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12,603 | 23b7d9f6f6d5510f540a19733f84bf4cce5bfbe2 | By . Suzannah Hills . London now boasts three of the 10 most visited museums in the world, including the British Museum, National Gallery and the Tate Modern. The results place the capital on an equal footing with Paris which also has three museums - the Louvre, The Centre Pompidou and the Musée d’Orsay - in the top 10. It comes after the British Museum reclaimed its title as the second most popular cultural institution after a two-year absence by overtaking New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. With more than 6.7 million visitors last year, the British museum saw a 20 per cent rise on 2012. Second most popular: The British Museum has reclaimed its place as the second most visited museum in the world with 6.7 million attendees in 2013 . Growing popularity: The British Museum is currently displayed the Saxon treasures of Sutton Hoo. A curator is pictured with a Sutton Hoo tin helmet . On display: A 37-metre long-ship is part of the Viking Exhibition at the British Museum . Still number one: The Louvre in Paris has been the most visited museum in the world for six years running. Last year alone it had 9.3 million visitors . It now comes just behind the Louvre in Paris, which attracts 9.3 million attendees every year, making it the most popular museum in the world. It has claimed the top spot for attendance figures for six years in a row. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has now dropped back down into third place, despite visitor numbers rising to 6.2 million. The top 10 museum list, which was compiled by The Art Newspaper, also placed the National Gallery as the fourth most popular with just over 6 million visitors - up from 5.1 million in 2012 - despite not having any huge exhibitions. 1) LOUVRE, Paris, with 9,334,435 visitors . 2) BRITISH MUSEUM, London, with 6,701,036 . 3) METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, New York, with 6,226,727 . 4) NATIONAL GALLERY, London, with 6,031,574 . 5) VATICAN MUSEUMS, Vatican City, with 5,459,000 . 6) TATE MODERN, in London, with 4,884,939 . 7) NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM, Taipei, with 4,500,278 . 8) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, in Washington DC, with 4,093,070 . 9) CENTRE POMPIDOU, Paris, with 3,745,000 . 10) MUSEE D'ORSAY, Paris, with 3,500,000 . But the Tate Modern saw a drop in visitors with just 4.8 million visitors in 2013 compared to 5.3 million in 2012, although it still managed to come sixth in the list. The Art Newspaper suggests the decline is possibly down to the closure of the Tanks to allow its extension to be completed and the end of the Unilever series in the Turbine Hall. Meanwhile, deputy editor Javier Pes put the British Museum's increased popularity down to its exhibitions - particularly the Life And Death In Pompeii And Herculaneum show. It is currently hosting a Viking exhibition complete with 37-metre longship and has placed the Saxon treasures of Sutton Hoo on centre stage in its newly refurbished medieval gallery. Others to feature in the list include the Vatican Museums in fifth place, the National Palace Museum in Taipei in seventh, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC in eighth place. Two other museums in Paris took the final spots - the Centre Pompidou came in ninth place and the Musée d’Orsay in 10. The Museum of Modern Art in New York just missed out on a place in the top 10 after its admission just topped the three million mark. Meanwhile The Detroit Institute of Arts just missed a spot in the top 100 museums in 102nd place with 594,267 visitors, up from 429,000 in 2011. In third place: The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York saw its visitor numbers increase to 6.2 million but it was still knocked off the second spot to become the third most popular museum in the world . In the top 10: The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, Central London, came in fourth place with just over 6 million visitors in 2013 . | More than 6.7 million people visited the British Museum last year - up 20% .
It has now overtaken New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art .
The Tate Modern and the National Gallery also feature in the top 10 .
But the Louvre in Paris remains the most popular with 9.3 million visitors . |
202,216 | 91cb82c3f490f31e59c393a941a62ea8676ee780 | National Guard troops stationed on the Texas-Mexico border can't arrest illegal immigrants, but Texas Gov. Rick Perry says the deterrent factor makes sending the troops there worthwhile. 'It's a powerful reminder that what you are doing is a crime,' Perry told an online news outlet run by the conservative Heritage Foundation. 'It's just like a law enforcement effort in your neighborhood, where you see a parked patrol police car on the corner, and the bad guys see it and don’t commit a crime.' Scroll down for video . Texas Governor Rick Perry announced on July 28 that he would deploy up to 1,000 National Guard troops along the Texas-Mexico border to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in stopping illegal immigration . No federal government border presence: U.S. Border Patrol agents escorted this group of illegal immingrants into custody on July 22 near Falfurrias, Texas -- 85 miles from the US-Mexico boder . He told the news website The Daily Signal that it was his decision to keep his state's National Guard detachment out of the law-enforcement business. 'Their real job is not apprehension,' Perry said. 'Border Patrol apprehends.' But many of those federal agents have been re-tasked in recent months to glorified babysitting duties, caring for the hundreds of unaccompanied minors flooding the border. Public outcry, especially among Texas ranchers and tea party groups, drove Perry to deploy the National Guard. He said Tuesday that U.S. Border Patrol agents will be grateful for the help. 'They aren’t displacing Border Patrol,' Perry said of the National Guard troops, who will number as many as 1,000. 'It'll be just like how we partner with law enforcement. They want to see the border secure, so they won’t resist the assistance. Just the presence and knowledge that they’re deployed will have a powerful message.' The National Guard will mostly work alongside state law-enforcement officers deployed at the border by Perry earlier this month. 'For those who say, "This is very out of the ordinary," the National Guard being at the border is not an unusual situation,' he added. 'There’s troops at the border every year and there’s troops there now.' President George W. Bush ordered National Guard units to patrol America's southwest border in 2006. President Barack Obama extended that order in 2010. But his 2012 executive order of a virtual amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children before 2007 has led to a wave of Central American children and teens seeking the same treatment. With that development, existing border security measures have proven inadequate. FLOOD: Hundreds of children and teens from Central American countries pour across the border daily and turn themselves in to federal agents, hoping for a 'permiso' document that will allow them to stay pending an immigration court hearing . Obama visited Texas just weeks ago but decided not to visit the border region. Perry later said that during a private meeting, Obama conceded that he was unaware most U.S. Border Patrol officers were stationed dozens of miles inside the United States – not on the border itself. That arrangement has left them powerless to detain illegal immigrants until they are in the United States. Perry's deployment of Texas Department of Public Safety officers followed that meeting. 'The responsibility for securing the border rests exclusively on the federal government,' Perry wrote to that agency's director on June 18. 'The federal government's failure to secure the border has created an incentive for families to send their children on a dangerous, and sometimes fatal, journey.' 'Until the federal government fulfills its duty,' Perry declared, 'it falls on the State of Texas to address those obligations.' | Texas governor deployed up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border this month but didn't give them arrest powers .
He argues that their deterrent factor alone is worth the exercise .
Troops will work alongside state police agencies Perry activated as a supplement to what he says are inadequate measures from Washington .
Hundreds of children and teens pour across the border from Mexico every day, following a 2012 amnesty announcement from President Obama that only affects illegal immigrants brought to America as children before 2007 . |
165,886 | 6287b000ff0811344822794e0154773773ebc803 | A Brisbane man is living the life of the future after having a microchip implanted under his skin so he can control electronic devices with just a wave of a hand. Ben Slater had a radio-frequency identification microchip - which has similar measurements to a grain of rice - injected into his left hand through a syringe two weeks ago at a Melbourne tattoo parlour. The advertising director's move comes as technology enthusiasts eagerly await the unveiling of the iPhone 6 in two days time. Scroll down for video . Ben Slater has had a microchip inserted into his hand to allow him to open doors and switch on lights with the wave of his hand . Mr Slater said he did it because he had always been fascinated with the future of technology . He hopes the new generation of Apple's smart phone will have the capability to read the microchip implanted in the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. The new addition to his body means Mr Slater can swing his front door open, switch on his lights and store personal information with the flick of his hand. 'The most obvious thing the chip allows me to do is store my contact information on it, so that I can just touch a phone with NFC and pass my information to their phone. That is a great party trick,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'But it can also trigger an action on my phone to turn the house lights off, open a secure door which is set to recognise the chip or I could - and probably will - set up my car ignition to be linked to the chip for keyless entry and start up.' Mr Slater told Daily Mail Australia he made the decision to implant the microchip because he had always been interested in the future of technology. 'I wanted to get the chip implanted to generate discussion,' he said. 'It intrigues me that we live in an age where this type of activity is even possible, especially for some seeming random guy in Australia to arrange to have done.' It was inserted in a Melbourne tattoo parlour with a syringe containing the chip . Mr Slater said the procedure to implant the microchip was painful, but over quickly. 'I just needed to be really careful when it was healing over the course of the two weeks later so that I didn't move it - otherwise it could have travelled in my hand,' he said. The microchip implant may still be new to Australian shores, but it has become a growing trend in the United States after it was introduced in 2004 when the nation's Food and Drug Administration gave the green light for its use to carry information about people's medical conditions, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The iPhone 6 is expected to be the largest phone Apple has produced, with a 5.5-inch screen. It is believed the handset is so large that it will come with a special 'one-handed' mode to make it easier for people to use it. Anticipation over the phone is so high that people in the U.S. started lining up outside Apple stores two weeks ago to be one of the first to get a slice of the action. In the U.S., the chip is used to store the medical information of people with illness . Mr Slater hopes the new generation iPhone 6 - which will be launched on September 6 - will have the capability to read the chip . | Advertising director Ben Slater had the microchip inserted two weeks ago .
It was implanted in the webbing of his hand at a Melbourne tattoo parlour .
Mr Slater hopes the new generation iPhone will be able to read the chip .
He is able to open doors and switch on lights without touching anything .
The iPhone 6 will be launched by Apple in two days on September 9 . |
240,673 | c393113a417a2882ac10a0eec34704e3d64ce825 | By . Ryan Gorman . and Alexandra Klausner . and Sophie Jane Evans . Philip Seymour Hoffman's $10,000-a-month Manhattan apartment was littered with empty bags of a deadly type of heroin, it has been claimed. Investigators found 49 bags - branded 'Ace of Spades' and 'Ace of Hearts' - inside the fourth-floor apartment, according to officials. They usually contain a lethal mixture of heroin laced with fentanyl - an opiate used to soothe the pain of cancer patients. Philip Seymour Hoffman was discovered dead from a drug overdose that may have been caused by a lethal heroin fentanyl mix responsible for overdoses around the United Sates . The unusual brand names are among hundreds of stamps used by drug distribution crews to mark products, according to CNN. However, they haven't been seen in New York since 2008. The heroin - variously labelled as 'Bud . ice', 'Income tax' and 'Theraflu' - has been linked to more than 100 . deaths from coast to coast. The hardest hit states in . the epidemic are Maryland, with more than three dozen deaths since . September, and Pennsylvania, with almost two dozen this month alone, . according to reports. And a further 22 people died of . heroin-fentanyl overdoses in Rhode Island during the first two weeks of . this year, officials told the Providence Journal. Deadly: Investigators found 49 empty bags stamped with 'Ace of Spades' and 'Ace of Hearts' inside the actor's Manhattan apartment, according to officials. They usually contain a lethal mix of heroin and fentanyl - also known as 'Bud Ice' (above) Risk: The lethal concoction - also referred to as 'Theraflu' - has been linked to more than 100 deaths in the US . Yesterday, Fox reported that police were 'looking at if (Hoffman) had the bad batch going around.' Hoffman, 46, who won the Academy Award . for best actor for the 2005 film, Capote, was found dead in his . apartment on Sunday morning following an apparent drug overdose. Officials said the American actor and father of three was found on . the bathroom floor of the $11,000 a month West Village . apartment. He was wearing only shorts and a t-shirt - and had a hypodermic needle sticking out of his left arm, according to officials. A neighbor who saw the actor on Saturday told Fox that he looked, 'Gray, not good.' Heroin . overdose deaths across the country are spiking as the deadly new variant . of the drug mixed with fenatanyl is spreading from New . Hampshire to Washington State. Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is so concerned about the deaths she announced a task force comprised of state, county and local police departments dedicated solely to eradicating it from Western Pennsylvania. Though Pennsylvania’s cases have so far . been the highest profile, Maryland’s medical examiner says 37 people in . the state have died in the last five months from injecting the poisonous . potion, CBS DC reported. The deaths were spread throughout the whole state, with 10 occurring in drug-ravaged Baltimore. 'People believe that they’re shooting heroin but the substance does not look like heroin and they’re shooting it and they’re dying,' a rehabilitation expert told the Providence Journal. Deadly: Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, and is being blamed for the rash of recent deaths . Police in Portsmouth, NH, responded . to three overdoses in a single 24-hour period one day last week alone, . one of those people died, an official told Portsmouth Patch. Meanwhile, authorities in Nassau County, a Long Island suburb of New York, say the deadly dope has recently killed at least five people, Newsday reported. Other deaths linked to fentanyl-laced heroin have also been reported in Louisiana and Washington State. People . are overdosing because the combination of fentanyl and heroin is recent . trend, and results in a much more powerful high than users have seen . before. Fentanyl is an . opiate up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, Dr Karl Williams, . the Allegheny County (PA) Medical Examiner told CBS News. The people who died from overdose were all discovered to have taken the lethal combination. Not like normal heroin: The killer heroin has a white color (pictured), far from the yellow tinted heroin most often found on the street . ‘They . found almost exactly the same substance in those stamped bags, a fifty – . fifty mixture of heroin with Fentanyl,’ he said, adding the opiate . provides a higher high than heroin by itself. A Pittsburgh addict who declined to be identified told CBS News of his close brush with death after taking ‘bud ice.’ His dealer told him to ‘be careful,’ which he said is the first time he’d ever been warned. ‘I . go home, lock myself in my bathroom and I do [the drugs], and within 20 . seconds I was out,’ he recalled, saying his mother broke down the door . to revive him. Maryland’s chief medical examiner told CBS Baltimore the heroin variant kills people by shutting down their respiratory system. ‘Both substances slow down your breathing and can eventually slow it down to the point of death.'Officials . in Louisiana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington State have . also blamed the drug for overdoses in their regions, according to CBS. First major bust: Tywon Newby is the first suspected dealer arrested for slinging the tainted dope . Fentanyl-heroin . combinations have reared their ugly heads in the past, most notably . during the spring of 2006 in Chicago and Detroit – almost 300 people . died from February to June while using the drug between the two cities, . according to the Washington Post. Authorities say that the easiest way to spot the more lethal heroin cocktail is because it is white. Heroin usually has a yellow tint to it. Even more scary, one expert told CBS News, is that dope slingers appear willing to let the drug kill some addicts because it will attract more business from junkies chasing a more potent high. ‘They're willing to lose four or five people to a drug overdose death to maybe attract 30 or 40 new customers and that's just the cost of doing business,’ said Dr. Neil Capretto of Gateway Rehab. Sobering reality: The arrest of Tywon Newby (left) took a significant amount of the tainted dope of the streets, but also showed investigators dealers may have already started re-branding it to evade targeted enforcement . Pennsylvania authorities may have finally started making progress in their fight against the deadly blend. A slate of arrests has been announced over the past 24 hours of people charged with distribution. Tywon Newby, 39, of Clairton, was found with 2,000 bags of heroin, 48 more bricks of heroin, and more than $8,500 in cash, authorities said. Other arrests resulted in the seizure of thousands more bags of the lethal mixture, the Pittsburgh Tribune reported. The arrest of Mr Newby also brought forth a sobering discovery, he had begun labeling the heroin-fentanyl blend ‘sky high.’ | Oscar winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Sunday following apparent drug overdose .
49 empty bags of deadly heroin laced with fentanyl found in home .
Fentanyl is an opiate used to sooth the pain of cancer patients .
Bags were stamped with brand names 'Ace of Spades' and 'Ace of Hearts'
One police source told reporters they are 'looking into' whether Hoffman died from taking the potent batch responsible for deaths all over U.S.
Drug has killed 22 in Pittsburgh the past two weeks, and 37 more in Maryland since September and 22 more in Rhode Island this month .
Officials from New Hampshire to Washington are blaming it for spikes in overdose deaths . |
44,978 | 7ec1391420a9e0094cd677424189e1ea1db2c717 | (CNN) -- Authorities confirmed the remains found in an upstate New York river were of a baby boy reported missing from Utica in June, police said Saturday. Extensive DNA testing, performed at the Onondaga County medical examiner's office in Syracuse, verified the baby was Levon Wameling, who was 10 months old when his father reported the child was taken while unattended from the house porch, authorities said. The medical examiner, however, hasn't provided a cause of death, said Sgt. Steve Hauck, spokesman for Utica police. After receiving information, state police divers found the child in a container in the Mohawk River on September 6, authorities said. "The Utica Police continue to investigate this case, with the hope that the truth will be learned and the person(s) responsible are held accountable," Hauck said in a statement. Earlier this month, the boy's father, Jevon Wameling, was arrested by New York State Police and accused of breaking into a home in a suburb of Utica to steal jewelry and money. Hauck said then he wouldn't say whether the father had anything to do with the tip leading police to the remains, citing the ongoing investigation, but the circumstances of Levon's disappearance raised questions about the boy's father from the start. Wameling took two weeks to go to an attorney's office and then call police to report Levon's disappearance, authorities said back in June. "Based on the information that he's given us, we have a lot of concern," Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said at the time. "We have a problem with what he says," Williams said. "There's no question about it." The father told investigators he took the child out for a late-night walk and locked himself out of his home, so he put the boy down on the small front porch and went around back to find a way in. When he opened the front door, the baby was gone, the father told police. Levon would have turned a year old on August 31, police said. CNN's Chris Boyette contributed to this report. | Police confirm baby is the same infant missing from Utica, New York .
Levon Wameling was 10 months old when father reported him taken from home .
Medical examiners haven't determined the cause of death .
Father took two weeks to report baby missing . |
70,380 | c77d6a9842a40d8aa42f79b8b46c933ce3810c41 | (Mashable) -- Sharing your credit card and online purchases with friends on the web sounds risky and it is. We've just discovered that several credit card transactions shared on social networking site Blippy have been exposed -- with full credit card numbers included -- in Google search results. Tipster Trey Copeland wrote to us with a link to results for the search: site:blippy.com +"from card". That search returns results showing detailed purchase information for transactions. Each result highlights that there was a "debit card transaction" or "card transaction," the amount spent, the specific location (address included) and the full card number. Blippy users who share their credit card and bank account information do so with the assumption that this information will remain private. Blippy addresses security concerns with the following statement on its website: . "Blippy is very concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your personally identifiable information. We employ administrative, physical and electronic measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access. We will make any legally-required disclosures of any breach of the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your unencrypted electronically stored personal data to you via email or conspicuous posting on the Services in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with (i) the legitimate needs of law enforcement or (ii) any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system." Unfortunately it appears that there is a bug in the "administrative, physical and electronic measures" that ensure privacy, as Blippy's security system has been breached in a very public and unfortunate way. Given the breach, we suggest that Blippy users who have authorized the site to access their debit or credit transactions take immediate action to revoke access. We've e-mailed Blippy, notified of them of the situation and will update this post when we know more. © 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved. | Blippy's security system has been breached in a very public and unfortunate way .
There's a bug in the "administrative, physical and electronic measures" that ensure privacy .
Mashable suggests that Blippy users take immediate action to revoke access . |
175,969 | 6fc652b48e44a3b564c431c9474bbbb2c461b97d | By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 10:14 EST, 27 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:54 EST, 27 September 2013 . A police watchdog has decided that tasering a man who then suffered a life-threatening heart attack was justified. James McCarthy, 23, is suing Merseyside Police after he was hit twice with a Taser at a hotel in Liverpool in September last year. His solicitor Sophie Khan said: 'James McCarthy does not accept the findings of the IPCC investigation. He disputes that the Taser use was justified. Warning: Medics told the police watchdog the use of Taser nay have led to a 22-year-old suffering a serious heart attack . 'My client suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of the Taser and sustained a serious injury following the incident. 'Mr McCarthy is now pursuing a civil . claim against Merseyside Police for damages. Mr McCarthy has asked for . his privacy to be respected whilst he recovers for his injury.' Police watchdog the Independent . Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said that use of the stun guns was . justified, but that one of the officers involved should have more . training. Debilitating: The electrified dart fired from the Taser delivered a 50,000-volt shock (Stock picture) The team was called to a Premier Inn . in Albert Dock at around 2.50am on September 30 last year where a group . of men were fighting. Mr McCarthy was hit twice, including by one discharge that lasted 11 seconds, and suffered a cardiac arrest. Tasers are being fired up to five times a day in the UK as police officers rely increasingly on the potentially deadly stun guns. There has been a huge investment in the 50,000-volt weapons in the decade since they were introduced, and police chiefs estimate they are now fired as often as 1,800 times a year. Senior officers are bracing for criticism as use of the stun guns soars. Figures published earlier this month show the number of confrontations involving Tasers more than doubled between 2009 and 2011, from 3,500 to 7,250. There are 14,700 officers trained to use Tasers, after their availability was expanded from highly trained marksmen to specialist units and beat officers. Because of the potential threat of . violence, the IPCC found that using the stun guns was 'proportionate and . appropriate', but that one officer was not aware of how long he was . passing electric current through the Taser and there was a delay in . checking whether Mr McCarthy was OK. The IPCC said that medical staff told . them that the cardiac arrest could have been caused by the Taser, but . that the presence of cocaine and cannabis in his system and raised . adrenaline levels could have contributed. IPCC commissioner James . Dipple-Johnstone said: 'It is a difficult judgment to make in the heat . of an incident, but it is important for public confidence that police . officers are able to account for their decision to use force, including . Taser, and that any force used against the public is at the minimum . level required. 'In this case, officers responded to a . violent situation involving a number of people. 'Our investigation found . they had valid concerns for both their safety and that of the public . and, as such, use of force including Taser was reasonable. 'However, our investigation did . identify areas for improvement in how long the Taser was used for and . how long it took for welfare checks to be made by officers when the . subject of the Taser use was restrained and suffering a medical . emergency. 'We have shared these with the police so that they can be considered in future training of officers.' | James McCarthy, 23 was tasered twice - including 11 second burst .
He required life-saving care after incident at Premier Inn hotel, Albert Dock, Liverpool .
Cardiac arrest could have been caused by Taser, according to medics .
Police watchdog finds delay in conducting appropriate welfare checks . |
85,955 | f3c94e5803f4b34957e685106c6f229037a054e8 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:49 EST, 23 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:04 EST, 23 August 2012 . A pod of whales had a narrow escape after becoming stranded at low tide on mudflats in a notoriously treacherous bay. Around 20 endangered beluga whales were beached for several hours on one of the countless sandbanks which litter Turnagain Arm, southeast of Anchorage, Alaska. A conservationist spotted the unfolding drama as the endangered mammals won their life or death struggle to reach deeper water and photographed the scene from the cockpit of a low-flying plane. Stranded: A pod of around 20 beluga whales were pictured during a life or death struggle to free themselves from a mudflat in Turnagain Arm, south of Anchorage, Alaska . The whales face the ever-present . threat of being stranded in the bay's water due to its long and narrow . shape, which means animals must move quickly to deeper water as soon as the tide turns. The water travels about 20 miles as . the arm floods and empties each tidal cycle. In June 1995, about 190 . whales stranded but none died. Some strandings, however, are deadly. In August 2004, five or six whales died when 46 stranded in the arm. About the same number are believed to have died in 1999, when about 50 . whales stranded. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration got a call Tuesday afternoon that some beluga whales were spotted stranded in the arm southeast of Anchorage, agency spokeswoman Julie Speegle said. NOAA law enforcement officer Noah Meisenheimer boarded a Piper Cub airplane with a pilot from the Alaska State Troopers to go searching for the whales. Struggle: The pod can be clearly seen on one of the countless sandbanks which litter the treacherous Turnagain Arm, during low tide . Treacherous: The beauty of Turnagain Arm hides dangers to animals and humans who venture in the bay . At about 7:45 p.m., the whales were seen gathered together in a small pool in the mud. After the pilot lowered the plane from 1,000 feet to 500 feet to get a better look, Meisenheimer counted about 20 belugas on the mudflats at mid-channel just west of Bird Point. Low tide was at 6 p.m. and by this time, the tide was coming in. The white whales were wriggling about trying to get free, Meisenheimer said. The pilot took a brief tour to look for more whales but didn't find any. When he returned to where they had seen the whales struggling in the mud, the water was higher and they spotted about 10 swimming in the general area. None seemed distressed and no dead whales were seen. Cook Inlet belugas are endangered. The most recent survey in 2011 counted 284 whales. The reasons for whale strandings are not fully understood, said Rod Hobbs, beluga project leader for the National Marine Mammal Lab in Seattle. It is possible the whales find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time after chasing salmon or avoiding killer whales, he said. What scientists do know is that when belugas become stranded they tend to gather together in the mud and move around to create a small pool, where water coursing over their flukes and flippers helps keep them cool, he said. The whales this time likely were stuck for about four hours, Hobbs said. ‘They go up and down those arms of the inlet a couple of times a day with the tides,’ he said. ‘Every once in a while something happens.’ | Endangered mammals' life or death struggle captured on camera by conservationist .
Whales survived brush with death at notorious Turnagain Arm, southeast of Anchorage, which has been the site of many fatal strandings . |
125,904 | 2ec33cd487897cb6ef00cf15c9e3f4121fcc3990 | Washington (CNN) -- Long before people posted their thoughts and feelings on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, millions of people were doing just that on a different sort of wall. It might have been something as simple as a baseball, a playing card or a walking stick. Or perhaps a more personal item, like a poem, photograph or diploma. And then there's the occasional letter, like the one dated November 18, 1989, that began: . Dear Sir, . For twenty two years, I have carried your picture in my wallet. I was only eighteen years old that day that we faced each other on that trail in Chu Lai, Vietnam. Why you did not take my life, I will never know. ... These are among the more than 100,000 objects that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. Since its dedication in 1982, nearly 4 million people a year have visited the memorial's polished black granite wall, many to leave a personal item or note in memory of the more than 58,000 people whose names are engraved there. No one is sure who started the custom of leaving items at the wall, curator Duery Felton said. The first items began showing up even before construction on the memorial was complete. A park ranger started collecting the items, thinking people might come back for them someday. By 1986, as the objects continued to pile up, the National Park Service decided to establish an official collection. Thus was born the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection. The items are catalogued 12 miles away at the Museum and Archaeological Regional Storage facility in Maryland. Though it's not open to the public, traveling collections are often on display at museums both in the United States and abroad, Felton said. "You had, for the first time that we've been able to ascertain, people coming to a public site for a protracted period and leaving unsolicited objects," Felton said. There is seemingly no limit to the types of artifacts that are part of the collection, from G.I. Joe action figures to crutches, dog tags, combat boots -- even a motorcycle. On any given day, the wall might be adorned with artwork, prayers, a diploma marking a missed milestone or a picture of a young child born too late for a loved one to meet. Occasionally, a note accompanies an item, but most times an object's meaning is left to interpretation. Felton, a Vietnam veteran himself, says he's wary of making assumptions about an item's meaning. Many may seem like ordinary objects, but often they hold deeper significance to either the donor or one being remembered. Felton likes to use a bag of M&Ms to make his point. The candy, which gained popularity among World War II soldiers looking for a chocolate treat that wouldn't melt, may have been left at the wall because it was a loved one's favorite, he says. More likely, though, it had something to do with the little-known fact that military doctors used M&Ms as placebos for injured soldiers when no aspirin was available. "I look at us as being voyeurs in many ways, because we don't know the full story," he said. "Outside of donor information, I can't tell you why [an] item was left." On a more comprehensive scale, the collection serves as a record of social history, he said. The egalitarian nature of the memorial and the unprecedented public outrage that resulted from the controversial war are not unrelated, Felton said. "This is a study. This is tangible evidence of a major epoch on the psyche of the American public," Felton said. "For all intents and purposes, this collection is being curated by the public. ... It's uncensored." And as Vietnam veterans age, it even more important to preserve these artifacts for future generations, he said. "Almost 60 percent of today's population was not alive during Vietnam," he said. "You can't tell where you are until you understand where you've been. ... We're preserving the past for the future." | More than 100,000 objects have been left at Vietnam Veterans Memorial .
