be a service-based economy overwhelmingly,' Mr Robb told reporters in Canberra before he signed a declaration of intent with his Chinese counterpart. Asian middle-classes are expected to grow from 600 million to three billion over the next 30 years. 'They will need our services,' he said. Australian rice, sugar, wheat and cotton will miss out on benefits, but could be winners when a built-in review is conducted in three years. Manufacturers, miners and the service sector including finance and tourism industries are expected to make gains. On entry into force, 92.9 per cent of China's imports of resources, energy and mining products from Australia will enter duty-free, with most remaining tariffs eliminated within four years. It will lock in zero tariffs on Australia's two biggest exports, gold and iron ore, as well as the booming liquefied natural gas industry. The three per cent tariff on Australia's third largest export to China, coking coal, will be axed on day one of the agreement. Chinese televisions, clothes and cars will be cheaper. Tariffs will be abolished for the $13 billion dairy industry and beef and sheep farmers will benefit from the abolition of tariffs ranging from 12 to 25 per cent. All tariffs on horticulture will be eliminated. China will allow greater access for legal, financial, telecommunications, tourism, construction, health, aged care, mining and manufacturing services. With the agreement required to run the gauntlet of a parliamentary inquiry and the passing of some legislation, the government will need to win over Labor, the Greens or crossbenchers on changes to foreign investment and opening of the labour market. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Labor welcomed the deal which came out of a decade of negotiations. 'We look forward to examining the detail of the final agreement,' he said. The Foreign Investment Review Board screening threshold for private Chinese companies investing in 'non-sensitive' areas will be raised from $278 million to $1.078 billion. The government will still be able to meet its election promise of screening agricultural land purchases valued from $15 million and agribusiness purchases from $53 million. All bids by Chinese state-owned enterprises will be screened regardless of value. ACTU president Ged Kearney said there was a risk that Australian jobs could be lost as labour mobility between the two countries was made easier. Australia will provide visas for a range of Chinese contractors and executives for up to four years, and other business visitors for between three and six months. China will in turn allow certain Australian executives and contractors to stay for up to three years.
Tony Abbott and Xi Jinping have confirmed a free-trade agreement was signed on Monday . Under the deal, 85 per cent of Australian exports will enter China tariff-free . It will remove significant trade barriers for agriculture, resources and energy, manufacturing exports and investment . Mr Abbott is confident the deal will boost the economy and create jobs .
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With the 2014 Ryder Cup fast approaching, many are predicting another victory for the Europeans - favourites after winning five of the last six tournaments. But perhaps fans shouldn't be getting too comfortable. Here, Sportsmail's Mike Dickson gives five reasons the USA team shouldn't be written off. 1 Tiger factor . While he is unquestionably a great player it is doubtful whether Tiger’s presence has been a good thing for the team with his aura and the distractions he brings. Was it a coincidence that the last time the USA won was in 2008 when Woods was absent through injury? Tiger not playing possibly changes the team dynamic for the better. The absence of Tiger Woods could prove a blessing for the Americans, who have not won since 2008 . 2 Close encounters . While the Europeans have had much the better of it since 1985 the last two matches could have gone either way — both finishing 14½-13½ to Europe. At Celtic Manor in 2010 the Americans had a good run at eradicating a three-point deficit while at Medinah in 2012 the match was stolen from them by a European ‘miracle’ after they had led 10-6. 3 Men on a mission . When Tom Watson announced his captain’s picks it was notable how often the word ‘redemption’ was used. The result from Medinah has haunted the players involved and there is a real sense of them being on a mission to make amends as their ‘Team Redeem’ motto suggests. USA captain Tom Watson says they are out to avenge Medinah at this year's Ryder Cup . 4 Home comforts . The weekend weather forecast suggests that the temperatures will not be that hostile to the visitors and there are aspects of the Centenary Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, which are not totally foreign either. It lies inland, has large man-made bunkers and plenty of water. The country-club vibe should make them feel right at home. 5 European flops . While it turns out Tom Watson has left some in-form players behind, such as Billy Horschel and Chris Kirk, not all of the European side arrive on the back of great recent results. It has been a relatively flat year for Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter while it cannot be certain how rookies Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson will react. Ian Poulter has not enjoyed the most impressive season in the run-up to the Ryder Cup . VIDEO Gleneagles Course Guides .
Five reasons USA's Ryder Cup team shouldn't be written off . Tiger Woods absence could help them . Tom Watson says American's are out to avenge Medinah .
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Washington (CNN) -- The government wasted billions of dollars this year by allowing questionable tax breaks and paying for unnecessary programs even as the economy faltered, a Republican senator charged in a report released Monday. In his "Wastebook 2012" report, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma pointed to 100 items including tax breaks to highly profitable sports leagues like the NFL, NASA funding to develop meals for a Mars mission that may not take place for decades and thousands of dollars for scientists to build a "robosquirrel" to see if rattlesnakes would try to eat it. Coburn, a longtime crusader against waste, said better prioritizing and oversight could have saved taxpayers $18.9 billion on the programs included in the report, which was based largely on existing government studies, inspector generals' findings and media reports. The White House's Office of Management and Budget "share(s) Sen. Coburn's commitment to cutting out waste and will continue to fight to prevent such spending wherever we find it," agency spokeswoman Moira Mack said. "Between 2010 and 2012, the president proposed to Congress to eliminate, cut or save money in 228 government programs and the administration has already been successful in more than half of those," she added. "Where Congress has not acted, the president has moved aggressively through executive action to tackle unnecessary or excess spending." Declaring that he works alongside "compulsive spenders" on Capitol Hill, Coburn in his report writes that with the struggling economy and the uncertainty of the looming fiscal cliff, it is imperative lawmakers reduce wasteful spending. "Some try to rationalize the excessive borrowing and spending as necessary until the economy gets back on track," the second term Republican said. "But the increased demand for help is precisely why Washington must be more careful how tax dollars are spent to ensure we can care for those who are truly in need." The report includes a National Science Foundation grant for $325,000 for university researchers in California to develop a robotic squirrel to observe how rattlesnakes react, to study the interaction between predators and prey. The snakes appeared to accept the "robosquirrel" as real with one snake even biting off its head, CNN reported about the study in April. The report cites $27 million spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development to train Moroccans to make and sell pottery around the world. But the report, which cited a USAID inspector general report, says the program was riddled with problems, including having a translator at classes who was not fluent in English, and by using dyes and clay not available in that country. The study is critical of the continued production of the copper penny, which now costs more than two cents to make. It complains about $516,000 spent on a video game that simulates the social experience of attending a prom, $31,000 for Smokey Bear balloons to make appearances at balloon festivals, $300,000 to promote domestically produced caviar, and $268 million spent on a loophole for paper manufacturers that allows them to claim a waste byproduct is an alternative energy source. The report is critical of what it calls a professional sports loophole that allows leagues to be treated like trade or association groups and be exempt from federal income taxes on earnings. "Hardworking taxpayers should not be forced to provide funding to offset tax giveaways to lucrative professional sports teams and leagues," says the report, which estimates getting rid of the loophole would bring $91 million into the treasury. Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, said the league office itself "is classified as a not-for-profit under the tax code because the league office makes no profit." He said the teams make the profits and they are taxed. Coburn put much of the blame for the wasteful spending on Congress, which he described as deeply ineffectual and disliked by the America people. Army to Congress: Thanks but no thanks . Congressman draws fire for views on science . Former Sen. Arlen Specter dies .
NEW: Obama shares "Coburn's commitment to cutting out waste," a spokeswoman says . GOP senator reports on 100 items he calls government waste . Sen. Tom Coburn says taxpayers could have saved $18.9 billion . Coburn puts much of the blame for the wasteful spending on Congress .
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(CNN) -- Tottenham fought back to clinch a 3-3 draw with Arsenal that further dented their north London rivals' English Premier League title hopes as another capital club, Chelsea, claimed second place on Wednesday. Arsenal led 3-1 five minutes before halftime, but fifth-placed Tottenham rallied with a stunning strike from Tom Huddlestone and then a Rafael van der Vaart penalty after the break. The result allowed defending champions Chelsea to go second on goal difference after a 3-1 victory at home to Birmingham, leaving Manchester United six points clear with five games to play after Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Newcastle. Alex Ferguson's United are in pole position, but the May 1 trip to Arsenal and the home clash with Chelsea the following week will have a massive bearing on the title outcome. Man United draw a blank at Newcastle . Chelsea also face an April 30 home clash with Tottenham, who can still qualify for next season's Champions League after moving to within two points of fourth-placed Manchester City -- a team Harry Redknapp's men will travel north to face on May 10. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has now seen his team draw five of the last six league matches, including Sunday's demoralizing 1-1 stalemate with Liverpool when both goals came in a lengthy period of stoppage time. "It's not over -- we'll fight," the Frenchman told reporters. "In the second half we dropped physically because we had a difficult game on Sunday. We've had two games in three days, our recovery was a bit short. "Maybe the second (Tottenham) goal was decisive because we wanted to get to halftime with a two-goal lead, but we had an outstanding spirit and we have to keep battling to the last day." The Gunners looked like avenging November's 3-2 home defeat by Spurs when Theo Walcott ran clear to slot home from Cesc Fabregas' well-timed pass in just the fifth minute. But Tottenham responded immediately as Van der Vaart controlled a pass from Vedran Corluka and fired a right-foot shot past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was beaten at his near post. Arsenal suffer late, late Liverpool blow . Samir Nasri restored Arsenal's lead in the 12th minute with a right-foot effort from outside the area as he was given space to shoot, scoring his first league goal since New Year's Day and his 10th this season. Robin van Persie made it 3-1 in the 40th minute with his 14th in the Premier League, as the Dutchman lashed home at the second attempt after Heurelho Gomes parried his header from Walcott's delightful chip. But Huddlestone gave the home fans hope as he drilled in a sublime, low left-foot strike a minute before the break as Arsenal failed to clear a corner. Spurs appealed in vain for a penalty when Luka Modric was shunted to the ground by Johan Djourou in time added on, while Van Persie had the ball in the net a second time in the 57th minute but the offside flag was up. His compatriot Van der Vaart leveled the scores for the third time with 20 minutes to play with his 12th league goal since joining from Real Madrid in August after winger Aaron Lennon, who came on at halftime for Gareth Bale, was brought down by Szczesny. The result left Spurs five points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool, having -- like City -- played one less game. Chelsea clinched a second successive victory as France international Florent Malouda scored twice against visiting Birmingham. Coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to leave $80 million signing Fernando Torres on the bench again along with Nicolas Anelka, as Didier Drogba started up front with Malouda and Salomon Kalou flanking him. The combination paid off as early as the third minute as Drogba flicked on a cross from Paulo Ferreira and Malouda finished off at the far post. Drogba's fellow Ivory Coast forward Kalou curled a superb effort in off the post to double the lead in the 26th minute, and winger Malouda made it 3-0 just after an hour with a header from a cross by debutant left-back Ryan Bertrand for his 12th league goal this season. Birmingham, five points clear of the relegation zone, pulled a goal back in the 71st minute as Sebastian Larsson converted a penalty after Chelsea's Brazil defender David Luiz fouled substitute striker Matt Derbyshire.
Manchester United lead Premier League by six points with six matches to play . Defending champions Chelsea go above Arsenal into second on goal difference . Arsenal blow a 3-1 lead in six-goal north London derby draw away to Tottenham . Chelsea capitalize with 3-1 victory over Birmingham as Florent Malouda scores twice .
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By . Louise Boyle for MailOnline . A multimillionaire CEO has been caught on newly-released surveillance video repeatedly kicking a puppy. Des Hague was seen in an elevator in a Vancouver apartment building repeatedly booting the doberman pup in the stomach as it flinches against the wall. He is the head of Centerplate, a $6 billion-dollar company which provides snacks at sports and entertainment arenas across the U.S., with more than 30,000 employees and clients including the Superdome in New Orleans, the Javits Center in New York City and college sports arenas like Notre Dame. Scroll down for video . A multimillionaire CEO was caught on this elevator surveillance tape in Vancouver, Canada, repeated kicking a friend's doberman puppy . Des Hague, CEO of multibillion-dollar company Centerplate, apologized on Monday for kicking a friend's puppy saying it was 'utterly out of character' Centerplate released a statement on Tuesday which read: 'In no way do we condone the mistreatment of animals. This is a personal matter involving our CEO that we are currently investigating.' The company said Mr Hague had agreed to attend counselling for anger management. No criminal charges have been filed against him. In a statement, reported by WTSP, Mr Hague said that his despicable actions were 'utterly out of character'. He added: 'I am ashamed and deeply embarrassed a minor frustration with a friend's pet caused me to lose control of my emotional response. 'I would like to extend my apology to my family, company and clients, as I understand that this has also reflected negatively on them.' The CEO has since taken down his social media accounts. Des Hague has been at the top for Centerplate since 2009. He is a veteran of the food-service industry having held senior positions at IHOP, Safeway and Taco Bell, according to Fortune. The CEO was seen on the tape raising his foot to kick the dog in the stomach as the puppy pressed its body against the side of the elevator .
Des Hague was caught in an elevator repeatedly booting the doberman pup in the stomach . He is head of the $6bn-dollar company Centerplate which supplies arenas and sports stadiums with food service . The company said on Monday that Mr Hague has agreed to undergo anger management classes .
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A woman who sliced the genitals of an 18-year-old-boy with a box cutter while under the influence of marijuana made a deal with prosecutors and will avoid jail time. Bonita Lynn Vela, 35, Franklin, Indianapolis pleaded guilty to battery and criminal confinement after she attacked her daughter's teenage boyfriend with a box cutter after believing he molested her 2-year-old son on December 28. She held the teen for three hours at a neighbors mobile home. Indy Star reports that on Thursday a Johnson County judge gave Vela a 16 month sentence. Sliced penis: Bonita Lynn Vela was sentenced to 10 months GPS monitoring,  6 months probabtion, and anger management after she sliced an 18-year-old man's genitals, accusing him of molesting her toddler son . She must spend 10 months on home detention with a GPS monitoring and six months on probation. Vela will also need to undergo anger management counselling. Vela was arrested in December after holding the 18-year-old man, he daughter's boyfriend, captive for three-and-a-half hours with the help of two others at a trailer park in Franklin, Indiana. The victim told police that the woman was ‘out of control’ and ‘extremely mad’. He adamantly denied her accusations of molestation. Vela admitted that she had smoked marijuana and was unsure whether she had taken any other drugs according to a Johnson County Sheriff report. She told police that she had been at a friend’s house when she took the drugs and by 3 a.m. she became angry and demanded that one of her friends retrieve the 18-year-old to confront him. Two people held the young man down as Vela threatened him, saying she would ask friends to ‘take him out’ with guns by tying him to a tree, shooting him in the head and leaving his body to be eaten by animals, the victim told police. Vela then allegedly gave him an ultimatum – allow her to cut his penis or be killed or have his penis cut completely off. Held captive: The man was held down by two people as Vela allegedly threatened and cut him at a trailer park on this street in Franklin, Indiana . According to the police report she said she ‘wanted to scar him so that he would have to look at it every time that he had sex in the future’. As the confrontation went on, Vela got increasingly angry, shouting at him to admit to the abuse of her son. He begged them not to call the police, denying her angry accusations. She said that if ‘didn’t have anything to hide then he should let her “cut him”,’ and that whatever happened he was never come back. Out of control': The victim told police that Vela gave him an ultimatum: allow her to cut his penis with a box cutter or be killed (file photo) The 18-year-old said he thought the trio would ‘go to great lengths to hurt or kill him’ and that one of them had filmed the incident which left him with a deep cut to the penis. Vela told investigators that she only meant to scare the young man and never intended to hurt him. He was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital for his injuries caused by the weapon, which is usually used to cut tape that holds boxes together. 'Only meant to scare him': Despite his injuries, which were treated at Johnson Memorial Hospital (pictured), Vela told police she only meant to scare him and had no intention of hurting him .
A Johnson County judge gave Bonita Lynn Vela, 35,  a 16 month sentence which includes GPS monitoring and probation . Vela allegedly held the man captive as she accused him for three hours . The 18-year-old, the boyfriend of Vela's daughter, denied her claims . He told police she was 'extremely mad' and 'out of control' Vela admitted she had smoked marijuana and was unsure whether she had taken any other drugs .
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A statin can be a lifesaver if you're at risk of heart disease, but some people who take the cholesterol-lowering drugs -- up to 20 percent, by some estimates -- have to stop because of muscle pain, the most common side effect. (Nearly 30 million people filled a statin prescription in 2005, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Statins include popular drugs such as Crestor, Lipitor, and Zocor.) Some patients who take statins to cut the cholesterol buildup in their arteries experience muscle pain. Now a new study suggests that an over-the-counter dietary supplement sold at pharmacies and health-food stores may be a workable alternative for people who have statin-related muscle pain. It seems that when combined with diet and lifestyle changes, red yeast rice supplements can lower LDL, or bad cholesterol, levels by more than 20 percent without a substantial risk of muscle pain (also known as myalgia), according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. "For some people, especially if they've had muscle aching, taking red yeast rice and making lifestyle changes can work as well as a statin," says lead study author David Becker, M.D., of Chestnut Hill Cardiology in Pennsylvania. Although these and other results are promising (in a previous study led by Becker, a combination of red yeast rice and fish oil outperformed simvastatin, the generic version of Zocor), people with high cholesterol shouldn't race to the vitamin store just yet. Red yeast rice is "not a panacea for all people with statin-association myalgias," Becker cautions. In some patients, the supplements may cause a recurrence of muscle pain, or other serious muscle problems that are more difficult to detect. Health.com: Myths and facts About cholesterol . Plus, consumers who buy red yeast rice off the shelf don't necessarily know what they're getting. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements, and the contents and potency of red yeast rice pills have been shown to vary widely among manufacturers. Some pills might even be dangerous: A 2008 analysis of red yeast rice products conducted by a supplement-industry watchdog group found a potentially toxic ingredient in 4 of out 10 brands -- one was the store brand of a major pharmacy chain. What is red yeast rice? Becker and his colleagues studied 62 patients with high cholesterol who had to stop taking at least one statin because of muscle pain. Half of the patients took six capsules of red yeast rice daily for six months, and the other half received identical placebo capsules. For the first three months, all of the patients also attended weekly meetings in which they were taught how to eat well, exercise, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. After three months, the LDL levels of those taking the active red yeast rice had declined 27 percent, on average, compared with 6 percent in the placebo group; at six months the decline in the active group was still more than 21 percent. And only 2 of the 29 patients who took red yeast rice in the study developed myalgia -- a far smaller percentage than could have been expected had they tried another statin. But in a way, the study participants did try another statin. Red yeast rice, which has been used in Chinese medicine for hundreds of years, is derived from a fungus that grows on rice. It contains a series of compounds that slow the production of cholesterol in the liver. One of those compounds, monacolin K, is a naturally occurring form of lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor, a brand-name statin that was approved by the FDA in 1987 and now available as a generic. Health.com: Heart attack prognosis may depend on what's in your medicine cabinet . In effect, red yeast rice is a low-dose lovastatin, which may explain why it can sometimes cause muscle pain in statin-intolerant patients, according to Becker. At the same time, the reduction in LDL that the supplements provide can't be attributed solely to the monacolin K, says Becker, so there must be other cholesterol-lowering ingredients in red yeast rice. The patients in Becker's study received a dose of monacolin K roughly five times smaller than the typical lovastatin prescription, yet the reduction in their LDL levels was comparable to the average drop patients see on a statin. "Clearly something else is having a powerful lipid-lowering effect," says Becker. Although the patients' lifestyle changes probably helped, the findings suggest that some of the other compounds found in red yeast rice may enhance the effects of the naturally occurring lovastatin. The researchers used a supplement manufactured by Sylvan Bioproducts, but Becker says he doesn't endorse or recommend any particular brand of red yeast rice. The contents were analyzed before the beginning of the study, which was funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Becker and the other researchers did not report any financial conflicts of interest. Red yeast rice supplements are not for everyone . Not all cardiologists are sold on the potential utility of red yeast rice. "Despite the preliminary evidence that the average patient suffering from muscle pain might see some lipid-lowering without having the pain again, we're not to ready to recommend red yeast rice to our patients," says Paul Phillips, M.D., a cardiologist who runs a clinic for statin-related muscle complications at Scripps Mercy Hospital, in San Diego, California. In an editorial accompanying Becker's study, Dr. Phillips notes that the incidence of muscle pain reported among the study participants taking red yeast rice (about 7 percent) could be artificially low. Roughly half of the patients who experience muscle pain after starting a statin eventually begin to feel better as their bodies become accustomed to the drug, says Dr. Phillips, and that could have occurred in the study participants. Health.com: In reallLife, heart-healthy diets can be work . More important, he adds, the majority of patients who experience statin-related myalgia never have pain. Instead, they may experience muscle atrophy, weakness, and fatigue potentially serious side effects that the new study may have overlooked. (Although side effects other than myalgia weren't formally tracked, there were "no significant adverse events" in the patients taking red yeast rice, Becker says.) Health.com: Are you cholesterol smart? Take this quiz . Red yeast rice isn't appropriate for everyone with high cholesterol, agrees Becker. He says that people who have had a heart attack or who have significant blockages in their arteries due to atherosclerosis should not replace a statin or other medical therapy with red yeast rice, since statins are proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and death. "I don't think it would be wise to ever consider using red yeast rice if you have a known heart problem," Becker says. Supplements not immune to safety concerns . In fact, all people looking to lower their cholesterol levels should think twice before taking red yeast rice, Becker advises. Red yeast rice is "quite a bit stronger" than other dietary supplements used to lower cholesterol, he says, and the market is poorly regulated. In 2008, the supplement-industry watchdog group ConsumerLab.com analyzed 10 brands of capsules whose labels advertised 600 milligrams of red yeast rice. When the products were tested in a lab, however, they were found to contain wildly different amounts of lovastatin and other compounds. "There was a 100-fold difference from the lowest to the highest," says ConsumerLab.com president Tod Cooperman. An unexpectedly large dose of lovastatin could cause serious side effects and could interact with other drugs. The uncertain lovastatin content of red yeast rice products have led to a long-running dispute between the manufacturers of the pills and the federal government. A decade ago, the FDA successfully sought to regulate a red yeast rice extract known as Cholestin, claiming that the lovastatin it contained made it an unapproved statin rather than a supplement. Any red yeast product containing more than trace amounts of lovastatin can also be regulated (and effectively banned) by the FDA, but red yeast rice products containing monacolin K have remained on the market. And though the FDA does continues to monitor the industry -- in 2007, the agency warned three manufacturers that their red yeast rice products were unapproved drugs the woolly marketplace for supplements should make consumers wary. "I would never, under any circumstances, suggest that someone take red yeast rice," says Dr. Phillips. "It's not controlled, it's not safe, and it hasn't been approved by the FDA in such a way that it's formulated to be consistent." Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 .