As objects piled up, National Park Service established official collection .
Traveling collections often on display at museums in U.S. and abroad . |
517 | 018544e74130a4d6da4f1a76583ee1a846e94fd3 | Washington (CNN) -- Online travel company Orbitz was fined $50,000 Monday by the Department of Transportation for failing to properly disclose baggage fees on its website. In announcing the fine, the DOT said it had ordered Orbitz to immediately fix the problem to avoid further fines. The agency alleged that Orbitz failed to "clearly and prominently" inform travelers about potential baggage fees during the airline ticket purchasing process, and in doing so, violated a new rule intended to make airline fees more transparent. "The Department adopted its rules on baggage fees to ensure that consumers have complete and accurate information about how much they will have to pay when they book a flight, and we will continue to take enforcement action when carriers and ticket agents fail to comply with our rules," Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood said in a statement. While admitting that Orbitz did, in fact, post the fees online, Lahood and the DOT took issue with where the notice was placed. The agency alleged that customers were forced to scroll to the bottom of the web page to see the cost of checking their baggage. Tim Enstice, Orbitz communications manager, told CNN: "As the order acknowledges, we promptly corrected how we displayed airline baggage fee information to be consistent with DOT's preference. We are not aware of any consumer confusion, complaints or deception over this issue, but settled the case to avoid the costs of litigation." The rule went into place in January and mandates carriers and ticket agents disclose up-front any baggage fees passengers may have to pay in addition to the ticket price. In June, the DOT fined Mexican airline Volaris $130,000 for violating the same rule. Go to CNN.com's Travel page for tips and armchair getaways . Does Orbitz steer Mac users to pricier hotels? 10 of the world's top airport lounges . Potential FAA cuts could produce hassles for fliers . | The DOT fines Orbitz for failing to properly disclose baggage fees on its website .
Customers had to scroll to the bottom of the page to find baggage fees, the DOT says .
Orbitz says it has corrected its site "to be consistent with DOT's preference"
"We are not aware of any consumer confusion, complaints or deception," Orbitz says . |
240,297 | c3138ae5c93d830b242f47e76a628566652b3f46 | (CNN) -- Israeli police have stepped up their search for a New Jersey man who went missing while hiking in a forest outside Jerusalem. Aaron Sofer was reported missing on Friday by a friend who he was hiking with in the Jerusalem Forest, Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told CNN. Sofer, 23, from Lakewood, New Jersey, is a Yeshiva student studying in Israel. "We are looking in a number of directions," Rosenfeld said. "It is not clear if the disappearance was personal [or a] kidnapping. It's not clear at all." Police are searching the forest and have questioned a friend of Sofer's who was "the last man who saw him face-to-face, eye-to-eye," Rosenfeld said. The friend "lost contact" with Sofer while walking with him and reported the disappearance to the police, Rosenfeld said. Sofer's parents arrived in Israel on Monday. His brother, Joel Sofer, told CNN on Tuesday that family members are "just praying hard and doing everything we could do." He said he had visited the area where his brother went missing. "I actually was over there today on site," he told CNN's Jake Tapper. "And you know, there's nothing. They have no evidence. They can't find anything." Binyomin Isseeman, Sofer's rabbi in Lakewood, called the missing man a "very normal, a very healthy boy." "His mind is clear, no problems at all," Isseeman said to CNN affiliate WCBS reported. Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey said the U.S. Department of State was helping Israeli authorities in the search for Sofer. "There are concerns, as we all know, about the possibility of abduction," Smith said, according to CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey. Sofer's disappearance comes two months after what Israeli authorities have called the revenge killing of Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khedair, 16. His body was found in the Jerusalem Forest on July 2, just miles from where Sofer went missing. Two minors and an adult were indicted in the killing. Prosecutors allege the killing was retaliation for the deaths of three Israeli teens whose bodies were found in the West Bank in June. One of the Israeli youths also had American citizenship. CNN's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report. | NEW: The missing man's brother says the family are "praying hard"
Aaron Sofer disappeared while hiking in the Jerusalem Forest .
Police are searching in the forest and have questioned a friend who last saw Sofer .
Sofer, 23, is a Yeshiva student studying in Israel . |
173,352 | 6c593ab60e88ec8b64d0030c06f2d8e7b72d9d11 | Louis Armstrong was arrested for being a 'dangerous and suspicious character' when he was nine, according to newly-surfaced documents from the 'Colored Waifs Home' where he was sent. It has long been documented that the jazz great was sent to the home in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1913 and a band instructor there is credited with teaching him the horn. But documents, which were salvaged by the son-in-law of the home's owners and recently released to the Times Picayune, have only just revealed his earlier arrest - and have also led to the discovery of newspaper articles written about him more than a century ago. Nine-year-old Armstrong was nabbed by the police in South Rampart on October 21, 1910 with five other boys 'for being dangerous and suspicious characters', according to a Daily Picayune report the following day. Louis Armstrong is pictured front row center during a 1931 visit to a New Orleans boys' home formerly known as the 'Colored Waifs Home'. He was first sent to the home in 1910 when he was arrested age nine . Former home: He was at the home for two weeks for being a 'suspicious and dangerous character' and was sent back again for firing a gun into the air in 1913 - during this second stay, he learned the horn . He was sent to the Colored Waifs Home, an institution for troubled and orphaned children, and was listed as a new arrival with six other boys on October 21. In total, there were 77 boys at the home. The records shared by the Times Picayune show he was discharged to his aunt on November 8. Interestingly, the boy's charges appear to change in the documents and he is later noted down as facing a 'pilfer' charge with a 'pending trial'. There is no way of knowing why there was a change but the Times Picuyane noted that the 'dangerous and suspicious' charge was often criticized as being an unconstitutional way for police to detain people at will without any evidence of a crime. But the 1910 incident was not the only time Armstrong went to the home. In an event that has been widely documented - including in Armstrong's own autobiography - on New Year's Eve in 1912, he was arrested for shooting a .38-caliber revolver into the air. Newspaper articles at the time note he was sent to the home in January 1913 and he was marked as an 'old offender'. He remained at the home for 18 months, records show. Younger years: Armstrong is pictured in 1921, when he was 20, with his mother and sister Beatrice. After leaving the home, he started playing gigs and eventually moved to Chicago and then New York City . Thankful: He is pictured third left during his visit in 1931 with his former music teacher, Peter Davis (second left), and the owners of the home, Captain Joseph Jones (third right) and his wife Manuela (left) But there was one major difference at the home since his previous arrest: teacher Peter Davis had arrived and had set up a band for the boys. Bruce Raeburn, curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University, pointed out this important difference to the Times Picuyane. 'The first time Armstrong was in there, there was no band to get involved with,' he said. 'It's almost like he got a second chance.' With the help of Davis, he quickly picked up the bugle then the cornet and joined band members in performing in parades and picnics around the city. In May, four months after he was sent to the home, an article in the Daily Picayune writes about Armstrong leading the band during a parade. 'Marching proudly through the streets with drum and fife, they rendered several selections, patriotic mostly, and were loudly encored from the sidewalks,' the article said. He was released into the custody of his father in June 1914 - but wrote in his autobiography that he was not happy to leave. After his release, he started picking up shows. He left New Orleans for Chicago and then New York, but returned to the city in 1931, where he visited the home - later known as the Milne Boys' Home - and posed for pictures with his former music teacher and the boys. Music great: Armstrong performs on the Kraft Music Hall TV show at NBC Studios in Brooklyn in June 1967, four years before his death. He had long credited the boys' home with helping him get his start in music . He also grinned in photos beside Captain Joseph Jones and his wife Manuela, who ran the home and had taken him under their wings when he was a boy. 'Without Joseph and Manuela (Jones) and Peter Davis, there probably would not have been a Louis Armstrong,' their son-in-law Allen Kimble Jr. told the Times Picayune. He went on to send multiple donations to the home before his death in 1971. The records were shared by Kimble, who married the Joneses' daughter, Sylvia Washington, and learned of the couple's connection to Armstrong. In the 1980s, he came across their records and, thinking of Armstrong, picked out some from 1910 and 1913 and took them with him. After moving several times across Europe and in the U.S., he returned to New Orleans in 2008 and eventually shared the records with the Times Picayune, saying other publications had not been interested in them in previous years. | It is well documented that Armstrong was arrested for firing a gun into the air on New Year's Eve 1912, but new records show it was not his first arrest .
Records salvaged by the son-in-law of the home's owners and released to the Times Picayune show Armstrong was arrested in New Orleans in 1910 .
He spent two weeks at the boys' home after he was accused of being a 'dangerous and suspicious character'
By the time he returned to the home, it had hired a music teacher and he quickly learned how to play the horn and lead the band .
After leaving, age 13, he started picking up gigs . |
72,297 | ccf0c8c41d32883e0b45f96c11794c180c0eadcc | (CNN) -- On a day of national celebration in Pakistan, the country's cricket team provided the perfect present for Quaid Day by defeating archrival India in its Twenty20 encounter in Bangalore, India. On the 136th anniversary since the birth of Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's players marked the day in style with a hugely impressive performance. The Quaid-e-Azam was the man who helped secure the formation of the state of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, and went on to become the nation's first ever governor general. He is highly revered and his memory was not forgotten by Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez, who dedicated the victory to the national hero. "It is a gift for the whole nation, it is Quaid day back home," said Hafeez following his team's five-wicket victory. India-Pakistan cricket series hit by media blackout . Pakistan's joy came following an enthralling contest during the first bilateral series between the two teams in five years. Needing to surpass India's 133-9, Pakistan fought back from a nightmare start to snatch victory with just two deliveries remaining. Pakistan's hope of trumping its fierce rival appeared to have faded when India reduced the visitor to 12-3. But Shoaib Malik, who is married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, hit 57 from 50 balls, which included a giant six to win the game. It was a game which India had looked set to run away with as openers Gautam Gambhir (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (42) put on 77 for the opening wicket. Tendulkar quits one-day internationals . But a huge collapse, which accounted for nine wickets and just 47 runs, allowed Pakistan back into the contest. Umar Gul took 3-21 and Saaed Ajmal 2-25 as India finished on 133-9 from its 20 overs. India's low total looked less than formidable but an early crisis almost left Pakistan facing an embarrassing defeat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced a blistering spell on debut, taking 3-9 as the top order was ripped apart. It was only when Malik and Hafeez finally got themselves into the contest with a 106-run partnership that Pakistan finally looked to threaten. When Hafeez fell for 61, the tourist needed 16 from the remaining 17 deliveries to win. And despite a few nervous moments, it was left to Malik to seal victory, smashing the ball for six with three balls to go before sparking scenes of celebrations amongst his teammates. Malik said: "We were struggling when the debutant bowler, I don't remember his name, took those early wickets, Hafeez played a brilliant innings. "You are playing against India, pressure is always there, but you have to play according to the situation." | Pakistan defeated India by five wickets in Bangalore .
It is the first time in five years that the two teams have met in a bilateral series .
India scored 133-9 in its 20 overs .
Captain Mohammad Hafeez top scored for Pakistan with 61 as it won with two balls to spare . |
132,269 | 370f072f7f9fa4df6ea256da4231a2ff6f21f9f4 | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A one-of-a-kind bicycle belonging to U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong was stolen from a team truck in California just hours after he rode it Saturday on the first day of a nine-day race. Lance Armstrong's bike was stolen after he competed in the first day of the Amgen Tour of California. Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong is racing in the Amgen Tour of California this week as he attempts another comeback after retiring from the sport in 2005. Armstrong's first comeback came in 1998, two years after he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a less than 50 percent chance of survival. Armstrong announced the bike theft on his Twitter account Sunday morning and posted a photograph. "There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," he wrote. The bicycle that was stolen is not the one Armstrong rides every day during the race. The stolen bike is used only for time trials, a race in which cyclists ride individually at staggered intervals over a set distance and try to get the best time. The thieves took four bicycles from a truck Armstrong's Astana team had parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. The other three bicycles belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych, Astana said. Armstrong, 37, won the Tour de France, considered the premier bicycle race in the world, a record seven times from 1999-2005. The 750-mile Amgen Tour of California ends Sunday. It is the second major race in which Armstrong has participated since announcing his comeback in September. He raced last month in the Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing 29th. Armstrong said he is aiming for another Tour de France victory this summer and was not expected to contend in the Australian race, which he used to gauge his fitness level after more than three years out of the saddle. | One-of-a-kind bicycle taken from team truck in California .
Armstrong posted announcement of theft on Twitter account .
Champion cyclist aiming for comeback with participation in Amgen Tour . |
49,181 | 8ae7f18e8b66c71ac7e433a2425ee79a2f0ce5f4 | By . Simon Cable Showbusiness Correspondent . Once it plied the waters of Europe, carrying coal from port to port.These days, Vega IV’s cargo is rather different. It includes a home cinema system, . state of the art kitchen and walk-in dressing room – not to mention a . fully stocked cocktail bar. The 130ft Dutch barge, built in 1959, has been transformed into a ‘floating penthouse’ moored on the Thames. And if you happen to have £1.65million idling in the bank, it could be yours. Luxury liner: Gone is the barge that lugged coal from port to port. Now, 64 years on, Vega IV has been re-purposed as an opulent 'floating penthouse' High living: The barge is on the market for £1.65million. It offers a luxury lifestyle but is cheaper than similar properties on land. Most London houseboats cost less than £100,000 . Shaken, not stirred: When the river is calm, owners can entertain in their state of the art cocktail bar. The barge is expected to be use as an entertainment venue rather than a home . Its . other luxurious features include under-floor heating, a 40in HD . flatscreen television, a rainfall shower and a hanging fireplace. If that wasn’t enough, the lucky . owner will have their own butler on call 24 hours a day, with room . service offered by the nearby five-star Hotel Rafayel. As you might expect, the property is being marketed towards the capital’s wealthiest businessmen and celebrities. Floating house, floating fireplace: The unique hanging fireplace in the corner of the living room is just one of the barge's novelty features. It's quirky extras, including an on-call butler, have peaked the interest of singer Bryan Adams and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes . Small print: There is no stamp duty or mooring charges on the barge, which is moored in Battersea, South London. Owners will have to pay a £3,000 charge every year to Port of London Authority and and annual service charge of £7,500 . No expense spared: The barge has been imported from Holland, Belgium and France and takes between seven and ten months to fill out. The boat has three double bedrooms and an outdoor terrace . Singer Bryan Adams and explorer Sir . Ranulph Fiennes are among those said to have made enquiries. The vessel . is moored at Oyster Pier, a new development in Battersea, South London. Vega IV is the first boat to have been refitted so far, and there is space at the harbour for nine more vessels. Prospective buyers can have their craft tailored and designed to their own specifications. Developers say they expect the boats . to be used mostly as entertaining spaces rather than homes. Owners will . be able to use the hotel’s gym and beauty salon and will even be granted . the use of a neighbouring heli-pad. The first boat has three double bedrooms and 2,300sq ft of internal space, with its own outdoor terrace. It also comes with a working engine, . which can reach a top speed of 10mph. The barges themselves, which are . being sold through London estate agent Bective Leslie Marsh, are . imported from Holland, Belgium and France, and take between seven and . ten months to fit out. There is no stamp duty or mooring . charges, although owners will have to pay a £3,000 Port of London . Authority charge each year, plus an annual service charge of £7,500. Chris Atherton, manager at Oyster . Pier, said: ‘The challenge was to design houseboats to appeal to the . prime central London market. ‘The boats are the floating . equivalent of luxury penthouses, but they cost a fraction of the price . of what a similar type of property on land would cost. Room with a view: The owner can watch the world go by from their spot on the Thames. Prospective buyers can have their craft designed and tailored to their liking . Prototype: The 2,300sq ft barge comes with an on-call butler, with room service offered by the nearby five-star Hotel Rafayel. This is the first of nine models moored in Oyster Pier . There is almost no limit to what people can create. Whatever they want in their boat, we can try and make it happen. ‘There has been a lot of interest, . not just from people who wan to use them as homes to live in, but . from people who simply use them as spaces to entertain their guests.’ Most houseboats and barges in London cost less than £100,000. | 130ft Dutch barge is moored in Battersea, South London can be used as an entertainment venue .
Vega IV comes with a working engine which can reach a top speed of 10mph .
Luxury boat built in 1959 is now fitted with under-floor heating, hanging fireplace and an on-call butler . |
4,485 | 0cf1cef25d8f95061aa771a19ddb00a104f637c3 | By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 06:10 EST, 24 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:39 EST, 24 January 2014 . Spy: 8,000 hidden cameras like this one photograph the cars on Britain's roads 26 million times every day . Police are recording 26million images of motorists every day – an increase of 61 per cent since 2012, it emerged yesterday. Senior officers say the system is invaluable in preventing and solving serious crime and terror attacks. But civil liberty campaigners warn that it is intrusive and lacks oversight. The images are taken on a network of around 8,000 automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) cameras across the UK. In 2012, 16million images were recorded every day by cameras – many of them unmarked – which are positioned on motorways and A and B roads. Each time a vehicle passes, a camera takes a picture of the vehicle’s numberplate and another of the front of the car, including the driver’s face. The cameras are operated by individual police forces but the records are stored on a national database of 17 billion images, used by police and intelligence services to track criminals. However, it also contains the records of innocent motorists, showing a detailed map of their daily journeys. Police refuse to reveal the locations of the cameras, saying to do so would undermine the effectiveness of the system. It is thought that by 2018, between 50 million and 75 million pictures of vehicles will be taken every day. The network of cameras is already so extensive that it allows police forces to track where vehicles have gone every single day. Pictures can be checked against the Police National Computer and used by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the battle against crime. The first cameras were installed in Britain on the M1 in 1984 to spot stolen vehicles. By 2005, the number of cameras had increased to 2,000 and there are now more than 8,000. As well as fixed cameras, police forces use mobile units - with more than 100 in London alone. Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said the technology is being secretly rolled out without the public's knowledge. 'ANPR is a classic example of a very intrusive technology being rolled out with zero public debate. Tracked: The Government archive of 17 billion images works out as nearly 500 pictures of every one of the 36 million cars on Britain's roads . 'The public hasn't been given even the most basic information about what information is being recorded, how long it is kept or who is able to access it. 'When you consider the system allows every journey to be tracked, down to the second, and for someone to search through the entire log of when your car was scanned and where, it is without doubt an extremely intrusive system. 'How many people would have said yes if they had been asked to install a device on their car so the police could monitor their journeys? Yet this is exactly what ANPR technology allows. Secret camera: More Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras are expected to be rolled out over the next five years . 'It is a total failure of law and oversight if this massive yet secretive expansion of ANPR systems is legal.' Julian Blazeby, from the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: 'Given the nature of ANPR it is understandable that some will be concerned about how this data is used. 'ANPR has only ever been for the prevention and detection of crime as well as locating vulnerable people with the intent of preserving life. 'It has saved lives, brought serious, violent offenders to justice and is used in the detection of would-be terrorists. It’s not about tracking every vehicle’s journey – which is an exaggeration of ANPR’s capabilities. 'Currently we have an average of 7,750 active cameras within any seven day period and an average daily read of 26 million. 'However an increase to 50 or 75 million is not anticipated at this time and there are no current plans for a mass roll out of ANPR cameras. 'The database consists of approximately 17 billion records. This data is owned by the chief officers of law enforcement agencies who act as data controllers.' Police forces want to share the information harvested by the cameras with countries across Europe. A spokesman for the Home Office said: 'ANPR is a vital tool and we support its use where it is legitimate and proportionate. 'We have created a new, independent post of surveillance camera commissioner to help oversee this. 'These cameras may only be located where there is an identified need to detect, deter, and disrupt criminality. Any new ANPR camera deployment will also require a privacy impact assessment.' | A network of 8,000 cameras photograph cars on Britain's roads every day .
Government has a database of 17 billion images stored for up to two years .
Pictures taken by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras used to fight crime - but privacy campaigners have voiced concerns .
By 2018, up to 75 million pictures of vehicles will be taken every day . |
199,510 | 8e47746aebf90c4ac6633c7d7a9611f9edc19985 | (CNN) -- Don Henley, a founding member of "The Eagles," is suing a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, claiming the candidate is misusing two of his popular songs. Don Henley performs at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on May 2, 2008. The suit filed Friday in federal court in California claims Charles DeVore is using Henley's hit songs "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" without authorization. The suit comes from two campaign videos that DeVore posted on YouTube that used Henley's music, according to the lawsuit. In one of the videos, DeVore's campaign changed the words of "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" to lyrics that attacked Sen. Barbara Boxer, the lawsuit alleges. Mike Campbell, who co-wrote "Boys of Summer," is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. "Don Henley and Mike Campbell brought this action to protect their song, 'The Boys of Summer,' which was taken and used without their permission," Henley's spokesman said. "The infringers have vowed to continue exploiting this and other copyrighted works, as it suits them, to further their own ambitions and agenda. It was necessary to file a lawsuit to stop them." DeVore, a member of the California State Assembly, is running against Boxer, a Democrat, in the 2010 election, according to his Web site. DeVore mentions Henley's legal actions on the Web site. "We're responding with a counter-claim, asserting our First Amendment right to political free speech," the site said. "While the legal issues play out, it's time to up the ante on Mr. Henley's liberal goon tactics. By popular request, I have penned the words to our new parody song." DeVore then posted the lyrics of a song he called "All She Wants to Do Is Tax." CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report. | Don Henley files lawsuit against Republican running for Senate seat .
Henley claims Charles DeVore used his songs without permission .
DeVore is running against California Sen. Barbara Boxer . |
206,241 | 96f8fbf682c1d1041eb78c0c79e5354a8d14d49e | The World Cup is over and, for the fourth time in history, Germany came out victorious after a 1-0 triumph over Argentina in the final.. There were some simply sublime displays in Brazil, with the likes of Javier Mascherano, James Rodriguez and Manuel Neuer all putting in a series of utterly imperious displays. But in much the same way as for every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction - in football for every brilliant player there is an equally terrible one. So who were the worst XI in Brazil? Here, Sportsmail runs the rule over eleven men who failed ever so badly in Brazil. WORLD CUP WORST XI (3-4-3) IKER CASILLAS (Spain) – Had a blooper reel all of his own. The mis-control that gifted Robin van Persie a goal in the 5-1 defeat to Holland was the pick of the bunch. Nightmare: Iker Casilass endured a nightmare couple of games as Spain lost to Holland and Chile . PEPE (Portugal) – His tournament ended when he was sent off against Germany for stupidly thrusting his head into Thomas Mueller’s, leaving Portugal with 10 men for nearly an hour. They lost 4-0. Moment of madness: Pepe's headbutt on Thomas Muller in the Group G opener cost Portugal dearly . GERARD PIQUE (Spain) – The Barcelona defender suffered more than most in the shocking 5-1 defeat to Holland. Endured a torrid time and was not seen again. Passed by: Gerard Pique was destroyed in Spain's opener, before not being seen again in Brazil . DAVID LUIZ (Brazil) – Has a player’s stock ever fallen so rapidly? A contender for Team of the Tournament, Luiz’s world caved in as Brazil conceded 10 goals against Germany and Holland. Tearful: David Luiz was woeful in Brazil's horrendous 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-final . ANTONIO VALENCIA (Ecuador) – The Ecuador skipper had already been sent off against England in a pre-tournament friendly when he saw red for a late challenge in the final group game with France. No goals, no assists. Head in hands: Antonio Valencia leaves the pitch after receiving a red card against France . PAULINHO (Brazil) – The Tottenham man was utterly anonymous much of the time. At least his Brazil teammate Fernandinho kept himself occupied by kicking opponents. Chasing shadows: Paulinho was one of many Brazilian players who was poor throughout the tournament . WILSON PALACIOS (Honduras) – Set about France in the second group game like he wanted to be sent off and got his wish, conceding a penalty in the process. Why always me? Wilson Palacios was disappointing for Honduras in the group stage . EDEN HAZARD (Belgium) – Contributed two assists but we expected so much more from the Chelsea man. Did Jose Mourinho really say that he’s the best young player in the world? Underwhelming: Eden Hazard was disappointing for Belgium in Brazil . LUIS SUAREZ (Uruguay) – No sooner had Suarez knocked out England than he was up to his old tricks, biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. The striker was out of the World Cup and Uruguay weren’t far behind. Impact: Luis Suarez had a rather dramatic two games in Brazil against England and Italy . VIDEO Sorry Suarez admits Chiellini bite . FRED (Brazil) – Booed into retirement by his own fans, no-one summed up the dearth of Brazil’s attacking talent better than Fred. One goal against Cameroon was never going to be enough for his critics. Out of his depth: Fred simply couldn't cut it up front for Brazil . DIEGO COSTA (Spain) – All the talk, all the fuss, all that money Chelsea! Their £32m new signing showed why Spain sometimes prefer to play without a striker. Not worth the trouble: Diego Costa's impact in Brazil paled in comparison to the hype surrounding him beforehand . | Suarez, David Luiz and Diego Costa amongst those to feature in Worst XI .
Sportsmail also pick out Eden Hazard and Iker Casillas as underperformers .
Three Brazilians and two Spaniards feature in the side . |
60,828 | acdb6f77b03800b69b9d3156324e896b122711cb | The old saying healthy body, healthy mind has been proved true in physically fit children. U.S. researchers have shown for the first time that youngsters who are more aerobically fit have more ‘white matter’ in their brains, which is a marker for better memory and attention. A new study used brain imaging to explore the link between body and mental fitness in nine and 10-year-olds. Those rated at a higher level of fitness also had brains with more fibrous and compact white matter, the network of nerve fibres important for sending signals between different brain regions. Physically fit children have more 'white matter' in their brains, associated with memory, learning and attention, a team of researchers at Illinois University found . Joint study author Laura Chaddock-Heyman, of Illinois University, said: ‘Previous studies suggest that children with higher levels of aerobic fitness show greater brain volumes in gray-matter brain regions important for memory and learning. ‘Now for the first time we explored how aerobic fitness relates to white matter in children's brains.’ She said the study found significant fitness-related differences in the strength of several white matter tracts in the brain connecting different regions. Dr Chaddock-Heyman said: ‘All of these tracts have been found to play a role in attention and memory.’ It suggests that white matter structure ‘may be one additional mechanism by which higher-fit children outperform their lower-fit peers on cognitive tasks and in the classroom,’ she added. Although the study did not test for cognitive differences in children with different fitness levels, previous research has found fit adults perform better on white matter-related tasks. Psychology professor Doctor Arthur Kramer said: ‘Previous studies in our lab have reported a relationship between fitness and white-matter integrity in older adults. ‘Therefore, it appears that fitness may have beneficial effects on white matter throughout the lifespan.’ The researchers looked at 24 children given scans using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI, also called diffusion MRI) to investigate five white matter tracts. White matter describes the bundles of nerve fibres carrying signals from one brain region to another, with more compact white matter linked with faster and more efficient nerve activity. The scientists found children with a higher level of fitness, had 'greater brain volume' in gray-matter regions . The scans analyse water diffusion into tissues, with less water diffusion denoting more fibrous and compact material with ‘desirable traits’, says a report in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Researchers took into account factors such as social and economic status, the timing of puberty, IQ, or a diagnosis of ADHD or other learning disabilities that might have affected the reported fitness differences in the brain. The analysis revealed significant fitness-related differences in the integrity of several white-matter tracts in the brain. To take the findings further, the team is now two years into a five-year trial to determine whether white-matter tract integrity improves in children who begin a new physical fitness routine and maintain it over time. C-researcher Professor Charles Hillman said: ‘Prior work from our laboratories has demonstrated both short and long-term differences in the relation of aerobic fitness to brain health and cognition. ‘However, our current trial should provide the most comprehensive assessment of this relationship to date.’ | U.S. researchers have shown for the first time that youngsters who are physically active have more 'white matter' in their brains .
Fitter children had greater 'brain volume' in areas associated with memory, learning and attention team at Illinois University found .
New study used brain imaging to explore link between body and mental fitness in nine and 10-year-olds . |
222,118 | ab849503d78c1681fbc0a335473a236d45f84ff4 | The collapse of a 210-year-old building in the heart of the French Quarter is raising warning flags about decay and a lack of rigorous inspections in one of America's oldest and most fragile neighborhoods. No one was injured when the three-story, brick-and-cypress building collapsed in late October, but the episode has thrown into focus an array of problems throughout the nearly 300-year-old Quarter. Among them: structural decay, voracious termites at work on aged wood beams, Louisiana's humid climate, absentee landlords and the stresses of modern life as heavy trucks rattle streets and balconied buildings standing shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps the biggest problem, though, is that no one is charged with making sure the Quarter's 3,000 old buildings are stable. And the city has no in-depth inspection policy tailored to the distinct qualities of its first neighborhood. Scroll down for video . Collapse: Pedestrians watch down the street from where a three-story, brick-and-cypress building collapsed in the historic French Quarter section in New Orleans on October 22 . The single inspector at the Vieux Carre Commission, the city's zoning arm for the Quarter, only has authority to inspect a building's exterior. Citations are routine for gaudy signs and Plexiglas — violations of historical standards — or letting a facade decay. Owners can't be cited for letting a floor sag or allowing mortar to deteriorate to dust on the interiors of their buildings. There are city building and fire inspectors, but they do not do random inspections of old structures. The commission's check-ups amount to 'a visual inspection that occurs from the streets, corners, and any aerial views that we are readily afforded,' said commission chairman Nicholas Musso. 'We do not have the ability to enter a piece of property, or a courtyard, or a rear of a building. It could have been crucial in this particular instance.' Even based on superficial assessments, he's concerned about the condition of some structures: 'We do have a series of buildings that are highly suspect, should we say.' Though many residents and preservationists deem the collapse a wake-up call, longtime Quarter real estate agent Michael Wilkinson thinks the steady rise of wealthier owners ensures most properties are being looked after. Property values have increased by as much as 30 percent in recent years. Accident: The collapse near the heart of the Quarter came at lunchtime on a Tuesday on a block of Royal Street lined with high-end art galleries, boutiques, jewelry stores and restaurants . Scene: Renters in the fallen building, one of the earliest three-story structures in the Quarter, were not at home when it caved in . 'There's a lot of incentive — financial and otherwise — to maintain these properties,' Wilkinson said. 'It's a very wealthy area.' For now, Musso said, the commission hopes property owners will take the initiative and ask inspectors to come in and take a look around. It's not as though there are no interior inspections. Fire department and city inspectors routinely examine commercial properties — the myriad of crowded bars and restaurants that make the Quarter so appealing to the 9.2million tourists who visited New Orleans last year. Building inspectors weigh in whenever major renovations are done to commercial or residential property. And banks require a building to be inspected before backing a purchase. When it comes to inspections and enforcing good maintenance, New Orleans' rules don't differ much from most historic cities and towns, said John Hildreth, a regional vice president for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Regulations in Boston and New York, for instance, largely match those in New Orleans. Ultimately, that means most of the older structures aren't undergoing regular reviews. The collapse near the heart of the Quarter came at lunchtime on a Tuesday on a block of Royal Street lined with high-end art galleries, boutiques, jewelry stores and restaurants. Renters in the fallen building, one of the earliest three-story structures in the Quarter, were not at home when it caved in. Citation: The owners of the building were cited in 2011 for allowing the facade to decay, but the Vieux Carre Commission has said no single problem caused the collapse. A rear wall of the home following the collapse is seen here . Precarious: In this October 22 photo, a roof hangs from the three-story, brick-and-cypress building that collapsed in the historic French Quarter . 'Incredibly, no one got killed,' said Peter Trapolin, an architect who regularly works in the Quarter and who believes the neighborhood needs a stronger inspection protocol. The owners of the building were cited in 2011 for allowing the facade to decay, but the Vieux Carre Commission has said no single problem caused the collapse. In the past year alone, 302 warnings were issued to owners whose structures were considered, at least on the exterior, to be in dangerously bad condition, according to figures provided by the city. The elderly lady who owned the building operated a small shop where she cut keys and made second-line umbrellas, the decorative parasols common in jazz processions, until about two years ago, said Doc Hawley, an amateur neighborhood historian and a well-known figure around the Quarter for his decades as the captain of the Natchez steamboat. 'I watched them pull out the old timbers,' he said, standing somberly in front of a pile of bricks where the facade once stood. 'They were badly damaged by termites.' Behind the stuccoed walls of the Quarter's old buildings, bricks made hundreds of years ago from Mississippi River mud are crumbling. Add to the stress load hurricanes, heavy tourist traffic, and a constant rumbling of multi-ton trucks carrying beer, food, garbage and heavy equipment. 'These buildings were built for horse and buggies,' Hawley said. 'I lie in bed and I feel my house (in the Quarter) go up and down. The pictures on my walls bounce up and down when the big trucks go by outside.' Hisotry: In this February 26, 1941 file photo, Mardi Gras revelers gather at Canal Street as Rex, King of Carnival, makes his way aboard his float through the crowd, in New Orleans . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | No one was injured when a 210-year-old, three-story building collapsed in late October .
The episode has thrown into focus an array of problems throughout the nearly 300-year-old French Quarter .
Perhaps the biggest problem is that no one is charged with making sure the Quarter's 3,000 old buildings are stable . |
53,936 | 98e654422ec388157d27fde97cbae4c13640760c | (CNN) -- A bride is in mourning. Hours after the wedding, groom William Riley Knight, 49, of Crown Point, Indiana, was run over and killed. His new wife was not injured. They had just left their reception, according to Patti Van Til, a spokeswoman with the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff's Department. "She was still in her wedding dress," she said. Knight was acting as a good Samaritan on Saturday night when he stopped to assist Linda Darlington, whose vehicle had slid into a ditch along a road in Crown Point. He climbed out to help while his wife waited in the car. He and Darlington, 42, were struck multiple times as they stood by the side of the road. She was also killed. According to CNN affiliate WBBM, which spoke to Knight's ex-wife, he had four children, including two stepchildren. He acted in community theater, was a hunter and reportedly served in the U.S. Army Rangers before retiring in the mid-1990s. "He was very outgoing, always wanting to help somebody," said friend Rob Biella, CNN affiliate WLS reported. "He was good to be around my kids. I'm glad they got to know him." All drivers remained on scene, and there is nothing to suggest that alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to Van Til. The accident remains under investigation. "He was just trying to do a good thing for somebody in need," the spokeswoman said. "It's very sad. We have a job to do here, but sometimes it just brings you sadness." Bride loses her groom and her leg, but not her faith . | William Riley Knight had stopped to help a woman whose vehicle had slid into a ditch .
He and Linda Darlington were struck multiple times as they stood by the side of the road .
Knight's new wife was waiting in the car when the accident happened .
"We have a job to do here, but sometimes it just brings you sadness," a spokeswoman says . |
39,649 | 6ff6c2677882f6fec9b7b0449e99fd392658eae0 | By . Travelmail Reporter . It was once a gritty stretch of Manhattan known for rail yards, warehouses and aging industrial buildings, so desolate it was dubbed 'The Wild, Wild West'. Now, one of the US's biggest construction projects is transforming a stretch of Manhattan's west side with 20 new buildings - 17 of them high-rises - so tightly packed that it has earned the nickname: 'Hong Kong on the Hudson.' When finished in 2024, the Hudson Yards area will boast more hotels, as well as an observation deck higher than the Empire State Building. Scroll down for video . New plans: An artist's rendering shows the planned Hudson Yards' development project . Photo of Hudson Yards shows parked Long Island Rail Road trains with ongoing construction nearby . In progress: Construction of skyscrapers is underway in New York . This is going to be the new heart of New York,' says Michael Samuelian, a project manager for the $20bn Hudson Yards - a joint venture of Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group. This development and the adjacent $4.5bn Manhattan West complex comprise the city's most ambitious private real estate ventures since Rockefeller Center went up in the 1930s. When fully completed, the two projects will offer more than 22 million square feet of space, including 6,000 residential units - more footage than the rebuilt World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Construction on Manhattan West's first 65-storey office tower will start after the platform is finished by year's end. How it will look: The planned Manhattan West development project on the west side of Manhattan . Development project: A huge crane by rail tracks used by commuter trains at Penn Station in New York . The plan for Hudson Yards, occupying an area between 30th and 34th streets bordered by Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway, features 16 buildings - 14 of them skyscrapers. The first, 52-storey tower rising over the rail yards is expected to open in 2015, anchored by the Coach luxury retailer with tenants including L'Oreal USA and German software giant SAP. Work also has begun on Hudson Yards' tallest building - an 80-storey skyscraper with an observation deck higher than the Empire State Building. It will be home to the corporate headquarters of Time Warner by 2019. The Hudson Yards project site shows ongoing construction of skyscrapers . Manhattan West fills the block between . Tenth and Ninth avenues with three towers - two more than 60 storeys - a . public plaza and walkway, shops, garages and a hotel. Squeezed . in-between the budding complexes is a nearly half-century-old, . pyramid-shaped building that Brookfield purchased as part of Manhattan . West. The 16-storey building is to undergo a $200m renovation with glass . floor-to-ceiling exteriors by 2016. New York University urban planner Mitchell Moss says the developments accelerate a shift of the city's high-end commercial heart away from the traditional stronghold of midtown Manhattan surrounding Rockefeller Center. Michael Samuelian, right, Hudson Yards project director for planning and architecture, tours the project site . 'They reflect New York's new economic . center of gravity, shifting to the west and south all the way down to . the World Trade Center,' Moss says. The . neighborhood popularly called Hell's Kitchen to the east and Chelsea to . the south had briefly been considered as the site of a proposed . football stadium for the Jets meant to help win the city the 2012 . Olympics. But those plans fell apart when New York lost the bid to London. Even before the latest construction . work, the area had seen something of a rebirth with its former elevated . freight tracks transformed into the popular High Line park. Some who live nearby are skeptical of what lies ahead. 'Something . was going to be built over the rail yards - that was inevitable - and . this would have been a nice opportunity to do something for the . community,' says resident Ann Warren, who owns a neighborhood cupcake . bakery and was forced out of her apartment building on West 35th Street . by eminent domain. 'But all the developers want is to make money.' | Huge development to feature 20 new buildings, including hotels .
Hudson Yards will boast observation platform higher than Empire State .
Most ambitious venture since Rockefeller Center went up in the 1930s . |
58,982 | a753db30c3c867c4239a5fd24b87b1a4a508e93e | Roy Keane is set to be named Celtic manager after a flurry of bets were placed on the Irish assistant manager taking over at Parkhead as successor to Neil Lennon. The odds on Keane being appointed as the next Celtic supremo were dramatically slashed from 33/1 to even money – one firm, BetVictor, went to 8/11. While betting indicators are not always reliable, Sportsmail understands that Keane is on the brink of being appointed by the Parkhead hierarchy. VIDEO Scroll down to Look back at Roy Keane being unveiled as Ireland assistant manager . New job: Roy Keane, the Ireland assistant manager, is set to be named as the new Celtic boss . Still got it: Keane on the ball during an Ireland training session ahead of Saturday friendly with Italy in London . Green light: Ireland manager Martin O'Neill said he will not stand in the way if his right-hand man Keane wants to move to Parkhead . Though Malky Mackay, Owen Coyle, Oscar Garcia and Henrik Larsson have also been considered, Keane has won the race. Martin O’Neill has predicted Keane will return to frontline club management and had stated he would not stand in his way should his right-hand man express a desire to move on – even if the club involved is one O’Neill used to manage. Now that has happened, O’Neill has Steve Walford and Steve Guppy ready-in-waiting to provide coaching back-up with Ireland. Keane is due to speak to the media at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Italy in Craven Cottage. It’s likely one item will dominate the agenda. Discussion: Keane talks to manager Martin O'Neill as coaches Steve Guppy and Steve Walford watch on . Pundits: Keane and O'Neill on air for ITV during coverage of a Champions League tie last season . Old Bhoy: Keane played half a season with Celtic after leaving Manchester United in the 2005-2006 campaign . Earlier this week, Keane spoke of his admiration for Celtic, for whom he played half a season at the end of his career, but declined to push himself forward as a candidate. ‘They are a brilliant club, an absolutely fantastic football club, one of the best in the world. But I have got a job,’ he said. Since becoming Irish assistant manager, Keane has been linked with jobs at Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, as an assistant to Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United, and now Celtic. In the frame: Malky Mackay has also been considered as Celtic seek a replacement for Neil Lennon . Shortlist: Owen Coyle, last in employment at Wigan, was also considered by Celtic . His profile has also risen with his ITV work where his presence guarantees high ratings. Celtic are desperate to hire a 'box office' manager who can fill Celtic Park and pick up where Lennon left off. Celtic’s major shareholder, Dermot Desmond, is a close friend of O’Neill and has direct access to discussing Keane’s suitability for the Celtic job, if required. The FAI refused to comment on the rising speculation. | Flurry of bets placed on Irish assistant manager taking over at Parkhead .
Celtic also considered Malky Mackay, Owen Coyle, Oscar Garcia and Henrik Larsson .
Ireland boss Martin O'Neill said he would not stand in Keane's way .
Steve Walford and Steve Guppy ready to provide coaching back-up for national team .
Ireland preparing for friendly with Italy at Craven Cottage on Saturday . |
232,174 | b8a70e27b25384c6310702cd77deddde89120ce6 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 12:17 EST, 24 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:11 EST, 24 January 2013 . A fantasist who slashed his own face with a razor 16 times and told police he was the victim of a racist attack has been jailed. Christopher Afford claimed he had been attacked by four Asian men who had warned him 'no white person should walk here.' But really the 28-year-old had made the whole thing up to get attention after breaking-up with his girlfriend. Christopher Afford appeared at Peterborough Crown Court today (left). He admitted perverting the course of justice after making up an attack to get attention . Craig McDougall, prosecuting, said: 'On the day the defendant had an argument with his then partner. 'When he got home, his brother-in-law phoned police saying Afford had been attacked by four Asian men. 'An ambulance attended and medics found a number of cuts to his head, but they were all superficial.'He also told police that the men had warned him: 'white people should not walk here'". The court heard that Afford, a chef from Peterborough, even gave descriptions of his make believe attackers to police. But when officers examined CCTV footage of the area they did not see anyone matching their description and no blood was found at the reported scene. Charles Falk, defending, said: 'The defendant made the allegation in a moment of madness when at his lowest ebb because of the end of his relationship. 'He cut himself as a result of attention seeking. The break up of his relationship affected him deeply.' The case also worried detectives as he had claimed the incidents happened near the New England area of Peterborough which has a large Asian population. Officers wasted hours of valuable police time trawling through CCTV footage trying to trace the culprits. Afford admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for a year at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday. Judge Nic Madge said: 'I stress that I put the possibly political undertones of this out of my mind.'But I cannot ignore the risk of inflammation of community or race relations. 'In my judgment, that means this is more serious than simply wasting public resources of police and ambulance.' | Christopher Afford, 28, from Peterborough, made the incident up after he split up with his girlfriend . |
41,473 | 7501cd38dd917f4671e8ec21866a7e095c501f42 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 05:24 EST, 19 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:14 EST, 20 February 2013 . Georgina Beevers was found dead at her home more than 13 hours after her mother warned police she was a suicide risk . A boy of four was left alone with a woman’s body for 13 hours – despite a 999 call to police. Officers were told the woman, Georgina Beevers, 37, was a suicide risk and had been threatening to take an overdose. But Greater Manchester Police downgraded the call to a lower priority and an officer who called at the house left when no-one answered the door. The Independent Police Complaints Commission accused the force of a ‘lack of diligence’ in handling the case. One member of staff has been disciplined. On January 29 last year, the woman’s mother, Sheila Beevers, 65, made a series of calls to police and social services warning that Miss Beevers was preparing to overdose on prescription anti-depressants. Mrs Beevers, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, called police at 6.44pm because she was unable to drive to her daughter’s home herself but no-one was sent round until about 10.25pm. Miss Beevers’ body was discovered the next morning when officers called again. The boy then answered the door and they found her body on the sofa. Naseem Malik, of the IPCC, said the case needed a priority response but ‘didn’t get one due to flawed decision making and a lack of diligence’. She added: ‘All I can hope is that those involved will learn lessons from this tragedy.’ An inquest gave a verdict of death by misadventure. Ms Beevers' mother told a police call handler that her daughter was at the 'end of her tether' and her partner had been 'battling with her to stop her taking an overdose'. Although the 999 was initially treated as urgent and requiring an immediate response, it was later downgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 2. An officer should still have attended within an hour but due to an ongoing armed robbery and a missing person incident there was no-one available. The former home (centre) of Ms Beevers, where an officer visited on the night her mother contacted police, but left after there was no answer . The call was assigned to an officer . at 9.25pm and he visited the house an hour later. But he left after . getting no response and failed to realise Ms Beevers was a suicide risk . because he hadn't read the log about the incident properly. Another officer visited the house at 8.17am the next day and found Ms Beevers' body. The . Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation concluded . the call should not have been downgraded and the officer who initially . went to the house had failed to read the log properly, failed to . understand the nature of the incident and failed to act diligently. A . radio operator who requested the call be downgraded has received . 'management action' while the police officer had a case to answer for . misconduct. The call was downgraded by a supervisor in the control room but neither supervisor accepted responsibility and police systems could not prove which one had taken the decision. Therefore, no action was taken against either supervisor. IPCC Commissioner Ms Naseem Malik said: 'This was a terribly tragic incident and my deepest condolences go out to Ms Beevers' family. Ms Beevers was vulnerable and in a distressed state. 'Her mother attempted to contact social services and then turned to Greater Manchester Police for help. Despite an excellent, caring response from the initial call handler, the response that followed was inadequate. 'Following Georgina's death we referred this case to the IPCC, who managed an investigation into our handling of this incident. As a result of their findings one officer received management action for breaching the standards of professional behaviour' - Assistant Chief Constable Zoe Sheard, Greater Manchester Police . 'This was an incident that needed a priority response. It didn't get one due to flawed decision making and a lack of diligence. 'We cannot know what difference a prompter response would have made. All I can hope is that those involved will learn lessons from this tragedy.' Assistant Chief Constable Zoe Sheard, from Greater Manchester Police, said their thoughts were with Ms Beevers' family. She said: 'We note the verdict of the coroner and will respond positively to her directions. 'Following Georgina's death we referred this case to the IPCC, who managed an investigation into our handling of this incident. 'As a result of their findings one officer received management action for breaching the standards of professional behaviour. 'Our police officers and staff work tirelessly 24/7, 365 days a year to keep communities safe and prevent harm to the public. 'We will continue to work with the family to provide whatever support or assistance we can and are also supporting those officers and members of staff directly involved who have been personally affected by what happened.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | IPCC investigation finds 'flawed decision making' and 'a lack of diligence'
Georgina Beevers was found more than 13 hours after 999 call .
Her mother raised the alarm, but call was downgraded following 'excellent' initial response . |
220,490 | a96737e06bc5a35ddf801a09ac3622c2fbdbefa3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:33 EST, 24 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:57 EST, 25 February 2013 . The living descendants of King Richard III have joined the campaign to demand that his remains are reburied in York. The monarch’s 500-year-old skeleton was identified this month after it was found by an archaeological dig at a council car park in Leicester last year. Richard III grew up in the Yorkshire Dales and visited York several times in his 26-month reign. A petition calling for him to be re-interred there has more than 23,000 signatures. A facial reconstruction was done of Richard III after his body was found at a Leicester car park. Now the descendants of the last Plantagenet King, pictured right, want his remains to be reburied in York . Despite this, his remains are due to be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral next year. In a statement, nine of his descendants – including his 17th-generation great-nephews and nieces and 16th great-nieces and nephews – said: ‘Richard III was the last King of the House of York. 'We do hereby most respectfully demand that the remains of King Richard III, our mutual ancestor, be returned to the city of York for formal, ceremonial reburial. ‘We believe that such an interment was [his] desire in life and we have written this statement so that his wishes may be fully recognised and upheld. 'King Richard III was the last King of . the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty which had . ruled England since the succession of King Henry II in 1154.' They . continued: 'We, the under-named blood descendants, unreservedly believe . that King Richard is deserving of great recognition and respect and . hereby agree to dutifully uphold his memory. The body, complete with hump, was discovered in a car park by Leicester University archeologists . The body will be buried at Leicester Cathedral. More than 23,000 have signed a petition opposing the move . 'With due humility and affection, we are and will remain his Majesty’s representatives and voice.' Earlier this month, city leaders in . York said they were to write to the Queen and the Ministry of Justice . in a bid to get Richard III’s remains returned to his 'spiritual home'. King Richard grew up at Middleham Castle in the Yorkshire Dales and visited York several times during his 26-month reign. Known as Richard of York before his coronation, he also funded part of the city’s medieval gated walls. The . monarch’s links with the area are celebrated to this day, with a . Richard III Hotel in Middleham, a Yorkshire-made Richard III Wensleydale . cheese and a Richard III Museum in York. The Ministry of Justice has said the site was the University of Leicester’s decision because it had been granted permission to exhume the body. | The living descendants of Richard III want him to be buried in York .
23,000 people signed petition calling for him to return to 'spiritual home'
The body is due to be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral next year .
Ministry of Justice say the decision is the University of Leicester's . |
214,180 | a15da7b962731fad74290e0c4c14f347a3c69a0b | Los Angeles (CNN) -- A brewing Pacific storm will pour desperately needed rain on California's historic drought, but the pending wet wallop promises to carry a high price as schools in San Francisco and Oakland are bracing themselves and will be closed Thursday, officials said Wednesday. The rainfall is expected to be so significant that meteorologists call its source an "atmospheric river." Many people in Northern California were bringing lawn items inside. But not everything. "I'm just trying to bring some stuff down that might blow away. We are not taking down the Christmas decorations though, leaving those up unless it gets real bad," Ryan Higgins of Sunnyvale said. Higgins, who owns a comic book store, said he and his family had a "handful of sandbags" because their residential complex tends to flood even with a little rain. Already, the fingertips of the storm were ravaging the coast of Washington state, eroding a beachline and threatening homes, according to a CNN affiliate KOMO reporter's tweets. The fire-hose weather system will slam into the West Coast by Thursday, forecasts say. Atmospheric rivers are 250 to 400 miles wide and split off like a tributary from a much larger band of moisture from the tropics. They only come occasionally but are necessary to fill up water reservoirs, the NWS says. "Up to 50% of annual precipitation on the West Coast occurs in just a few AR events." On the weather map, the storm looks like a cloud river in the sky flowing straight at the coast, and in combination with the storm system chasing it ashore, it is expected to dump 2-5 inches of rain in many places this week. The highest elevations of Northern California might get 10 inches of rain, forecasters said. San Francisco could see 2 to 4 inches in the city with up to 8 inches in the hills. Schools shuttered . The San Francisco and Oakland Unified School District officials blamed their planned closures on the potential downpour. "Closing schools is a serious decision," said SFUSD Superintendent Richard A. Carranza in a statement, according to CNN affiliate KRON. "I did not arrive at this lightly. First and foremost, we don't want to risk having our students injured or seriously delayed transporting to and from school. In addition to student absences, the storm could result in large numbers of staff absences, which could then lead to inadequate supervision of our students. Furthermore, power outages could affect the district's ability to feed students' school meals, among many other operational challenges." In a message to students and staff on the district's Facebook page, Oakland school officials cited "an extreme and potentially dangerous weather system" as the reason for the closings. "We recognize this decision will interrupt the normal routine and require some families to seek other child-care alternatives and we apologize in advance for the inconvenience. We do, however, feel it's our responsibility, given the dire reports from the National Weather Service, that we take this precaution and steps to maximize student and staff safety." Southern California might get 1 to 2 inches with twice as much in the hilly areas. That much rain may be more common, if you live along the Gulf or Atlantic Coasts, but for parched California, which researchers at the University of Nebraska say is the most drought-stricken state in the country, it's a lot to handle at once. And in many areas, it comes on top of high rains last week. The weather service warned there could be moderate river flooding in California and Washington. Folks in Oregon were expecting high winds Thursday, but in Seaside, 80 miles northwest of Portland, it was already blustery on Wednesday. "I was waiting for trees just to go blowing right by the beach," Denise Abramson told CNN affiliate KATU. "It was really, really windy. Really bad. And the waves were probably ...15 feet high coming in. The swells are coming in really, really fast." About 115 miles down the coast in Newport, it wasn't as bad at Jack's Surfboards. "Right now it's probably 4- to 5-foot (surf). It's picking up for sure," employee Connor Heisgen said. And the wind? "A tiny bit." Flooding possible . In the Bay Area on Tuesday, public works crews got ready for a downpour. A road crew vacuumed mud and trash out of a storm drain, CNN affiliate KTVU reported. "This is not the most glamorous work that there is, even with equipment like this. This is still really hard work. Hard and dirty work but something that has to be done to make sure the system functions properly when we do have a big storm," Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus told KTVU. The sheriff's department in Solano County, which has a lot of waterfront land, is handing out sandbags to residents. Bay Area power crews cut pine tree limbs hanging over power lines ahead of winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 70 mph. Those howling winds will also drive in high surf up and down the West Coast, with some breakers rising 20 feet high. They are expected to push up water levels in Washington's Puget Sound, which could have residents of Seattle and Tacoma wading through shoreline puddles. The area will live up to its reputation for sogginess, as about half a foot of rain is expected to fall between early Wednesday and late Thursday, the weather service predicts. Nor'easter . The wet maker on in the Northeast looks more like a circular water sprinkler, spinning in moisture from the Atlantic, where it is clashing with cold air. The nor'easter's wet, cold misery -- from chilly rain to snow and ice -- have slushed the Northeast and will continue to as the gyrator drifts north through northern New England. Syracuse, New York, expected more snow on Thursday. The 6-10 inches of snow in Greenville Junction, Maine, on Wednesday will get a glazing of freezing rain more than once this week, the NWS predicts. Winds will be high there, too, with gusts of 40 to 60 mph. They could cause coastal flooding in Maine. Real rainmaker . There were reports of record rain on Tuesday from the New York metropolitan area with nearly 3 inches falling. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, 2.95 inches fell, the most on this date. At LaGuardia Airport, where 2.65 inches fell, the flight delays at one point reached four hours. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com, more than 2,600 flights departing from and/or landing in the United States were delayed Tuesday and 1,200 were canceled. CNN's Steve Almasy, Dave Alsup and Tony Marco contributed to this report. | NEW: Business owners in Northern California prepping with sandbags .