Red yeast rice may be an alternative for people with statin-related muscle pain . Supplement may cause pain for some patients; is not FDA regulated . Red yeast rice is derived from a fungus that grows on rice .
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One-year-old was 'shaking and rolling her eyes' after putting the substance in her mouth in Reno, Nevada, U.S. Father waited 45 minutes before eventually seeking help . Mother was out working for an escort service when the incident occurred . By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 03:43 EST, 18 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:21 EST, 18 July 2012 . The drug-addicted parents of a one-year-old girl who ingested heroin left within her reach have been jailed. The baby was reported to be shaking and rolling her eyes after putting the substance in her mouth while left briefly unattended at her home, but her father Justin Robinson, 25, waited 45 minutes before finally taking the infant to her grandparents' house and asking them: 'Does she look okay?'. The child, who by then was 'unresponsive and had blue lips and skin', was taken to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, U.S., on Saturday night, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Justin Robinson, 25, and his partner Lorena Vizina, 23, had been smoking heroin on the night their baby daughter swallowed the substance . The one-year-old baby was rushed to hospital in Reno, Nevada after swallowing heroin left lying on the floor of her home by her parents . Social workers at the hospital called . the police and Robinson and the baby's mother Lorena Vizina, 23, an . escort, were arrested on suspicion of child abuse and taken to Nevada's . Washoe County Detention Center on Sunday. Documents filed at Reno Justice Court stated that blood tests carried out on the baby revealed traces of morphine and coedine. The one-year-old was still in a serious condition at the Renown Regional Medical Center on Monday. Lorena Vizina, 23, can be seen cradling her baby daughter in her arms in pictures posted on Facebook . The couple, who were in the process of packing at the weekend after . being evicted from their apartment in Yori Avenue, told police they were . both addicted to methamphetamine and heroin. Vizina said that she and Robinson . smoked heroin on Saturday night before she left for work as an escort, . leaving their daughter in her partner's care. Robinson . told officers that he left the baby unattended on the living room floor . 'for a few minutes' while he got dressed and washed his face and hair. Robinson and Vizina had been notified that they were being evicted from their home in Yori Avenue, Reno, before the incident . The court documents stated that when Robinson returned he found his daughter with a 'white powdery substance' around her mouth. The 25-year-old said he put his finger in her mouth to check for obstructions and found that the powder tasted like medication. For . the next 45 minutes Robinson watched his daughter shaking and rolling . her eyes, the court record said, before finally taking her to her . grandparents' house and asking them if she looked okay. Vizina's . parents had been babysitting for the child for 10 days before her . 23-year-old mother collected her on Saturday afternoon. The couple are being held on bail at the Washoe County Detention Center.
One-year-old was 'shaking and rolling her eyes' after putting the substance in her mouth in Reno, Nevada, U.S. Father waited 45 minutes before eventually seeking help . Mother was out working for an escort service when the incident occurred .
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(CNN) -- Ever since "Bridge-gate" threatened to derail the once "inevitable" nomination of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the Republican presidential candidate for 2016, Jeb Bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray. And with last week's Facebook announcement, the former Florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run. The announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many Republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the Republican nomination and the general election. Though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities, most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name, Jeb Bush brings a lot to the table for 2016. If he handles this process the right way, Bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign. Democrats and his Republican opponents should be worried. The most important asset Jeb Bush offers is that he is a known commodity, someone who is greatly respected in Republican circles. In this day and age of freewheeling primaries, the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot. Republicans are desperate to win back the White House after eight years of Democratic rule. Their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government. Republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters, particularly among Democrats, are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue. Republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries, so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election. Bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries. All the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the Tea Party in primaries is vastly overblown. Most importantly, other than on immigration reform and education policy, Bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it. As Frank Bruni of The New York Times recounted, moderate is not really a label that fits his record. He has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights, one that would be quite appealing to the right. He is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Much "of his record in Florida is that of the 'headbanging conservative' he claimed to be during a first, unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994," Bruni writes. He attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against Michael Schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife Terri Schiavo. With Cuba, he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to President Obama's recent announcements on normalizing relations. Bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch. And even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the Tea Party, the power of the right in the Republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition. In 2008 Republicans picked Arizona Sen. John McCain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, despite all the predictions that he would never survive, did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination. These candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were. This year will be no different. Most Republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100% pure on ideological issues. Then there is the power of money. During the recent midterm primaries, the Republican establishment showed that money matters. In 2014, tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with Republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize Democrats. The same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries. Bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the Republican fund-raising machine. As soon as he made his announcement, Politico reported, a group of prominent Republican donors expressed their excitement. "He's got proven executive experience," said GOP bundler Fred Malek, the finance chairman of the Republican Governors Association that Chris Christie currently heads. "He's a uniter. He's got smarts. He's got political courage." Bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent Republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run. While Bush is a conservative, without question, his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . Politics: Jeb Bush will defend expanded immigration . While his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract Tea Party frustration, Bush will be able to sell himself as part of a Republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the Republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues. His record on immigration, as well education (he supports Common Core, the program that is controversial with many, including conservatives), combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for Democrats to paint him as far right of center, the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years. It is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the American electorate. Like most Republicans, he will face Democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under President Obama, and he has close tied to the business, anti-tax establishment faction of the GOP that hurt Mitt Romney in 2012. The housing market started to crash in Florida toward the end of his term, though it didn't really take effect until after he got out. At the same time, he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery, surely claiming credit for the current state of the Florida economy. Finally there is the question of Bush fatigue. The biggest obstacle that Jeb Bush faces is his last name. The controversial ending of George W. Bush's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another Bush candidacy. But, especially in the short-attention span politics of the U.S., 2008 is a long time ago. The intense controversy over President Obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the Democratic leader, while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in. Continued problems with foreign policy and the economy, as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under President Obama, has undercut some of the claims that Bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered Americans. The success of the Tea Party at shifting the GOP further to the right allows Bush's supporters to claim that the previous Republican president was not as extreme as his critics said. Jeb Bush is a good campaigner and he shouldn't be taken lightly. If he puts his full heart into this race, and it still remains unclear thus far that he will, Hillary Clinton and other Republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the Bush family. Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described former President George W. Bush; he is Jeb Bush's older brother.
Julian Zelizer: Jeb Bush may be Republicans' strongest candidate for 2016 . He says Bush can get support of GOP donors and unite the party . Bush has conservative credentials while also appealing to larger electorate, he says . He says Bush may face opposition over economy and baggage over Bush name .
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By . Mark Prigg . If you've ever wondered just how much a star twinkles, this image answers the question. Taken from Pakistan by an amateur astronomer it reveals the effects of our atmosphere as its light gets refracted - causing its colour to change. The image show Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky (as seen from Earth), photographed as a timelapse from Pakistan . Sirius, also known as the Dog Star or Sirius A, is the brightest star in Earth's night sky. It means 'glowing' in Greek and is outshone only by several planets as well as the International Space Station. Because Sirius is so bright, it was well-known to the ancients. What came as a surprise to astronomers was the discovery of a companion star, Sirius B, in 1862. The companion is so much dimmer than Sirius — 10,000 times, in fact — that it wasn't until 2005 that astronomers were able to estimate its mass. It is highly visible in the Northern Hemisphere winter night sky because it has a high relative luminosity to other stars, and it's relatively close to Earth (8.6 light-years). If the star were placed next to Earth's sun, Sirius would outshine it more than 20 times over. Astronomer Roshaan Bukhari from Pakistan said he took the image to try and capture just how colours stars can appear. 'The twinkling of Sirius had always fascinated me and since I had a telescope, looking at the brilliant star through an eyepiece was even more remarkable,' he told MailOnline. 'The twinkling suddenly appeared to be more intense and I could faintly detect some slight but very rapid changes in colours of the blue/white star. Bukhari used a 70mm telescope to capture the image, holding the camera with one hand and the eyepiece of the telescope in the other hand. 'I placed the camera near the telescope eyepiece and I could see Sirius in my camera viewfinder. It was of course out of focus for the camera's lens. Sirius as we normally see it: Looking south over the Somerset sky, low and fast moving clouds reflect light pollution from street lighting, as the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius (the Dog Star) rises low above St. Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor . 'I manually set Sirius in focus for the camera and held the eyepiece with the other hand and started to move the eyepiece in a circular manner,' he explained. 'The camera recorded whatever fell on it's sensors for 2 seconds. and when the shot was done, I checked to see what it had captured and this is the image it produced.' He said he considered the image to be art. 'This image is the first experience I had with how our atmosphere plays around with star light in fascinating ways. 'Ask yourself how different is this from an abstract art painting and you would not find it to be very different at all.'
Image was taken by an amateur astronomer from Pakistan . Was taken by holding a camera in front of a telescope .
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By . Emily Crane For Daily Mail Australia . It may look like something you'd find under the kitchen sink but don't be fooled - this is actually a homemade 'drum kit' and it can certainly strike a beat. Jake Clarke, 24, is making waves across the world after footage of his bizarre busking efforts using an instrument made from plumbing pipes has started to go viral. The South Australian busker uses a pair of rubber thongs to bash out well known hits like Iggy Azalea's Fancy and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. Scroll down for video . Jake Clarke, 24, is making waves across the world after footage of his bizarre busking efforts using an instrument made from plumbing pipes has started to go viral . He bound the plastic pipes with gaffer tape and cable ties, balanced on a makeshift foam base . Clarke's crowd-pleasing talent always draws in large numbers during his regular busking appearances at Rundle Mall in Adelaide's CBD. Footage of his performances that have been uploaded online show him rhythmically slapping the open ends of his obscure pipe creation to produce a sound similar to that of a bass synthesiser. Clarke, who has been a drummer for 10 years, said while he prefers using thongs to play because of the sound, it's more work because it doesn't rebound naturally like a drumstick. Clarke's crowd-pleasing talent always draws in large numbers during his regular busking appearances at Rundle Mall in Adelaide's CBD . The South Australian busker uses a pair of rubber thongs to bash out well known hits like Iggy Azalea's Fancy and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes . He goes by the Pipe Guy on Facebook and says he wishes people would stop asking if he's a plumber. Clarke is also currently working on his own abstract version of the PVC xylophone.
Jake Clarke's instrument of choice is a homemade drum kit made from plumbing pipes . The 24-year-old regularly busks at Rundle Mall in Adelaide's CBD . His rendition of Iggy Azalea's hit Fancy and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes is starting to go viral .
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Jason Hakala is a video specialist, so his marriage proposal was probably always going to be a recording. The Seattle man works for The Cut, who this week hit headlines for producing a hilarious video of some grandmothers who smoked weed together for the first time. But Hakala has now gone viral on his own, after filming a grand marriage proposal to his longtime girlfriend, Stella Yee. He sent a helium-filled weather balloon with his phone and and a GoPro camera attached to it 90,000 feet in the air, and the camera captured his phone playing a pre-recorded message from space. Scroll down for video . Mission accomplished: Video producer Jason Hakala cheers after landing a balloon he sent 90,000 feet in the air, which he used to propose to his girlfriend . Big project: Hakala attached a PVC pipe to the balloon that had a GoPro camera, his phone and a GPS tracker strapped onto it . Major effort: The GoPro camera recorded Hakala's phone, which played a video of him asking the big question . The moment: The following day took his girlfriend, Stella, and her family on a hike, and then played the video he had made . Popping the question: This is the video of Hakala proposing from 90,000 feet in the air . Will you?: An emotional Stella ofcourse accepted the proposal . Overwhelmed: Stella said the best part was knowing how much effort Hakala had gone to . The ring: Stella proudly shows off her engagement ring . That message reduced Stella to tears, and many others as well now after the video was posted to YouTube. In it Hakala says: 'Hey babe. The time has finally come. It took me a trip to space to finally get the balls to do this. But I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me, Stella Yee?' And she ofcourse said yes. Hakala told The Huffington Post that he made the balloon using a PVC pipe and attached a GPS so he and his friends could track where it landed. They launched it from a field three hours east of Seattle. The next day Hakala took his girlfriend - who he first met in high school - and her family on a hike in Verlot, Washington. After reaching the summit they aimed to conquer, he played the space video in front of everyone. The proposal took place in 2012, but Hakala only just uploaded the video online. The couple were married in Hawaii and now hey married in Hawaii and now have a 13-month-old daughter named Suvi. Video courtesy of cut.com . facebook.com/storiesbycut . youtube.com/watchcut . twitter.com/cutnews .
Jason Hakala launched a weather balloon 90,000 feet in the air from a field outside Seattle . Attached to it was his iPhone, a GoPro camera and a GPS tracker . The phone was programmed to play a video of a marriage proposal from space . The GoPro recorded that video . He then played it to his girlfriend, Stella Yee, in front of her family .
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Sainsbury's has recalled 500g packets of So Organic Sultanas bought over the past five months . Sainsbury's has recalled thousands of bags of sultanas after tests showed some packets were infected with potentially fatal salmonella. The supermarket giant, which has more than 1,000 stores in the UK, yesterday sent out emails to customers who had bought 500g packets of Sainsbury's Organic Sultanas over the past five months. Father-of-two Chris Dennis, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said he was sent an email by Sainsbury's yesterday after he bought a bag of the affected sultanas earlier this month. He said: 'If Sainsbury's didn't have my email from online shopping, how would they have known to contact me? 'I have a young daughter and son who adore sultanas and you'd think that by buying organic, you would be doing the best for your children. 'Luckily we hadn't opened the packet yet, so we know we are safe, but what about all the thousands of people who have had them in their cupboards for the past five months and don't know about the salmonella scare?' The email sent to Mr Dennis, 38, from Sainsbury's reads: 'We understand from our records that you have bought Sainsbury's Organic Sultanas 500g in the last five months. 'During routine testing it has come to our attention that a low level incidence of Salmonella has been found in this product. 'The safety of our customers is extremely important to us and as a precautionary measure, we are asking all customers who have bought this product not to consume it and to return it to their nearest Sainsbury's store where they will receive a full refund. Customers who have bought the sultanas have been advised not to consume them and to return them to their nearest Sainsbury's store for a refund . Anyone can get salmonella, but young children, the elderly and people whose immune systems are not working properly have a greater risk of becoming severely ill. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever. These symptoms usually last for four to seven days and clear up without treatment, but if you become seriously ill you may need to be treated for dehydration (fluid loss) caused by the illness. Transmission occurs by eating contaminated food, mainly of animal origin, or by faecal contamination from an infected person or animal. 'I can confirm that we have removed all the affected products from our stores and no other products are affected in this way. 'If you have any questions please call our Careline on 0800 636 262. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.' The Public Health England website states: "Anyone can get salmonella, but young children, the elderly and people whose immune systems are not working properly have a greater risk of becoming severely ill. 'Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever. 'These symptoms usually last for four to seven days and clear up without treatment, but if you become seriously ill you may need to be treated for dehydration (fluid loss) caused by the illness. 'Transmission occurs by eating contaminated food, mainly of animal origin, or by faecal contamination from an infected person or animal.'
Affects 500g packs of Organic Sultanas bought in past five months . Routine testing revealed 'low level incidence' of salmonella . Customers advised not to eat the product and return it for full refund .