San Francisco and Oakland schools to close Thursday .
An "atmospheric river" is pumping moisture into drought-stricken West Coast .
ARs can be 250-400 miles wide and branch off from bands tropical moisture . |
66,158 | bbbab275dae18965c6bd3508b7a11bba2ce49157 | A woman who lost control of her weight following a divorce slimmed down five dress sizes after the sight of her reflection in a changing room mirror made her 'recoil in horror'. Yvonne Asare, 31, from Wallington in Surrey, reached size 18 amid the breakdown of her marriage in 2010. After an embarrassing incident in a shop changing room, in which she was confronted with her overweight frame, she became determined to slim down and eventually dropped down to the 9st 5lb, size eight she is today. Scroll down for video . Yvonne pictured during unhappy times before she lost weight (l) and recently, five stone lighter (r) She said: 'I found myself in a changing room with all-round mirrors, and there was no getting away from seeing how far I'd let myself go. 'I didn't have a full-length mirror at home so it was rare to see all of me at the same time. I was completely horrified. I went straight to my brother, who was a gym freak, and asked for his help.' Yvonne, a legal secretary, found herself reaching for comfort foods as her seven-year-long marriage came to an end in 2010. She said: 'Towards the end of the relationship I was very unhappy and I put on so much weight. 'My favourite comfort food was stuffed-crust pepperoni pizza. I also didn't realise how many calories were in sugary drinks. I loved hot chocolate, but a mug can easily be 300 calories - the equivalent of a small meal. 'It was easy going for snacks and indulging in pizza to lift my mood, even though it was doing me no favours at all in the long-run.' Yvonne pictured before she lost weight, back in 2010 when her unhappy relationship was ending . Yvonne lost control of her weight following a divorce, but has slimmed down five dress sizes . Breakfast: Large hot chocolate and cream cheese bagel with bacon . Lunch: Takeaway burger with chips and a coke . Dinner: Steak and ale pie with chips . Snacks: KitKats throughout the day . Breakfast: Protein shake . Lunch: Grilled pork with green leafy salad . Dinner: Grilled chicken with broccoli and salad . Snacks: Lower-fat crisps and fruit . Shortly after her divorce Yvonne visited the Dorothy Perkins store in Chancery Lane in London for some retail therapy. She said: 'I had been buying larger and larger clothes, without giving it much thought. 'But when I saw myself in the mirror, from every angle, I thought "oh my goodness". It was like a bolt from the blue.' Yvonne immediately sought the advice of her brother Jonathan, 26, who advised her to overhaul her diet and hit the gym. She said: 'Jonathan was brilliant - he told me exactly what to do. I gradually made the gym into my own personal getaway. I made friends there and fell into the habit of going five times a week. 'It was hugely motivating to see the weight come off.' Before beginning her weight loss challenge she weighed 14st 2lb and wore size 18 clothing. Yvonne typically had a large hot chocolate followed by a cream cheese bagel with bacon for breakfast. For lunch she ate a takeaway burger with chips and a coke, and her evening meal would be a steak and ale pie with chips, or pizza. She would snack on chocolate bars, like KitKats, during the day. She now has a protein shake for breakfast, grilled pork salad for lunch, and chicken and broccoli for dinner . She started the gym routine in September 2010, and it took her six months to lose two stone. She spent a further two years to shed the remaining three. Yvonne did lots of cardio, spending much of her gym time on the treadmill, as well as strength training. Today, weighing 9st 5lb and wearing size eight clothing, she has a protein shake for breakfast, followed by grilled pork with green leafy salad for lunch, and grilled chicken with broccoli and salad for her evening meal. Snacks, when she has them, consist of lower-fat crisps and fruit. She said: 'I'm so grateful to Jonathan for giving me the push I needed. I was in a unhappy place around the time of my divorce, now I feel incredibly lucky and happy to have got to where I am today. 'I've got no fears about going into changing rooms any more. In fact, I love shopping more than ever. 'Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in shop windows as I'm going around town, and I'm very glad with what I see.' | Yvonne Asare, 31, from Wallington in Surrey, slimmed from size 18 to size 8 .
After getting divorced Yvonne weighed 14st 2lb; she now weighs 9st 5lb .
Sought the advice of her fitness fanatic brother Jonathan, 26 . |
51,562 | 91fd88d74bfb00b91d5866ec10fa73020828257e | Philadelphia (CNN) -- Beth Rutstein rolls up the sleeves of her T-shirt, juggles a stack of fliers and knocks on the door of a stranger's home. She's on a mission to save lives. After wiping sweat from her face beneath the sweltering afternoon sun on a recent Thursday, she ascends another set of stairs leading to a front door and knocks. No one answers, but she's greeted warmly by neighbors sitting in the shade of the covered connecting porch. "We're here doing free HIV testing," she tells them, handing over a flier. "We decided to come here because 19143 has one of the highest rates of HIV in the entire city." That's the ZIP code for southwest Philadelphia, one of many urban neighborhoods across the United States that account for the bulk of the nation's HIV cases. Rutstein, a second-year medical student, is one of 60 outreach volunteers who spent their summer going door-to-door alongside health care workers testing residents within the 19143 ZIP code. This part of Philadelphia -- like many other urban neighborhoods in the United States -- has an HIV infection rate on par with many sub-Saharan African nations, including Sierra Leone and Ghana, according to UNAIDS. In fact, more Americans are living with HIV infections today than ever before partly because of an increase in testing and treatment options, according to the Centers for Disease Control. About 1.2 million Americans are HIV positive, with a rate of 50,000 new cases each year, according to the CDC. Yet, 20% of those infected are unaware they are HIV positive. AIDS survivor: Epidemic isn't over yet . In Philadelphia, more than 19,000 residents have HIV, with the highest rates among black residents living in low-income neighborhoods with limited access to health care facilities and services. "About 40 to 50 neighborhoods account for about half of the United States' infections," said Amy Nunn, founder of Philadelphia's Do One Thing, Change Everything Campaign. "In Philadelphia, a few neighborhoods have very high rates of infection, and those few neighborhoods are driving the overwhelming share of infections." To change that, Nunn and her team enlisted volunteers to go to those neighborhoods, knock on doors, get people tested and, if HIV positive, get them free treatment. While many volunteers get a "no thank you," they have tested more than 160 people since the program started in July. So far, no one has tested positive for HIV. The door to door campaign is not the first HIV outreach in Philadelphia, but it is arguably the most ambitious. The Do One Thing program aims to diagnose as many people as possible, as well as create a prevention model that can be replicated in other U.S. cities. The program also gets its message out through social media, billboards, community and church leaders, as well as local health centers. Part of the problem is combating a lack of awareness about who is at risk for getting HIV. "A lot of people, even in 2012, think this is a gay disease," Nunn said. "But that's not the case, especially in Philadelphia." Opinion: End the HIV stigma . Southwest Philadelphia resident Dennis Brown was shocked to learn that his neighborhood has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the city. He agreed to get tested for the virus for free on the spot. Inside the mobile medical RV -- complete with two examination rooms and waiting area -- health worker Danielle Parks swabbed Brown's cheeks and gums as part of the routine, rapid HIV test. "This is a preventable disease," Parks said. "Blacks carry the burden of genetic diseases from high blood pressure to diabetes. HIV is the one thing you don't inherit. It's the one thing we can prevent." Compared with other races and ethnicities, African-Americans make up a larger proportion of HIV infections at all stages of the disease, according to the CDC. In 2009, 44% of all new HIV infections were African-Americans -- most of them men, the CDC found. About 20 minutes after his test, Brown gets the results. "It says I'm not positive," said Brown holding up his HIV/AIDS results card. "It's better to know than not to know. It made my heart sink to hear about the rates in southwest Philly." Nunn said she is confident that her grassroots effort will not only spread awareness about HIV but also provide more access to treatment. "We're taking all of our tools and putting them in one of the hottest zones in the city to see ... if we can really make a difference in eradicating racial disparities in HIV infection," Nunn said. "One of the biggest problems is that a lot of people don't think that they're at risk for HIV, and so what we're trying to do is get as many people tested as possible so we can link people who test positive to treatment services." Her grassroots outreach is a key component of the United States' first HIV/AIDS national strategy, launched in 2010, which emphasizes providing support in the communities most affected by the disease. This summer, as Nunn's volunteers hit the streets, the United States hosted its first International AIDS Conference in Washington, something that was only possible because of the removal of a travel ban preventing HIV-positive people from entering the country. Treating HIV has come a long way since it was first discovered in the early 1980s. The virus, which can lead to AIDS, is most often treated with a cocktail of anti-viral drugs that not only reduces the likelihood of AIDS infection but also decreases the chances of transmitting the virus. FDA panel recommends drug to prevent HIV . After seeing statistics for HIV infection rates blot out specific neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Nunn decided she wanted to try something different. So she turned to testing models in Kenya that reached people at their homes and in their neighborhoods, reaching people who otherwise might not have been tested. This model helped get people who tested positive into treatment much earlier in the course of their infection -- helping to stop the spread of the virus. Just because the HIV rates are higher in certain parts of the city doesn't mean the issue doesn't impact the broader community, said Rutstein. "It's not just this ZIP code and this census track," she said. "The fact that I can jump on a trolley and get here means that I'm close enough to have to worry about it." Back in Kingsessing, Eric Brown spotted the RV parked in his neighborhood offering free HIV tests and wandered in on his way home. Brown, a 25-year-old father of two, lost his mother to AIDS a decade ago. While she wasn't infected during her pregnancy, the disease hits close to home for Brown. He said he tries to get tested whenever he can. While waiting for the results, Brown answered a series of questions from rapid test volunteer Ladonna Smith. "I didn't tell people about my mom, I didn't say what she had," Brown said. "She was dying slow and then went to hospice. I was there when she died." "Are you ready," Smith asked. "Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "You are negative for HIV," she said. It's the answer he expected. With his results card and a few fliers for neighbors, Brown headed home. "I was really touched by him," said Smith watching him walk out of view. "He knew she didn't have to die, but it didn't break him and he's not bitter." 30 years of AIDS moments to remember . | HIV is prevalent in many low-income neighborhoods in U.S. cities .
These urban centers have HIV rates on par with sub-Saharan African nations .
In Philadelphia, volunteers started going door to door offering free testing .
The program's founder hopes it will be a model for other cities . |
249,713 | cf2c4ff0df33521ccc48ddf9800d696944a4562e | Lord Janner, 86, faces more than 20 allegations of historic abuse at children's homes in Leicestershire . Police were blocked from arresting a high-profile Labour MP suspected of child abuse more than 20 years ago, it was claimed yesterday. Greville Janner, now Lord Janner, was interviewed by appointment as part of a major inquiry into attacks on boys at Leicestershire care homes in 1991. The prominent politician and campaigner, who represented Leicester West, was accompanied by his solicitor and did not face charges. Detectives had taken legal advice from a senior lawyer on the rare and potentially controversial move of arresting the serving politician. This would have given them the power to search his home and offices, as well as taking his fingerprints and other evidence. But sources close to the case told The Times that at the last minute the planned arrest was blocked. It is not known by whom. Arrangements were made instead for Lord Janner to attend a police station by appointment with his solicitor, Sir David Napley. Leicestershire Police confirmed yesterday that the decision is being re-examined as part of Operation Enamel, which is looking at allegations against Lord Janner and others. Investigators have consulted Kelvyn Ashby, the officer who led the original case and has since retired. Lord Janner, now aged 86, faces more than 20 allegations of historic abuse at children’s homes, including claims of rape and sexual assault. They suspect he used his hobby as a magician – he is a member of the magic circle – to get close to his victims and gain their trust. One man said he was seven-years-old when the politician visited his care home and left him ‘scarred for life’ by sexually assaulting him. But in an unusual move, police have not interviewed Lord Janner under caution or arrested him over the damaging allegations. This is despite searching his home in Golders Green, North London, and Parliamentary office during the course of their nine month inquiry. It is believed that the Labour peer’s poor health, he suffers advanced dementia, has prevented officers from speaking to him. A partial file of evidence has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is providing the police with ‘investigative advice’. Yet, some fear Lord Janner’s rapidly failing health could lead to him escaping prosecution. He has strongly denied the allegations against him in the past. It will ultimately be for the CPS to decide whether there is enough evidence and it is in the public interest to put him on trial. In 1991, the MP received all-party support when he told the House of Commons that there was ‘not a shred of truth’ in the allegations made against him. Lord Janner has not registered his attendance at the House of Lords since police raided his £600,000 North London apartment last December. Lord Janner chairs the Holocaust Educational Trust and is vice-president of the World Jewish Congress . The investigation into Lord Janner and others is one of dozens of historic abuse inquiries taking place across Britain. Chief constables are so concerned that they have brought together a nationwide group to oversee cases involving ‘persons of public prominence’. Lord Janner, who represented Leicester North West and then Leicester West for 27 years, was made a life peer on his retirement from Parliament in 1997. The father-of-three, whose wife of more than 40 years died in 1996, became a barrister in 1954 and was appointed a QC in 1971. He is associated with a number of Jewish organisations, having served as president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews from 1978 to 1984. He chairs the Holocaust Educational Trust and is vice-president of the World Jewish Congress. The Labour peer is described on his website as ‘a key international figure in efforts to seek compensation and restitution for Holocaust victims.’ A Leicestershire police spokesman said it is ‘investigating several complaints in relation to Operation Enamel — it is an inquiry into allegations of criminal conduct and all appropriate lines of inquiry will be progressed.’ Asked if the decision not to arrest Lord Janner was part of the new investigation, the spokesman said: ‘This is an operational matter, no further details will be disclosed.’ | Greville Janner was interviewed by appointment as part of a major inquiry .
He faces more than 20 allegations of historic abuse at children's homes .
Attended police station but planned arrest was blocked at the last minute .
It is believed his advanced dementia has prevented officers speaking to him . |
184,630 | 7b23b09024288a6192a21952f7f9dfd6c65e8614 | (CNN) -- Sex. Witch. She-devil. Those are the sensational words that have captured mainstream headlines in the United States, Great Britain and Italy during the Amanda Knox saga. On Monday, the buzz phrase was "judgment day." Would the flaxen-haired, photogenic American student, convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering her British housemate Meredith Kercher in 2009, be released? Would her conviction be overturned? At about 3:50 p.m. ET, Knox was freed. Authorities quickly hustled her out of the courtroom and to the prison where she could collect her things. Italian jury clears Amanda Knox of murder . The Knox case was a pop culture obsession, and that's not going to stop now that the jury has decided to set her free. The race will be on for which media outlet interviews her first. More than 410 journalists had credentials to be at the courthouse in the tiny Umbrian hillside village of Perugia. Meanwhile, movie deals are in the works. Noted director Michael Winterbottom is interested in making a movie about Knox, with Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth starring as a journalist covering the trial, the Guardian reports. Tourism in Perugia apparently hasn't benefited from the notoriety, according to Italy's La Stampa newspaper. Several residents say they'd rather their village go back to being famous for its chocolate. On Monday, Knox's name didn't fall out of the top five trending topics on Google, a remarkable feat for today's constantly changing news cycle. Many media outlets including CNN.com are live blogging Monday, but it's impossible to keep up with specific posters on Twitter. It's better to try to get the plethora of individual tweets aggregated at http://www.twittbox.com/tag/amanda. For those who want more attention on Kercher, a roundup of tweets can be found searching the site's grid for her last name. BradSmith132 tweeted Monday afternoon, "family: 'Meredith has been forgotten..." 'and posted a link to the press conference in which Kercher's sister Stephanie told reporters: "I think Meredith has been hugely forgotten in all of this." It is social media, after all, which helped form the image of Amanda Knox as both an innocent American college student and a murdering temptress. In 2007, images on Knox's Facebook page were taken by media in the United States, Great Britain and elsewhere and used in stories. A private video which was posted on YouTube showing Knox laughing suddenly had a sinister feel, stories about the case note. The nickname Foxy Knoxy didn't come from the press; it was given to Knox by her schoolmates and was an innocent gesture made long before Kercher's death. But "Foxy Knoxy" repeated on the Web and in news stories, took on another meaning. It quickly began to feel synonymous with cunning and deception, with sexist overtones. In the past few years, many books have been written about Knox, including one titled "Angel Face." The latest book is "The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox" by Nina Burleigh, who appeared Monday on CNN, to discuss the book. Before the ruling, Burleigh told CNN's Randi Kaye that she would be "pretty surprised" if Knox didn't go free because "there isn't very much evidence" in the case against her. Kaye asked Burleigh if Italian prosecutors had conducted a "witch hunt" in convicting Knox. Burleigh answered that the Italian police investigating Kercher's murder made mistakes and that heavy media attention after Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who was also convicted, made it hard for the police to admit their mistakes and put their investigation back on a fair and correct path. The reason Knox was falsely convicted, Burleigh suggests, is because Knox is attractive. Everyone, Burleigh said, was "riveted" on "this woman's face" and not the facts of the crime or the case. | Knox's conviction is overturned; obsession with her bound to continue .
Movie deals, including a possible film with Colin Firth, are reportedly in the works .
If Knox is freed, the race will be on among news outlets for first Amanda Knox interview . |
107,003 | 160314398265e4f587916c5c472cc3430d88912c | Washington (CNN) -- When Sarah Palin got a surprise phone call from the McCain campaign one August afternoon, asking whether she'd like to be on the Republican presidential ticket, the then-Alaska governor didn't doubt for a moment she was ready for the challenge. "When I got the call, it was not such a shocking call to me," Palin told talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in a highly anticipated interview that aired Monday. "I felt quite confident in my abilities and my executive experience and I knew that this is an executive administrative job. I was happy to get in there and contribute." Nor was Palin deterred by the fact she had five kids at home, including an infant with special needs. "It never occurred to me that I couldn't do the job because of children," she said. "My children are my strength. ... They allow me to be grounded." But what did shock Palin was just how much the campaign knew about her and her family before she even formally met with Sen. John McCain to discuss the job. Contrary to what was reported in the media, Palin said, she was extensively vetted, and the campaign knew exactly "who they were getting." "After this vetting and the hours of discussion about the background, my record, my family, what I stand for ... I thought after all that I better confess it now, the one skeleton is in my closet," Palin said. "I did get a D 22 years ago in a college course. And I thought that was going to be the extent of the controversy in Sarah Palin's life." One year later, Palin has seen more than her fair share of controversies but has emerged as one of the hottest Republican stars and is among the early leaders for the 2012 presidential nomination. Her session with Oprah came a day before her already-bestseller "Going Rogue: An American Life" will hit bookstores and Palin will hit the road on a tour of some of America's most conservative corners. The book and concurrent publicity blitz have all the trappings of an early salvo in the upcoming race for the White House, but Palin said 2012 isn't on her radar screen. "I am dealing with so many issues that are important ... and what I am finding, clearer and clearer every day, what I am seeing is that you don't need a title to make a difference." In the wide-ranging interview, few subject were left untouched, including Palin's early and frequent clashes with the senior ranks of the McCain campaign. In what was her initial introduction to the high stakes of presidential campaigning, Palin was blindsided by the fact that McCain aides knew that her then-17-year-old daughter Bristol was pregnant, a fact that Palin had yet to disclose back in Alaska. "I was surprised that they knew. I was surprised, too, that we didn't handle that issue, that challenge better," she said. "If we were given the allowance to deal with the issue in a more productive way, we could have perhaps sent a better message: This is not to be emulated." She added, "I did not want that message sent out that we were giddy happy to become grandparents, and that's what that message said." For the newly minted vice presidential candidate, that was the first sign that she was in for a rocky road with McCain's campaign advisers. "I rewrote it, and couple hours later it scrolled across the screen. ... There it is, the message I didn't want sent. Just a little indication about problems to come about what I would be able to say and how I would be able to speak, or not speak, my heart and my values." The handling of her daughter's pregnancy was only the first of a string of frustrations for Palin over the course of the campaign, during which, she said, she and her family felt like they couldn't be themselves. Palin said nowhere was this made more clear than when McCain advisers forced the family to completely overhaul their wardrobe when they touched down in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the Republican National convention in early September 2008. "I though this was like one of those relationships you have, when you're young, and somebody says, 'I just love you the way that you are; now let me change you,' " she said. Another frustration was the campaign's insistence that she grant repeated interviews to CBS anchor Katie Couric, after it was exceedingly clear that they were not going well. "After the first segment, which didn't go well, I didn't do very well -- I was annoyed with her badgering of questions -- I was scheduled to do a second, then a third and then a fourth. ... I know that there were hours of tape that were shot, and I would think that those few minutes that were edited together ... and shown to the American public, if people only know me from that interview, [they would think] that I was not qualified," she said. But the ultimate showdown with McCain aides came on election night, Palin said, when she was prevented from delivering a concession speech before McCain took the stage. "I was disappointed that the explanation I was given that ... VP candidates never give a speech on election night. That was false because I have seen it happen. In fact four years prior, of course, that had happened." Ultimately, however, Palin said she thinks that even if she had been allowed to be more herself on the campaign trail, it is likely the GOP presidential ticket would have lost. "The reason that we lost: The economy changed under a Republican administration," Palin said. "People were sincerely looking for change. They were quite concerned about the road that America was on with its economy. They did not want more of the same. They did not want status quo. And I think, unfortunately, our ticket represented what was perceived as status quo." But since the campaign came to end one year ago -- and with it McCain advisers' influence over Palin -- she has become more controversial, especially after she abruptly resigned as Alaska's governor over the summer. "I resigned as governor of Alaska because I wasn't going to run for a second term, and I was heading into a lame duck term," Palin said of that decision, which shocked political observers. "We came back [from the campaign] to a new normal in Alaska. Everything had so changed in my administration," Palin continued. "There were so many opposition researchers up there in Alaska that were sent, probably, by the Obama camp. ... It was a point where my state of Alaska was being hampered by my presence there." Ultimately though, Palin made clear the move wasn't so much an end as it was a beginning. "My dad's quote sums it up better than I sum it up," she said. " 'She's not retreating; she's reloading.' " CNN's Mike Roselli contributed to this report. | Palin says she thought a bad grade years ago would be extent of controversy .
Palin's interview with Oprah Winfrey comes a day before her book hits .
The way campaign handled Bristol's pregnancy was first in string of frustrations for Palin .
Ticket lost because economy changed under GOP administration, Palin says . |
182,289 | 780e528a3ad66f43320783db7ef9ae560e9e50cc | London (CNN) -- Britain's Royal Mail has added nearly 14,000 extra rounds for its postal deliverers, hoping to clear a huge holiday backlog caused by winter weather woes. The service said it planned to complete 7,000 extra delivery routes Sunday, bringing packages, cards and letters to a million homes and addresses in an effort to catch up on deliveries during what it calls Britain's coldest December in decades. About 6,500 extra deliveries were made last Sunday in the areas hardest hit by the severe weather, Royal Mail said. "This is already the worst December weather the UK has seen for almost 30 years," Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail, said in a statement. "We are planning up 7,000 delivery rounds this Sunday as we continue our drive to deliver items as quickly as possible." Online retailers are feeling the chill, too. Amazon.com's UK service has halted taking orders for its special rush delivery option and recommends giving e-gift cards instead of packages. Retailer Marks & Spencer also said that it could no longer guarantee that orders placed now would arrive in time for Christmas, except for flowers. Royal Mail had previously announced plans to add up to 3,000 extra workers and 250 delivery trucks to brave the icy roads. It warned there's little time left to get packages delivered. Tuesday is the deadline for first-class mail and packets that customers want to arrive in time for Christmas, Royal Mail said. CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report . | Royal Mail adds nearly 14,000 extra rounds for postal deliveries .
Its director says the UK is experiencing the worst December weather in 30 years .
Royal Mail is trying to catch up on the delivery backlog . |
249,940 | cf7818fefcb5ea5af15bc54437ea242e66f4edc1 | Washington (CNN) -- When the Bureau of Land Management retreated from a standoff with Cliven Bundy, a few hundred people traveled to his Nevada ranch to protest what they see as an overreach of the federal government. One protester from neighboring Utah, Stephen L. Dean, 45, called the Bureau of Land Management's actions "tyranny in government." And a banner at the protest site blared: "Has the West been won? Or has the fight just begun!" Showdown on the range . The Bundy standoff is emblematic of the larger anti-government sentiment around the country that has been amplified with the creation of the tea party movement in 2009. But the latest move in a two-decade-long tug of war between Bundy and the federal government is bringing to light the delicate balance that has lasted between citizens in the West and the federal government over the use of federally owned land for generations. Private rancher on public lands? Bundy tends his 900 cattle grazing on taxpayer-owned land about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. To an East Coast dweller, the concept of public lands can be a foreign one, as people own or rent their plot of space in urban, suburban and commuter towns that crowd the Eastern Seaboard. But out West, public lands are a big deal. Almost everyone uses them or depends on them. They are key to people's recreational hiking, fishing, hunting and skiing. And they are critical to people's livelihood, as they are used to cut timber, drill oil, mine coal and ranch cattle. Vast swaths of the land in the West are predominately public. In Nevada, for example, 87% of the state is owned by the federal government, and the BLM oversees 245 million acres of public lands mostly west of the Mississippi River, not including the lands overseen by the National Forest Service and half a dozen other federal agencies. "Public lands are true assets of the U.S.," said Bob Abbey, former director of the Bureau of Land Management. Reid calls Bundy, supporters 'domestic terrorists' How did Bundy ever get use of federal lands? In Nevada, ranchers depend on the federal lands for their livelihood. The government began allowing the use of the land in 1877 to promote the economic development of dry, difficult-to-cultivate desert areas. So it offered land for dirt cheap. Bundy says his family has owned the ranch since about the time the Desert Land Act passed. A version of the law still exists today, allowing ranchers to graze their cattle on public lands for a nominal rate. The fee is cheaper than what the rancher would pay the state or a private land owner, but the tradeoff is that the rancher has to share the land with the public. Feds end roundup, release cattle after showdown . The history . This is not the first standoff between public land users and the government. The most famous one, the Sagebrush Rebellion in the 1970s, pitted ranchers, loggers and miners against the federal government. They thought the Jimmy Carter administration was too heavy-handed in its regulatory and environmental policies. Former Nevada state Sen. Dean Rhoads, who is also a rancher, led the negotiations with the federal government, which he said were peaceful and productive. Ronald Reagan, Carter's opponent in the 1980 presidential election, sided with the Sagebrush rebels, saying, "The next administration won't treat the West as if it were not worthy of attention. The next administration will reflect the values and goals of the Sagebrush Rebellion. Indeed, we can turn the Sagebrush Rebellion into the Sagebrush Solution." Reagan was a former governor of California, where the federal government owns roughly half the state's land . Since then, the BLM and the corresponding state agency have confiscated cattle from violators, but nothing escalated to the temperature of the Bundy Ranch situation. The Bureau of Land Management . The BLM is a federal agency that operates predominantly in the West and is in charge of managing these lands. It must balance the desires of ranchers, environmentalists, recreationalists, and industrialists. "I think a lot of people who live in the East don't understand the BLM," said Abbey, the former director. Jon Griggs is manager of the 200,000-acre Maggie Creek Ranch in Elko, Nevada, a third of which uses public lands. He says he's sympathetic to the BLM, citing its difficult job. "A lot of times they don't make anybody happy," he said, because the bureau is responsible for managing lands for so many uses. "I think that folks on the ground at BLM are good folks trying to do the best they can." But this system unique to the United States brings conflict. The environmentalists . The balance between conservation and public use is a major source of tension when overseeing government land. The desert tortoise is a factor in the Bundy equation, and the rancher was ordered to remove his cattle from public lands in 1993 after the tortoise was placed on the protected species list. Bundy refused to comply, and he racked up more than $1 million in fines. Brian O'Donnell, executive director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, called Bundy "one of the most selfish and irresponsible users of public land that I've ever witnessed." "The key tenet in public lands in America is they belong to all of us," he said. When one person puts his "own selfish interest above everyone else's, the whole system falls apart." Ranchers' sentiment . The Bundy situation is a common topic of conversation in rural Nevada, a part of the country filled with libertarian sentiment distrustful of the government, Griggs said. And like his, he said people's feelings are mixed. While the ranch manager is sympathetic to the BLM's mission, he said its tactics were the wrong approach. Griggs said he understands where Bundy is coming from, saying the BLM "put his back up against the wall." But Griggs also said that Bundy lost all efforts at appeal and that now he should follow the law. "I think it's a mess any way you slice it," he said. 'Welfare ranchers' Because of the cheap rent, some, including fellow cattlemen who don't ranch on public lands, call public land ranchers "welfare ranchers" and have no sympathy for the Western lot. But Griggs said they don't understand that ranching public land is "not a bargain." "On public lands, you might get kicked off at any moment for a turtle. That's kind of the deal," he said. Rhoads, the former Nevada state senator, said 600 ranchers are currently paying their fees to the federal government for use of the land. He says that because of Bundy, people will "think that us in Nevada are getting away with not paying the government what it owes them." The politics . Unsurprisingly, Bundy has become a political symbol. Senate Majority Harry Reid, D-Nevada, called him a "domestic terrorist." "These people who hold themselves out to be patriots are not," he said in Las Vegas. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus told journalist John Ralston that Bundy is "not a folk hero," Ralston tweeted, but said Reid shouldn't call him a terrorist. But libertarian-minded Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky criticized the federal government's response, saying it "shouldn't violate the law, nor should we have 48 federal agencies carrying weapons and having SWAT teams." "Can everybody decide what the law is on their own? No, there has to be a legal process," he said on WHAS radio in Louisville. "But I think there is definitely a philosophic debate over who should own the land." The future . The BLM might have lost the latest battle with Bundy, but it has other tools at its disposal, including arresting Bundy for failing to follow the law, seizing his assets through the Treasury Department or sending the case to the Department of Justice. The agency has not yet said what its next course of action will be, but former BLM director Abbey said that it must prevail because of the precedent it would set. If Bundy gets away with illegally grazing on lands and not paying fines, it could encourage other ranchers to follow suit. While Bundy is a source of contention, ranchers out West are watching the BLM's next steps in the Bundy standoff, and they are worried about the BLM's next major action: Conservationists are asking for protection for the sage grouse. The Nevada Cattlemen's Association says the BLM's draft proposal includes "overly burdensome grazing requirements." It would also reduce the number of grazing permits. | Bundy Ranch supporters say the federal government is trampling on its rights .
But not all ranchers in Nevada support rancher Cliven Bundy .
The use of public lands out West is critical to people's livelihood . |
34,108 | 60ee8276efd3dfb365ddf4dbc0ca3cd68036cb3a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:08 EST, 29 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:29 EST, 17 July 2012 . A millionaire lottery winner was today jailed for trying to strangle his girlfriend with a seatbelt of a luxury car bought with his winnings. Former professional cagefighter Gavin Davies, 29, attacked Daniah Hussain, 22, just three months after picking up a £1m jackpot. Motoring fan Davies bought three luxury cars since his win - including a Lamborghini LP560-4. Lottery winner Gavin Davies, pictured, attacked his ex girlfriend Daniah Hussain, trying to strangle her with the seatbelt of his Audi car that he bought with his jackpot . Davies and Miss Hussein were travelling in his ‘everyday’ Audi when the pair started arguing - and he hit her dozens of times. A court heard it ended with Daniah telling police that he wrapped the seatbelt around her neck in a violent attack. Prosecutor Catherine Richards said: ‘It was a prolonged assault involving spitting and he hit her more than 50 times. Davies, pictured celebrating his £1million win, will be sentenced next month for the attack on his ex girlfriend . ‘The victim suffered swelling and bruising above the eye and around the neck. ‘She contacted police to say she had to have her nose realigned.’ Davies . was arrested after an alleged assault on the side of a busy motorway in . Neath, South Wales, with Miss Hussain - the mother of his five-month . old son. He admitted common . assault during the attack in December, last year - a month before his . win - and another charge of actual bodily harm in April. The . court heard allegations were made that he ‘punched Miss Hussain in the . face and he tried to strangle her with the seat belt’. Miss Hussain has left the couple’s new home and is living at a secret address in the area. Swansea Crown Court heard Davies had previous convictions for motoring offences. Davies was revealed as the £1 million National Lottery raffle winner at a press conference in a plush Swansea hotel in January. He was pictured alongside a Lamborghini provide for the day by lottery operator Camelot. But he was soon seen purring around his hometown in his own Lamborghini and his new Audi. At . the time of the win in January, Davies said: ‘I want to look after my . son and look after my family. I’m going to use the money wisely and . invest. Gavin Davies bought a fleet of luxury cars with his £1million Lottery win, including a Lamborghini . ‘I won’t waste a penny. Time will tell, but hopefully, you will see me one day with £10 million. ‘The Lamborghini is my fun out of the way. The rest of the money is to look after my family.’ Davies, of Ammanford, near Swansea, was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month. Speaking after the case, a family spokesman said: ‘This has been a terrible ordeal for all of us.’ | Gavin Davies, 29, attacked Daniah Hussain, 22, just three months after picking up a £1m jackpot .
The cage fighter subjected his ex girlfriend to a prolonged assault involving spitting and he hit her more than 50 times, the court heard . |
212,622 | 9f50c42dc69cd78bd9408d5a96cbd7967089f860 | (CNN) -- Egyptian author Ahmed Mourad published his first novel in 2007, a political thriller on corruption in the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak. But he was taking a risk writing about the regime; his day job was as Mubarak's personal photographer. As the novel "Vertigo" is published for the first time in English, Mourad discussed the conflict he felt during 10 years photographing his president. "I was with Mubarak in the mornings and wrote against him in the evenings," said Mourad. "I felt it was the most dangerous decision I made by writing about Mubarak's regime and the people around him, but I would not forgive myself if I didn't write. I decided that if anything happened to me it was God's will." Mourad, 33, was with Mubarak throughout the revolution and the 18 days of uprising that led to his resignation in February, and could not join the protesters in Tahrir Square. "I was involved in my heart," he said. He will not discuss the period in detail, except to say it was "horrible" to be with Mubarak at that time, but says he will write a book about it in the future. Mubarak is currently on trial, accused of ordering the killing of protesters and corruption. He has denied the charges. Mourad said: "It took courage to write about the regime while it was in power, but not once it is gone. "Maybe in 10 years time -- or when everything has settled down -- I will write about it. "I will write an eyewitness account as someone who worked with him for 10 years; the good and the bad. No one just has a bad side." He added: "The first half of Mubarak's era he was trying to be a good president, but in the last 10 to 13 years he began to relax and collect money, comfort and respect. He became a scarecrow, not a real president." Mourad's novel "Vertigo," which sold 11,000 copies in Egypt, features a society photographer who witnesses a multiple murder in a Cairo nightclub and is then forced to go into hiding in the ensuing cover-up. It "exposes the seedy underbelly of life in Mubarak's Egypt," according to its English-language publisher Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation. Mourad subsequently wrote a second political thriller about corruption -- again while working for Mubarak -- which is currently being adapted into a film. He is currently working on his third novel, but will take a break from the political corruption theme. Mourad is still an official government photographer, waiting for a new president to take over from his former boss. He said: "The corruption still happens. It's a time of corruption now because there's no president and no government. The regime is not in Mubarak, it's inside us all. We removed Mubarak, but we didn't remove the regime." Voting has begun in the first phase of Egypt's parliamentary elections. Presidential elections are due to be held next year. Mourad hopes his next boss will be in power for only four years and will break the mold of Egyptian presidents becoming "gods." "Ever since the Pharoahs, the king or president of Egypt has become a god, but that must change," he said. "The next president must always remember what happened in Tahrir Square, what happened to Mubarak." | Ahmed Mourad spent his days with president Hosni Mubarak and his evenings writing about his regime .
He said he knew he was taking a risk .
His novel "Vertigo" has just been published in English . |
10,841 | 1ed850c8d78136804867d5b48f907d4eed3a3437 | David Gardner died at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after suffering from liver and kidney disease . Open casket funeral plans have been scrapped because body is too decomposed . By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 05:14 EST, 10 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:56 EST, 10 March 2012 . A dead man's body was left decomposing on a mortuary table for six days - because he was too big to fit in the fridge. David Gardner, 59, from Tetbury, was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital suffering from a diseased kidney and liver last month and died on March 1. His family claim his body was too big to fit in a mortuary fridge so was left unrefrigerated on a table. David Gardner, whose family say his body was left to rot on a morgue table . Plans for an open casket funeral have been scrapped because his body is too decayed. A hospital spokesman told the BBC an investigation had begun. Mr Gardner's wife Elsie said the family . had wanted to say goodbye to him in an open casket but could not because . his body was too badly decomposed. She said: 'He was the only man that I loved. He was the only man that loved me. How can I let him go when I can't say goodbye? It's just wrong.’ The funeral will take place next Tuesday. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where Mr Gardner died earlier this month . A spokesman for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We are working alongside Mr Gardner's family, our bereavement team and our staff to investigate their concerns and establish what happened on this occasion.' | David Gardner died at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after suffering from liver and kidney disease .
Open casket funeral plans have been scrapped because body is too decomposed . |
85,571 | f2b1775206a2848925634b1fddab426563985f13 | Three days before Christmas, 85-year-old widow Twila McCauley trembled as she opened a red, git-wrapped box. From it she picked out a silver bracelet that has been lost for almost 70 years. It was gift worn by her late husband Warren as he fought the Nazis in the Italian mountains in 1945. He mislaid the bracelet and its location was unknown, but now it has been returned to the Orange County family. Scroll down for video . Twila McCauley holds the bracelet worn by her husband Warren while he fought the Nazis in 1945, 70 years after it was lost . Mr McCauley was 19 when he served in the Army. He won the Bronze Star while fighting off German regiments on the Tuscan Coast in Italy. He is pictured left in St Mark's Square in Venice . Mrs McCauley was joined by her family in an Orange County home as she opened the package containing the relic three days before Christmas . The pair met in the summer of 1945 when she was 18-years-old, they married a year later and had their first child a short while after. He died in 1986 after suffering attack in his family home. Gazing at the seven-inch silver bracelet as she took it out of the box, Mrs McCauley told NBC: 'It's unreal to hold it now. It's just so amazing.' Mr McCauley, an Army trombone player who won the Bronze Star, arrived with the 10th Mountain Division in the Italian town of Castel D'Anio in March 1945. Prior to that he had been part of a major counter-offensive that destroyed five German regiments on the Tuscan coast over a period of three months. In the town, parts of which doubled as a field hospital, they drank cognac and champage as the German's surrendered in May. Warren and Twila McCauley met in the summer of 1945 after he fought in the war and they married a year later . Mr McCauley passed away from a heart attack in their family home in 1986 . Bruna de Maria was an eight-year-old child living in the town which had been destroyed by war. Her father had hung a white sheet on their home saying it served as a field hospital and a canteen. There, when the Germans left, she found the silver bracelet owned by Mr McCauley and has kept it on her bedside table ever since. She told NBC: 'I just took it, I was very poor, so a bracelet for me was a treasure. 'I always asked myself, who does it belong to? But I never tried to find the man. It almost felt as if it were mine. Her son Stefano Sedda then got hold of it and said the previous owner should be discovered. He told the station: 'This bracelet made history. It belonged to an American soldier who came her to fight, to defend our country—that's why I thought of giving it back.' After trying to decipher what the name and serial number on it related to, he handed it to a dinner guest who then emailed an image to a lawyer named Carolyn Thompson. Through an NBC journalist they contacted Dennis Hagen, the official archivist for the 10th Mountain Division. His private search by the number of the bracelet produced a name, Warren D. McCauley. This led them to his widow Mrs McCauley. When she was first called about the bracelet, she said: 'I'm about to hit the floor. You know the Lord, He is really there—have you ever felt him close? I can feel him now.' 'He just had that great big beautiful smile,' Mrs McCauley added, 'and I remember him that way.' Mr McCauley was part of the 10th Mountain Division that defeated five German regiments in the space of three months along the Tuscan coast . | Twila McCauley, 85, met her late husband Warren in the summer of 1945 .
He won the Bronze Star while fighting German regiments in Tuscany .
The soldier, 19, lost his identity bracelet in the town of Castel D'Anio .
It was retrieved by Bruna de Maria, who was only eight at the time .
She has since helped her son track down the eventual owner .
The family now has it back. Mr McCauley passed away in 1986 . |
101,725 | 0f1b998c0e9240fe980368a8b9d115f01ced3c2d | Amir Khan faces off against Devon Alexander on Friday - in a meeting of the scales rather than fists. The pair will stand toe-to-toe at the customary weigh-in before fight night at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Khan and Alexander are both former champions in the 140lb light-welterweight division but have both made the step up to 147lbs in recent years. 28-year-old Khan has only fought once previously at this weight, which heralded a stellar performance against the experienced Luis Collazo in May. The Bolton-born boxer will be hoping for a similar outcome against 27-year-old Alexander on Saturday - at the same venue that he beat Collazo. In only his second fight as welterweight, Alexander won the IBF world title with a unanimous decision over Randall Bailey but subsequently lost his belt two fights later against Shawn Porter. Both fighters will be looking to produce a knockout performance in the hoping of landing a dream fight against either Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. Khan v Alexander will be televised live on Sky Sports late this Saturday night. | Amir Khan fights Devon Alexander at welterweight on Saturday .
The pair will be contesting the WBC Silver title at 147lbs .
Khan and Alexander will be weighed at Las Vegas' MGM Grand on Friday . |
122,509 | 2a54cb8eaeac49b70a0372090acc633cac586a8d | London (CNN) -- It would be a mistake to write off threats of war against Syria from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as mere bluster, assuming that Turkey will maintain the status quo in valuing its relationship with the United States on one hand, while resisting Iran's hegemonic ambitions on the other. The recent cross-border confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as Turkey is sucked into Syria, leading to belated actions on the part of the international community. The Assad regime knows its time is limited as the rate of military and intelligence officers defecting to Jordan and Turkey increases in momentum. Rebel attacks are inching closer to the heart of the Assad regime, such as the recent attack on the Syrian air force intelligence compound in the Damascus suburb of Harasta. This contributes to the regime's recklessness in firing upon Turkey with impunity. Ankara may also be emboldened by the fact that Iran, a key Assad ally, could be limited in its ability to intervene due to its economic woes at home. This week its currency -- the rial -- plummeted in value due to a combination of sanctions and Tehran's own mismanagement of the economy. Turkey has less to lose by responding to Syrian aggression -- this rationale is supported by recent reports that Iran has withdrawn from Syria 275 members from a special operations unit attached to its elite Quds Force. The conflict in Syria is no longer considered a purely internal matter. It clearly has regional ramifications. Thus I believe Turkey's aim to secure its border is inextricably linked with regime change. Its increased military operations may stem from a calculus that it would accelerate the Assad regime's demise. The Turkish parliament's assent for its troops to conduct operations inside Syria is not merely a symbolic attempt to bolster Turkish pride while responding to domestic political pressure over the Syrian attacks. It gives its armed forces the ability to do more than defend its borders. It is also likely that NATO may assist Turkey -- a member state -- with the defense of its 560-mile border, creating a de facto humanitarian buffer zone, where the Syrian opposition could have a command post. However, this risks escalating the conflict into a NATO-led mission outside the framework of the U.N. Security Council -- the kind of interventionist measure Russia and China would oppose as they did in Libya. The shift towards conflict with Syria is characterized by the kind of strategic shift in the region that we've seen before with Turkey. Erdogan was initially reluctant to impose sanctions on Iran and is now embracing EU sanctions on Tehran. The Turkish premier was also supportive of Iran's nuclear ambitions all the while seeking to downgrade relations with Tehran's nemesis, Israel. Now it is aligning itself with the Sunni bloc, including Gulf states and Jordan against Iran and its Syrian proxy. This could prompt an Iranian military response and in turn instigate another spike in oil prices. The longer the Syrian civil war continues, the greater the prospect of regional sectarian tensions emerging along Sunni-Shiite fault-lines. This could result in a Middle Eastern Cold War between regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia, with its mainly Sunni population, and the Shiite-dominated Iranians. Meanwhile, The Obama administration's apparent strategy of "leading from behind" is an excuse for its dithering over the Syrian humanitarian crisis. Similarly, the United Nations' inaction over the crisis results from a deadlock at the Security Council, with China and Russia opposed to any intervention -- implausibly advocating that the rebels conduct dialogue with a murderous regime. Yet with the UN's extensive history of paying lip service to upholding the values of human rights while ignoring genocide in Rwanda, Sudan, Balkans and Iraq, its dismissive manner towards the current massacres taking place on a daily basis in Syria should come as no surprise. There are estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed, with up to two million people internally displaced since the conflict started. The U.N. claims that 300,000 Syrians have fled the country. The U.S., realistically the only nation with the necessary military and logistical capability, could easily have prevented the refugee crisis that has heightened the prospect of conflict with Turkey. Its wariness to arm rebels was to prevent blowback from the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and other empowered Islamists in Syria. Yet the protracted conflict there has generated a kaleidoscopic civil-war and vacuum of governance across much of Syria that has attracted Islamists, and even revived al-Qaeda, enabling it to infiltrate the ranks of the opposition and gain support in the wake of its attacks on Syrian military and government installations. The U.S. and its NATO allies could also have prevented much bloodshed by using air power to target the Assad regime's military apparatus. Syria's military concentrated in Damascus, Aleppo and northern Raqqa province are strained and would be overstretched if forced to respond to external military pressure. Yet Washington and its NATO allies could now be forced to place a significant number of troops on the ground to prevent the proliferation of Syria's stockpile of chemical and biological weapons. The Obama administration has resigned itself to wishful thinking assuming, as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has done, that Syrian security forces could be held together to secure chemical weapons sites in the wake of the toppling of the Assad regime. In a vacuum of governance dominated by Islamists, this may become a proliferation nightmare. While the U.S. is keen on winding down its involvement in the Middle East to refocus its attention on Asia, Syria may be the instigator that sucks it back into the region for another decade to manage a second Cold War. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Barak Seener. | Turkey's military retaliated against Syria attacks on Turkish border town recently .
Turkish parliament has authorized its troops to enter Syria if necessary .
Seener: Confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as Turkey is sucked in to Syria .
U.S. could have prevented much bloodshed by using air power to target regime, he says . |
165,100 | 617c50fde4f7b2d2a440aa683cfc6eeb76d33f68 | By . Meghan Keneally . PUBLISHED: . 11:02 EST, 4 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:19 EST, 4 December 2013 . Amy Robach has opened up about her cancer diagnosis and treatment, saying how she is 'proud' of the 'Frankenstein-like' scars she has as a result of her double mastectomy and lymph node removal. The Good Morning America correspondent has been off TV ever since an on-air mammogram led to the discovery that she had stage 2 cancer in both of her breasts and her lymph nodes. 'It’s going to be a crappy year, and then I'll be on drugs for probably the next 10 years and there are other issues down the road that we're discussing and we're dealing with. It's about being vigilant and taking care of myself,' she told People Magazine. Looking great: Amy was first spotted back at ABC studios on Wednesday but she didn't go on air that day . [embed https://twitter.com/arobach/status/408241642487832576/photo/1] . Robach, 40, initially announced that her aggressive route of treatment meant that she would be able to return to the news set on Monday December 2 and while she hasn't been seen on the show yet this week, she was featured in a cover story in People where she told about the arduous recovery process. After being initially hesitant to have a mammogram during a breast cancer awareness campaign headlined by GMA anchor Robin Roberts, Robach now credits the move with saving her life. A few weeks later, she was called back to the doctor's office for further testing wherein they discovered that there was a second tumor in the same breast and abnormal cells in the other breast. 'For me, given my age, given the fact that I have young children, I was going to be aggressive,' she told People. High spirits: Robach said that while the disease has taken an emotional toll on her, she is determined to live to see her young children grow up . 'I want to be at my daughter's graduations, their weddings. I want to hold my grandkids. That just becomes your focus.' The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes as well, and all told she had 13 nodes removed. 'That was the most pain. The breast surgery was painful, but there was nothing like the pain that my arm felt,' she told the magazine. Due to the location and size of the tumors, Robach's surgeons were able to save her nipples and insert expanders that are placed where the removed breasts once were. Staying positive: After an on-air mammogram revealed that she had a tumor in one of her breasts, further tests revealed that she had a second tumor, more abnormal cells and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes . Support: Robach's husband Andrew Shue has been on hand throughout the ordeal, seen here on set when she announced that she had cancer . Driving force: Robach, 40, chose the most aggressive form of treatment- a double mastectomy- because she has young children and much to live for, saying she didn't want the chance of a second bout hanging over her . They will stay in place behind the chest muscle for a few months in an effort to stretch it out before implants are put in during a second surgery. Even though she remains 'resolute' in her decision to choose the most aggressive form of treatment, it has been an emotionally taxing process. October 1: In front of . millions of viewers, a hesitant Robach undergoes her first mammogram as . part of GMA's Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Host Robin Roberts, who . is a breast cancer survivor herself, urged the 40-year-old correspondent . to have the test. October 30: . Robach goes back to the doctor's office for further tests where they . confirmed that she had two tumors in one breast, abnormal cells in the . other and 13 cancerous lymph nodes. November 14: . She underwent a bilateral mastectomy. They were able to save her . nipples and doctors inserted expanders behind her chest muscle to . stretch the area before inserting implants in a few months with a second . surgery. November 22: Robach writes an emotional and upbeat memo to ABC staffers saying she is 'excited' to be back at work on December 2. December 4: Robach is seen entering ABC studios but does not appear on air. 'I'll be honest: there have been a couple of nights where I've sobbed myself to sleep,' she said. Publicly, she has remained extremely upbeat throughout the process and wrote an email to her colleagues on November 22. 'Physically and emotionally I have been through the ringer, but I am emerging on the other side so much stronger,' she wrote in the memo. She ended the grateful email with her plans to return: 'As of right now, I plan to head back into the building Monday, December 2nd and I couldn’t be more excited to get back to work.' That never ended up happening and she has not made an appearance on the air at all this week. Instead, the GMA staff had to deal with a surprise departure as well as her planned return as it was revealed this weekend that longtime weatherman Sam Champion was leaving the network and headed to The Weather Channel to launch his own flagship morning show. Much of GMA on Wednesday was dedicated to Champion, with tributes, highlight reels and even the unveiling of a 100-square-foot mosaic of his face made entirely of marshmallows. ABC press representatives refused to comment on the timing of Amy's return in relation to Sam's sudden departure, only reiterating how well she is doing. | GMA correspondent Amy Robach said that she chose the most aggressive form of treatment because of her age and the age of her children .
She had her first mammogram on October 1 and underwent a double mastectomy removing both breasts and 13 lymph nodes on November 14 .
Doctors were able to save her nipples and she will have implants put in during a second surgery at a later date .
Robach, 40, has two young daughters and three stepsons .
Initially announced that she would return on air this Monday but has not appeared on GMA since leaving for treatment .