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The mother of a British soldier who is returning home after going to fight ISIS in Syria says she is relieved that her 'Rambo' is safe - but admits he has been 'bloody stupid'. The 19-year-old private, who is serving with the 2nd Battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, was being flown home last night after being found near the border between Syria and Iraq. Last night, his mother said she was 'extremely angry' with her son, but dubbed him 'Rambo' after saying he was brave. The mother of the 19-year-old soldier who left to fight against ISIS has called her son 'bloody stupid' Rambo is a film series about a troubled Vietnam War veteran, played by Sylvester Stallone. She said: 'Rambo is coming home. I've asked them to leave me in a room with him for two minutes. It's the same scenario as when your child runs in the road and you grab them and smack them for doing something so bloody stupid. 'I'm extremely angry with him, but for someone to do that shows they have balls.' It was reported on Thursday that the teenager had left his base after telling his family he was joining the Kurdish Peshmerga in their battle against the extremist group because 'these guys need our help'. The soldier, from East Sussex, was in Dubai on leave from his base in Cyprus when he decided to travel to the war-torn country. He was the first British soldier to have gone to fight against the terror group and his disappearance fuelled fears that he could have been a prime beheading target for Islamist jihadists. But he was reportedly found 'safe and well' near the front line in Kurdistan after his fellow rebel fighters revealed his location. Diplomats then got in touch with Peshmerga forces, who arranged for him to be dropped off at the British Consul in Erbil, where an officer from his regiment was waiting. It is not known whether or not he will face formal disciplinary action, as he was on leave at the time of his disappearance, but if he is charged with going AWOL or desertion he could be sentenced to detention or imprisonment. Desertion carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if the serviceman involved is judged to have been avoiding active service, while going AWOL or failing to attend for duty can bring a two-year sentence. However, hundreds of troops go AWOL each year without facing any disciplinary action, and according to the latest available figures the most severe sentence handed out for desertion in recent years was 18 months at the military detention centre in Colchester. The private, who disappeared last week, is serving with the 2nd Battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment . Pictured: Peshmerga fighters outside Mosil, Iraq. A number of foreign fighters have come from around the world to join Kurdish forces in the battle against ISIS . Defence Secretary Michael Fallon had yesterday told the Commons that the serving soldier, who has not been identified, had been found and was being returned to his unit. He said: 'The House may also want to know the soldier reported as missing last week has now been located and is being returned to his unit.' The MoD had previously said they would not send police to the Middle East looking for him. Yesterday, a defence source said: 'We are just grateful to have him back at the moment.' The soldier left his base after sending a message to his family saying: 'I'm with other British people and a Canadian at the moment. I don't know how to explain it to you but I really want and need to do this and I will be safe. He added: 'I have good skills and I can speak the language, I can help these people and help with this fight. I will get in trouble for being AWOL, but it's minor and no prison sentence.' The private joined up at the age of 16 after leaving school and had reportedly been learning Arabic. He was said to have once shared a barracks with murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby. He is understood to have visited the area with the military for a training exercise before he decided to return to fight. The serviceman, who has not been named for security reasons, was stationed in Cyprus and travelled to the region via Dubai while on annual leave . He is thought to have been fighting alongside a group called Lions Of Rojava, who have Americans, Canadians and other Britons among their number. The soldier reportedly posted a picture online over the weekend showing him standing next to Canadian ex-serviceman Brandon Glossop. In the post, he referred to Glossop as his 'wingman' and, in a message to his family, added: 'I'm all safe guys.' The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment are based at the Tower of London, where the soldier will return to find out whether he faces a court martial. In December it emerged that two former British soldiers had travelled to Syria to fight against ISIS after feeling 'compelled' to take up arms following the murder of aid volunteer Alan Henning. News of the soldier came as the Defence Secretary was urged to clarify exactly what Britain's plan is for the campaign against ISIS in Iraq. Labour MP John Woodcock said it was troubling defence chiefs had failed to outline the objectives for the campaign against ISIS, also known as Isil, in recent evidence to a Commons committee. Speaking at Commons defence questions, the Barrow and Furness MP Mr Woodcock said: 'Do you think it is acceptable none of the service chiefs who gave evidence to the defence committee's recent inquiry was willing or able to articulate the UK's objective or strategic plan in Iraq? What is our plan exactly?' Mr Fallon replied: 'Our plan in Iraq is very simple - it is to disrupt threats to the UK mainland and our interests overseas, secondly it is as part of an international coalition to defeat Isil, including discrediting its violent ideology. 'It is thirdly to mitigate the impact of Isil and other violent extremist groups on the stability of the region as a whole.' It is understood the British soldier joined a group called the Lions Of Rojava, who boast, 'It is better to live one day as a Lion that a thousand days as a sheep.' They are the foreign fighters who have travelled to Syria to fight, not for jihad, but on behalf of the Kurdish communities who are defending their communities from the advance of Sunni Islamists. Just as hundreds of young Europeans have gone to fight for the radical Islamists of Islamic State, so increasing numbers are now travelling to fight for their avowed enemies, the Kurds. Westerners in Kurdistan: A photo of Western fighters from the Lions Of Rojava Facebook page . Jordan Matson, a former U.S. soldier now with Syrian Kurds' People's Protection Units (YPG), operates The Lions Of Rojava Facebook page openly calling for volunteers to travel to join the fight. Just as many of the Islamic State's foreign volunteers have been drawn from the ranks of Sunni Muslim youth worldwide, many of the initial YPG volunteers have come from the Kurdish diaspora. Last August a hairdresser from South London was reported to be the first Briton to travel to fight alongside Kurdish forces. Ethnic Kurd Mama Kurda from Croydon, 26, travelled to Iraq to join the Kurdish peshmerga as they desperately tried to halt Islamic State's lightning advance. But since then many others have been inspired to take up arms against Islamic State, perhaps also inspired by the radical socialist experiment underway in the Kurdish autonomous region of Rojava. Brothers in arms: Briton Jamie Read, right, with American Jordan Matson, who is also fighting in Syria . Inspired by the social ecologist and anarchist Murray Bookchin it has adopted a vision of 'libertarian municipalism' calling for Kurds to create free, self-governing communities. Last October it was reported that a currently serving British Royal Marine had been questioned by police on suspicion he was travelling to fight with Kurdish militias during his leave. The 22-year-old Commando was quizzed after he prepared to fly from California on a one-way ticket to Turkey. He was suspected of being in contact with Kurdish militant groups. Two women, Canadian Jew Gill Rosenberg, 31, and Danish Kurd Joanna Palani, 20, have also reportedly travelled to fight with the Kurds, inspired perhaps by the images of female fighters on the front line against Islamic State terrorists. It is perhaps the only place in the world where women are fighting on the front line of armed conflict. There are also claims that a number of European biker gangs have travelled to Syria and are helping to assist the resistance. Leaders of the Cologne-based Median Empire Motorcycle Club, which has strong Kurdish links, have posted images of their German riders posing in the city - some of them carrying weapons. The news came just days after three members of a notorious motorcycle gang from the Netherlands were told they had not committed any crime by travelling to Kobani to join the fight against ISIS.
Soldier's mother dubbed her son 'Rambo' but said he was 'bloody stupid' Said she was 'extremely angry' that her son, from East Sussex, had fled . 19-year-old was last night being flown back after being found in Kurdistan . Teenager had texted his family saying Peshmerga fighters 'need our help' Disappearance fuelled fears he could be prime beheading target for ISIS .
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By . Harriet Arkell . PUBLISHED: . 06:43 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:55 EST, 15 March 2013 . As he strolls on the beach with his beautiful girlfriend, Max Chilton betrays not a flicker of nerves at the task ahead of him. This weekend, with the eyes of his country upon him, the former public schoolboy from Surrey will live out his childhood dream: racing in his first Formula One Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Briton, who will race as part of the Banbury-based Marussia team, is the newest and youngest British driver to start the new F1 season on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Max Chilton, 21, seen here with girlfriend Chloe Roberts, will make his F1 debut in Melbourne on Sunday . Mr Chilton, who was relaxing in Barbados with girlfriend Chloe Roberts, will line up on the grid in Melbourne alongside more experienced British drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. After a childhood spent watching the prestigious races on television, he says he is looking forward to realising his dream at the pinnacle of motor racing. 'Ever since I can remember I sat on the living room floor on Sunday afternoons watching F1 races,' he said. 'I would not step up to Formula One unless I was ready and I 100 per cent believe that I am.' Mr Chilton, whose wealthy businessman father Grahame is proprietor of the Carlin Motorsport team, was educated at private Ardingly College in Sussex. He began his career at the tender age of ten in go-karts and showed a flair for racing, quickly graduating to T-car racing at the age of 14. After finishing second in the Championship, he graduated to Formula Three at 16, and then on to Formula Two at 18, where he finished fourth. Max Chilton in his Marussia F1 Team kit, left, and as an enthusiastic youngster on the go-karting circuit in 2005 . Two years later, in 2011, Mr Chilton . was chosen by the Force India F1 Team to take part in their Young Driver . Test. He did so well in the Marussia F1 Team Young Driver Test at . Silverstone the following year, they promoted him to Reserve Driver, . before making it into the final team for this weekend's race in . Australia. Mr Chilton is . one of two drivers for the Marussia F1 Team in the 2013 season, the . other being 23-year-old Frenchman Jules Bianchi. The . team, which debuted at the Bahrain 2010 Grand Prix, is the only one . with two novice drivers and is run by Pat Symonds, former race engineer . to Michael Schumacher. Learner driver: Max Chilton began karting at ten, while dreaming of racing in Formula One one day . Marussia driver Max Chilton takes a bend during the first practice session at the F1 Australian Grand Prix today . Also lining up on the grid on Sunday will be fellow British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Like . Max Chilton, Mr Button, now 33, began his racing career young, racing . go-karts at eight, before making his Formula One debut with the Williams . F1 team in 2000. Lewis . Hamilton, 28, from Stevenage, had grand ambitions from the start.  At . ten, he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and told him 'I . want to race for you one day'. Mr . Button and Mr Hamilton are glamorous figures around the world's tracks, . and both have the attractive girlfriend that is de rigueur for F1 . drivers. How the old hands do it: British racing driver Jenson Button, pictured with model girlfriend Jessica Michibata . Lewis Hamilton is congratulated by girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger after being crowned 2008 F1 World Champion . Mr Button goes out with 28-year-old Japanese model Jessica Michibata, while Mr Hamilton has long dated Pussycat Dolls lead singer, Nicole Scherzinger, 34. The British drivers were out on the track in Australia today in practice sessions ahead of Sunday's big race. Lewis Hamilton was running second in the second practice before careering across the gravel and nudging a tyre wall. Meanwhile, last year's winner Jenson Button found himself languishing in 11th place after two practices. Sunday's Grand Prix, which is said by motor racing experts to be wide open this year, will start at 6am UK time. Melbourne's Albert Park will host Sunday's Grand Prix, where drivers will have to do 58 laps of the 5.3km (3.295m) track . Lewis Hamilton set a blistering pace in the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, but then crashed into a tyre wall . Jenson Button didn't look too happy as his McLaren car struggled the keep up in a practice session today . Memorable F1 moment: In the 1986 Australian Grand Prix, Nigel Mansell's tyre exploded .
Former public schoolboy Max Chilton, 21, will race his first F1 on Sunday . Surrey-based Mr Chilton will race in Marussia F1 Team with Jules Bianchi .
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By . Sally Lee . A teenage girl was indecently assaulted when two police impersonators stopped and searched her while she was walking to school in Sydney. The schoolgirl saw the man and the woman, both dressed in blue clothes, emerge from a station wagon on a road in Quakers Hill on Monday at about 10.40am. Their vehicle had the word 'police' written on the side. The Wyndham College student was then searched separately by the pair, believed to be in their 30s, where she alleges that the woman indecently assaulted her during the process. A teenage girl was indecently assaulted when two police impersonators stopped and searched her while she was walking to school in Quakers Hill on Monday . Police said when the man asked to search the Wyndham College student, he retrieved a German shepherd from the back of the vehicle to assist him. However the two didn't steal any of the girl's property. Police said the girl went home and told her father, who then informed police. Officers believe the incident could have been a one-off 'prank'. 'Every now and then do you hear of people doing these things. It's not often they got to this extent dressed in blues and with a dog,' Quaker's Hill police duty officer, Inspector Steve Gallagher told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'There's still some chance it may have been a bit of a prank. That's one possibility that lessens the risk to the public if that's all that it was.' The man is described as 180cm tall with short dark hair and olive skin while the woman is 160cm tall with brown hair in a pony tail. Both were wearing light blue shirts, dark blue cargo pants and black footwear. The teenager was walking along Douglas Road at about 10.40am when she saw a man and woman, both dressed in blue, emerge from a white station wagon with 'police' written on the side . In a separate incident, two men robbed a Mount Annan house - Sydney's south west - after pretending to be detectives and showing residents a fake police badge. Police said a 66-year-old woman was washing up in her kitchen when she heard someone bang on the front door, ring the bell and call out 'police' about 11.30pm on May 19. The girl was on her way to Wyndham College in Quakers Hill . She opened the door to two men who flashed a fake police badge and claimed to be police officers who said they needed to execute a search warrant. Two men, aged 40 and 68, who were also inside the house at the time were woken as the house was searched by the intruders. Police will allege that they stole cash and jewellery, who then said they would send a receipt for the items. The pair then searched two vehicles in the garage before walking from the home on Welling Drive and turning left into Persoonia Close. The two men are described as being of Caucasian appearance and having a slim build. The first man was 180cm tall while the second man was 165cm tall. Both wore blue pants and blue shirts that may have had a logo. Investigators are examining links between the incident and a similar offence that occurred in the early hours of the following morning. However Inspector Gallagher said there are no links between these police impersonations and the indecent assault of the school girl on Monday. Anyone with information about the man or woman or the white station wagon they were driving should contact police. The maximum penalty for a person who impersonates a police officer and pretends to exercise a power or function as an officer is seven years imprisonment.
The 17-year-old girl was approached by a man and woman dressed in blue as she was walking to school on Douglas Road, Quakers Hill on Monday . The Wyndham College student told police she saw the pair emerge from a white station wagon at about 10.40am which had 'police' written on the side . It is believed both, aged in their 30s, searched her separately and the woman allegedly indecently assaulted the girl . The man retrieved a German shepherd from the back of the vehicle to assist him with the search . Police said there is 'some chance it may have been a bit of a prank'
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By . Jack Doyle . Ed Miliband is refusing to reveal Labour’s real plans for government in case they scare off voters, a senior Left-wing figure has claimed. Andrew Harrop, general secretary of the Fabian Society, a think tank with close links to Labour, lifted the lid on the row convulsing the party. His comments will lead to speculation Labour is hiding even more radical policies from voters ahead of the General Election. Scroll down for video . Lifting the lid: Andrew Harrop, a senior left-wing figure, has suggested Ed Miliband has refused to reveal Labour's policies in case they scare off voters . They came in response to bombshell claims by Labour’s policy chief that ideas by party policy working groups had been ‘parked’ by the leadership and replaced with ‘cynical nuggets of policy to chime with our focus groups and Press strategy’. Jon Cruddas was recorded telling a meeting of the Left-wing pressure group Compass that there was a ‘profound dead hand at the centre’ of the party preventing the release of detailed policy. The MP for Dagenham and Rainham, who is on the Left of the party, also criticised as ‘punitive’ a policy announced last week suggesting Labour could cut jobseeker’s allowance for those aged 18 to 21. Claims: Jon Cruddas, the MP for Dagenham and Rainham was recorded saying there was 'profound dead hand at the centre' of the party preventing release of policies . Yesterday Mr Harrop told the BBC News Channel: ‘Labour does have a problem of announcing very small policies that they’re trying to get a daily headline out of. ‘There is a struggle in the party between people who are being very cautious, not revealing too much in case they scare people off, against people like Jon Cruddas who says we have got to be big and bold. ‘You do need big announcements because at the moment people don’t know what difference the Labour Party would make.’ The row exposes the long-standing tension within Labour between those who advocate pushing radical ideas, and strategists who say Ed Miliband can win with the 35 per cent ‘core’ Labour vote. Last night, in an apparent effort to divert attention from the row, Labour pushed out a pro-business policy. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the party would commit to keeping corporation tax levels at the lowest of all the G7 countries if elected. Other measures would encourage longer-term investment in Britain, he will say in a speech today. Mr Balls was forced on to the defensive yesterday as he claimed Mr Cruddas was ‘not frustrated’ but ‘excited’ about Labour’s policy agenda, and that his complaints were about how policy was presented to the public. He told the Andrew Marr Show: ‘We are all working together on these big reforms’. He insisted the party was coming up with ‘big ideas’. At the Compass meeting on June 21, according to a secret recording passed to the Sunday Times, Mr Cruddas criticised the decision not to sign up to a 250-page report by the centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research and instead to launch the policy on benefits for young people. ‘The IPPR produced this report covering the whole gamut of social policy,’ he said. ‘We managed…to condense it into one story about a punitive hit on 18 to 21-year-olds around their benefits. ‘We set up independent reviews to rethink social policy, economic policy, democracy, local government – they come up with ideas and they’re just parked. ‘And instead instrumentalised, cynical nuggets of policy … crowd out any innovation or creativity.’ He added: ‘There is all sorts of creativity alongside a profound dead hand at the centre.’ Tory chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘These comments prove Ed Miliband is a weak leader of a divided party. He’s just not up to it. Labour are not serious about fixing the welfare system. ‘Even Ed Miliband’s own policy chief attacks Labour as having “no interesting ideas”.’ Stephen Kinnock and wife Helle Thorning-Schmidt . A small group of families are retaining their grip on the Labour Party by letting their children ‘inherit’ seats in Parliament, Jon Cruddas warned last night. His is the latest warning over the role of the so-called ‘Red Princes’ – the offspring of senior figures. Neil and Glenys Kinnock’s son, Stephen – husband of Danish premier Helle Thorning-Schmidt – and Jack Straw’s son, Will, are both fighting seats at the next election, while Euan Blair and David Prescott are eyeing up moves in to Westminster. Mr Cruddas said Labour should devolve power to local people rather than let ‘certain families reproduce their control over the party’.
Think tank leader's comments lead to speculation party is hiding radical policies . Labour pushes out pro-business policy in bid to divert attention from row . Tories attack Miliband as 'weak leader of a divided party'
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The beautifully ornate Catholic church in the nation's capital has seen its share of history and controversy. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Chief Justice John Roberts attend Red Mass in 2005. In 1963, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle was the site of John F. Kennedy's funeral. After the service, on the steps outside, the slain president's young son famously saluted his father's memory. But the church is also the site of an annual Mass that has drawn criticism for what many see as an unhealthy mix of politics, the law and religion. Washington's annual Red Mass, which celebrates the legal profession, will be held this year on Sunday, October 4 -- the day before the Supreme Court begins its new term. Several justices traditionally attend, along with congressional leaders, diplomats, cabinet secretaries and other dignitaries. Past presidents have also attended, though there is no word yet on whether President Obama will appear. It is a Catholic service, but power brokers of other faiths are asked to attend the invitation-only event. Justice Stephen Breyer, who is Jewish, is a regular. The Mass "takes its name from the color of the vestments. ... [It] goes back centuries, to Rome, to France to England," Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said. "There was the idea [to] bring all the people who are involved in the law ... once a year so that together, they can simply pray for the wisdom of God." The church, built starting in the 19th century, is considered one of Washington's hidden gems. Tucked between modern office buildings a few blocks from the White House, it is a mix of architectural styles, a hint of ancient Roman style, a splash from the Italian Renaissance and a definite Byzantine flavor. St. Matthew, noted Monsignor Ronald Jameson, was the patron saint of civil servants, appropriate in a city where the federal government dominates the workforce. Five justices attended last year's Red Mass, which was similar in tone to other recent gatherings. Cardinal John Patrick Foley, who has held several prominent positions in the Catholic Church, noted many parts of the Bible "sound very much like American ideals" and reminded the members of the high court to build a society "of justice, of peace and of love." Critics of the service, however, find the attendance of leading decision-makers, including members of the highest court in the land, to be inappropriate. "The truth is, this was set up as a way to basically lecture and give information to the justices," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "There is no other institution that has this special way to talk to the justices on the Supreme Court." The Red Mass was started in Washington in 1952 by the John Carroll Society, a lay Catholic group of prominent lawyers and professionals. Chief Justice John Roberts' wife, Jane, is an officer of the group. Lynn, an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ, noted the Mass was begun after several high court decisions that were disapproved of by the archdiocese. "They figured if they got all the justices together and chatted them up in a worship service, they might be able to convince them to see the law their way," he said. In 1989, a top church official used the occasion of the Mass to call for a return to "religiously based moral values" and lament the "inviolable, impenetrable and towering wall" between church and state. In 1986, Washington Cardinal James Hickey attacked the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. Among those in attendance that year were then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and William Brennan, both Catholics. One member of the court who no longer attends is Ruth Bader Ginsburg who, like Breyer, is Jewish. Ginsberg said she grew tired of being lectured to by Catholic officials. "I went one year, and I will never go again, because this sermon was outrageously anti-abortion," Ginsburg said in the book "Stars of David: Prominent Jews talk About Being Jewish" by author Abigail Pogrebin. "Even the Scalias, although they're much of that persuasion, were embarrassed for me." Six Catholics now sit on the high court: Roberts, Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor. Church officials, however, said they do not attempt to lobby or seek to persuade anyone who attends the service. Wuerl likens the experience to putting aside the partisanship and troubles in the world and seeking comfort in a shared community and a sacred place. Americans have "been very careful about ... not allowing any one tradition or church to become the state church," he said. "But from the very beginning, we've always said we need to hear the voice of faith in all the discussion that is a part of determining what we want to do." Lynn takes a different tack. "I don't think there is any doubt that people in that congregation, including the Supreme Court justices, are going to listen to what is said. They might hear something phrased in a way you might never hear it in the court, but it might become a lingering factor in their decisions. ... People who are concerned about the Red Mass worry about this kind of undue influence, an influence that no other group, religious or otherwise, has on those nine men and women." Their sharply differing perspectives show that, more than two centuries after the Constitution's ratification, the interpretation of the First Amendment and the role of religion in American society remain hotly contested questions. CNN's Elaine Quijano contributed to this report.