Was seen smiling as she walked into ABC studios on Wednesday . |
175,643 | 6f5c10017271fa5c6cb8917b16772407833baf17 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . Authorities are searching for suspects whose hoax calls triggered the evacuation of several buildings at Harvard University and a futile search for an armed man and bombs on campus. Cambridge police spokesman Jeremy Warnick says police received four calls reporting bombs planted on campus and a man carrying an assault rifle at the Ivy League school on Saturday morning. Harvard University's police department says in a community advisory that it immediately ordered evacuation of buildings identified by the caller. Evacuation; Police evacuated university buildings following reports of an armed man and bombs . They received several reports of suspicious packages on campus this morning, said Warnick. Police responded to information that packages were located at Prescott St, the Harvard Science Center and Harvard Yard. The agency also notified colleagues at the Cambridge police and fire department, and their joint search of the locations failed to yield bombs or an armed man. Officials are still investigating what appeared to be a non-threatening package at Prescott St, reports Boston.com. Hoax: Ne evidence of either was found and police are now searching for suspects who claimed responsibility for the hoax on Twitter . They swept the area and no armed man was found. No arrests have been made as yet. Warnick says police will work with FBI agents to identify two people who claimed responsibility on Twitter. The police have given the all-clear and campus buildings have been reopened. | Harvard University police received multiple reports of an armed man and bombs on campus .
Buildings were evacuated and the area searched .
They found nothing and concluded the the calls were a hoax .
Police are now searching for two suspects who claimed responsibility for the incident on Twitter . |
231,478 | b7b5dea901139e3dac1fc071d8b89b2e64f3ab8d | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 16:18 EST, 2 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:26 EST, 2 December 2013 . Doctors are aiming to lower the epidemic of twins after it was revealed nearly half of all babies born with advanced fertility help are multiple births. In the five years since the Octomom case, big multiple births have decreased but the twin rate has barely budged. Twins have much higher risks of prematurity and serious health problems, leading fertility experts to attempt pregnancy with a single embryo to cut back the chance of conceiving multiples - however it will add an extra $4,000 to the $14,000 cost for IVF. Ken Ernst, left, and his wife Abigail Ernst, right, from New Jersey, conceived their baby using only one embryo during IVF . Fertility experts will also be helped by new ways to pick the single embryos that are most likely to succeed. New guidelines urge doctors to stress this approach. Better ways to screen embryos can make success rates for single embryos nearly as good as when two or more are used . The new techniques include maturing the embryos a few days longer. That improves viability and allows cells to be sampled for chromosome screening. Embryos can be frozen to allow test results to come back and more precisely time the transfer to the womb. Taking these steps with single embryos results in fewer miscarriages and tubal pregnancies, healthier babies with fewer genetic defects and lower hospital bills from birth complications, many fertility specialists say. Multiple studies back this up. In May, doctors from the New Jersey clinics did the kind of research considered a gold standard. They randomly assigned 175 women to have either a single embryo transferred after chromosome screening or two embryos with no screening, as is done in most IVF attempts now. Abigail Ernst poses with her two-month-old daughter, Lucy, in their Oldwick, N.J. home, after undergoing IVF with just one embryo . Delivery rates were roughly equivalent, 61 percent with single embryos and 65 percent with doubles. More than half of the double transfers produced twins but none of the single ones did. Chromosome testing and freezing embryos adds about $4,000 to the roughly $14,000 cost for IVF, 'but the pregnancy rates go up dramatically', and that saves money because fewer IVF attempts are needed, Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr., scientific director for Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey said. Abigail and Ken Ernst of Oldwick, N.J., did this to conceive Lucy, a daughter born in September. Using one embryo at a time 'just seemed the most normal, the most natural way' to conceive and avoid a high-risk twin pregnancy, the new mom said. Not all couples feel that way, though. Some can only afford one try with in vitro fertilization, or IVF, so they insist that at least two embryos be used to boost their odds, and view twins as two for the price of one. Many patients 'are telling their physicians 'I want twins,'' said Barbara Collura, president of Resolve, a support and advocacy group. 'We as a society think twins are healthy and always come out great. There's very little reality' about the increased medical risks for babies and moms, she said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent numbers show that 46 percent of IVF babies are multiples, mostly twins, and 37 percent are born premature. A doctor is seen analyzing an embryo on an Early Embryo Viability Assessment system at a reproductive center (stock library image) By comparison, only three percent of babies born without fertility help are twins and about 12 percent are preterm. It's mostly an American problem, some European countries that pay for fertility treatments require using one embryo at a time. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is trying to make it the norm in the U.S., too. Its guidelines, updated earlier this year, say that for women with reasonable medical odds of success, those under 35 should be offered single embryo transfer and no more than two at a time. The number rises with age, to two or three embryos for women up to 40, since older women have more trouble conceiving. To add heft to the advice, the guidelines say women should be counseled on the risks of multiple births and embryo transfers and that this discussion should be noted in their medical records. 'In 2014, our goal is really to minimize twins,' said Dr. Alan Copperman, medical director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, a Manhattan fertility clinic. 'This year I'm talking about two versus one. Several years ago I was talking about three versus two' embryos. The one-at-a-time idea is catching on. Only four percent of women under 35 used single embryos in 2007 but nearly 12 percent did in 2011. It's less common among older women, who account for fewer IVF pregnancies, but it is gaining among them, too. 'Patients don't really want multiples. What they want is high delivery rates,' said Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr. Babies from double transfers were more likely to be premature; more than one-third spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit versus 8 percent of the others. Using two or more embryos carries a much higher risk of twins and much higher rates of cerebral palsy and other disorders. After explaining the risks, 'this is the easiest thing in the world to convince patients to do,' Scott said of screening and using single embryos. But Dr. Fady Sharara of the Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine in Reston, Va., found otherwise. For a study, he offered 48 couples free medications and embryo freezing if they would agree to transfer one at a time instead of two. Eighteen couples refused, including one-quarter of those whose insurance was covering the treatment. Some who refused said they viewed twins as two for the price of one. 'I tell my patients twins are not twice the fun,' Shahara said. 'One is hard enough. Two at a time is a killer for some people. Some marriages don't survive this.' The New Jersey couple, who had a daughter using a single embryo, has eight more frozen embryos. When it's time to try again, Abigail Ernst said, 'we would do the same thing' and use one at a time . | Doctors aim to lower the rate by attempting fertility with just a single embryo .
The new techniques include maturing the embryos a few days longer .
Maturing and freezing embryos improves viability and allows cells to be sampled for chromosome screening .
Chromosome testing and freezing embryos adds about $4,000 to the roughly $14,000 cost for IVF .
Twins have much higher risks of prematurity and serious health problems . |
139,176 | 3ffa7eff4b5477d1f243f0c30fbe5c238b2e9e27 | By . Amanda Williams and Mail Foreign Service . PUBLISHED: . 09:10 EST, 14 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:50 EST, 14 March 2013 . When a shy pair of giant pandas proved reluctant to join in a breeding scheme, it was decided they needed a lesson in love. Vets played five-year-old Ke Lin and her male companion Yongyong a tape of pandas lustily mating in the wild. They hope the result will be the patter of tiny paws at China’s breeding and research centre in Chengdu, Sichuan province. ‘Every time Yongyong tried to mount her, Ke Lin fought him off and we were worried she was going to miss her three-day breeding cycle,’ said a spokesman. Scroll down for video . Conservationists in China are celebrating after a shy pair of pandas successfully mated while watching a porn video . Female panda Colin watching the panda porn. Staff at the Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Southern China, were worried when she kept rejecting her mate, Yongyong . Pandas are notoriously picky when it comes to breeding. So staff played the played the pair a film of pandas mating to show them what they should be up to . ‘So we played them the film and she took great interest in it. After that there was no stopping her and they mated successfully. ‘In the wild, Ke Lin would have seen lots of other pandas mating but in captivity, it’s no wonder she needed help.’ The success rate of breeding giant pandas in captivity has been notoriously low. Few zoos outside China have managed to achieve results. Females are in season for such a small window and are also known to be very selective on their mates. Breeding . in captivity has become vital to the giant pandas’ survival with the . destruction of bamboo forests in China and south-east Asia. After that, staff at the centre said 'there was no stopping her'. Breeding in captivity has become vital to the giant pandas' survival with the destruction of bamboo forests in China and south-east Asia . In the past Zoo keepers at the Chengdu centre have put their charges through a rigorous exercise scheme - mainly involving apples - with the aim of improving their mating skills. The fruit is dangled from a string above the panda, luring it to stand on two legs. Keepers claim the technique teaches the creatures to perform a dance-like routine that strengthens the pelvic and hip area, boosting the animal's stamina. The claim this form of 'sexercise' should aid the males when mating. | Staff at Chinese centre concerned when female Colin kept rejecting mate .
So they played the pair a film of pandas mating to show them what to do .
After that, there was 'no stopping them', staff at Chengdu Base said .
Success rate of breeding giant pandas in captivity has been notoriously low . |
189,729 | 81b083c784e095248e2cfdb8a6c0585aa98cd539 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A woman whose sister was killed by a drunk driver, ran over a cyclist while chasing her boyfriend at nearly 70mph after a drunken row. Emma Egan leapt behind the wheel when Liam Dent drove off after dumping her. But the 26-year-old lost control as she tailgated him at 69mph in a 40mph limit. Emma Egan has been jailed for for four years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving . She smashed into father-of-two Eric Codling, 55, catapulting him from his bicycle and killing him instantly. Egan, whose sister had been killed by a drink-driver eight years previously, wept as she was jailed for four years at Sheffield Crown Court. The beauty therapist, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, is likely to serve two years in prison before being released. Mr Codling’s widow, Karen, said of the sentence: ‘It is disgusting. This is not justice. Is Eric’s life only worth four years? ‘I know nothing will bring Eric back, but... to only serve two years for killing somebody just doesn’t make sense. ‘Why is what she did any different to murder? We don’t feel there has been any justice.’ The court heard that Egan, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was over the drink-drive limit when she chased Mr Dent through Sheffield after he ended their relationship in November last year. Emma Egan smashed into father-of-two Eric Codling, pictured, 55, catapulting him from his bicycle and killing him instantly . After crashing into Mr Codling, she stopped briefly before driving off in her Vauxhall Astra. When police found her at Mr Dent’s home in the city, Egan was wailing incoherently, rocking in her seat and shaking. She then fell to the floor and vomited. Egan told the officers: ‘Oh God, what have I done? I’m so sorry.’ Alan Taylor, for Egan, said she was ‘profoundly sorry for her actions leading to the tragedy’. She had been in a state of emotional turmoil over the ending of her relationship with Mr Dent. ‘She must bear the heavy burden of guilt for the rest of her life,’ Mr Taylor said. ‘Not a day will go by when she will not remember the pain and anguish she has caused.’ Mrs Codling, 50, from Sheffield, said the fact Egan’s sister was knocked down and killed by a drink-driver ‘added insult to injury’. That driver was also jailed for four years and Mrs Codling said: ‘Egan’s own mum at the time said a four-year sentence for the driver who killed her daughter was an outrage, and she is right – it is.’ In a victim impact statement read out in court before Egan was sentenced, Mr Codling’s 13-year-old daughter Grace described how the death of her father had affected her and her nine-year-old sister Eve. Eric Codling with his wife Karen and their daughters Grace, 12, and Eve, nine . ‘I miss him being here, I miss everything about him,’ Grace said. ‘I feel angry. I think it’s horrible someone could do it.’ She said she wept for her father, while Eve ‘does not talk to anyone’. Mrs Codling told of her husband’s love for his daughters and how he had years before nursed her through cancer treatment. ‘We all miss him terribly – I lost my soulmate, my lover, my everything,’ she said. ‘My girls lost their cuddles and hugs. We are all bereft.’ She said she takes her daughters to their father’s grave every week. ‘We speak to him as though he is standing there with us as that’s all we have left now. ‘I loved him so much and he loved me and his girls so much. It’s just not fair it has happened.’ Sentencing Egan, who was also banned from driving for six years, Judge Julian Goose said: ‘No order or sentence will bring back the life of the deceased. ‘Death by dangerous driving is aggravated in your case by the fact that at the time you were over the [drink-drive] limit and were in pursuit of another vehicle while travelling at excessive speed.’ | Emma Egan got behind the wheel when her boyfriend dumped her .
The 26-year-old lost control as she tailgated him at 69mph in a 40mph limit .
She smashed into father-of-two Eric Codling, 55, throwing him from bicycle .
Egan wept as she was jailed for four years at Sheffield Crown Court . |
179,132 | 73efc697fe8e9a640dc2cdbfccc33cdfe04ada04 | Mini-Frankenstein: The researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene and inserted it into a modern E Coli bacteria . A 500 million-year-old bacteria has been brought back to life in a laboratory at Georgia Tech in an experiment with echoes of Jurassic Park's disastrous recreation of the dinosaurs. The researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene and inserted it into a modern E Coli bacteria. The 'Frankenstein' germ has thrived. In the lab, the creation has now lived through 1,000 generations. The scientists hope to find out whether the 'ancient' bacteria will evolve the same way it did 'first time round' - or whether it will evolve into a different, new organism. ‘This is as close as we can get to rewinding and replaying the molecular tape of life,’ said scientist Betül Kaçar, a NASA astrobiology postdoctoral fellow in Georgia Tech. The new 'chimeric' bacteria has mutated rapidly - and some have become stronger and healthier than today's germs. ‘The ability to observe an ancient gene in a modern organism as it evolves within a modern cell allows us to see whether the evolutionary trajectory once taken will repeat itself or whether a life will adapt following a different path.’‘The altered organism wasn’t as healthy or fit as its modern-day version, at least initially,’ said Gaucher, ‘and this created a perfect scenario that would allow the altered organism to adapt and become more fit as it accumulated mutations with each passing day.’The growth rate eventually increased and, after the first 500 generations, the scientists sequenced the genomes of all eight lineages to determine how the bacteria adapted. New life: The bacteria with the ancient genes have thrived, and are now in their 1000th generation . ¿The altered organism wasn¿t as healthy or fit as its modern-day version, at least initially,¿ said Gaucher, ¿and this created a perfect scenario that would allow the altered organism to adapt and become more fit as it accumulated mutations with each passing day.¿ . The experiment has echoes of Stephen Spielberg's Jurassic Park, where scientists recreated dinosaurs using ancient DNA . Not only did the fitness levels increase to nearly modern-day levels, but also some of the altered lineages actually became healthier than their modern counterpart.When the researchers looked closer, they noticed that every EF-Tu gene did not accumulate mutations. Instead, the modern proteins that interact with the ancient EF-Tu inside of the bacteria had mutated and these mutations were responsible for the rapid adaptation that increased the bacteria’s fitness. In short, the ancient gene has not yet mutated to become more similar to its modern form, but rather, the bacteria found a new evolutionary trajectory to adapt.These results were presented at the recent NASA International Astrobiology Science Conference. The scientists will continue to study new generations, waiting to see if the protein will follow its historical path or whether it will adopt via a novel path altogether.‘We think that this process will allow us to address several longstanding questions in evolutionary and molecular biology,’ said Kaçar. ‘Among them, we want to know if an organism’s history limits its future and if evolution always leads to a single, defined point or whether evolution has multiple solutions to a given problem.’ The new 'chimeric' bacteria has mutated rapidly - and some have become stronger and healthier than today's germs . | 'Frankenstein' germ spliced with gene from 500-million-year-old bacteria .
Bacteria is now thriving in lab .
Some of the 'chimeric' E Coli is now stronger than normal bacteria .
Scientists hope to 'restage' evolution .
Will answer questions about how and why organisms evolve . |
240,513 | c359b1227d54c88d8341357acc65983a2c814362 | (CNN) -- Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has rejected reports that he is planning to quit the Spanish champions at the end of this season. The 49-year-old has struggled to regain the heights of last season, with Real 11 points behind Barcelona after only 14 games in La Liga. Los Blancos go into Tuesday's Champions League clash with Ajax already qualified for the last 16 of a competition that Mourinho has won twice before -- but that his club has not triumphed in since its record ninth success in 2002. The former Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan boss dismissed suggestions he wants to join another top European club at his Monday prematch press conference. "My future is that tomorrow I'll have my 101st Champions League match, and UEFA will confirm that," he said. "Neither I nor I think the president will say a word about it. I have nothing to say about what we talked about. My relationship with him is very good and I will not be giving any substance to this situation. You have no story." Mourinho has been linked with a move to big-spending French club Paris Saint-Germain, where one of his Chelsea successors -- Carlo Ancelotti -- is coach. "About PSG I will say that one of my assistants will go to watch the match tomorrow because they are a potential opponent," he said. "They're playing against Porto and both of them could be drawn against us. That's the only thing that I am bothered about in Paris." Mourinho was recently praised by his former English Premier League rival Alex Ferguson, who said the Portuguese has the credentials to one day succeed him as Manchester United's manager. "That is what friends are like, they always speak nicely about each other," Mourinho said. "Some people think that there is room for betrayal in friendship and others have a deep respect. His succession is a long way off and it will be 10 years away because he is stronger every year. What would he want to retire for?" Mourinho has been booed by his club's own fans this season, and he said that was the reason he went out onto the pitch before Saturday's Madrid derby win at home to second-placed Atletico. "I was watching Casillas and the other goalkeepers warming up. I went out early because I was expecting lots of whistles and some sort of animosity towards me," he said. "I preferred that it happened before the match and was addressed personally towards me so that during the match they would support the team and have positive feelings and help their players and their team." Eight teams playing in the Champions League on Tuesday have already qualified for the knockout stage, but first and second places have yet to be decided in two of the four groups in action. Porto and PSG are fighting for top spot in Group A, while Schalke has a one-point lead over Arsenal in Group B. Malaga will go through top of Group C ahead of AC Milan, while Real will finish second behind Borussia Dortmund in Group D. Three places in the last 16 will be decided in Wednesday's matches, in which Barcelona's Lionel Messi has the chance to match Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year. In Monday's La Liga action, Real Valladolid climbed to seventh place with a 2-1 win at 10-man Sevilla. Patrick Ebert and Oscar Gonzalez scored in the first 12 minutes for Valladolid, but Manucho put through his own net soon after halftime before teammate Gary Medel was sent off for a second booking on 63. In England, Newcastle moved up to 14th place in the Premier League with a 3-0 win over struggling Wigan, who had defender Maynor Figueroa sent off after only 12 minutes. Figueroa was red-carded alter fouling Papiss Cisse, and the Senegal international's strike partner Demba Ba scored from the resulting penalty. Ba then took his league tally to 10 this season, matching the leading totals of Michu, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez, before Gael Bigirimana sealed the result in the second half to end a run of four defeats. | Jose Mourinho says he has a good relationship with Real Madrid's president .
Coach rejects rumors that he is planning to leave the Santiago Bernabeu .
His team has struggled in La Liga but is through to next round in Europe .
Mourinho shrugs off praise from his friend, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson . |
25,249 | 4784c89dbfc5f4ee1246d022b5446856a27bbc88 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 10:19 EST, 14 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:34 EST, 14 July 2013 . Despite having four foot fences and scorching temperatures to tackle, Zara Phillips cut a remarkably cool figure as she took to the field during the Brightling Park International Horse Trials in East Sussex. The Queen's granddaughter, who announced her first pregnancy last week, looked calm and in control as she sped around the course - watched by husband, Mike Tindall. Although NHS advice states that mothers-to-be should avoid equine sports, Miss Phillips has said that she intends to continue riding for the foreseeable future. Clear round: Zara's horse splashes through a water-filled ditch during the Brightling Park Horse Trials . Winning start: Zara smiles as she completes a dressage test at Brightling Park in East Sussex . Baby bump: Zara Phillips announced she is three months pregnant with her first child last week . The 32-year-old Olympic silver medallist, who is three months pregnant, fell from a horse only ten days ago, but has vowed to keep on riding until closer to her due date in the New Year. Her mother, Princess Anne, kept riding until just six weeks before the birth of her daughter and was also a successful eventer. Eventing includes three stages, dressage, show jumping and cross country, and is one of the toughest horse sports to master. Zara has entered into another two eventing meetings later this month, on six different horses. Opinion has been split on whether she should take a break, but Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said: 'Many riders continue in the saddle up to five or six months pregnant – and event star Mary King famously competed in the European Championships at five-and-a-half months. Family tradition: Zara's mother Princess Anne kept riding until six weeks before the birth of her daughter . Tough: Despite the perils of her chosen sport, Zara has vowed to continue riding during her pregnancy . And she's off! Zara clears a water jump and makes short work of a series of parallel bars . 'Zara is a professional sportswoman who will trust her mount and clearly feels safe.' Zara’s spokesman has said: 'She is being sensible about this and is listening to what doctors are telling her. She would never put her pregnancy in jeopardy.' Despite her success and her passion for the sport, Zara's love of equine sports doesn't stop at eventing. The royal is regularly spotted at the . racing and was yesterday pictured playing polo during a charity match . at Tidworth in Wiltshire. Between matches, she laughed with husband Mike Tindall, who was later spotted tenderly flinging a protective arm around his pregnant wife's shoulders. Unimpressed? Zara looks back at the scoreboard as she completes a round at the Brightling Horse Trials . Preparations: Zara was spotted taking her canine companions for a stroll around the park before saddling up . Riding: Despite doctors strongly advising woman not to ride during pregnancy, Zara has been taking part in various horse-riding events including this polo match on Saturday . | Zara saddled up for the eventing at Brightling Park in East Sussex .
Despite her pregnancy, Zara has vowed to continue riding .
Princess Anne was just six weeks from her due date when she gave up .
Yesterday, Zara was pictured playing in a charity polo match in Wiltshire . |
68,599 | c282f640e8a039a88915d84697ce2225379fd69c | PUBLISHED: . 13:06 EST, 9 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:48 EST, 9 June 2013 . A Manhattan photographer who snapped pictures of his neighbors as they dwelled inside their own apartments and turned them into high-priced art is fighting back against privacy lawsuit as his blown up prints hit a New York City gallery. Not too far from his own apartment in the Tribeca neighborhood, photographer Arne Svenson’s work is now onsale at the Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea for up to $7,500. Meanwhile, some subjects of his work are unhappy they’re naps and other everyday acts have been transformed into art without their consent. Svenson, who says his neighbors are ‘performing behind a transparent scrim on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high,’ has filed a motion to dismiss legal complaints that he’s broken the law. Uncomfortably close: Arne Svenson secretly took shots of his neighbors doing everyday things like napping in their own homes with a zoom lens. His work now hangs in a New York gallery and some of his subjects are unhappy . The photographer says he 'started the . project after inheriting a telephoto lens from a friend. He began taking . pictures of the large-windowed apartments opposite his own Tribeca home . in 2012. Those images . are now on show, which prompted a legal complaint from Martha and . Matthew Foster, parents of young children featured in two of his . photographs. The Fosters . said the pictures raised concerns about the safety of their children as . well as fears that they ‘must keep their shades drawn at all hours of . the day in order to avoid telephoto photography by a neighbor.’ Aptly named: The exhibit, called 'The Neighbors' hands at New York City's Julie Saul gallery . Doubly awkward: When Svenson's work showed up at Julie Saul Gallery, the parents of two children who appeared in the exhibit complained and those photos have since been removed . Whose right? Svenson took pictures of the dwellers of this Tribeca apartment building. One couple now demands his photos of their household be removed from the artist's possession . For . the rest of New York, the controversy over the exhibition has triggered . a conversation about First Amendment rights and just how much privacy . city dwellers can expect. In . the latest development, Svenson is claiming he’s done nothing wrong. On . Wednesday, his attorney filed a motion calling for the New York county . court to throw out the Fosters' complaint. The motion argues that the . pictures are not illegal and are protected under an artist's freedom of . expression under First Amendment rights. Svenson . is no longer commenting on the controversy, but says in his exhibition . notes: ‘For my subjects, there is no question of privacy… The neighbors . don't know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the . shadows of my home into theirs.’ High art: Svenson defends his work in his exhibit notes, 'They're performing behind a transparent scrim on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high' The . photographs themselves are both abstract and specific, capturing . mundane but intimate moments of domestic modern life. All are carefully . framed to avoid revealing the full faces of their subjects. A . woman in a raincoat stands by the window, her face obscured by a . twisted gold curtain. A man in T-shirt and jeans dozes on a sofa. An . expectant mother is pictured in profile. The lower halves of a couple in . bath robes are caught breakfasting, their feet touching under the . table. Another woman is crouched near the window, scrubbing the floor or . picking something off the ground. Obscured? 'For my subjects, there is no question of privacy,' Svenson says. 'The neighbors don't know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the shadows of my home into theirs.' The . Fosters' complaint details the couple's distress about two photos that . feature their children. One image shows Martha Foster holding her . 2-year-old son, with her 4-year-old daughter standing beside her. The . girl is in a swim suit; the boy is wearing a diaper. The document . alleges that the minors' faces are ‘clearly recognizable,’ which could . endanger their safety by attracting the attention of ‘undesirable and . potentially dangerous people.’ Svenson's . legal motion of June 5 asserts that neither his conduct nor photographs . violate any New York laws. The document adds that as the images ‘were . taken through windows that are fully exposed to the street, they cannot . support a claim for intentional infliction of severe emotional . distress.’ With regard . to the photos that feature the Fosters, the motion states that the faces . of the parents are not revealed, the children are obscured and the . subjects are in plain view. ‘Both photographs capture children at play . and the innocence of childhood, nothing more revealing than you might . see in a neighborhood park,’ the document says. It asserts that . Svenson's images are protected by First Amendment rights and that the . ‘Plaintiffs should not be permitted to use the Court to attempt to . restrict artistic expressions that they disagree with.’ The . plaintiffs say they are ‘frightened and angered’ by the ‘utter . disregard for their privacy and the privacy of their children’ and the . ‘seclusion and solitude of their homes.’ Birds-eye view: Svenson shot the photos with a zoom lens he says he inherited from a friend. Seen here is his position at left and the building he photographed at right . The . complaint adds that Svenson's conduct is ‘so out of keeping with the . standards of morality in the community as to evince an intentional or . reckless disregard of its likelihood to cause severe emotional distress . to the Fosters.’ Although Svenson removed the pictures . from the exhibition when contacted by an attorney, the Fosters still . want to remove all remaining pictures from the photographer's . possession, a permanent injunction against further photographic . intrusions, plus damages and costs. Julie Saul, the gallery owner and . director, told Reuters that the reaction to the exhibition was a ‘huge . surprise’ and a ‘tempest in a teapot.’ Compensation: A woman takes her own picture at Svenson's exhibit. The Foster family is suing him for intruding on their privacy, want photos of their children returned, as well damages and costs . ‘It really never occurred to me that . there would any of the controversial issues surrounding the work because . historically there have been lots and lots of photographers who have . photographed on the street, through windows, there's a whole history of . it,’ she said. Mickey Osterreicher, an attorney and . general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, . described the case as ‘very interesting.’ ‘Most people have this sense in New York because everybody lives so close together, because the line sights are such, that you can very easily look into your neighbors' apartment and they can look into yours, but I think the court may parse this out as looking is one thing and photographing is another,’ he told Reuters. Revealing: A woman takes in 'The Neighbors' at New York City's Julie Saul Gallery . Unanticipated: Gallery owner Julie Saul speaks with guests at her gallery June 1. 'It really never occurred to me that there would any of the controversial issues' Osterreicher is concerned that a ruling in this case could ‘create more pushback by people who are looking to create an expectation of privacy even when you're out in public.’ He thinks this could lead to First Amendment protections being ‘chipped away.’ Osterreicher believes that this case has been a negative one for the image of photography and First Amendment rights due to the ‘bad taste’ that has been left with the public. The attorney believes that the case against Svenson may ‘turn more on the facts of the case than on the actual law.’ While the case remains in the hands of the New York State Justice system, the issues raised by Svenson's photographs are as ethical as they are legal. Saul said: ‘If it's an ethical issue I think it's about the individual, and the way that Arne has handled this work is incredibly respectful and ethical.’ Clearly, others disagree. Pricey: Pieces in Svenson's collection are garnering upwards of $7,500 . | 'They're performing behind a transparent scrim on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high' proclaims photographer Arne Svenson .