Annual Catholic Mass in Washington celebrates the legal profession . It began in 1952; several Supreme Court justices regularly attend . It is touted as a chance for those involved in law to pray for wisdom . Critic says Mass set up to "lecture and give information to the justices"
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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Crew members of the boats that collided in Hong Kong's deadliest maritime disaster in decades may face manslaughter charges, according to the director of public prosecutions, who spoke Wednesday at the preliminary hearing of the commission of inquiry. Thirty nine people, including eight children, were killed after a company-owned boat carrying Hong Kong Electric employees and their families was upended by a regular passenger ferry off Lamma, an outlying island. Revelers had been en route to Victoria Harbor to watch fireworks celebrating China's National Day on October 1. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kevin Zervos, told the commission that he expects police to bring charges as early as next month against the seven crew members arrested from both boats. On Friday, the commission's chairman denied all applications to adjourn the hearing to a later date. Information presented at the public commission of inquiry would unduly influence potential members of the jury, Zervos had argued on Wednesday, requesting the commission postpone hearing evidence related to the cause of the collision. The chairman said that a judge in a criminal trial would instruct the jury to review evidence presented in court and ignore information they had received in any other way. The chairman also rejected applications from lawyers representing the boat operators and crews to adjourn the hearing until next month. They had requested more time to review 30 boxes of government documents, compiled by rescue services, marine officials, and other departments. The commission of inquiry was appointed in October to investigate the causes of the accident, assess safety practices of passenger vessels, and make recommendations to avoid similar incidents. It will not determine civil or criminal liability. The hearing will begin on December 12. The commission is expected to submit its report to the Chief Executive, the city's leader, by April.
Commission of inquiry into Hong Kong's deadliest boat crash in decades held preliminary hearing . Police may charge crew from both boats with manslaughter next month . Commission will not determine civil or criminal liability . Commission expected to deliver report in April .
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Beijing (CNN) -- The Philippines' Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario on Friday ended his visit to China aimed at seeking diplomatic ways for the two nations to resolve the South China Sea dispute. During his two-day visit, del Rosario met with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. The two sides "agreed not to let the maritime disputes affect the broader picture of friendship and cooperation of the two countries," according to a joint statement issued at the end of the visit. "The two sides reaffirmed their commitments to respect and abide by the Declaration of the Conduct of parties of the South China Sea signed by China and the ASEAN member countries in 2002." The two sides agreed to have more high-level visits. They also plan to boost trade and investments, and to cooperate in science and technology, food safety, infrastructure and transportation. President Benigno Aquino III is expected to visit China in late August or early September, the Philippines' officials say. Del Rosario's trip helps pave the way for the president's visit, according to officials. Tension has grown in the resource-rich South China Sea. In June, the Philippines reported increased activities of Chinese vessels in the waters, saying China undermined the regional peace and stability, and infringed the Philippines' sovereignty. The Philippines renamed the South China Sea to the "West Philippine Sea" and removed some Chinese sea markers in disputed waters. China denied the accusation, saying the vessels' activities are "regular activities of patrolling, scientific research" and "survey in the waters under the jurisdiction of China are completely justified and lawful." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urged the Philippines to "stop unilateral actions that impair China's sovereignty as well as maritime rights." Before his trip to China, del Rosario visited Washington and met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. On June 28, the U.S. began an 11-day joint naval exercise with the Philippines in the South China Sea. China says it is not to blame. "If you want to know why there is tension in South China Sea, I think you have to go and ask the country or countries that have made all the provocations," Cui Tiankai, China's vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, told CNN last month. CNN's Lorenzo Ferrigno and Haolan Hong contributed to this report.
Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario visits top officials in China . During his two-day visit, he meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping . He also holds talks with his Chinese counterpart .
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(CNN) -- Bradford City will have one final chapter to write in its fairytale story after defying all the odds to realize its dream of playing in a major final at the iconic Wembley Stadium. Bradford, which plays in the fourth tier of English football, was beaten 2-1 at Premier League Aston Villa Tuesday, but prevailed 4-3 on aggregate to become the first team from its division to reach the final of the League Cup since 1962 . Facing a team worth millions of dollars, it was a collection of players assembled for less than $12,000, which drew on its bravery, courage and no shortage of skill to do the unthinkable. 'Giant-killers' Bradford stun Aston Villa in League Cup . Not since 1911 when it won the FA Cup has Bradford appeared in a major cup final and now it will compete for the previously unimaginable prospect of playing in European competition next season. Either Chelsea or Swansea will provide the opposition on February 24, but thoughts of that can wait while City bask in the glory of a wonderful tale. It is an incredible story for a club which dropped out of the Premier League 12 years ago and disappeared from the higher echelons of the game in frightening fashion. Financial woes and three relegations in six years followed, but the Yorkshire club has now awoken from its slumber and breathed romance into the English game. French minnows triumph . Leading 3-1 against Premier League Aston Villa, a club owned by American businessman Randy Lerner, the visitor fell behind in the 24th minute when Belgian striker Christian Benteke flicked home. But Bradford, which had already defeated Premier League teams Wigan and Arsenal in earlier rounds, refused to be denied. And with 10 minutes of the second half gone, James Hanson headed home a dramatic equalizer to restore his side's overall advantage. Villa, which sits 17th out of 20 in the Premier League, has endured a disappointing season under manager Paul Lambert. It has been thrashed 8-0 by Chelsea, while also suffering home defeats by Tottenham, Wigan and Southampton. Manager Lambert has been under increasing pressure with the threat of relegation continuing to loom on the horizon. But the 1982 European champion was still expected to defeat a Bradford side which is 10th in its own league. Arsenal stunned by fourth tier Bradford . Instead it was City which looked the more likely to win the game outright with Garry Thompson smashing his effort against the crossbar, while Hanson failed to hit the target when well placed. Villa did eventually move back in front in the 89th minute when Andreas Weimann nipped in to fire home, but it was too little, too late, for the home side. Dreamland . "Coming here two goals up we had a great chance," Bradford manager Phil Parkinson told Sky Sports. "In the first half Villa were excellent, but in the second I thought we were excellent and deserved it. "We felt in the first half we didn't pass the ball and in the second we got hold of the ball and had a period of possession. We knew Villa are an attacking team that would leave space for us. "It's dreamland. We said we had a chance to make history and it's absolutely tremendous." Italy . Meanwhile, in Italy, Lazio scored a late goal to claim a 1-1 draw at Juventus in the first leg of its Coppa Italia semifinal. Captain Stefano Mauri scored an 86th minute equalizer to cancel out Federico Peluso's earlier strike. Juventus wasted a whole host of chances with Arturo Vidal hitting a post and Federico Marchetti making a vital clearance off the line. The two teams will meet again in the second leg on January 29.
Minnow Bradford City progresses to League Cup Final . City wins 4-3 on aggregate following 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa . Bradford is first team from fourth-tier to make final since 1962 . Chelsea or Swansea will provide opposition in final .
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The Ocean Drive mansion where Gianni Versace lived and died is to reopen this month as luxury boutique hotel Villa by Barton G. Situated on South Beach in Miami, the five-star property is where the Italian designer was shot dead on its front steps by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in 1997. Reopening fully by the end of March, the 10-suite Villa by Barton G boasts 54-foot 'thousand mosaic' swimming pool lined in 24-carat gold, which was designed by Versace. Boutique hotel: Villa by Barton G is to reopen at Gianni Versace's former mansion on Ocean Drive in Miami . Design marvel: The style of Villa by Barton G is very much in keeping with the lavish tastes of its former owner . Extravagant design: Each of the rooms boasts Egyptian cotton linens, patios and balconies, and Italian marble bathrooms . The hotel promises the 'ultimate sensory experience', with walls of decorative pebble mosaics, lavish frescoed ceilings and meals served on Versace-designed Rosenthal china. Rooms range in size from the Medallion Suite, the smallest at 434sq-ft, overlooking a stunning mosaic at the mansion, to the 1,428sq-ft Venus Suite, which features two private balconies with a view of Ocean Drive, and the Versace-designed swimming pool. Guests can also stay in the designer's former bedroom. The 1,174sq-ft Villa Suite boasts a nine-foot double king-size bed, two balconies, seven custom-made closets and an ornate oversized shower. Each of the guest rooms features king and double-king beds with custom Egyptian cotton linens, goose down pillows and duvets, patios and balconies, and Italian marble bathrooms. Casa Casuarina: Versace bought the mansion in 1992, spending £20m on renovations . New start: The The 23,000-square-foot mansion has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and an open-air courtyard . Boutique luxury: The property was bought for £25m by VM South Beach last year . A stay at the boutique hotel also includes access to two private lounges and the villa garden, and guests can enjoy spa services in their bedrooms, at the poolside or on the villa rooftop. Prices for suites start at $795 (£475) per night; the Villa Suite starts from $2,200 (£1,315) per night, with all prices exclusive of breakfast. The hotel is expected to attract VIPs, with Kim Kardashian pictured waving from one of its balconies last week, as one of the first celebrities invited to stay at the newly opened venue. Originally called Casa Casuarina, the gated mansion was purchased by VM South Beach for $41.5m (£25m) in September 2013. The company's principals include the Nakash family of New York, which owns American clothes company Jordache Enterprises. At the time, Joe Nakash, chairman of Jordache Enterprises, said he would retain all the vestiges of Versace's time in South Beach in the 1990s. Last month, Villa by Barton G launched its new Mediterranean restaurant Il Sole - Italian for 'The Sun'. Expansion: The home was remodelled by Versace after he fell in love with the property . History: Though the Versace family hasn't owned the oceanfront mansion since 2000, auctioneers hoped the designer's legacy would attract potential buyers . Renowned Miami chef Scott Linquist and pastry chef Luis Vasquez oversee the menu, which features dishes served on Versace-designed Rosenthal china, including fish flown in daily from Honolulu. 'We are certain that under the innovative and expert culinary guidance of Chefs Linquist and Vasquez, and the pleasure of working with the Nakash Family, Il Sole will define itself as an exciting new entry into the arena of South Florida dining,' Scott said. The mansion has been officially named Casa Casuarina for more than a decade, operating first as a private club and then as a boutique hotel until it closed last year. But locals still refer to it as 'the Versace mansion'. The designer bought a neglected three-story, Mediterranean-style home, originally built in 1930 by Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman, and a dilapidated hotel next door in 1992 and spent $33m (£20m) on renovations. The 23,000-square-foot mansion has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and an open-air courtyard.
Villa by Barton G boasts 54-foot 'thousand mosaic' Versace-designed pool . Prices for one night in a villa suite start at £1,315 (EXCLUDING breakfast) Guests can stay in the Italian designer's former bedroom with nine-foot bed .
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By . Richard Hartley-parkinson . PUBLISHED: . 08:23 EST, 21 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:41 EST, 21 March 2012 . The 50p tax rate for high earners will be cut in 2013 to 45p and again, finances permitting, to 40p in 2014 . The controversial 50p tax rate for people earning more than £150,000 will be scrapped, George Osborne announced today. The cut will affect just 328,000 people and is expected to cost the government somewhere in the region of £400million. It means top earners will now pay 45p in tax for each pound they earn over £150,000. When Labour introduced the tax it was expected to raise £3bn for the Treasury but it has in fact raised just one-third of the forecast figure. Outlining the Budget for the next . year, Mr Osborne said the cut would be financed by changes in stamp . duty, the general anti-avoidance tax rule and a 'tycoon tax'. Mr Osborne said: 'No Chancellor can justify a tax rate that damages our economy and raises next to nothing. It is as simple as that. 'And thanks to the other new taxes on the rich I've announced today, we'll be getting five times more money each and every year from the wealthiest in our society. 'So the richest pay more. The economy benefits. Britain is competitive again.' Mr Miliband told Mr Osborne that voters would wonder which planet he and Prime Minister David Cameron are on. The Labour leader also challenged Cabinet ministers to raise their hands if they would personally benefit from cutting the 50p tax rate. Quoting back one of the Government's favourite mantras to promote transparency, he urged them: 'Sunlight is the best disinfectant. 'Just nod if you're going to benefit from it, or shake your head if you're not. Come on, we've got plenty of time.' How much higher rate earners will pay under the 45p rate compared with the 50p rate . He said the Chancellor's 'driving ambitions' for the Budget were 'to deliver a tax cut for people earning over £150,000'. Mr Miliband added: 'How can the priority for our country be an income tax cut for the richest 1 per cent at a time when the squeezed middle are facing rising petrol prices, higher energy bills and tax credits and child benefit being cut? 'Think of what you could have done with the money.' Mr Miliband said Mr Osborne's growth plan had failed, adding: 'Unemployment is rising month upon month upon month. You promised us last year the deficit would be gone by the end of the Parliament, but today you admit you're borrowing over £150billion more than you said you would.' Dominic Swords from Henley Business School said: 'Unwinding that 50p down to 45p will have a bigger cost to total tax than he is expecting. Clearly it's a political decision that he's taken to be seen as the champion of enterprise. 'The net effect of the economics of it is a Robin Hood who is taking from the very wealthy to give to the quite wealthy.' The changes to stamp duty, which is a new 7per cent rate on homes worth more than £2m, will raise something like £500m alone. The . government has insisted that it was essential to slash the top rate in . order to build an enterprising economy, attract foreign investment and . generate growth. Ahead . of today's Budget, insiders said he believes there is a brief ‘window of . opportunity’ to ditch the tax before the election run-in. George Osborne outlined changes to the 50p tax rate today which had met with some resistance from Lib Dem coalition colleagues such as Simon Hughes who said the issue was not one of his party's priorities . The 50p tax, brought in by Labour, raised just a few hundred million pounds rather than the £2.5billion initially estimated. According to an ITV News-ComRes poll before today's Budget, 46 per cent of people were against the cutting of the 50p top tax rate while 31 per cent were in favour. The coalition have in recent days comes to an agreement over slashing to top rate, with the Lib Dems supporting it, as long as it came hand-in-hand with other measures to ensure the rich paid more tax. Simon Hughes, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, told the BBC on Monday that the issue was not one of the his party's priorities. 'We have our priority to make sure people at the top end of the income scale pay more and our priority is not to take tax rates down from the top,' he said. 'Our manifesto promise with which we went to the country was to lift people out of tax at the bottom by closing loopholes at the top. 'We did not say hang on to the 50p tax rate, or have a top tax rate at anything else.' Tax take: The chart above shows how individuals tax bills rise with their income. The bottom line is on current tax bands, while the top is inflation-adjusted with late 1970s tax bands . The Chancellor had faced continued unease from his . own benches over the cut in the tax rate which they believe is an . inefficient means of generating revenue. Backbencher . Jesse Norman said: 'I do think that the possibility of cutting the top . rate is a concern. I don't think people will understand that this is . being done in order to raise more money. 'The . idea I don't think is going to get across without an enormous amount of . communication,' he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One yesterday. Labour described the cut in the 50p rate as a 'wrong priority' that demonstrated 'just how out of touch this Government is'.
Rate for high earners will fall to 45p in 2013 . Loss of government revenue expected to be in the region of £400m . That will be offset by changes to stamp duty that would raise around £500m . Ed Miliband questioned how Cameron and Osborne could justify prioritising the richest 1 per cent of the country . Henley Business School: The 45p rate is 'taking from the very wealthy to give to the quite wealthy'
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By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 11:39 EST, 4 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:40 EST, 4 September 2012 . We have all gone to lengths to avoid people we don't like - but it appears a group of tigers in Nepal have adopted a 'night shift' to better co-exist with their human neighbors. The lives of the tigers and people of Chitwan National Park fly in the face of long-held convictions in conservation circles - both sharing exactly the same space, including the same roads and trails . Jianguo Liu, director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability,  and PhD student Neil Carter spent two seasons setting motion-detecting cameras to observe tigers, . their prey and people who walk the roads and trails of Chitwan, both in . and around the park. Chitwan, nestled in a valley of the Himalayas, is . home to about 121 tigers, while people live on the park's borders, but rely on . the forests for ecosystem services such as wood and grasses. The Chitwan National Park is home to elephants, rhinos, leopards and tigers - and people who live among the wildlife . 'Captured by the lens': PhD student Neil Carter set up multiple cameras to monitor tigers around the Nepal site . The local Chinese population also use the same routes through the forest, but both species seem to function fine on different 'shifts' The roads also are used by military patrols to . thwart would-be poachers, and all who venture on the dirt roads and narrow footpaths are 'snared' on Carter's . digital memory cards. Carter's analysis of the thousands of images show that people and tigers . are walking the same paths, albeit at different times. Tigers typically . move around at all times of the day and night, monitoring their . territory, mating and hunting. But in the study area, Carter and his . colleagues discovered that the tigers had become creatures of the night. The camera's infrared lights document a pronounced shift toward . nocturnal activity. People in Nepal generally avoid the forests at . night. Essentially, quitting time for people signals starting time for . Chitwan's tigers. Student Neil Carter on the trail: His cameras allowed remote monitoring of users of the path . So far, it appears tiger population numbers are . holding steady despite an increase in human population size. 'It's a very fundamental conflict over resources,' Carter said. 'Tigers . need resources, people need the same resources. If we operate under the . traditional wisdom that tigers only can survive with space dedicated . only for them, there would always be conflict. 'If your priority is . people, tigers lose out. If your priority is tigers, people lose out.' But he added: 'Conditions for tigers in Chitwan are good. 'Prey numbers . are high, forests outside the park are regenerating, and poaching of . tigers and their prey is relatively low. 'However, people of different . stripes, including tourists and local residents, frequent the forests of . Chitwan. 'Tigers need to use the same space as people if they are to . have a viable long-term future. What we're learning in Chitwan is that . tigers seem to be adapting to make it work. 'There appears to be a middle ground where you might actually be able to . protect the species at high densities and give people access to forest . goods they need to live. 'If that's the case, then this . can happen in other places, and the future of tigers is much brighter . than it would be otherwise.'
Tigers are active night and day - but appear to have changed patterns on Chitwan National Park, Nepal . Researchers say this 'middle-ground' works both for humans and tigers in the area .
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(CNN) -- Who needs Fourth of July fireworks when you have Joan Rivers around? The comedian known for her lack of self-censoring recently officiated a same-sex wedding and was asked by a photographer if she believed the United States would ever see the first gay or female president. Her response was typical Rivers. "We already have it with Obama, so let's just calm down," she said. "You know Michelle (Obama) is a trans." When asked to further explain Rivers said, "A transgender. We all know it." A representative for Rivers released the following statement to CNN from the comic about her remarks to the photographer: . "I think it's a compliment. She's so attractive, tall, with a beautiful body, great face, does great makeup. Take a look and go back to La Cage Au Follies (sic). The most gorgeous women are transgender. Stop it already ... and if you want to talk about 'politically correct,' I think this is a 'politically incorrect' attack on me because I'm old, Jewish, a woman and a 'hetty' -- a heteosexual ... and I plan to sue the reporter who, when he turned off his camera, tried to touch me inappropriately on the a** - luckily he hit my ankle. Read the book ... if you think that's silly, wait to (sic) you see what I say about FDR and Eleanor!" Rivers is no stranger to controversy. In March 2013 she refused to apologize for a joke she made about the dress "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum wore to the Academy Awards. "The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens," Rivers said while appearing on the E! channel's "Fashion Police" show. The Anti-Defamation League slammed Rivers, calling the remark "vulgar and hideous," but she said it was her way of getting people to talk. "It's a joke, No. 1. No. 2 it is about the Holocaust," she told HLN's "Showbiz Tonight. "This is the way I remind people about the Holocaust. I do it through humor." Of course, this latest dust-up coincides with Rivers' book, "Diary of a Mad Diva," which was released on July 1. Rivers' representative told CNN, "These are all funny jokes. The book is hysterical. The prologue says if anyone takes anything in the book seriously (he or she) is an idiot. And (Rivers) says if anyone has a problem with that, they can feel free to call her lawyer Clarence Darrow." Gary Oldman: Still apologizing, this time on Kimmel . Celebrity apologies: The good, bad and uncomfortable . CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this report .
Photographer asks Rivers if United States will have a gay president . Rivers says U.S. already has transgender first lady, Michelle Obama . In a statement to CNN, Rivers calls it a compliment .
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By . Snejana Farberov . Two teenage girls from West Virginia who were handed lengthy prison sentences last year in the stabbing death of their best friend had repeatedly claimed they killed 16-year-old Skylar Neese simply because they didn't like her anymore. But the contents of Skylar’s personal diary suggest that the straight-A student may have known a salacious secret about her two friends and was threatening to reveal it. Rachel Shoaf, along with her friend Sheila Eddy, lured Neese out of her house in July 2012, before stabbing her multiple times and hiding her body in a Pennsylvania wood. Did she know too much? It has been suggested that Skylar Neese, 16 (left), was killed in 2012 by her friends Sheila Eddy and Rachel Shoef (right) because they feared she would tell about their lesbian tryst . 'Dark secret': Skylar allegedly wrote in her diary (pictured) that during a sleepover in her house she walked in on Sheila and Rachel having sex together . Taunt: In June 2012, Skylar sent out this tweet, possibly reminding her friends that she knew about their sexual relationship . Skylar may have sealed her fate with a couple of tweets alluding to a secret she had been keeping . It was not until six months later that the accomplices finally confessed to the savage murder and led officers to the remote location where Skylar's body had been concealed. When interviewed by police, Rachel, a high school drama star, told investigators that she and Sheila stabbed Skylar to death because they no longer liked her as a friend. But according to a new book 'Pretty Little Killers,' which details the horrific murder, the girls may have been scared that Skylar was planning to out them as a lesbian couple. The lesbian affair theory has been detailed by the authors of the new book 'Pretty Little Killers' This theory was repeated on Friday's episode of 20/20 on ABC dedicated to the shocking case. In her diary obtained by authors Daleen Berry and Geoffrey Fuller, Skylar Neese reportedly wrote in graphic detail about walking in on Sheila and Rachel having sex during a sleepover in her home. And in the weeks after the incident, the 16-year-old University High student apparently made sure her friends were aware that she knew their secret. 'Just know I know,' Skylar tweeted on one occasion, while on another she wrote about her desire to tell 'everything' to everyone - if she thought she could get away with it. However, neither Skylar’s parents nor police investigators have embraced the idea that Shoef and Eddy murdered Skylar in cold blood just to stop her from speaking out about their alleged sexual tryst. Mary Neese, Skylar’s mother, told ABC’s 20/20 that her daughter had many gay and lesbian friends, and she would not have taunted  someone because of their sexual preference. On their part, investigators involved in the case got the impression from their interactions with Shoef and Eddy that the teens stabbed Neese ‘for the thrill of it’ and to see if they could get away with murder. When they finally confessed to the crime long after Skylar's disappearance, the two accomplices said they had planned the friend's murder in science class, discussing in detail which weapon to use and where to hide the body. Before that fateful night on July 6, Shoef and Eddy bought cleaning supplies and tools for digging. The girls then stashed several knives in their hooded sweatshirts and drove to Skylar's home, according to police. Eddy and Shoaf . lured Skylar out of her ground-floor bedroom in Star City and took her . to a secluded spot across state lines to Pennsylvania. Dismayed: Skylar's parents, Mary and Dave Neese, said in the days after their daughter's disappearance, Sheila came to their house looking distraught and asked to sit in her friend's room . All smiles: This photo was allegedly taken just a day after the murder showing Rachel (right) looking carefree at the beach with a friend . The . trio spent some time smoking marijuana in the woods. When Skylar got up to grab a lighter, Shoef and Eddy trailed her with knives at the ready, and . on count three they began stabbing her. The 16-year-old tried to run away, by Rachel tackled her to the ground, and one of the teens then slashed her jugular vein. All along, the . plan was to bury Skylar's body, but the ground proved too hard. So, according to authorities, the girls covered their murdered former friend . with branches and left her in a wooded area for months. As Skylar's distraught parents, police and the entire community were frantically searching for the missing girl, Sheila kept up a disturbingly normal social media presence. On July 7, 2012, just a day after she and Shoaf killed Miss Neese, Eddy tweeted a 'happy birthday' message to a friend. Eddy kept up a steady stream of . tweets about watching Law And Order on TV, doing homework and going to . parties, according to the new episode of ABC's 20/20 that aired Friday. She . also tweeted about how close her friendship was with Shoaf, writing: . 'no one on this earth can handle me and rachel is you think you can . you're wrong.' But away . from social media, Sheila played the role of a heartbroken friend, . going to the Neeses' home to spend time with her parents. In retrospect, what stood out – and . horrified - Skylar’s parents the most is the time when Eddy came over and asked . to sit on the missing girl’s bed. Tribute: Sheila Eddy posted this tribute to Skylar Neese (on the left in each photo) on Twitter in March 2013 before being arrested for her murder . Eddy posted this message months after she and friend Rachel Shoaf murdered 16-year-old Skylar Neese . In the 20/20 interview, Mrs Neese . described how her daughter’s killer wept in Skylar’s room. The mother even sat down next to her and comforted her, gently rubbing her back. ‘Oh my Lord, and we believed that garbage,’ Mrs Neese said. Dave Neese added: ‘Skylar trusted those two little witches and it cost her life.’ When . investigators questioned the Neeses about their daughter’s circle of . friends, Dave Neese asked police to leave Sheila alone. From one . police interview to the next, Shoef and Eddy repeated the same version . of events, insisting that they did not take Skylar on a ride away from . Star City on the night the went missing. The first clue came when police obtained surveillance . video from the night of July 6 showing Sheila's car driving away from the town towards the Pennsylvania border, which directly contracted Shoef and . Eddy’s perfectly rehearsed story. Sheila Eddy volunteered to take a . lie detector test, which police said she failed. When it was Rachel’s . turn to face the polygraph, the high school drama star jumped out of her . father’s moving car on the way to the test. Cold-hearted: The girls told police they just didn't like Skylar anymore . Duplicity: Mary and Dave Neese welcomed Sheila Eddy into their home after Skylar's disappearance and even comforted her as she sobbed in her 'friend's room . Meanwhile, the Neese . family and the girls’ friends started putting pressure on the duo to . come clean about the night of Skyler’s disappearance. In January 2013, six months . after Skyler vanished without a trace, 16-year-old Rachel had a nervous . breakdown and had to be sent to a psychiatric hospital. Upon her . release, she headed straight to police. ‘The first words out of her mouth were, ‘”We stabbed her,”’ an investigator working the missing person case recalled. A few days later, Sheila Eddy was back on Twitter, posting messages about watching her favorite TV shows. In March, authorities announced that the remains found belonged to Skylar Neese. Even then, Eddy was still keeping up the act. She posted a picture montage of the girls together with the message: 'Rest easy Skylar, you’ll ALWAYS be my best friend.' She then tweeted that it was the 'worst day of my whole life'. For a time, Eddy refused to cooperate with the investigation. Police decided to . put a wire on Rachel hoping to incriminate her accomplice, but Sheila . said nothing during their encounter. Eddy tweeted this message shortly before her arrest for the murder of Skylar Neese. Fellow murderer Rachel Shoaf had already admitted to police that the girl's decided to count to three and then stab the 16-year-old . Eddy posted a stream of inane messages to her Twitter account in the months after she fatally stabbed her 'best friend' Skylar Neese . Eddy posted happy birthday greetings to a friend the day after she and Shoaf murdered Skylar Neese and left her body in the woods . Days after Rachel Shoaf admitted to killing her friend Skylar Neese along with Eddy, the latter was back on Twitter posting messages about TV . A break in the case came when police officers found traces of blood in Sheila . Eddy’s car. A DNA test confirmed the blood was Skylar’s. That same day, Eddy was arrested in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in front of her mother. On March 30, 2013, just before she was taken into custody, Eddy tweeted: 'We really did go on three.' Eddy pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced in January to life as part of a plea agreement that makes her eligible for parole after 15 years. Shoaf, 17, pleaded guilty last May to second-degree murder in the July 2012 slaying. She'll be eligible for parole after 10 years. During . her sentencing, a tearful Rachel read a statement from the stand . apologizing to Skylar’s parents, but Mary and Dave Neese did not believe . a word she said. Rachel Shoaf pleaded guilty to murdering her friend Skylar Neese in July 2012 for no apparent reason other than she didn't want to be friends with her anymore. She was sentenced to 30 years in March (pictured) Sheila Eddy, pictured in court in October, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her friend in March this year . ‘You don’t apologize for murdering somebody in cold blood,‘ the father told 20/20. Eddy refused to address the court . other than to say 'guilty' - something that Mr Neese found 'unacceptable' at the time. Dave Neese now only has one thing to say to his daughter’s killers: ‘Rot in hell.’ Sheila and Rachel could be released from prison on good behavior by the time they are in their 30s.
Rachel Shoaf, 17, of Morgantown, West Virginia and her friend, Sheila Eddy, lured 16-year-old Skylar Neese from home, stabbed her to death and dumped her body in the Pennsylvania woods . Shoaf told police they committed the July 2012 murder 'because they didn't want to be friends with Skylar anymore' Skylar Nesse wrote in her journal she had seen Sheila and Rachel have sex at a sleepover . The 16-year-old honor student wrote tweets alluding to a secret she had been keeping prior to her death . Eddy kept up a stream of inane tweets following the brutal murder, wishing friends happy birthday and chatting about TV . In November 2012, Eddy tweeted: 'No one on this earth can handle me and rachel if you think you can you're wrong'
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By . Sophie Jane Evans . A . couple who allegedly left their nine-month-old baby to drown in the bath wept in court yesterday as they were accused of failing in the 'most basic of . parental responsibilities'. Emma Oliver, 22, was washing her daughter Daisy Anderson in a small tub placed in the bath at home in New Moston, Manchester, when she decided to go round to a neighbour's for a chat. She reportedly left Daisy's father Dale Anderson, 25, to take care of the baby as she walked round to the terraced house next door to theirs. Tragic: Daisy Anderson drowned after being left alone in the bath at her home in Manchester, a court heard . Standing trial: Emma Oliver (left), 22, was washing her daughter in the bath on September 24, 2012. She then reportedly decided to round to a neighbour's house for a chat, leaving Dale Anderson (right), 25, in charge . But minutes after he began bathing his daughter, Anderson allegedly realised there were no clean nappies or towels in the bathroom, so he left the room and started searching downstairs. However, when he returned, he discovered the baby was lying face-down in the water and not breathing, the court heard. In desperation, Anderson is believed to have placed Daisy on a bed of teddy bears, before performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her. Meanwhile, Oliver, who had returned to the house, reportedly ran back to her neighbour's to call an ambulance. Couple: After he began bathing his daughter, Anderson allegedly realised there were no clean nappies in the bathroom, so he started searching downstairs. Above, the couple are pictured together before the incident . But despite the best efforts of paramedics and doctors, Daisy was pronounced dead in hospital later that day. Now, Anderson and Oliver have appeared at Manchester Crown Court charged with child neglect. Yesterday, . the court heard that Anderson had been left alone with Daisy while . Oliver chatted to their neighbour about schools on the morning of . September 24, 2012. The couple are alleged to have crossed each other . on the stairs as Oliver left the bathroom to walk next door, leaving their daughter unattended for the first time that day. Arriving at court: But when Anderson returned, he discovered his baby daughter was lying face-down in the water and not breathing, the court heard. Above, Oliver and Anderson are pictured arriving at court yesterday . Parents: Anderson attempts to shield Oliver's face as they arrive at court with an unnamed male companion . Paramedics . were alerted to Daisy's fate at around 10.40am and arrived at the house . within two minutes of the call, where they reported that the baby was . not breathing. They took the baby to North Manchester Children’s Hospital, where doctors tried desperately to revive her. However, she had already gone into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead two hours later. David Temkin, prosecuting, told the jury at Manchester Crown Court: 'There is no doubt that this case is extremely sad. 'Nobody . in this room could fail to be moved by hearing about the death of a . baby. You must try your very best to deal with this case as coolly and . calmly as you can. 'The prosecution’s case is that each of these defendants failed in their duties as parents towards this young girl. 'The . first and most devastating way was that they each left the child . unattended in the bath. Not for long, but long enough for tragedy to . strike. 'The second way is that these defendants failed in their parental duties because of the state of their home. 'The prosecution’s case is that they failed to ensure that the home was safe enough, clean enough and hygienic enough to be suitable for bringing up a child.' The court . heard that police had started investigating Oliver and Anderson for . child neglect after officers noticed the 'dirty and unhygenic' state of their house while Daisy and her parents were in hospital. Neighbours . had been so worried about the state of the couple’s home that they had . started hoovering and tidying up the mess before the police arrived, the jury heard. Tributes: David Temkin, prosecuting, told the jury at Manchester Crown Court: 'There is no doubt that this case is extremely sad'. Above, teddies and floral tributes are left outside Oliver and Anderson's home in Manchester . But police officers quickly halted the clean-up operation and . noted the house had dirty nappies lying around, food on a high chair, . dirty dishes covered in congealed food, damp clothing on the floor and . dirty bed clothes on the cot. In an interview with officers, Oliver and Anderson were asked whether an 'accident' had occurred, to which they reportedly replied that Daisy had just ‘stopped breathing’ moments earlier - . making no reference to the bath. Mr Temkin said it was ‘perfectly clear’ each of the defendants had ‘loved and cherished’ Daisy, and felt ‘deep sadness at their loss’. Denial: Anderson and Oliver (pictured) have appeared at Manchester Crown Court charged with child neglect. They deny the charges . But he added: 'It’s not a case about intentional cruelty - it’s a case about serious failings in the most basic of parental responsibility.' Mr Temkin told the court that Anderson had known that his partner had left the house to chat with a neighbour that morning. 'Mr Anderson went into the bathroom and carried on bathing her but after a time realised there was no towels or nappies in the room,' he said. 'He went out of the bathroom and left the child unattended. 'He went downstairs to get what was needed. It is not precisely clear how long he was out for but when he got back he saw Daisy was lying down facing the water. He took her out and tried to revive her with mouth to mouth. As he was doing that Miss Oliver returned. 'She knocked on the front door to be let in. Mr Anderson left the child again to let her in. He told her what had happened.' '[Oliver] was at the house for about 20 minutes because I was just doing general cleaning. It was general chitchat - we were all going to put the kids names down at school local to us,' she said. 'She didn’t mention where Daisy was and I didn’t have any concerns. 'She had one back to get her coat to go the school and I was washing the pots when I saw her run passed the kitchen window. She came into my house and said Daisy’s not breathing. She said "phone an ambulance". She was panicking and my first instinct was to follow her out.' She added: 'I saw Dale trying to resuscitate the baby and I rang for an ambulance. Emma moved Daisy into the kitchen and I told her to put her down flat. She put her down in the living room. Dale punched the wall and another neighbour tried to help.' Miss Sutton said a 999 operator had given her CPR instructions as both parents tried to revive her and neighbours gathered. 'Everybody was just in panic mode - we all had the same interest at heart, to help Daisy,' she said. 'The paramedic arrived and said I had done amazing and that’s when I filled up and got as lump in my throat because it all hit home and the reality sunk in. She added: 'Emma was a good mum - she looked after her daughter. Daisy was always dressed nicely and Emma put her first. She would go without for Daisy.' Paramedic Philip Ogden told the jury: 'When I arrived at the house, I noticed the hallway was very messy, clothes and toys were scatted and I had to step over things. 'I walked into the living room and there was quite a few people there. I saw the baby girl was undressed and appeared to be dry. 'Her father appeared to be doing CPR. I asked what had happened and was told she had just stopped breathing a few minutes before the call was made. I asked if there had been any untoward incident at all. They said there hadn’t. ‘I asked a couple of times if there had been any illnesses or accidents that would explain the situation. But I was told she had just stopped breathing moments earlier.' Oliver eventually told nursing staff at the hospital what had happened, the court heard. Oliver and Anderson deny two counts of child neglect. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Emma Oliver, 22, was washing nine-month-old Daisy Anderson in the bath . Then 'went to neighbour's for a chat, leaving Dale Anderson, 25, in charge' But while bathing daughter, Anderson realised there were no clean nappies . Left Daisy as he went downstairs at Manchester home to search for some . When he returned, he found baby lying face-down in water, not breathing . Daisy pronounced dead in hospital two hours later on September 24, 2012 . Oliver and Anderson have denied child neglect at Manchester Crown Court .