The Foster family, whose two young daughters were initially in the exhibit but have been removed, want their photos removed from Svenson's possession, as well as an injunction and compensation . |
12,044 | 222bcd3fe2fa3b306c738fc384c3dd9827c97eaf | By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 19:55 EST, 21 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:49 EST, 22 February 2013 . Pub regulars have celebrated saving their beloved local from being turned into a Tesco after a 16 month campaign. The retail giant planned a new Tesco Express store on the site of the Victoria and Albert pub in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. But the scheme was rebuffed by planners and villagers, who waged a bitter battle against the grocery chain's plans to extend and convert the pub. The pub was the latest in a long list proposed to be converted into outlets for supermarket chains. Regulars including Stephen Keir (front) celebrate outside the Victoria and Albert pub in Seaton Delaval, North Tyneside, after successfully fighting off plans for supermarket giants Tesco to take over the pub . There have been with more than 200 conversions in Britain since 2010. Villagers accused Tesco of 'sheer arrogance' as they repeatedly applied for planning permission to convert the pub. But councillors and residents have refused to let the multi-million pound supermarket chain 'grind them down' and vowed to save their local pub. Councillors had been a shown letter from the pub's owners Punch Taverns, which backs the convenience store plans and said the pub would have shut anyway. The company said: 'Tenants have been unable to derive any sustainable profit due to the very low levels of trade and high outgoings. 'And for Punch the inevitable alternative may be to close and board the property.' But current manager Marshall Dunn rejected the claims, agreeing that when Tesco first looked to take over the Victoria and Albert it had been struggling, but in recent months business was booming. 'Before we took over, the pub was, as Tesco say, not a going concern,' he said. 'But trade has more than trebled in the last 16 to 17 months and it's now a real amenity for the village.' But at a boisterous meeting of the south east area planning committee of Northumberland County Council on Tuesday night, councillors voiced their concerns that allowing the conversion would ultimately lead to a death on the road outside. The pub is situated on a notorious blind bend in the village, prompting safety fears. The retail giant planned a new Tesco Express store on the site but the scheme was rebuffed by planners and villagers, who waged a bitter battle against the grocery chain's plans to extend and convert the pub . Councillor Tom Brechany said that the idea of delivery lorries having to pull into and out of the proposed loading area outside the store was 'a recipe for disaster,' while fellow councillor Wayne Daley said he and his members had a 'duty of care' to the people of Northumberland. 'I find it really offensive to see Tesco coming to us yet again in the hope it grinds us down,' he said. 'It seems they hope we will get bored and let it through, but I'm not going to let that happen.' An application for a 108 square metre extension to the pub was rejected on the grounds of road safety. A separate application for two air conditioning units and a condenser was rejected on the grounds it could be an eyesore and create a noise nuisance for nearby homes. A spokesman for Tesco said: 'We are disappointed by the decision, especially as the applications had a positive recommendation from the council's own officers. 'We will now consider our options and decide on the way forward.' But villager Stephen Keir, who has led the campaign to save the pub, said he hoped this might finally be the end of the saga. He said: 'Hopefully we've now seen the back of this application that is clearly lacking any credibility.' Last year, a Co-operative supermarket was given the go-ahead, which could create up to 60 jobs, at a different site in the village. | The retail giant planned a new Tesco Express store on the site of the Victoria and Albert pub in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland .
But planners and villagers waged a bitter battle against the grocery chain's plans to extend and convert the pub .
There have been with more than 200 conversions of pubs to supermarket chains in Britain since 2010 . |
26,569 | 4b6e9ae5b315ed2b623edbe0f9000efb61342b27 | (CNN) -- Libya is expelling Syria's diplomats because of the escalation of the government's crackdown on its people, Libya's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. The Syrian charge d'affaires was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Tripoli on Wednesday and told to leave with his staff within 72 hours, ministry spokesman Saad Elshlmani said. "The reason for this is the position of the Syrian regime towards the Syrian people," he explained. "After this escalation and the Arab League meetings in Cairo and the draft resolution ... Libya found it's the time to take a much stronger position against the Syrian regime." The Syrian state news agency SANA reported the Syrian consul in Libya, Mohammed al-Ghazawi, and his staff were attacked by gangs on their way to the Foreign Ministry, where they were told to leave. The gangs attacked the Syrians' cars with clubs, knives, and cleavers, SANA reported. The Syrian Embassy was also attacked and looted, the news agency said. A number of other nations have expelled Syria's ambassadors over the violence. They include Tunisia and the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. Other countries, including the United States, have either closed their own embassies in Syria or temporarily recalled their ambassadors from Damascus. CNN's Ivan Watson contributed to this report. | The Syrian staff were told to leave within 72 hours .
Libya says the reason is Syria's position toward its people .
Other nations have also expelled Syrian diplomats . |
105,321 | 13d30a1286362cd24e0ac5dd1aad27427426fd90 | (CNN) -- In the past week sanctions have been handed down in both South Africa and Italy in relation to a growing trend that is fast becoming a stain on soccer's integrity -- match-fixing. But FIFPro, the worldwide players' union, are preparing a project to tackle fixing, that will include an education program and an online tool for their members to report illegal approaches. Match-fixing has proved a particular problem for Italian football in recent years. Napoli were hit with a two-point penalty that dropped them from third to fifth in Serie A as part of an ongoing investigation, though they vehemently deny any wrongdoing. Defender Paolo Cannavaro is appealing his six-month ban for failing to report an illegal approach. Juventus coach Antonio Conte recently returned from a 10-match touchline ban imposed for failing to report match-fixing while coach at Siena. In 2006, Juve were stripped of two league titles and relegated to the third division of Italian football -- before later being reinstated in the second tier -- for their part in the "Calciopoli" scandal. Elsewhere, the president of the South African Football Association (SAFA) and four other officials were suspended this week as part of an investigation into match-fixing ahead of the country hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010. It is alleged four friendly games were prearranged for the benefit of convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organization. FIFPro have European Union funding behind their 'Don't Fix It' project and will be working closely with Birkbeck University and European soccer's governing body UEFA. The initiative will be launched in nine countries: England, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Romania, Scotland and Slovenia. "In the past few years, the football world has realized that match fixing is one of the biggest threats to the game, maybe even its biggest threat," FIFPro said in a stament on their website. "It is not solely a problem of individual countries, as recent reports and incidents have proven that match fixing is widespread in numerous nations on all continents: from Finland to Zimbabwe, from Malaysia to Italy. "In FIFPro's opinion, one of the ways to reduce the incidence of match fixing and the potential for match fixing in football is education of the players: the campaigns need to be taken into the dressing rooms of the clubs." Once their online reporting method is up and running FIFPro estimate a total of 12,000 players and 20,000 people associated with the game will be able to disclose any bullying, intimidation, harassment, and inappropriate approaches. | Worldwide soccer players' union FIFPro launches project to combat match-fixing .
Players will be able to report any illegal approaches or behavior via an online tool .
FIFPro also to raise awareness of the problems among players, coaches and referees .
Match fixing cases in South Africa and Italy have emerged recently . |
31,300 | 58f6a7c436c5ef9760014630a0671bba6897e95d | (CNN)Since 2008, FIFA's annual jamboree honoring the world's best player has been dominated by just two names. Ronaldo, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo. Monday saw Portuguese and Real Madrid superstar Cristano Ronaldo crowned as winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a second year in a row. It came as scant surprise, given his club's phenomenal form in 2014 that saw the return of Champions League trophy -- and with it the coveted "decima," or tenth European triumph -- to the Bernabeu. "It has been an incredible year," he said at the awards ceremony. "I would like to continue the work that I have done so far. I want to try to improve, to become better as each day goes by. "I never thought that I would bring this trophy back home on three occasions. I want to become one of the greatest players of all time." Top of their game . This seven-year duopoly reflects the importance of these two supreme athletes on the game, and allows us to see how lucky we are to be able to witness the long summers of two of the finest players to ever grace the sport. And part of the fascination lies in how different the two men are. Debating the relative merits of Ronaldo and his great rival Lionel Messi, talismans of Real and Barcelona, respectively, has been something of a parlor game in recent years. It's easy to compare and contrast, at least superficially. On the one hand, the improbable, mercurial talent of the shaggy haired, oddly stooped figure of Messi, confusing defenders as much as inspiring his teammates to a higher level. On the other: Ronaldo. A glistening, taut mass of muscle, neck like a tree trunk, powering forward relentlessly. He looks like he was created in a lab or a high tech factory; a Terminator, the ultimate footballer. Media matters . The two couldn't be much more different, in style and, if you are to believe the majority of the media, likability. Ronaldo has suffered the slings and arrows of a largely hostile press for much of his career, starting as a foal-limbed teen in Manchester, where he was often derided as a "show pony," for elaborate and unnecessary tricks, and -- a sin in the English game -- diving to win free kicks and penalties. The negativity followed him to Madrid and a then-record transfer fee. It is largely Real's cheerleading press, AS and Marca, that give him a free pass; the rest of the global sporting media grudgingly accept his gifts, but are quick to level criticism when they feel it due. He's often seen as a ball-hog, a selfish player who would rather shoot than pass to a teammate. That he has taken at least 10 shots at goal in nine matches doesn't exactly banish the perception. That his fellow "galactico" Gareth Bale would have the temerity to take a shot (and miss) in a recent Liga game rather than pass to CR7, as the virtuoso has styled himself, earned him a withering look from the Portuguese master, and the opprobrium of fans. Off the field, his reticence to engage the media -- a symptom, it is said, of his shyness -- has been interpreted as haughty and arrogant. Messi, on the other hand, who also eschews media coverage has typically been viewed as humble and self-effacing -- although recent tax and locker room scandals threaten to change that. Phenomenal 2014 . But the stats don't lie, and with the phenomenal return of 61 goals from 60 appearances (42 in 30 La Liga games alone) during 2014, it's hard not to give credit to this year's winner. He reached the 400-goal milestone for club and country (in 653 appearances) in January, . He is a footballing genius, and had he stood alone -- his yin unopposed by Messi's yang -- he would no doubt be already talked of as one of the all-time greats. As it stands, he's talking about that honor in aspirational terms, as a goal; he's spent most of his career battling comparisons. He's also developed in leaps and bounds since his 2008 World Player of the Year trophy, refined his unquestionable talent since he first grinned on that FIFA stage. He's far more mature; gone are the unnecessary stepovers and (almost) the petulance. To complement this, he long ago inherited an undimmable desire to win from his old mentor, Alex Ferguson, and he burns with passion and a need to score. That's only become more evident as he grows into the complete player he has developed into over the past couple of years. And along with his natural ability, he's long been an indefatigable, consummate professional who gives everything he has until the final whistle, and that's what has fueled his work- and goal-rate in 2014. He still takes a lot of shots, sure, but when "Ronaldo doesn't score," on the rare occasions that he walks away from a match without netting a goal is the headline, maybe he's right to do so. Certainly his Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, doesn't begrudge him the efforts. World Cup woes? Germany's irrepressible keeper Manuel Neuer -- who was a distant outlier for the Ballon d'Or this year -- may feel aggrieved that his superlative World Cup went unnoticed in voting. Indeed, Fabio Cannavaro won the award's predecessor, the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2006, off the back of his considerable influence captaining Italy to 2006 World Cup glory. But while he had a largely anonymous World Cup, it would be difficult to deny that, year round, it has been Cristiano's year. And, like the man or not, no one should begrudge him his time at the pinnacle. | Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo picks up his second consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Or .
Comparisons with fellow great Lionel Messi have dogged Ronaldo's career .
Portuguese midfielder has developed into a more refined, rounded player in recent years . |
235,857 | bd52587ac2f86265a4434aaff9f0188ac95a17f1 | The grandfather of the Jamaican beauty queen who lost out on the Miss Universe crown has hit out at the pageant judges for being unclear about the requirements needed to win the show. Michael Fennell said that Kaci was the victim of ‘unwritten factors’ and that the judges should have stated if Miss Universe needed to have long hair. He said: 'If short hair is a problem why didn’t they say so in the contest?' Scroll down for video . After beating out stiff competition from USA, Netherlands, Jamaica and Ukraine, Miss Colombia Paulina Vega (right) became Miss Universe 2015, but some seemed to think it was Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennel (left) who deserved the crown. Her family have now publicly criticised the decision and called on the pageant judges to be more transparent about their criteria . Mr Fennell continued: ‘In my mind she was absolutely beautiful in her short hair. 'She was different but if the judges didn't want short hair then say so. 'I wish I knew how these contests were judged where there are other factors that are unwritten that have to be considered'. He also criticised those who questioned his daughter’s claims that Jamaica’s contributions to the world are Usain Bolt and Bob Marley. He said: ‘Of course it’s Bob Marley and Usain Bolt...the answers of the other contestants did not answer the question’. It's renowned for its swimwear round, stunning dresses and a seemingly never-ending array of beautiful women. However, last night's Miss Universe final in Miami got hotter than ever - after Miss Colombia, Paulina Vega, 22, was controversially crowned the winner of the beauty pageant. Instead of the usual cheering, the audience erupted into boos of disapproval as favourite-to-win Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell only made it to fifth place. Shortly after Miss Fennell, 22, left the stage in the 63rd annual contest, her name began trending on Twitter along with the hashtag #MissJamaicaShouldHaveWon. And the winner is: Miss Colombia Paulina Vega is crowned Miss universe . Robbed? Miss Jamaica's striking good looks and unmistakable poise have left Miss Universe pageant viewers saying the 22-year-old was robbed after being named fourth runner-up . Unlike Miss Vega, who looks every-inch the beauty queen, Miss Fennell gained a large following due to her striking beauty, confidence intelligence and unconventional style - wearing her hair in a Halle Berry-esque pixie cut instead of the traditional long pageant waves. Fans claim Miss Fennell was denied the title after she proudly called Usain Bolt, the world's fastest short-distance runner, and reggae-king Bob Marley her country's greatest contributions to the world. 'I don't have long tresses like everyone else, I'm just representing myself and that's what beauty pageants are all about,' said Fennell, who wore a long, red beaded evening gown. 'You don't have to look a certain way ... and I feel like I represent that.' Her non-traditional answers along with her pixie cut and Caribbean confidence, likely contributed to her not placing higher in the final, according to her fans. Too honest: Kaci Fennell called Bob Marley and Usain Bolt the greatest contributions her country has given the world--an unlikely answer in the minds of some, but others saw honesty in her answer that other contestants would be afraid to show . Booed in support: Fennell, at right in the national costume competition and in her evening wear at left, received a major compliment from the Florida audience when they booed her being named fourth runner-up . Winning competitor Miss Vega is from Barranquilla, Colombia and is studying business administration. She said that she isn't planning to enter any more Miss Universe beauty competitions as she's eager to return to her studies. The 22-year-old is the granddaughter of a legendary tenor, Gastón Vega. Earlier she said, 'It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today. A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person.' Hot topic: Fans of Miss Jamaica took to Twitter and helped to make her a trending topic even more popular than Miss Universe herself . Miss Fennell gained a large following due to her striking beauty, confidence, and unconventional style . The five finalists awaiting to hear their fate at the final on Sunday. Miss Jamaica had to leave the stage after coming in fifth in the contest . Previous winners: Miss Colombia Paulina Vega was crowned Miss Universe 2014 by Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler at the 63rd Annual pageant . Miss Colombia Paulina Vega (left and right) competes onstage during the evening gown competition in which she wore an eye-catching sequined hip-hugging gown . Here she is...: Meet Miss Universe 2015, the beautiful brunette from Colombia, Pauline Vega dressed here in her national costume . First runner-up was Nevada resident Miss USA, Nia Sanchez. Coming in third was second runner-up Miss Ukraine, Diana Harkusha. Miss Netherlands took the fourth spot as third runner-up. The first beauty eliminated from the top 5 was Miss Jamaica, whose departure brought loud and unmistakable boos from the international audience. All top five finalists had been individually serenaded with a song by singer Gavin DeGraw in the moments leading up to the big reveal in the competition, which had 88 contestants and was held in Miami. Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell (right) with fellow contestants (left to right) Miss Australia Tegan Martin, Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen, Miss Brazil Melissa Gurgel and Miss Ukraine Diana Harkush . Beauty with brains: Vega is from Barranquilla, Colombia and is studying business administration. She said the contests leading to Miss Universe were the first she'd participated in and will be her last as she's eager to return to her studies in business administration . First runner-up: Miss USA Nia Sanchez strutted her stuff to become one of the top five finalists at the 2015 Miss Universe competition held in Florida on Sunday . Evening look: Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha, right, one of the top 5 finalists, flaunts her evening gown expertise in the 63rd Annual Miss Universe pageant at Florida International University on Sunday. On the left is MIss Netherlands, Yasmin Verheijen . Miss USA Nia Sanchez, 24, said she had been looking forward to the often-dreaded interview portion. In the week leading up to the final she had been practising answering questions with her roommate Miss Australia, Tegan Martin, who made it to the top ten. Sanchez, a Nevada resident, has a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has traveled the country teaching others. She spoke about equipping women to defend themselves against crime. 'It's just something that's so prevalent in our society and why not empower women to take control of a dangerous situation into their own hand,' she said. Big show: Today Show personality Natalie Morales was hosting the show. And before Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela, crowned the next winner, viewers were to hear performances from singers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce . Strike a pose: Contestants including Miss India, Nigeria, Lebanon and Lithuania pose on stage during the 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE Pageant at Florida International University on January 25 . Nick Jonas performs onstage among contestants during the evening gown competition . Jonas was among many celebrity guest performers, including singer Gaven Degraw . 'Today Show' personality Natalie Morales hosted the show, Miss Universe 2014, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela passed the crown along to Miss Colombia and viewers heard performances from singers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce. In another moment of controversy, crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top ten She had tremendous support both locally and back home. The Miami suburb of Doral, which is hosting the women during their stay, is also known as 'Doralzuela' for its many Venezuelan residents. Three of the last six Miss Universe titles have gone to Venezuela, where beauty pageants are big business. Explosive confrontations are nothing new for Israel and Lebanon, but the latest spat between the longtime foes is perhaps the first to have been caused by an alleged photo-bomb. A seemingly innocuous selfie at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami has sparked criticism in Lebanon because it featured a smiling Miss Lebanon alongside Miss Israel. The Israeli beauty queen, Doron Matalon, posted a picture of herself with colleagues from Japan, Slovenia and Lebanon on her Instagram account. The result? A formal Lebanese investigation into the scandal. Lebanese Tourism Minister Michel Pharon told The Associated Press that 'if there was bad intentions' from Saly Greige, measures could be taken against her. In her defense, Miss Lebanon says she was photo-bombed. Matalon said the joint photo was genuine and was saddened that Greige was under fire at home. 'I hope for change and I hope for peace between us, and even just for three weeks, just between me and her,' she told NBC News. 'We need to remember that we represent the country and the people, not the government and not the political issues.' Under fire from critics angered by her fraternizing with the enemy, Greige took to Facebook to defend herself. 'The truth behind the photo: Since the first day of my arrival to participate to Miss Universe, I was very cautious to avoid being in any photo or communication with Miss Israel (that tried several times to have a photo with me),' she wrote. 'Suddenly Miss Israel jumped in, took a selfie, and put it on her social media.' In a statement, the Miss Universe Organization said 'it is unfortunate to know a photo of four smiling women from different parts of the world, working together at an event, could be misconstrued as anything other than what it is, a celebration of universal friendship.' Neither Miss Israel nor Miss Lebanon made it to the competition's final round . | Audience erupted into boos as Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, 22, was crowned Miss Universe in Miami yesterday .
Source of the controversy was 22-year-old Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell, who was a favourite to win but came fifth .
Kaci's grandfather has now publicly criticised the pageant judges for being too unclear about the criteria for winning . |
28,149 | 4fcc931520cc7f748bedfe9d4b5c93bb7900daba | (CNN) -- China's space program has really taken off in the last six years. In 2003 Yang Liwei became a national hero when he became the first Chinese man in space, followed five years later by Zhai Zhigang who became the first "taikonaut" to make a spacewalk. "The moment I stepped out of the hatch and entered space, the sensation of completely becoming one with space was a feeling I had never felt before on Earth," Zhai told CNN. "I deliberately looked into outer space, looking past my toes and deep into outer space. The differing brightness and distances of the celestial bodies really brought out the deepness of outer space. The vast, boundless expanse of outer space stirred my soul." From out of this world moments to their place in Chinese history, these two pioneering spacemen tell CNN's John Vause about their missions, how they had prepared for the worst should things go wrong and if China and other nations with the moon in their sights are creating a new international space race. "The moment I stepped out of the hatch and entered space, the sensation of completely becoming one with space was a feeling I had never felt before on Earth," Zhai told CNN. "I deliberately looked into outer space, looking past my toes and deep into outer space. The differing brightness and distances of the celestial bodies really brought out the deepness of outer space. The vast, boundless expanse of outer space stirred my soul." From out of this world moments to their place in Chinese history, these two pioneering spacemen tell CNN's John Vause about their missions, how they had prepared for the worst should things go wrong and if China and other nations with the moon in their sights are creating a new international space race. | Chinese "taikonauts" Yang Liwei and Zhai Zhigang talk to CNN .
First Chinese man in space and first Chinese to conduct a spacewalk, respectively .
Talk about their historic moments to international space race . |
156,357 | 561f223ce8b0c533376200bd6e7e574c79b91156 | By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 12:12 EST, 12 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:32 EST, 12 April 2013 . A mother sent to a labour camp after she demanded justice for her daughter who had been raped has today had a compensation claim dismissed by a Chinese court. Authorities in the southern city of Yongzhou sentenced Tang Hui to 18 months in a labour camp last August for 'disturbing social order' after she demanded that the men who had raped her then 11-year-old daughter be given the death penalty. Tang spent a little over a week in the camp before being released following a public outcry. Upsetting: A mother sent to a labour camp after she demanded justice for her daughter who had been raped has today had a compensation claim dismissed by a Chinese court. The Chinese capital Beijing is pictured . Today, a provincial court upheld a January decision by the Yongzhou . Re-education Through Labour Committee to reject Tang's request for . compensation of about 2,000 yuan (£208), her lawyer, Si Weijiang, said. 'She's . now in extreme despair, she doesn't believe in the law anymore,' Si . told Reuters by telephone. 'She stood crying outside the courthouse for a . very long time.' Si said the court overturned the decision to send Tang to the labour camp but maintained it was not illegal. Court officials could not be reached for comment. The outrage about Tang's case has coincided with a government pledge to reform the labour-camp system by the end of the year. In . the camp of more than 100 women, Tang said she had to memorise two . pages of phrases that included: 'transform ourselves in a proper way' and 'we're not allowed to escape'. She said she had not been ill-treated though guards watched her closely. China's 're-education through labour' system, in place since 1957, empowers police and other agencies to detain people for up to four years without a court process. Despite long-standing international criticism of the camps, many Chinese are largely oblivious to them because many of those who are locked up are poor and on the fringes of society and their cases are not publicised. Tang gained wide attention following reports in state media, with the case of a mother demanding justice for her daughter resonating with the public. State media and microbloggers seized on her case to question the labour-camp system, saying it violated human rights and the rule of law. A group of lawyers wrote to the central government seeking the repeal of the system. | Tang Hui was sentenced to 18 months in a labour camp last August .
She demanded the men who raped her daughter be given the death penalty .