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Argentina today hit back at ‘verbal attacks’ David Cameron over the future of the Falkland Islands, insitsing the threat of British military action no longer inspires fear. Hector Timerman, Argentina’s foreign minister, accused the UK of behaving in ‘an aggressive fashion’ and having ‘no moral authority’ to lay claim to the Falklands. And he vowed that Argentina will continue to battle to reclaim what it calls the Malvinas, dismissing Britain as the ‘lion roars but does not inspire fear any more’. Attack: Argentina's foreign minister Hector Timerman dismissed threats of military action from Britain as he vowed to step up claims to the Falklands . Tensions between London and Buenos Aires escalated in 2013, despite a referendum of Falklanders in March showing 99.7 per cent wanting to remain a UK overseas territory. The death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who sent warships the South Atltanic after Argentina invaded in 1982, renewed speculation about whether the UK could mount a similar military defence today. In a Christmas message, David Cameron vowed to counter Argentine claims to the Falklands and attempts to inflict damage on the islands’ economy, adding: ‘Britain will always be ready to defend the Falkland Islands.’ But in a 1,900-word newspaper article entitled 'A peaceful struggle', Mr Timerman claimed the message appeared to forget ‘the peace message that Christmas should inspire’. Argentina's Hector Timerman . Writing in Argentine newspaper PAGINA 12, he accused Britain of flouting international law, issuing counter-productive threats and refusing to enter into negotiations over the future of the islands. And he in a provocative assessment of Britain’s military capability to defend the islands, he added: ‘The verbal and military threats of the colonial power will continue to be met with Argentina’s demand for respect for international law and for UN resolutions. ‘In other words, the United Kingdom’s refusal to sit down at the negotiating table is compelling evidence that, in the question of the Malvinas Islands, the lion roars but does not inspire fear any more.’ Provocative: Mr Timerman dismissed military and verbal threats from the UK, insisting Argentina would use international law to reclaim the what it calls the Malvinas . The article was published to mark the anniversary of Britain reclaiming the Falklands on 3 January 1833. Mr Timerman added: ‘This day, 3 January 2014, marks a new anniversary of the usurpation by Great Britain of Argentina’s Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. ‘A total of approximately 3 million square kilometres that belongs to the Argentine people and the deprivation of which impairs Argentina’s territorial integrity.’ Defiant: David Cameron used his Christmas message to the Falklands to insist Britain would always defend the islands' interests . He even claimed that despite an . ‘escalation of verbal attacks by British officials’, support for . Argentina’s claims to the Falkland have ‘received renewed and vigorous . support the world over, including in Britain’. Argentina last year invoked new laws to punish oil firms seeking to exploit oil fields in the seas around the islands. Mr Timerman said it was designed to ‘prevent foreign powers from continuing to plunder the resources existing in the land and maritime areas illegally occupied for over 180 years now’. But the British Foreign Office insisted the activities were 'wholly legitimate and legal' and entirely under the control of the Government of the island - a British overseas territory. In his festive message Mr Cameron said 2013 would be remembered as a ‘momentous year’ in the history of the Falkland Islands. The referendum sent a clear message that the ‘Falkland Islands are British through and through and ‘the rest of the world has a fundamental duty to respect and honour what you have said so clearly’. Mr Cameron added: ‘We look to 2014, you can count on the British government’s continued support in countering the Argentine government’s campaign to claim the Islands’ resources and to inflict damage on your economy. ‘The British government will remain steadfast in its commitment to your sovereignty and security. ‘The Argentine government will never succeed in any attempt to misrepresent the history of your Islands or question your right to self-determination. Britain will always be ready to defend the Falkland Islands.’
Foreign minister Hector Timerman brushes aside UK's rhetoric . Claims 2013 saw growing support for Argentina's claim to islands . David Cameron used Christmas message to vow to support islanders . Tensions have mounted after referendum and row over drilling for oil .
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By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 13:15 EST, 18 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:47 EST, 18 February 2013 . WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT . Television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has added fresh squirrel to the menu of one of his restaurants. Grey squirrel braised in a tomato and red wine sauce is being served up to customers at River Cottage Canteen in Plymouth, Devon. The unusual dish comes as the food world is still reeling from the horsemeat scandal but its inclusion on the menu conforms to Fearnley-Whittingstall's belief in promoting wild food from sustainable sources. Scroll down for video . The squirrels are marinated with red wine and juniper berries for 24 hours to give the meat flavour . River Cottage is serving up grey squirrel braised in a tomato and red wine sauce . The squirrels were shot at River Cottage headquarters at Park Farm on the Devon-Dorset border and were prepared by sous-chef Andy Richardson. He says the meat has a gamey flavour, similar to rabbit. Grey squirrel is plentiful and widely regarded as a pest by both farmers and growers and conservationists but it has yet to catch on as a delicacy among foodies. 'It will be interesting to see how the guests react to it, because it is nice for us to offer something different,' said front of house manager Marie Mitchell. Sustainable: Sous chef Andy Richardson, left, says the squirrel dish shows River Cottage does not play safe but its inclusion also conforms to found Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's, right, belief in promoting wild food . Seven squirrels were shot at River Cottage and it took chef Andy Richardson an hour and a half to butcher them . It took Mr Richardson an hour and a half to butcher the seven squirrels, yielding a modest amount of meat. He said: 'You'd need one and a half squirrels for a main course. That's why we are serving it as starters.' The sous chef adapted a recipe for braised rabbit from Hugh's Meat book, using squirrel in its place. The squirrel joints are marinated with . red wine and juniper berries for 24 hours, both to tenderise the meat . and to give it flavour. They . are then cooked very slowly with root vegetables and onions in red wine . and tinned Italian tomatoes until the meat is tender. The chef says squirrels have a gamey flavour and the recipe was adapted from one for rabbits . Appetising: The grey squirrel does not give much meat and one and a half animals are needed for a main course . Although they are only being used as a starter now, Mr Richardson says they could feature on the menu again in the autumn when the squirrels are more plump. He said: 'That is when they are at their heaviest, after they have been eating nuts and fruit all summer. 'You're meant to eat squirrel in the late summer or autumn, because that's when they are at their heaviest.' He said the inclusion of squirrel also silences critics who say the menu at River Cottage is 'too safe'. The joints are cooked with root vegetables and onions in red wine and tinned Italian tomatoes .
The squirrels are shot at River Cottage and served used as starters . They are braised in tomato and red wine and cooked with root vegetables . Sous chef Andy Richardson says it shows they are willing to take risks .
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(CNN) -- It never fails, put out a list of favorite whatevers and it will ignite a firestorm of flaming opinions. What sparked the frenzy this time? A list of five cool destinations for airplane geeks and roto heads -- um, I mean aviation enthusiasts. Honestly no list is ever going to satisfy this crowd. Everyone has their OWN list, as shown by CNN commenters who wrote questions like, "What about Oshkosh?" "Don't forget San Diego." "Hey, check out what they have at Oregon's Evergreen." Their energy and excitement punched through the page, proof of the passion that powers aviation fans, including the closet geeks who fly under the radar. Related story: These people really love to fly . Indiana . Some of the comments yielded the unexpected. About three hours southeast of Chicago, there's a big surprise in the tiny town of Peru, Indiana -- population 11,417. CNN commenter lastdomino pointed out Grissom Air Museum as an "off-the beaten path gem." Indeed you are correct, lastdomino! This gem has three aircraft crown jewels: . --An F-102 variant trainer jet called the TF-102A that was flown by a young Air National Guardsman by the name of George W. Bush, according to museum officials. --A sharp F-100C Super Sabre fighter plane that the museum says was formerly piloted by some guy named Neil Armstrong. Later, he went on to be the first man to walk on the moon. --A World War II-era B-25J bomber named Passionate Paulette, which you may have already seen -- if you've ever watched the classic 1970 film "Catch-22." "If you're ever close ... definitely worth the trip," lastdomino wrote. The place where dead airplanes come back to life . Ohio . To the east of Indiana near Dayton, Ohio, lies the aviation museum that rivals the Smithsonian, and which some say surpasses it. An avalanche of CNN comments raved about the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum because of its location at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Not to oversell it, but this place bills itself as "the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum." CNN commenter Mark Swanson showed his enthusiasm when he wrote: "You need to get to the presidential exhibit hangar at the Air Force Museum in Dayton to see the cool stuff. We've been everywhere else, like Pima [Air & Space Museum] and AMARG, [aka The Boneyard], but this hangar is mecca for all true believers in the First Church of Aircraft Worship." The star of the exhibit Swanson is referring to is a Boeing VC-137C called SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000. It's safe to say this is one of the most historic aircraft in the world. It's the jet that served as Air Force One for President Kennedy's 1963 trip to Cold War Berlin, where he made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. It's the aircraft where Lyndon Johnson took the presidential oath of office after Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. It's the plane that ferried President Nixon to Beijing in 1972 to open U.S.-Chinese relations, triggering events that still affect us. Not enough White House for ya? This place also houses planes that flew Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Other aircraft include the downright weird XF-85 Goblin, a stubby little so-called "parasite fighter" developed to protect bombers after World War II. Wisconsin . Commenter XR1138 clearly loves the famous airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As a teen, XR watched aviation hall of famer Clarence "Bud" Anderson perform "the most incredible display of piloting skill and energy management that I have ever seen and probably will never see again." Officially, it's called 2012 AirVenture Oshkosh. It started as a gathering of 150 people and a handful of airplanes in 1953 and has blown up as one of sport aviation's top-drawer events, attracting more than a half-million visitors each year, according to its website. This year the airshow is set for July 23-29, and as usual, more than 10,000 spectacular aircraft from around the globe are expected to fly in for the Badger State's world-famous aerial celebration. "I personally met ["miracle on the Hudson" pilot] Capt. Sully [Sullenberger], [legendary test pilot] Chuck Yeager, and [Apollo 13 commander] Jim Lovell at AirVenture 2011," posted commenter NoKidding111. "Hope all you fellow 'airplane geeks' can make it.  If you haven't been - you WILL NOT regret it." California and Oregon . Two suggestions from CNN commenters were destinations on the West Coast. San Diego Air & Space Museum boasts one of only five Convair YF2Y-1 Sea Darts ever produced. What sets the Sea Dart apart? Waterskiis! This unusual figher jet was designed as the "first combat-type plane equipped with retractable hydro-skis, the first delta-winged seaplane and the first supersonic seaplane in the world," according to the museum. In McMinnville, Oregon, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is the home of Howard Hughes' obsession -- that amazing wooden behemoth dubbed the Spruce Goose. It may be the most famous plane that never flew more than one minute. You can read more about it here. What's on your aviation bucket list? Where would you like to go for a top-notch aviation thrill? Tell us in the comments section below.
CNN commenters suggest spots for aviation enthusiasts . Indiana's Grissom Air Museum has planes flown by George W. Bush, Neil Armstrong . Oshkosh, Wisconsin, air show is not to be missed, say commenters . San Diego has first supersonic seaplane; Oregon has Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose .
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They say dogs are man's best friend. Now one enterprising clairvoyant has gone one step further - making her dogs her business partners. Linda Lancashire, a grandmother from Derbyshire, says her two poodles can sniff out health, money and relationship problems - before relaying their findings to her. The 59-year-old, who says she counts politicians and Paralympians among her clients, has run her clairvoyant business from her bungalow, named Broomsticks, for more than 40 years and says she has a very long but secret list of celebrity clients. Man's best friend: Linda Lancashire, a psychic grandmother who has read tarot cards for everyone from politicians to paralympians, has a little help from her poodles- who she claims are psychic . Linda, from Heanor, Derbyshire, bought twin apricot poodles Hilda and Tallulah three years ago after she was left heartbroken by the death of her loyal airedale, Stanley Rupert. The dogs, which are known as 'The Lulas', sit in on her sessions and paw her and stand up on their hind legs to relay to Linda personal details about her clients. Linda uses tarot cards, her crystal ball, and now her canine companions to help her pick up her clients' energy and assist them in matters of love, money and health. When in a session, Hilda will touch the person on the arm for example if it is a health problem. And if it is a relationship issue, Tallulah won't leave Linda alone. Linda said: 'As Tallulah and Hilda were growing up they were always sat in my office and when clients were sitting in front of me, "The Lulas" would start pawing me and they wouldn't leave me alone. Psychic poodles: She claims her four-legged friends, Hilda and Tallulah, can sniff out her clients health, money and relationship problems . Canine companions: The dogs, which are known as The Lullahs sit in on her sessions and paw her and stand up on their hind legs to relay to Linda personal details about her clients . 'Tallulah can detect relationship issues and will say "mummy listen to me, this lady is not happy" in my mind. Hilda knows when someone has money or health problems. 'I don't know how they do it. But my clients are amazed by them and now come especially for the poodles and want them to sit on the sofa with them. 'I love them with a passion and they sleep with me on the bed under their fleecey throw.' Linda always knew that she was different from other people, but did not realise her gift until she was older. Broomsticks: Linda has run her clairvoyant business from her home, named Broomsticks, for more than 40 years . She claims she has always had a very good sixth sense and intuition and charges her clients £40 per session. Linda said: 'It's a gift that I can't describe. I don't see ghosts but I do feel, sense and smell things. 'I can feel if someone is a good person and I can smell emotions. The smells are different kinds of smells to perfumes or body lotions - they are not of this realm. 'We are all different. Some people can play piano and I can't. I am not special or anything, I am just different.' Linda's parents emigrated to the UK from Poland. She used to work as a secretary and had also worked in factories and as a cleaner, but always felt she was destined for more spiritual things. As the phone calls from clients began to flood in, Linda started to rack up some impressive celebrity visitors. She said: 'I just said to myself one day, "I am never going to work for anyone else again because I am so different," so I left work and put an advert in Prediction magazine and then the rest is history.' 'I meet people from all walks of life. I see people from stage and screen and politics but I have incredible integrity - and I work confidentially.' She had always loved animals and says she prefers them to people because they love unconditionally and are very loyal. Linda's sidekick was a dog called Stanley Rupert, until he passed away in 2009. Just the three of us: Linda is single and says she prefers dogs to human because they are loyal . Tuning in: She claims her dogs can tune into people's energy and has a list of celebrity clientele . She claims dogs can tune in to a higher frequency than humans, and that is how they predict the future and uncover secrets. Although Stanley was not psychic like the poodles, Linda was certain that he had a sixth sense. Linda said: 'I have been living on my own and have been single for years out of choice. If anyone came into my life who was not good, Stanley would become ill. 'It was strange because one minute he would be sick with bile and the next he would be running around like a lunatic once he knew that I had made a sensible decision not to associate with that person. He was my barometer.' Linda was heartbroken when Stanley died of organ failure at 11 years old. Heartbreak: Linda bought the twin poodles three years ago when she was left heartbroken by the death of her loyal airedale, Stanley Rupert . She said: 'I was bereft until the Lulas arrived. Stanley had a squeaky Santa toy that he always used to chew. 'Even after he died, this Santa toy would squeak for no reason. When the Lulas arrived, it just stopped as if by magic. 'He must have stayed with me until he knew I was happy with my two new Lulas and I am convinced he brought the three of us together.' Linda said she is estranged from her family apart from her daughter Katie. Katie has two sons, Ben, four, and Finlay, three. Linda has been married twice and is good friends with Katie's father and his wife. Katie, 34, has followed in her mother's footsteps and works as a psychic but is now launching her new business as an interior designer and uses her psychic abilities to tune into the owner's vibrations and personality. Linda said: 'Katie is very gifted too and has been able to see spirits since she was little. 'She went to Hull University and studied media and went on to work on a newspaper. But it wasn't right for her. 'I always said to her that one day she would come back to her psychic gift. If you are meant to do something, the powers that be will make sure you do. 'We all have a fate to follow. It is all planned out before we are born. This earth is for learning, it is a school.' Linda and The Lulas are taking bookings for psychic readings at www.lindalancashire.co.uk .
Linda Lancashire from Derbyshire runs business from her bungalow . Twin apricot poodles Hilda and Tallulah sit in on sessions and paw her and stand up on their hind legs to tell Linda personal details about clients . Linda charges £40 a session and has been practising for 40 years . Claims she has impressive list of celebrity clients .
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One of the hottest properties in the Football League Moses Odubajo has left Leyton Orient to sign for Brentford. The winger, who was a standout performer for Russell Slade’s side in their failed League One promotion push last season, has signed a three-year deal at Griffin Park. Sportsmail understands the Championship side have paid the O’s in the region of £1million plus additional clauses - even though the player was out of contract at Brisbane Road this time next year. Crossing town: Odubajo has moved from East-Londoners Orient to join Brentford in the West of the city . Signing: The former Orient man in action against his new side Brentford during his superb season . Odubajo had been touted as a potential capture for Premier League clubs earlier this summer and represents a real coup for Brentford, who earned promotion alongside Wolves last season. The 20-year-old is a lively wide man, scoring in Orient’s play-off final defeat against Rotherham United at Wembley. Brentford mean business as they embark on their first campaign in the second tier for 21 years, having already landed former Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Tebar Ramiro, although they have lost striker Clayton Donaldson to Birmingham City. Potential: Brentford boss Mark Warburton is excited about the future with Odubajo at the club . Procession: The Orient winger joins Marcos Tebar Maria, formerly of Real Madrid, as Brentford's summer deals . Talking on Odubajo, Bees manager Mark Warburton said: ‘We have been very impressed with his quality and his consistency. ‘Moses is a young player with a lot of development potential. I am sure he will prove to be an exciting addition.’
Moses Odubajo . Odubajo impressed for Orient in promotion push . Brentford were promoted while Orient lost in play-off final . Bees boss Mark Warburton has already brought in Marcos Tebar Ramiro .
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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:27 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:44 EST, 16 October 2013 . Once again Pope Francis showcased his lively sense of humour when he stopped to try on a firefighter's helmet in front of a Vatican crowd. The 76-year-old was in the popemobile on his way to lead his weekly general audience when a group of Italian voluntary firefighters caught his attention this morning. One of his assistants then handed him the black and yellow helmet as the firefighters cheered in St Peter's Square. Trying it on for size: Pope Francis wears a firefighter's helmet as he arrives to lead his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican . The smiling Pontiff gestured and asked the group 'shall I wear it?' And after being told yes, he put the protective helmet on with a smile, drawing in applause from the volunteer firefighters. He then took it off and handed it back to the firefighters while shaking their hands. Greeting: The Pontiff had stopped to greet a group of Italian voluntary firefighters when he was handed the black and yellow helmet . He asked the group 'shall I wear it?' and when they said 'yes' he put it on his head in front of the crowd . Good sport: The Pope drew in applause from the volunteer firefighters as he stopped for photos . They also gave the Pope a frame with the symbol of the firefighters corps - a flame with two bells on the sides. The Pope also unintentionally wore another form of headwear when a blue scarf was thrown from an enthusiastic pilgrim in the crowd and landed on his head. Every . Wednesday, Pope Francis has made it a habit of touring for . approximately 30 minutes among the thousands of pilgrims who come to . attend the weekly audience and to see him in St Peter's Square, blessing . and shaking hands with the most varied groups of people, and often . receiving gifts. The pope also unintentionally wore another form of headwear when a blue scarf was thrown from the crowd and landed on his head . Making a habit of it: Pope Francis wears a hard hat he was given by a worker on his during a visit to Sardinia last month . According to the Prefect office of the Pontifical House, there were some 70,000 pilgrims taking part in the audience. It is not the first time the Pope has donned a hard hat. Only last month he wore one as he visited a mine in one of Italy's poorest . regions to offer hope to the unemployed and entrepreneurs struggling to . hang on. The yellow helmet . was emblazoned with the 'Welcome to Sardinia, Holiness'. Earlier this week the Pope surprised onlookers when it became apparent he had a rosary bead dangling from his ear. A pilgrim had thrown the rosary beads at Francis, as he circled the crowds in his Popemobile at the end of a mass in Rome’s St Peter’s square. The Pope’s security riding alongside him were seemingly oblivious to the arrival of the unexpected present. He looked momentarily startled as he felt something hanging next to his cheek. But when he saw the beads, he chuckled before putting them in his pocket. Last June he had caught a rosary thrown by the faithful to the amusement of the crowd who applauded.
Put on the helmet as he arrived to lead his Wednesday general audience . Handed the black and yellow helmet by Italian voluntary firefighters . Donned it with a smile, drawing in applause from the volunteer firefighters .
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By . Jennifer Newton . The terrifying moment two hooded thugs tried to batter down the door of a retired software engineer as he clung to the door handle to stop them breaking in has been captured on CCTV. Simon Barnsley, was awoken by a noise outside his £165,000 semi-detached home in Shrewsbury, Shropshire at 1am on a night last month. The 58-year-old then went to check his CCTV monitor to see what was happening and was stunned to see two trespassers lurking outside his property, trying to break into the basement. Scroll down for video . The two hooded men tried to batter down Simon Barnsley's front door by violently kicking and punching it . The two men tried to break down Mr Barnsley's front door as he held the handle to prevent them from getting in . He ran to the door completely naked and jingling his car keys, thinking the men would be scared off. But the chilling footage shows the yobs then try to break down the front door as Mr Barnsley held on to the handle, as his shocked wife Julia, 58, looked on in horror. He battled to keep the men out as they violently kicked and punched the front door causing it to splinter and glass to smash over their front hallway in an incident lasting nine minutes. The couple pleaded with them to leave during the ordeal while at the same time dialling 999 and eventually the pair walk off. West Mercia Police are now hunting the yobs who struck at the house, which sits by the bank of the River Severn in the Castlfields area of the picturesque town. Yesterday Mr Barnsley, who retired from London for a quieter life in the countryside in 2007 said the incident was a prime of example of Broken Britain. Mr Barnsley was first alerted to the trespassers outside his home when he was awoken by a noise . The retired software engineer went to check his CCTV cameras, which showed the two men attempting to break into his property . Describing the moment he fought to keep out the intruders, Mr Barnsley - who is the son of author Gabriel Fieldings and brother of famous mathematician Michael Barnsley - said: 'It was pretty brutal. 'I have never seen anything like this happen. 'This area has really deteriorated over the last year. I think people have tried to burgle us three or four times in the last year. 'About a year ago thieves broke in and stole a PlayStation and lots of gadgets and laptops and things, and that's when I decided to get the CCTV installed. 'It was quite terrifying and it all happened while I was completely naked. 'I was holding the handle and leaning on the door with my full weight but they were still breaking though. 'I told them I was recording them and you would think they would leave after that but they just got more irate. Mr Barnsley, right and his wife Julia, pictured outside their home had to fight to keep out the intruders while they waited for the police to arrive . 'We were so frightened and every time I moved away from the door a little bit it squeaked so I thought they were still there so I ended up hard against the door until the police arrived. 'At one point they left and then came back and picked up a little black canister which I think was pepper spray. 'I think they were wanting to break through the door, pepper spray my wife and I, then just rob the place anyway. 'I was OK because I'm quite fit for my age, but if it had just been my wife in it could have been so much worse. 'This area is nice during the day with mums and pushchairs, you hear a lot of laughing. But it's a different place after dark. It's changed my view of humanity.' The 58-year-old was forced to hold on the door handle of the front door, pictured, to stop the men from breaking in . The footage shows the men at first loitering outside the property and talking on their phones. Several times they come to the house and then walk away again - clearly showing their faces to the camera. After a while they return and open the gate at the basement of the house before repeatedly kicking the door. In the footage, after his wife says 'call the police Si' defiant Mr Barnsley can be heard calmly saying: 'I'm recording it. I want to catch his voice as well as his face. Before he adds: 'I'm recording you on a camera and I'm recording you doing what you're doing at the door and I'm going to report you to the police.' The thug then replies: 'You f***ing, f***ing idiot.' The force of which the men tried to batter down the front door caused the door to splinter and caused glass to smash all over their hallway . But Mrs Barnsley, who used to teach for the Open University, said the incident would not scare them away from the area. She added: 'We were petrified. The whole incident was terrifying. But we will not allow them to drive us out of this house. 'We moved here from Croydon, when we semi-retired and it is paradise. The CCTV does reassure me and we love living here. They will not make us leave.' A spokeswoman for West Mercia Police said that police were trying to identify the men, described as wearing light coloured jackets, one wearing trousers and trainers, the other wearing shorts. She added: 'We are studying the CCTV images and want anyone with any information to get in touch.'
Simon Barnsley was awoken by a noise in the night and went to check CCTV . Found two men trying to break into the basement of his home . Tried to scare them off but yobs then tried to break down his front door . 58-year-old held on to the handle to prevent men from getting in . Thugs violently kicked and punched the front door before walking off . Ordeal has been captured on Mr Barnsley's CCTV cameras .
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A fault to the public address system left Portman Road in silence on Tuesday night - but Ipswich’s promotion message was loud and clear. They close 2014 just a point behind leaders Bournemouth at the top of the Championship after goals from Tommy Smith, Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick saw off Charlton. This result extended Town’s unbeaten sequence to 11 matches - of which eight have been victories - and made for a very happy new year for Mick McCarthy. Daryl Murphy (centre) headed home Ipswich's second in their 3-0 home win against Charlton on Tuesday night . Murphy (front) wheels away in celebration after scoring Ipswich's second goal of the night . Ipswich Town: Bialkowski 7; Chambers (c) 7, Smith 7, Berra 7, Parr 7; Skuse 6.5, Anderson 6.5 (S Hunt 70), Tabb 6.5, Bishop 6 (Bru 83); McGoldrick 8 (N Hunt 90+4), Murphy 7 . Substitutes not used: Gerken (GK); Mings, Noel Hunt, Ambrose, Sammon . Goals: Smith 31; Murphy 59; McGoldrick 90 . Booked: McGoldrick, Smith . Charlton Athletic: Etheridge 6; Gomez 6, Bikey 6.5, Ben Haim 6; Solly 6.5, Gudmundsson 7, Buyens 6.5, Jackson (c) 6 (Bulot 70), Cousins 6.5; Vetokele 6, Tucudean 6 . Substitutes not used: Pope, Wilson, Fox, Pigott, Ahearne-Grant, Thomas . Booked: Tucudean . Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (Lancashire) Attendance: 26,157 (1,023 away) Though a glitch in the electrics meant no music could be played or announcements made, leading to a slightly surreal atmosphere inside the ground. When the players emerged from the tunnel for the second-half, for instance, they were greeted by a ripple of polite applause more accustomed to a county cricket ground in the absence of any club compere, thumping club anthems or guitar licks. But despite the relative silence, Ipswich once again showed their Premier League credentials, grafting and grinding their way past Charlton’s firm resistance. Fitness was not an issue despite the punishing Christmas schedule. McCarthy’s men were tenacious, the first to every ball and predatory when their chances arose. McCarthy saw no reason to alter the team that had handsomely beaten fellow promotion challengers Middlesbrough and Brentford in their last two meetings. Even Tyrone Mings, linked with a January move to the Premier League, couldn’t force his way back in after recovering from his infected toe. Charlton were forced into a change after Oguchi Onyewu went down in the warm-ups and Joseph Gomez replaced him in defence. The visitors started the brighter and inside the first minute, Johann Berg Gudmundsson crossed deep from the right and Jordan Cousins, straining to get a clean connection, placed the ball into the side-netting. Highly-rated youngster Tyrone Mings started the match on the bench for the Tractor Boys . Defender Jonathan Parr (left) and Johnnie Jackson battle for the ball during their Championship match . On nine minutes, Ipswich came within a fraction of taking the lead. McGoldrick curled an immaculate 25-yard free-kick around the Charlton wall, only to see the ball cannon back off the inside of the post. The frontman then showed textbook control to bring the ball down after Gomez’s clearance landed on his chest but the shot was dragged wide of the near post. The hosts were marginally the better side and their reward came just after the half-hour. A corner from Jay Tabb was headed into the mixer by captain Luke Chambers and, after Daryl Murphy miscued his shot, it fell kindly for Smith to hook the ball in. It was the defender’s fifth goal of the campaign and his second in two games after he rounded off that 4-2 win at Brentford on Boxing Day. Tommy Smith slides on his knee in celebration after giving Ipswich a first half lead against Charlton . Charlton, who started the night nine points off the play-offs in mid-table, responded well and a pass by Cousins sent George Tucudean into the clear. Sensing the advancing Bartosz Bialkowski, Tucudean slid to get a shot away and the sprawling goalkeeper blocked. The ball fell out to Gudmundsson but his lob wasn’t powerful enough and Christophe Berra cleared in front of his goal. Ipswich came within millimetres of doubling their lead in first-half stoppage time when McGoldrick curled another free-kick onto the post, the ball bouncing out off the back of goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. The first chance of the second-half fell to Charlton after the influential Gudmundsson pirouetted 25 yards from goal and fired a low shot that Bialkowski gathered. It triggered the London side’s best spell of the game and Johnnie Jackson headed over from Tucudean’s right-side cross as the home crowd aired their frustrations. David McGoldrick completed the 3-0 scoreline late on for the hosts at Portman Road . They needn’t have worried as Ipswich doubled their lead just shy of the hour mark. Tabb’s cross found Paul Anderson at the back post and his drilled ball was flicked on by Chambers and McGoldrick’s diving header struck the crossbar. With no Charlton defenders in sight, the ball bounced back for Murphy to nod home his 17th of the season. The visitors didn’t surrender and Ipswich spent much of the closing stages pinned back. Berra had to be composed to clear off the line from Igor Vetokele’s sub-strength header. In the final minute, McGoldrick scored the goal his stellar efforts deserved, running onto a through ball and finishing with aplomb. And towards the end there was plenty of noise. ‘The Town are going up,’ came the refrain from behind the goal. You’d better believe them. Victory for Mick McCarthy's (front) side sees them close the gap to one point on league leaders Bournemouth .
Tommy Smith put Ipswich ahead on 31 minutes with a right-footed shot . Daryl Murphy doubled the hosts lead with a second half header . David McGoldrick completed the scoreline in the closing moments . Win moves second-place Ipswich onto 47 points and 24 points . Charlton Athletic drop to 13th in the table with 31 points .
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Wasps have reassured fans that Christian Wade is 'fine' after the England wing was involved in a car accident on Thursday morning. In form Wade, 23, who scored two tries against Saracens in last weekend's Aviva Premiership opener at Twickenham, was being examined by medical staff as a precaution. Wasps tweeted: 'Thanks for concerns re Christian Wade. He's ok, just shaken following car incident. Club doctor is checking him to be on safe side.' Wasps player Christian Wade, seen here scoring in Saturday's Premiership opener with Saracens at Twickenham, was involved in a car accident on Thursday morning. The club tweeted to say he was 'fine' Speedster Wade is hoping to force himself back into the England reckoning after missing much of last season with hamstring and foot injuries . A later tweet added: 'Wadey fine. Small collision at roundabout near his home. Thanks for queries.' Wade spent nine months on the sidelines with a foot injury but returned at the weekend in the 34-28 loss to Saracens. It was a frustrating season for Wade, who missed the 2013 Autumn Internationals with a hamstring injury and then damaged foot ligaments in November, ruling him out the Six Nations.
Christian Wade involved in car accident near his home on Thursday . Wasps tweeted to say England wing was 'fine' Wade was examined by club doctor as a precaution . Scored two tries in Premiership opener with Saracens on Saturday .
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By . Stuart Woledge . PUBLISHED: . 06:37 EST, 6 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:19 EST, 6 August 2013 . A run-down shed filled with builder's junk has sold at auction for a staggering £38,000 - nearly four times its real value. The identity of the buyer has not been made public, but auction house Hollis Morgan, who organised the deal, has admitted the woman who bought the dilapidated building in the St George area of Bristol, probably got swept away with the competitive nature of the bidding process. Spokesman for the firm Oliver Hollis said: 'Literally it's nothing, it should never have sold for that amount. Dilapidated: This garage in Bristol, inherited by a young couple, has just sold at auction for a staggering fee . Junk: It was full to bursting with building materials, including offcuts of wood and old tiles . 'Essentially auctions bring out the competitive nature in everyone. If you can see someone is prepared to pay to pay a certain amount for something, you will as well. 'I think it is the only way we would ever have achieved that sort of money in that it was sold in an auction in a competitive market. 'The majority of interest before had been at about the £10-£15,000 mark. It's real value is about £10,000.' The woman who has just forked out over the odds for the building does not even have any plans to redevelop it and make a profit. Mr Hollis said at the moment she only planned to use it for storage. The dilapidated lean-to in Bristol . was inherited by a young couple, who put the building on the market . hoping it would fetch around £15,000. The . Victorian brick outhouse is sandwiched in next to a terraced house in . Ebenezer Street where the average family home is valued at just under . £100,000. It has no planning permission, but auction experts reckon it would make an ideal small business premises or workshop. Sandwiched: The shed, which is in badly in need of redevelopment, is squashed in next to a terraced house . The auction was staged by Clifton-based Hollis Morgan as part of a sale day which saw a record-breaking £5million worth of property sold in just a few hours. No fewer than 75 separate people had registered an interest in the shed before bidding got under way. Mr Hollis explained up to nine people had combined to bring the value up to the £20,000 mark. Then they gradually started to fall away and in the end three people were left competing head to head for the 20ft by 10ft plot of land, raising the stakes by about £2,000 each time, until it plateaued at the phenomenal £38,000. Mr Hollis added: 'Everyone was looking around in excitement. There was a real buzz in the room.' The couple who sold the property, who have not been named but are both 19, are said to be delighted with the amount of money they made on the deal, reportedly saying they were 'made for life'. Deceptive: The lean-to shed's battered appearance did not put off someone paying £38,000 for it . Jungle: The shed also has an overgrown and rundown yard, which is badly in need of a strim . Experts claim the bumper sale is part . of a national upturn in a market filled with buyers who are ready to . pounce when the right property becomes available. Bristol . estate agent CJ Hole said: 'Month-on-month we have continued to see the . numbers of completions grow. We are seeing 10 per cent increases this . year alone for certain properties. 'We are still seeing multiple and sealed bids. The sunshine has no doubt helped to boost the market. 'Parking . too is playing its part and the new residents' parking zones, certainly . in our experience, have been well received and anticipated.'
Experts say shed that sold for huge fee is good news for housing market . The sale has raised eyebrows given it does not have planning permission . It formed part of an auction in Bristol generating a record £5million in sales .
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By . Daily Mail Repoter . and Ap . An Ohio woman who called 911 to report that her husband committed suicide by suffocating himself has been charged with his 2011 murder. A three-year investigation into the death of 55-year-old Michael Gabel concluded that he didn't commit suicide and that his wife, Jeane Harrington, had killed him, police said. She had reported Gabel's death to police, saying she found him dead with plastic wrap around his head. 'We know that suicide in this manner is very unusual,' Duane Streator, police chief of Avon Lake, told reporters Friday. 'Killer': Authorities say Jeane Harrington, who reported her husband's 'suicide' to police, actually murdered him . Streator said there was no immediate evidence of a struggle, but the Lorain County coroner ultimately determined Gabel died of asphyxiation, blows to his head and body, and electrical burns. Harrington, 56, was arrested Thursday, and her son - 11 when Gabel died - was turned over to a relative. In the 911 call, Harrington had reported that Gabel, a local car salesman, left a suicide note, and she described heavy debts coming due, suggesting he'd taken his own life. Harrington told police she owned a stun gun and had used it several times on Gabel in a fight earlier that evening that she described as 'mutual.' She said the disagreement centered on the couple's financial woes. 'He got a letter from the Internal Revenue Service the other day wanting $17,000,' Harrington said during the call. 'And then the following day he got a letter from some collection company wanting $16,000. And tomorrow they're supposed to sell our home at sheriff's auction.' 'Murdered': Police say Michael Gabel was murdered by his wife, Jeane Harrington, who they say shot him with a Taser and put plastic wrap over his face . Harrington said she last saw her husband alive at 2 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2011, when he walked from the den to the bathroom. She found his cold body on a sofa later that morning after she returned from errands, she said. Authorities now believe she stunned Gabel multiple times before suffocating him with industrial-strength, restaurant-grade plastic wrap. It wasn't immediately clear who is currently representing Harrington. A message was left for a lawyer who represented her in 2005 during divorce proceedings, which ended in reconciliation, and with another lawyer who represented her in a 2007 foreclosure case. Divorce filings indicated Harrington's pay at the Avon Public Library gift shop had been halved and that Gabel had used money from a 401(k) account and from mortgaging the couple's rental property to pay gambling debts. Streator said police had been called to the couple's address before on domestic issues.
Jeane Harrington told police that her husband, Michael Grabel, killed himself over financial troubles . She told police she found his body with plastic wrap around his head . An autopsy determined that Grabel's death actually was caused by asphyxiation, blows to his head and body, and electrical burns . Harrington told police she shot him with a Taser earlier in the day .
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A tennis fan who claims she suffered serious injuries after fainting from the heat at an Australian Open tennis match is suing the organisers for negligence. Susan Carman, 57, claims she suffered serious injuries after collapsing during a scorching Andy Murray match at Hisense Arena in Melbourne in 2013. The woman from Traralgon, Victoria, said there was not enough cover as players and the crowd endured a 40-degree day on January 17, 2013, reports the Herald Sun. Spectators cool themselves in front of a water vapour on at the Australian Open in 2013. A fan is suing the organisers after she suffered serious injuries while fainting at an the event . She alleges she fell down some stairs in the grandstand as they were looking for some shade, suffering a fractured ankle and shin, ligament damage, and scarring. The Latrobe Valley hospital worker claims the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust was negligent by failing to shut the retractable roof. The claim does not specify a figure of money, but it claims damages to lost income and to compensate for the family who looked after her during her recovery. A five-day County Court trial is scheduled for February 2016. Maurice Blackburn principal Dimi Loannou said Carman also suffered psychological damage. 'She was a tennis fan but she hasn't returned since the accident. It's been traumatic for her,' she told the Herald. 'We say Hisense Arena have breached their duty of care in this case by failing to close the roof.' 'Tennis is a popular sport. It's important we keep patrons safe when they are attending.' attack. Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic tries to cool down with ice packs in a 2014 match against Kenny De Schepper of France . Rafael Nadal cools off with water during a break in his fourth round match against Feliciano Lopez . Tournament officials had warned the crowd to take cover from the heat on the day, while players were given ice water and longer breaks between sets. A heatwave plagued the event, with ball boys, players and spectators all collapsing under the heat. The heat, which passed 40 degrees on some days, even caused tram tracks to buckle, forcing spectators to walk under the scorching sunlight. The organisers introduced an 'extreme heat policy' after a string of collapses from spectators and players alike. Canadian Frank Dancevic claimed he saw comic book characters on the court shortly before he fainted during his defeat by Frenchman Benoit Paire. Maria Sharapova of Russia cools off during her second round match against Karin Knapp in the 2014 tournament . Venus Williams of the United States cools off in her second round match against Lauren Davis of the United States . On the same day, China's Peng Shuai cramped up and vomited during her defeat to Kurumi Nara of Japan and a ball boy fainted during Milos Raonic's four-set victory over Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Some players noted that their shoes and water bottles were beginning to melt in the conditions. The 2015 open, which kicked off on Monday, has experienced warm condition, with a peak of 36 degrees on Thursday. No extreme heat is forecasted for next week, since a moist air mass from the east will prevent any heat from interior reaching Melbourne for an extended time period.
Susan Carman is suing the organisers of the event for negligence . She said there was not enough cover as players endured 40 degree heat . She suffered a fractured left ankle, ligament damage, and scarring . She is claiming damages for lost income and to compensate her family . A five-day County Court trial is scheduled for February 2016 .
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(CNN) -- My neighbor recently discovered a four-digit passcode that unlocks the front doors to our apartment building. He shared the code with me, as well as with his girlfriend, buddies and a few other neighbors. I shared it with some people, and so did others. Within a few weeks, the building's security system was buzzing constantly for people who didn't actually have one of the dozen or so physical keys given to tenants. My apartment building's security is not all that different from the password-protected login system that forms a chain-link fence around Facebook, Google, iTunes or any other Internet service. Passwords are often shared among family, friends and spouses, and people typically use the same passwords for everything. Many experts say passwords are cybersecurity's weak link. To minimize identity theft, the Obama administration is urging Internet companies to agree upon and adopt a standard, reliable identity-verification system that people can use for any website. Each person would choose one company, perhaps their e-mail service provider, to handle credentials for sensitive personal or financial information on other sites. In this hypothetical digital world, someone could buy books on Amazon.com using a Google account, while another person could sign up for a social network using a PayPal account. Because the U.S. government is involved, Americans might be able to download their tax forms by signing into, say, their Microsoft accounts. President Obama introduced the initiative in spring 2011, and development of the technology seems to be moving at the speed of Washington, not Silicon Valley. Almost a year later, there's no consensus among Web companies and government about what exactly this should look like and when we should expect to see it. Some websites have already embraced an idea similar to what is being proposed, without the government giving them a push. For example, users of TripIt, a travel organizer from Concur Technologies, can log in using their Facebook, Google or Yahoo accounts. But this typically involves small utilities piggybacking on the networks of larger companies. The biggest Internet players, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, do not play well with each other. Instead, Facebook and Google boast about how quickly they are convincing users to volunteer their personal information in setting up profiles. Apple regularly mentions how many credit cards its iTunes service has on file -- at last count, more than 225 million. People involved in the government initiative said the major players have informally expressed interest. But a Google spokesman declined to make executives available for comment for this story. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment and a PayPal spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment. These companies may view their respective platforms as a competitive advantage, said Don Thibeau, the executive chairman for the OpenID Foundation. His organization has been trying to provide a sort of universal login system that includes Google and Yahoo, but some users find the system's row of tiny buttons confusing. OpenID will launch a simplified, single-button alternative called Connect in the next few months, Thibeau said. Thibeau said he believes technology companies may eventually realize the limits of their identity silos. Similar to how people can now send text messages to friends on different cellular networks, or how a Mac user can open a Microsoft Word file, Internet login systems should one day standardize, he said. "This notion of standards, as boring as it is, is really the plumbing of the Internet economy," Thibeau said. "It turns out that you can only go so far with business and Internet services until you come up with standards. Standards build markets. Standards help the pie grow bigger." Internet giants have not been eager to unite on their own. For various reasons, having the government involved either provides the best possibility for bringing rivals together or will poison the well, according to people involved. Companies and citizens alike can sometimes have an allergic reaction to government intervention, especially when privacy is involved. When President Obama announced last year that he was handing over the keys for an online identity initiative to the U.S. Commerce Department, talk of an "online driver's license" ensued. Observers say that's not an apt analogy because the identity system, as proposed, wouldn't be required for using the Web, nor would it be issued by the government. But the idea of a government-controlled database spooked many people. What Obama's proposal describes is a series of security problems on the Internet, such as insecure passwords and people handing over sensitive data to dozens of companies, as well as some vague suggestions for how to solve them. "It's not a piece of legislation," said Aaron Brauer-Rieke, a fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, an Internet privacy group in Washington. "Instead, it's the federal government saying here is our vision of how to improve identity on the Internet." A year ago, Jeremy Grant inherited the project. He is a senior executive for the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, and he is playing government liaison to tech companies and privacy advocates as part of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, or NSTIC. The government's prospective standard for online identity is not expected to result in a law, as long as companies can come to an agreement among themselves. The system could be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission, said people involved in the planning. "The way that Washington tends to affect change is to either pass a law or to pass a regulation to make something happen," Grant said. "NSTIC is a bit of a policy experiment." After failed government experiments, the United States has observed that an online ID has to be driven by companies, not countries, and has to keep Internet anonymity intact, Grant said. "We could, on paper, come up with what would be the perfect mousetrap, and no one would want to buy it," Grant said. "The federal government doesn't care if you're a dog [online] or not. Anonymity and pseudonymity have always been hallmarks of the Internet." Bidding will begin this month on NSTIC pilot programs that should launch in the summer to demonstrate what an online identity framework could look like, Grant said. The government will carefully determine what safeguards will be implemented in the identification process and the punishments for violators, he said. Some sites could begin launching NSTIC login options in about two years, he said. Others were not so optimistic. Persuading every major Internet company and then every Web user to sign up will be a massive undertaking, said Brauer-Rieke, from the Center for Democracy and Technology. "The work of herding cats is just beginning," he said. Because this is such an unusual policy experiment, the government cannot point to a similar program in the past that has been successful, said Thibeau, who is also the chairman of the Open Identity Exchange, which counts AT&T, Google, PayPal and Verizon among its members. Also, other countries may object to an initiative led by the United States, he said. What this system will look like remains undefined. People may have to type in a temporary password received via text message, answer quiz questions or identify friends in photographs, according to people involved in the initiative. NSTIC could even require a hardware dongle that users plug into their computers, though that's unlikely as people increasingly move to mobile devices that don't have standard inputs, they said. Just about everyone involved is in agreement that today's model of people picking their own passwords will not survive much longer. "The greatest threat to security and the greatest threat to privacy are passwords," Thibeau said. "Passwords are really yesterday's news."
Obama administration is proposing a standardized login system for the Web . People would choose Facebook, Google or another site as their provider . The identity-verification system would then work on any website . Because the government doesn't plan to write a law, this is a policy experiment .
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By . Rebecca English . Last updated at 7:54 AM on 16th November 2011 . Perhaps she just wanted to take her mind off her split from long-term boyfriend Alex Loudon. For just days after her newly-single status first leaked out, Pippa Middleton was enjoying a weekend-long shoot at the stately pile of her close friend, George Percy, the Mail Online understands. Accompanied by a small group of friends, the Duchess of Cambridge’s vivacious younger sister spent three days taking pot-shots at grouse on his family estate in the Borders. Over the summer, Pippa Middleton and George Percy were seen at endless social events, including the Queen’s Club championships in June . George's parents Ralph and Jane at their home, Northumberland’s Alnwick Castle, which features as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films . George – or to give him his proper . title, Earl Percy, son of the 12th Duke of Northumberland – also invited . Pippa, 27, to join his family at a Remembrance Sunday service held at . Roman Catholic St Paul's Church in the nearby village of Alnwick. She . took a place in the front pew along with his parents, the Duke and . Duchess of Northumberland, and grandmother, Dowager Duchess of . Northumberland, Duchess Elizabeth. George, 27, sat in the row behind. The . Rev David Archer, who led the service, admitted he had noticed a rather . ‘attractive’ lady in the front row but had no idea it was the future . king’s sister-in-law. The pair have been confidantes since they shared a flat at Edinburgh University . ‘I . had noticed an attractive lady in the front row, but I did not realise . it was her. She did look like Pippa Middleton,’ he said. St Paul's new priest, Father Phil . Carroll, had welcomed the group into the church but also failed to . notice Pippa and remarked: ‘That shows how much we know about what is . going on.’ But an unnamed worshipper said: ‘It caused a bit of a stir in the church.’ According to friends, George was one of the few men who made Pippa’s beau a little green around the gills. Royal sources say that while Pippa’s . friendship with the heir to one of the richest and grandest dukedoms in . the land wasn’t the reason for their split, Alex never felt entirely . comfortable with the closeness of their relationship. The . pair have been confidantes since they shared a flat at Edinburgh . University along with Ted Innes Ker, son of the Duke of Roxburghe. Over the summer the couple were seen at endless social events, including the Queen’s Club championships. The night before the tennis Pippa and George were also seen enjoying a . three-hour dinner together in a French restaurant near Sloane Square . before returning to his London flat where she was eventually seen . leaving at 2am. Bizarrely, George shares a flat with another of Pippa’s . ex’s, JJ Jardine-Paterson. There . was also a long weekend in Madrid with a gaggle of girlfriends shortly . after the royal wedding in May, where the affable aristocrat . was seen squiring Pippa out to several of the city’s hottest nightspots . as rowing her around a boating lake. Old Etonian Alex, a contemporary of Prince William at the upper-crust school, is no slacker in the family stakes. His father, James, is a successful financier and former High Sheriff of Kent while his grandfather, Francis, married Lady Prudence Jellicoe, daughter of Admiral Sir John Henry Rushworth Jellicoe, who commanded the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in the First World War and became the second Governor-General of New Zealand. Olantigh, his family’s Kent estate, is an eminently respectable country retreat with more than 20 acres of farmland. But it cannot even begin to compare with the Northumberland’s Alnwick Castle, which features as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. The castle is known as as the ‘Windsor of the North’ and George’s family are regarded locally in Border country as royalty. The family’s wealth is conservatively put at around £300million and includes more than 100,000 acres of land as well as an estate in Surrey and Syon Park in London. A bright, well-mannered and well-meaning young man, George, who studied geography at university specialising in renewable energy, also recently set up in business and is poised to drill the first commercial geothermal well in Country Durham. Ex-boyfriend Alex found Pippa’s association with the Percy family ‘claustrophobic’ His parents, Ralph, the 12th Duke of Northumberland, and gardening-obsessive mother Jane are sensible sorts and withheld the bulk of his inheritance to prevent him going off the rails. The couple are on ‘kissing terms’ with most members of the royal family (including the Queen) and they and their four children were all invited to prince William’s April wedding. For her part Pippa was said to be ‘supremely at home’ when she attended the wedding of their eldest, daughter, Lady Katie at Alnwick In February.Little wonder that Alex found Pippa’s association with the family a little ‘claustrophobic’, according to one well-placed source. Last week The Sun reported they had finally spilt after 18 months together – just weeks after Pippa was given the keys to Alex’s Fulham home.. According to the newspaper, Pippa and Alex, a former professional cricketer who works as a financial analyst at brewing giant SAB Miller in Woking, are now ‘barely speaking’. ‘She and Alex split briefly in the summer – but this time it’s over,’ a source said. The paper claimed that Alex, who is intensely private, felt uncomfortable with Pippa’s new found celebrity. Friends have always expressed surprise at the relationship – ‘Alex is very nice and steady and all that but he’s just, well, a bit boring – particularly compared to Pippa who is hugely outgoing,’ one told the Mail only last month. Friends say her next beau would need to be ‘seriously sporty and well off’. ‘And it wouldn’t hurt for them to have even a moderately respectable country pile,’ said one. Perhaps the Middletons might yet boast double duchesses in the family?
The . pair have been confidantes since they shared a flat at Edinburgh . University . ‘I . had noticed an attractive lady in the front row, but I did not realise . it was her. She did look like Pippa Middleton'
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By . Dan Bloom . He is used to getting laughs as the quintessentially British Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English - but now Rowan Atkinson could play a dour French detective. The 59-year-old comic has reportedly been lined up to play Jules Maigret, the popular pipe-smoking police inspector dubbed the Sherlock Holmes of France. The fictional character last featured in a 12-part ITV series 21 years ago starring Michael Gambon, and the channel is hoping to revive the story again, it was reported. Comic: Rowan Atkinson famously played Blackadder, Johnny English and Mr Bean (pictured), but the 59-year-old's next role is as the dour French detective Jules Maigret, according to a newspaper report . Screen icon: Maigret was portrayed by actors including Richard Harris in 1988 (left) and Jean Richard in 1984 . The claims, made today in the Sunday Express, come a year after Mr Atkinson won praise in his first non-musical West End performance for 25 years. He starred in Quartermaine’s Terms, a touching 1982 tragicomedy following the bittersweet lives of seven language teachers. An unnamed executive told the newspaper ITV was attempting to capitalise on the success of Scandinavian crime dramas such as The Killing and The Bridge, which has been adapted into a British version called The Tunnel. The executive said: 'The Maigret stories feel perfectly suited to television's continuing obsession with atmospheric foreign crime'. Jules Maigret was coined by the celebrated Belgian writer Georges Simenon, who wrote 75 novels about the fictional Parisien detective over a 40-year period from 1931. Hard act to follow: Michael Gambon as Maigret in 1992 (left) will reportedly be reprised by Rowan Atkinson . His trademark pipe, fondness of fine alcohol and reliance on godlike intuition led him to be compared to Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle almost 50 years earlier. Both had their sidekicks and nemeses, but while Holmes was known for his wit and charm, Maigret was famed for his serious devotion to each case. Maigret has been a TV hit as far afield as Japan and Russia, and the character's greatest success in Britain came when he was played by Rupert Davies in a long-running 1960s series on the BBC. ITV's recreation in 1992 and 1993 was always going to be difficult - as Simenon himself, who died in 1989, had personally approved Rupert Davies to play the role on the BBC. An ITV spokesman today said she was unable to confirm or deny the reports. Mr Atkinson's agent did not immediately return requests for comment.
Actor is known for comic roles in Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English . But he will take on the role of dour French detective, according to reports . Jules Maigret is a fictional icon compared to Britain's Sherlock Holmes .
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Turtles may look like the hard-shelled relatives of lizards and snakes, but their DNA suggests they have far more in common with birds. This is according to US scientists who used a new genetic sequencing technique called Ultra Conserved Elements (UCE) to finally settle the debate on turtle evolution. The results, they say, reveal that turtles belong to a large group called 'Archelosauria,' along with their relatives birds, crocodiles and dinosaurs. Turtles may look like the hard-shelled relatives of lizards and snakes, but their DNA suggests they have far more in common with birds . Scientists at the California Academy of Sciences suspect the new group will be the largest group of vertebrates to ever receive a new scientific name. Their 'tree of life' is consistent with the time and space patterns in which turtle species appear in the fossil record, highlighting the accuracy of the method. 'Dinos, including birds, and crocodilians are Archosauria. Turtles are called chelonians,' Dr James Parham, a co-author told MailOnline. 'Hence the new name we coined for the group that includes turtles, dinosaurs and crocodilians: Archelosauria.' Although UCE has been available for two years, this is the first time the scientists have used the tool to genetically map vertebrates and how they are related. It works by analysing parts of the genome that are highly conserved between different species. Scientists at the California Academy of Sciences suspect the new group - which includes birds, dinosaurs and turtles - will be the largest group of vertebrates to ever receive a new scientific name . The findings also resolve an evolutionary mystery surrounding soft-shell turtles (pictured)- a bizarre group of scale-less turtles with snorkel-like snouts. Until now, studies linked softshell turtles with a smaller semi-aquatic group called mud turtles . Researchers have long argued over how the turtle got its shell - and a fossil last year finally revealed the 'missing link'. The oldest known fossil turtle dated back about 210 million years, but it had an already fully formed shell, giving no clues to early shell evolution. Last year, researchers revealed that Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species that existed 260 million years ago, has large broadened ribs that researchers believe eventually formed a shell. The researchers say the first clue came in 2008 when the 220 million-year-old fossil remains of an early turtle species, Odontochelys semitestacea, were discovered in China. It had a fully developed plastron (the belly portion of a turtle's shell), but only a partial carapace made up of distinctively broadened ribs and vertebrae on its back. With this knowledge the scientists turned to newly discovered specimens of Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species 40 million years older than O. semitestacea that also had distinctively broadened ribs. Their detailed study of Eunotosaurus suggests it represents one of the first species to form the evolutionary branch of turtles. 'Calling this is an exciting new era of sequencing technology is an understatement,' says Brian Simison, PhD, Director of the Academy's Center for Comparative Genomics (CCG). 'In the space of just five years, reasonably affordable studies using DNA sequencing have advanced from using only a handful of genetic markers to more than 2,000 - an unbelievable amount of DNA. 'New techniques like UCE dramatically improve our ability to help resolve decades-long evolutionary mysteries, giving us a clear picture of how animals like turtles evolved on our constantly-changing planet.' The findings also resolve an evolutionary mystery surrounding soft-shell turtles - a bizarre group of scale-less turtles with snorkel-like snouts. Until now, studies linked softshell turtles with a smaller semi-aquatic group called mud turtles, despite the fact that softshells appear in the fossil record long before their mud-loving counterparts. The Academy's study places softshells in a league of their own on the evolutionary tree, quite far removed from any turtle relatives. Their long independent history helps explain their striking looks as well as their ancient presence in the fossil record. With large amounts of data backing up each evolutionary branch on the turtle tree of life, scientists are able to compare their evolution not only across species, but also across each continent's corresponding fossil records. 'I have been working on the evolutionary relationships of turtles for over 20 years using a variety of methods,' said co-author Dr Parham. 'Fossils are essential for showing us what extinct turtles looked like, but also in letting us know when and where they lived in the past.' The results reveal that turtles belong to a large group called 'Archelosauria,' along with their relatives birds, crocodiles and dinosaurs, such as T.Rex (pictured)
Scientists used a new genetic sequencing technique to map relatives . The results, they say, reveal that turtles belong to a large group called 'Archelosauria,' along with their relatives birds, crocodiles and dinosaurs . This is consistent with when turtle species appear in the fossil record . Study also resolves evolutionary mystery surrounding softshell turtles . Until now, studies had linked softshell turtles with aquatic mud turtles . New study places softshells within their own on the evolutionary tree .
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By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 09:35 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:27 EST, 18 March 2013 . A couple have been given a 'second chance' at love after losing more than 20st between them. James and Joyce Quinn, from Irvine, North Ayrshire, declared: 'Losing 20 stone saved our marriage,' as they were named Slimming World's Couple of the Year 2013. Mr Quinn, 45, struggled with his weight after he was made redundant from his job as a sports instructor. At his heaviest he weighed more than 27st. Scroll down for video . Losing together: Husband and wife Joyce Quinn, 47, and James Quinn, 45 have been crowned Slimming World's Couple of the Year 2013, after losing 20st between them . The way they were: The couple have lost a huge amount of weight between them on Slimming World diet plans . 'I was a sports instructor and very active, but I lost my job and went to work as a manager in a video shop. 'I was eating the same foods but I wasn't burning them off anymore,' he said. The father-of-four and grandfather-of-one said the weight put a strain on his family life. 'I'd given up on life. 'I genuinely thought my family would be better off if I went to sleep one night and didn't wake up. 'I didn't do anything around the house, Joyce did everything for me and it was affecting our relationship,' he said. Mr Quinn, 45, finally decided to do something about his problem after getting measured for a kilt for his niece's wedding. Big losers: James lost 12st in just 12 months at Slimming World and his wife joined him and has dropped 4st 5lb, going from 15st 4lb to 10st 13lb . What a difference: James, a former sports instructor has now dropped to 11st 8lb, dropping 30in from his waist . Joining together: Mrs Quinn joined him in his weight loss quest and has dropped 4st 5lb, going from 15st 4lb to 10st 13lb . He discovered that his waist was 62in, the largest size available. With the support of his family, he joined Slimming World in 2011 and lost 12st in just 12 months. Mrs Quinn joined him and has dropped 4st 5lb, going from 15st 4lb to 10st 13lb. 'I suppose next to James I didn't look very big so I thought I was fine. But my weight had been creeping up since I'd had our children.' Health kick: The Quinns have now swapped a diet of sausages, bacon and potato scones fried in oil for fresh fruit and fat-free yoghurt . The Quinns have now swapped a diet of sausages, bacon and potato scones fried in oil for fresh fruit and fat-free yoghurt. They are also being more active in order to keep the weight off. 'We walk everywhere now instead of getting a bus or a taxi and even play badminton and go swimming,' said Mrs Quinn, 47. Her husband, who is now a svelte 11st 8.5lb, says he plans to spend more time with his family. Active: The Quinns have adopted a much healthier lifestyle and walk everywhere . Regrets: John feels like he missed out on parts of his children's life because h couldn't do things with them . Marriage saver: James and Joyce from Irvine saved both James' life and their marriage with their weightloss . 'I've realised that I missed out on a lot with our children because I couldn't do things with them. 'We've got a one-year-old granddaughter and I'm determined she'll never see me overweight and to do all the things I missed out with our children with her.' The winners: James and Joyce were unveiled as Slimming World Couple of the Year for 2013 at the Ritz Hotel .
James and Joyce Quinn, from Irvine, North Ayrshire named Slimming World's Couple of the Year 2013 . James had 62in waist but lost 12st in just 12 months . Joyce dropped 4st 5lb, going from 15st 4lb to 10st 13lb .