Today a Chinese court threw out her compensation claim . |
194,041 | 872fa65f1af94ebb6d0809a9cdf14a23c0ed8b59 | Reeva Steenkamp never had sex with Oscar Pistorius during their three-month relationship and was about to leave the disgraced athlete on the night he shot her dead, her mother has claimed. Pistorius previously told his murder trial that the couple were planning a life together, but June Steenkamp says she has 'no doubt in her mind' that her daughter wanted to end their romance. Mrs Steenkamp also believes the model refused to sleep with the Paralympian because she had 'nagging doubts about their compatibility'. 'They'd shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level … She wouldn't want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn't sure,' she said in an interview with The Times Magazine yesterday. Scroll down for video . June Steenkamp, pictured with her husband, thinks Reeva had 'nagging doubts' about her compatibility with Pistorius before she was shot dead . She said: 'I believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her heart of hearts, she didn't think it was making either of them happy.' In her book, titled Reeva: A Mother's Story, Mrs Steenkamp describes Pistorius, 27, as a 'pathetic figure'. She writes in her book: 'Her clothes were packed. There is no doubt in our minds: she had decided to leave Oscar that night. 'It was Reeva's bad luck that she met him, because sooner or later he would have killed someone. I do believe that.' Mrs Steenkamp said she he did not believe Oscar Pistorius' story, describing him as 'vague, evasive and shifty' after he claimed he shot Reeva (left) thinking she was an intruder . They have sat through an agonising seven-month trial, but June and her husband Barry said justice for their daughter Reeva, 29, has not been served as the 'Blade Runner' could be out in 10 months. Mrs Steenkamp, 68, said she did not believe the athlete's story, describing him as 'vague, evasive and shifty' after he claimed he shot Reeva thinking she was an intruder. In a separate extract serialised in The Times2 Magazine today, Mrs Steenkamp describes her shock and disbelief when the judge found him not guilty of murder. 'My heart continued to beat, but I didn't feel alive,' she wrote. 'It was the worst of double whammies - to lose our daughter and then to see her violent death deemed an accident.' She also told how her husband Barry suffered a stroke one morning after breakfast while reading a newspaper article about their daughter's death two months after she was shot. She said: 'He became delirious. He couldn't speak and one side of his face collapsed. We rushed him to the doctor, who discovered a blood clot on his brain.' But she says she has 'forgiven him in the Christian sense', adding that she didn't want to 'carry poison in my body'. Her parents have a recurring image of Reeva, terrified and alone in the small toilet cubicle, pleading for her life or screaming in agony once she had been shot, pictured as a toddler (left) and during a family Christmas . She also has 'no hate in my heart' for the athlete's family, whom she says were 'in as much pain as I am.' The couple are both are haunted by a recurring image of Reeva, terrified and alone in the small toilet cubicle, pleading for her life or screaming in agony once she had been shot. Another extract from Mrs Steenkamp's book focuses on the athlete's public apology during the televised trial. 'It was an extraordinary moment. You could cut the atmosphere in the courtroom with a knife: silence, but for the sound of journalists tapping on their screens. It put me in an awkward position. 'Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology. 'I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done. 'He was in the box trying to save his own skin after he had killed my daughter and I was sitting in that courtroom wanting to hear the factual truth.' The model (centre) with her brother Adam and mother June (right) who has written about her daughter's death in her book titled: Reeva: A Mother's Story . Pistorius told the court they were planning a life together, but Mrs Steenkamp thinks Reeva had 'nagging doubts about their compatibility' Miss Steenkamp's parents said their daughter's death in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year remained shrouded in mystery, and 'only Oscar knows' the truth . The five-year sentence given to the double amputee athlete has been criticised by some as too lenient. But Miss Steenkamp's parents told ITV's Good Morning Britain they accepted the sentence and 'don't want revenge'. They said their daughter's death in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year remained shrouded in mystery, and 'only Oscar knows' the truth. Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled the state had failed to prove Pistorius knew it was Reeva when he opened fire through the locked toilet door of his apartment in Pretoria. Throughout the trial, he said he mistook his girlfriend of three months for an intruder. 'He said pulling the trigger was 'an accident'. What? Four times an accident?' Mrs Steenkamp said in her book. 'He said Reeva did not scream, but she would definitely have screamed. I know my daughter and she was very vocal.' Pistorius, who the court heard has no income and no property after selling it during the trial, was driven away in a police van with barred windows after his sentencing on Tuesday. He is being held in the hospital section of a prison in Pretoria. Mrs Steenkamp's book is to be published on November 6. Paralympic athlete Pistorius (centre) leaves the courtroom after being sentenced to five years in prison . | June Steenkamp said she has 'no doubt' that her daughter wanted to leave .
She said that her daughter had 'nagging doubts about their compatibility'
Steenkamps believe Pistorius would have killed someone 'sooner or later'
Reveals shock at murder acquittal after her 'violent death deemed accident'
Father Barry's 'face collapsed' from stroke through turmoil of her death .
Paralympian is serving five years in prison, but could be out in 10 months .
Mrs Steenkamp described him as 'pathetic' in book Reeva: A Mother's Story . |
112,464 | 1d14acb8fc03d84b0e49353b3c0b21c5ff8b41d5 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:14 EST, 1 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:06 EST, 2 December 2013 . A 'sovereign citizen' who claimed an Ohio family's home while they visited a dying relative has filed deeds for another 11 properties. Ohio's Robert Carr applied for the 'quiet titles' after claiming the owners gave up their ownership rights when they left the property. 'When you abandon a property, bam, walk . away from it, ‘I ain’t never coming back. I don’t want nothing to do . with it’ right? Somebody can come in, ‘Oh mine',' he told WLWT. Scroll down for video . 'Sovereign citizen'; Robert Carr filed 'quiet titles' on 12 'abandoned' properties . Under new owners: This is just one of the $130,000 homes that Robert Carr has possessed under his 'sovereign' rights and used a 'quiet title' As a member of the sovereign citizens movement, Carr believes he can handpick which laws to follow. The movement is premised on the idea that current local, state, and federal governments are 'illegal' and have veered away from the founding fathers’ original intent. In relation to property, Carr claims home owners forfeit their ownership rights when they leave a property, even for a weekend. He doesn't expect to pay anything for the homes. A Springdale, Ohio family is currently challenging Carr's deed on their home, which they had owned for 21 years. The unidentified family say they were locked out of their own home after visiting relatives out-of-town. Carr showed them a document he filed with the County Court. Wreckless: The former family who used to live in this home say their lives have been turned upside down by Carrs' actions . 'What he's looking for is full title and ownership of the home,' the family's attorney, Alison Warner, said. 'He's in their home. They don't know when he's there. He can be there now.' The family say they feel violated. 'I'm very scared, you . know, because I never know if somebody's going to be here,' the . homeowner said. WLWT uncovered 11 other instances where Carr filed the same paperwork. Seven of the cases were filed on the same day. 'I have a team of people who go out and I say make sure the house is empty. If it's empty, change the locks,' Carr said. 'Anybody can do it.' Robert Carr went into the home, changed the . locks and emptied the house . Court documents: Carr has filed for ownership of a dozen 'abandoned' homes in . the area . Carr has been charged with breaking and entering in one case of disputed ownership, but he is fighting that charge. Quiet title actions are used to determine who legally holds the title to property, because real estate may sometimes change hands frequently, and the lawsuits can help remove clouds over claims of ownership. The anti-government 'sovereign citizens' movement has grown in recent years and is rooted in the anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-tax Posse Comitatus movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Most recent recruits to the sovereign citizens movement found themselves in desperate situations, often due to the economy or foreclosure, and are drawn to the idea of easy money or living free of legal consequences. Sovereign citizens are becoming well-known by the courts for filing astronomical liens against banks, attorneys and government employees. While these are usually unsuccessful, they can be expensive to fight and take a long time to resolve. The FBI has been informed about the case but won't comment on the specifics. | Robert Carr has filed deeds for 12 homes he doesn't own .
He believes he has the right to claim 'abandoned' properties .
One family left town to visit a dying relative .
Carr has been charged with breaking and entering in one of the cases, but he's fighting the charge .
Carr, a 'sovereign citizen', believes he can choose which laws to obey . |
257,087 | d8bfe068a98bbe8dade28d0e97fe4d0193aa134e | Ipswich Town are close to completing a deal to sign Paddy Kenny on loan from Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season. The 36-year-old goalkeeper has been told he can leave Bolton this month after failing to make a first-team appearance for The Trotters since joining them last summer. And Ipswich Manager Mick McCarthy had been keen to sign cover for injured Blues' stopper Dean Gerken who is expected to be sidelined for about a month. Paddy Kenny, pictured here while playing for Leeds in 2012, will sign for Ipswich Town on loan . Kenny clears the ball during a Championship match between Leeds and Derby County in 2013 . Kenny, who has also played for Leeds, Sheffield United and QPR, will undergo a medical in the next 24 hours ahead of completing his move. The experienced keeper has seven caps for the Republic of Ireland and was part of the Sheffield United side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2006. The experienced keeper blocks a shot from Leicester City's Jamie Vardy . Kenny was told he can leave Bolton this month after failing to make a first-team appearance for The Trotters . | Paddy Kenny will join Ipswich on loan from Bolton Wanderers .
Mick McCarthy is keen to sign cover for the injured Dean Gerken .
The 36-year-old previously played for Leeds, Sheffield United and QPR .
He will undergo a medical in the next 24 hours . |
265,398 | e3bccfd0f3a5965306a1a27b0fa8b466d0f788b2 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:57 EST, 13 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:02 EST, 13 November 2013 . Heart failure that kills thousands of Brits every year could be cured by a simple jab which shrinks the vital organ, according to a new study. Scientists who have reversed the condition in animals by injecting them with a gene now hope tests on patients will be just as successful. They found the ‘SUMO-1’ gene therapy can shrink enlarged hearts, improving their function and increasing blood flow. Heart failure happens when the heart is unable to pump blood adequately. It affects over 750,000 people in the UK - mainly the elderly - and claims 140,000 lives a year. The ¿SUMO-1¿ gene therapy can shrink enlarged hearts, improving their function and increasing blood flow. There are treatments but no cure. In the final experiments before human clinical trials SUMO-1, a gene which is 'missing in action' in heart failure patients, was delivered directly into the organ. Dr Roger Hajjar, who led the study, said: 'SUMO-1 gene therapy may be one of the first treatments that can actually shrink enlarged hearts and significantly improve a damaged heart’s life-sustaining function. 'We are very eager to test this gene therapy in our patients suffering from severe heart failure.' Dr Hajjar is already on a path toward approval from the Food and Drug Administration in the US to test the revolutionary treatment on patients. It will be the second gene therapy treatment launched by he and his colleagues at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The first, named CUPID, is in its final phases after successful tests on animals and substantial clinical improvements in patients. In that project, a gene known as SERCA2 which produces an enzyme critical to the proper pumping of calcium out of cells, is injected via a harmless virus. In heart failure SERCA2 is dysfunctional forcing the heart to work harder and in the process grow larger. The virus carrying SERCA2 is delivered through the coronary arteries into the heart using tiny tubes. Studies show only one dose is required to restore healthy production of the gene’s beneficial enzyme. But a study by Dr Hajjar and his researchers published two years ago showed SUMO-1 is also decreased in failing human hearts. The injection could reduce the need for invasive heart surgery, scientists hope . Dr Hajjar said: 'The key reason for this translational medicine speed is the outstanding infrastructure we have in the Cardiovascular Research Centre at Mount Sinai where we are able to replicate human heart failure models to test our novel gene therapies. 'I think this is a really very unique example of rapid translation of a promising medical therapy from an initial discovery to pre-clinical trials.' | Researchers have successfully tested the injection on animals .
The ‘SUMO-1’ therapy shrinks bloated hearts, improving circulation .
Heart disease claims 140,000 victims every year . |
98,617 | 0afedcf1b0c96d5cf49a1aad15ef3d756fe72124 | It might not look radical from the outside, but inside Land Rover’s latest concept car has a range of gadgets that would have even James Bond looking on in envy. These include laser positioning sensors, gesture-controlled systems and an ‘invisible’ bonnet that allows the driver to 'see through' the car to the ground beneath. But the most Q-like development in the Discovery Vision Concept is remote-control drive, which allows anyone to drive the vehicle ‘at very low speed while not actually seated inside it'. Land Rover's latest concept car might not look radical from the outside, but inside its boasts a range of outlandish gadgets that would make James Bond proud . Land Rover says this system could be used on and off-road, from coupling a trailer to spotting obstacles during extreme off-road driving. The off-road remote operation function has been dubbed All-Terrain Progress Control and the company claims that it will be ‘semi-autonomous.’ Off-road exploring is further helped by something known as ‘Wade Aid’ which measures depth in patches of water to prevent the vehicle from getting stuck. The car has a huge boot and seating for up to seven, and doors that open with just the swipe of your hand . Laser positioning sensors, gesture-controlled technology and an 'invisible' bonnet that that allows the driver to see through the metal to the ground beneath their vehicles . The off-road remote operation function has been dubbed All-Terrain Progress Control . The system acts like an electronic periscope to project image from below the car onto the windscreen in front of the driver. Cameras in the vehicle’s grille capture mobbing pictures of the state of the road or terrain immediately ahead. This video image is then transmitted digitally to a Head-Up Display of the type already used on many luxury and executive cars to project sat-nav and speed details onto the windscreen. The virtual image of the ground is superimposed over the actual image of the bonnet. This allows the driver to look through the windscreen and apparently ‘see-through’ the front of the car. The ‘see through’ bonnet meanwhile combines cameras in the grille and jet-fighter-style head-up display technology on the windscreen. Although designed principally for those who want to better spot rocky terrain or deep crevices when they take their 4X4s seriously off-road, it could even have some use in the urban jungle by allowing drivers to spot and avoid potholes lurking just out of sight. The car will also be practical with a huge boot and seating for up to seven, with the arrangement operated by touchscreen. Visibility is boosted with the use of day-like light of the laser headlamps which feature smart object tracking and beam-dipping to improve driver safety. Land Rover is set to showcase the Discovery Vision at this week's New York Motor Show, with the car going on sale later next year. The first car will be based on the current Range Rover Evoque and has an estimated starting price of around £30,000 ($50,100). The car will go sale later next year with a starting price of around £30,000 (US$50,100) A fleet of Range Rover vehicles at the exclusive event to globally unveil the Discovery Vision Concept at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York . Remote control drive was seen in the 1997 James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies' in which Bond operates his car (right) from the backseat with a remote control that doubles as a mobile (left) Gerry McGovern, design director and chief creative officer at Land Rover, said: ‘The Discovery Concept vehicle represents a Vision of our future family of leisure SUVs. ‘Its modern, relevant and compelling design is a significant shift from Discovery as we know it, while well considered practicality, configurability and Land Rover's capability seamlessly blend to create a highly desirable vehicle that connects on an emotional level.’ The new Discovery is the latest model announced by prolific Jaguar Land Rover, which is experiencing its greatest ever period. Sales and profits are increasing thanks to models like the Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar F-Type. The company is also investing billions in research and development and the hard work is paying off. Last year it delivered 425,000 vehicles, an increase of 19 per cent. The new Discovery is the latest model announced by prolific Jaguar Land Rover, which is experiencing its greatest ever period. Pictured here is its unveiling in New York . Gerry McGovern, design director and chief creative officer at Land Rover, said: 'The Discovery Concept vehicle represents a Vision of our future family of leisure SUVs' | Land Rover's Discovery Vision Concept can be driven ‘at very low speed' using a smart phone, tablet or the car's removable console .
Also features an ‘invisible’ bonnet, laser positioning and 'gesture-controlled' doors .
Land Rover will showcase Discovery Vision at the New York Motor Show . |
165,314 | 61c1c1bf8faaafdc06c667ec27724e58e00b570b | Dave King launched his move to oust the entire Rangers board by formally submitting a demand for a General Meeting on Friday night. As hundreds of fans gathered outside Ibrox in protest at plans to mortgage off Ibrox and Murray in return for a £10million loan from Mike Ashley, the South African-based businessman insisted he is confident of gaining the 51 per cent backing required to remove chairman David Somers, chief executive Derek Llambias, finance director Barry Leach and non-executive director James Easdale. King, the largest single shareholder at the club, proposes that he is elected onto the board in their places alongside fellow former club director Paul Murray and John Gilligan, a one-time managing director of Tennent Caledonian Brewers. Dave King has called a general meeting to ask Rangers shareholders to rout the entire Ibrox board . Rangers fans protest before Friday's match with Hearts over claims that Ibrox is to be mortgaged off . The Rangers board considered mortgaging off Ibrox in return for a £10million loan from Mike Ashley . Llambias and Leach would, initially, retain their executive roles — but be off the board — before new appointments were made. The notice seeking the General Meeting was hand delivered to Ibrox on Friday night, the day after it emerged that advance notices of security over the stadium and Murray Park had been lodged at the Reigstry of Scotland on behalf of Ashley’s Sports Direct firm. The move has been viewed as a precursor to the board accepting Ashley’s loan ahead of a rival funding offer from a Douglas Park-led group. George Letham, one of Park’s associates, visited Ibrox on Friday for talks after the consortium pledged to up their initial £5m proposal in a bid to block Ashley. Rangers defender Darren McGregor (right) tackles Hearts' Sam Nicholson on a snowy night at Ibrox . Rangers fans gesture towards Hearts' supporters as a board explains why the game had to be cancelled . Park, Letham and George Taylor have around 19 per cent between them, while King has 15 per cent. Approximately 11 per cent is owned by fans with the likes of Walter Smith, Ally McCoist and recent investor Felix Magath holding another three per cent, which would give a total of around 48 per cent. King firmly believes he will gain sufficient further backing to cross the line and seize control at a meeting which will take place within the next six weeks. ‘The requisition consists of four resolutions for the removal of the incumbent board and three resolutions for the appointment to the board of myself, Paul Murray and John Gilligan,’ said King. ‘The resolutions do not seek to review the employment of the two executive directors presently on the board. They will merely be removed as directors. Police and stewards hold people back as Hearts and Rangers fans attempt to confront each other . ‘I would not have called for a General Meeting if I was not confident, from my review of the present shareholder register, that it will be supported by more than 50 per cent of the total registered shareholders. ‘While many of the shareholders hold differing views as to what is right for the club, I believe that a clear majority are like-minded on one key point — the need to remove the incumbent board and to replace it with individuals who can gain the trust of fans, sponsors and the shareholder community.’ King’s own planned position on the board could be subject to scrutiny by the SFA given his previous issues with the tax authorities in South Africa, although he has previously insisted he sees no issue in meeting ‘fit and proper person’ requirements. The Castlemilk-born tycoon — who lost a £20m Rangers investment made during Sir David Murray’s tenure — would seek to expand the board if successful at the General Meeting, which could lead to representation from within the Park consortium. King wants an in-depth study of the commercial contracts and pledged to pursue any instances where it is deemed they are not in the club’s best interests. He would also seek a new nominated advisor (NOMAD) in the City of London to replace WH Ireland as part of an overhaul. Rangers went into administration in February 2012 and were later relegated to the Scottish Third Division . ‘It is also desirable to partner a NOMAD that is willing to move forward and away from the recent poor governance at the club,’ added King. ‘I have already had initial discussions with potential NOMADs on the basis of two key conditions. Firstly, that the resolutions at the AGM are passed. Secondly, that the board is expanded as soon as possible thereafter to incorporate experienced independent non-executive directors such that the highest level of corporate governance is achieved and maintained. ‘That is exactly what all stakeholders should want to happen after experiencing so many years of different boards that have lurched from one crisis to another. In advance of the General Meeting I will further engage with NOMADs willing to embrace the standards that we will set for the future and ensure that an appropriate arrangement is in place to be adopted immediately on conclusion of a successful vote at the General Meeting. ‘The most pressing task for the incoming board will be to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the club. A secondary important task will be to conduct a forensic audit of the management and commercial contracts undertaken over the last few years to determine whether they are truly arms length and whether the affairs of the company have been pursued in accordance with the fiduciary obligations of those entrusted with that responsibility. Any malfeasance will be pursued aggressively and transparently. | Dave King will call for the head of David Somers at general meeting .
Referee forced to postpone Rangers match following heavy snow .
Fans protested over claims Ibrox is going to be mortgaged off . |
256,623 | d824ea75209ea5c842c101f5ba626f51c370ee9e | By . Becky Barrow . House prices are rising at their fastest pace for nearly seven years with the average home costing nearly £18,000 more than it did last year, the Nationwide said yesterday. Graham Beale, chief executive of the building society, warned: ‘We need to watch the situation carefully.’ In just one year, house prices have jumped by 10.9 per cent, the first time that annual house price inflation has been in double figures since 2010 and the highest rate since June 2007. But the Nationwide raised its fears about the growing gulf between what people earn and what they have to pay to buy a property. Graham Beale, chief executive of Nationwide building society warned that the rise in house prices needed to be watched 'carefully' The average worker with a full-time job earns around £27,000, but the average house price has jumped to £183,577, which is nearly seven times higher than their salary. Robert Gardner, chief economist at the Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society, warned of the ‘wide margin’ between the rate at which house prices are rising and people’s pay rises. Official figures, from the Office for National Statistics, reveal the average pay rises is currently 1.7 per cent a year, compared to house price growth of 10.9 per cent a year. As a result, people’s pay is barely moving but house prices are rising rapidly. On Wednesday, the Land Registry said 33 homes a day are selling for more than £1million, with the majority found in London and the South East. Yesterday Nationwide said one in four homes in London are now sold for £500,000 or more, compared to only 13 per cent in 2007. ‘More than six per cent’ of properties sold in the capital cost more than £1million, it said.Mr Gardner said: ‘House price growth is outstripping income growth by a wide margin. ‘The risk is that, unless supply accelerates significantly, affordability will become stretched.’ In April last year, the average home cost £165,586. Today it costs £183,577, a rise of £17,991, the sort of pay rises which most workers can only dream about. New figures from the Office of National statistics show that house prices have increased by 10.9 percent over the past year . Jeremy Duncombe, director of the insurer Legal & General’s mortgage club, said: ‘It is extremely important that house price growth is kept at sustainable levels or the market risks over-heating. ‘The risk of a ‘bubble’ forming in the capital remains very real. A key part of controlling house price growth is to build more houses. ‘ Mr Beale also warned: ‘Prices are affected by the fact that not enough houses are being built to keep up with the number of households being formed, so demand is outstripping supply.’ To add to the pressure on homebuyers, the stamp duty bill is proving a growing burden. As house prices rises, the tax bill also grows. Clare Francis, from the comparison website Moneysupermarket, said stamp duty is ‘another obstacle hampering homeownership.’ She added: ‘The thresholds [at which stamp duty is charged] have been held at the same levels for years now. Rising property prices mean that an increasing number of first-time buyers have to pay the three per cent rate. ‘This isn’t right and it is time for the government to reform this tax.’ The Council of Mortgage Lenders said rising house prices are helping homeowners with an interest-only mortgage, which means they only pay the interest on the loan, but not the loan itself. Around 2.2million people have an interest only mortgage, and it said only ‘a relatively modest’ number have no plan for repaying the loan when the time comes. Over the last year, mortgage lenders have been contacting all homeowner with this type of loan, if it matures before the end of 2020, to discuss what they are planning to do. | Houses cost on average £18,000 more than twelve months ago .
Average house price now worth more than £180,000 according to ONS .
Average wages increased by only 1.7 percent since 2012 .
One in four London homes now sold for in excess of £500,000 . |
172,691 | 6b7d22becc32005272685d608ab2e23d5ee4b1bf | A measles outbreak that began at Disneyland last month has now spread to at least 95 people across the US. Health officials in Arizona are monitoring 1,000 people to try and stop the spread of the highly contagious virus, including nearly 200 children who could have been exposed at a Phoenix medical center last week. Those who haven't been vaccinated have been warned to stay at home for 21 days or, if they must go out in public, to wear a mask. Healthy officials are monitoring 1,000 people after the outbreak of measles at Disneyland in California (pictured) Arizona is second only to California in the number of cases traced back to the Disney theme park last month with measles confirmed in five other states- Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Nebraska - as well as Mexico. 'To stay in your house for 21 days is hard,' said Arizona State Health Services director Will Humble. 'But we need people to follow those recommendations, because all it takes is a quick trip to the Costco before you're ill and, 'bam,' you've just exposed a few hundred people. 'We're at a real critical juncture with the outbreak.' Mr Humble said it's possible but unlikely that the number of cases can be contained at seven. Those who haven't had the mumps-measles-rubella, or MMR vaccine (pictured) are being told to stay home for 21 days or wear masks if they have to go out in public . Health officials do not yet know how many of the children were vaccinated, or their age ranges but say they are working to notify the families who visited the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center between January 20-21. Children under a year old cannot receive the vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella but can get an immunity booster. An Arizona woman, whose case was confirmed on Tuesday in Maricopa County, had come into contact with a family from Pinal County who had recently traveled to Disneyland. She contracted the virus but was not exhibiting the tell-tale symptoms like a rash when she visited the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center. Maricopa County health director Bob England declined to say whether the woman had been vaccinated- which isn't 100 percent effective in stemming the spread of the disease. 'Unfortunately, she came down with the disease and by the time it was recognized had already exposed a large number of children at the facility,' he said. Most of those infected were not vaccinated leading to criticism of a small but vocal movement among parents to opt out of vaccinations for their children. Health experts have urged people to get the mumps-measles-rubella, or MMR vaccine shot. Mr England said health officials will check in with the families of the children following the 21-day incubation period, which ends on February 12. He added that most parents understood the importance of keeping their children home. Phoenix Children's spokeswoman Debra Stevens asked anyone who suspects they might have measles to call ahead to allow staff to take the necessary precautions to help keep measles from spreading, including bringing masks to incoming patients. People who haven't been vaccinated against measles, including children too young to be immunized, were warned last week to avoid the theme park . 'If someone has chosen not to vaccinate their children or for some reason cannot vaccinate their children, they face a higher responsibility now to let their health care provider know in advance,' she said. Meanwhile, masks are being placed outside health care facilities and signs went up outside a handful of places in the town of Kearny, in Arizona, warning customers and employees that they could have been exposed to measles. A man who is recovering from measles also came into contact with the Pinal County family that visited Disneyland. Gila County health officials say they are tracking 17 people who were at a hospital in Globe in the same time frame as a person confirmed to have measles. The US experienced a record number of measles cases last year, with 644 infections from 27 states despite being largely eliminated in 2000. | There have been 95 measles cases across five US states and Mexico .
All stem back to an outbreak of the virus at Disneyland in December .
Health officials in Arizona are now monitoring 1,000 people for measles .
Those not vaccinated are warned to stay home or wear a mask in public . |
62,366 | b12994bf741a38079303fb2117a99dbd2305fc77 | Jenny Frost expecting twins in February . Said she couldn't keep her food down and described the sickness as 'debilitating' By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 06:49 EST, 4 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:59 EST, 4 December 2012 . Atomic Kitten singer Jenny Frost - who is pregnant with twins - revealed today she was struck down by debilitating morning sickness, just like the Duchess of Cambridge. The 34-year-old pop star and TV presenter, whose non-identical twin girls are due in February, said she spent the entire summer suffering from terrible sickness. Jenny, who splits her time between Ibiza and the UK, said: 'I had to go to the doctor to try and get some medication to keep my food down. Jenny Frost, who is expecting twins, has revealed today that she also suffered severe morning sickness during pregnancy . 'When I was really sick, I couldn’t eat anything but salt and vinegar Squares crisps. 'I’m knackered... I’ve had my head stuck down the loo for most of this pregnancy - the morning sickness was debilitating.' She told OK! magazine: 'The "glowing" stage has completely eluded me!' When she announced the news in August, the singer wrote on Twitter: 'So tired,so pukey,so pregnant......so happy! x.' Jenny took to Twitter to open up about the early stages of her pregnancy, telling fans she was 'so pukey' She also added 'it's twins'- the pair are expected in February . Then added to the joy by telling her fans: 'Oh & it's twins!!!!! #arrrrrrrrrrrrgh.' Jenny, who married Spanish scuba-diving school owner Vicente Juan Spiteri last year, already has a four-year-old son, Caspar, with her ex. Jenny, who is expecting twins with second husband Spanish scuba-diving school owner Vicente Juan Spiteri, said she could only eat crisps during a stage in her pregnancy . She was engaged to DJ Dominic Thrupp, but the pair split up after eight years together. The Duchess of Cambridge is currently in hospital being treated for acute morning sickness. While a royal source said the couple and . their families are concerned about her illness, they have been . 'reassured' it is not a dangerous condition for either the the Duchess . or her baby. The couple delighted millions around the world – including their own families – with the happy news yesterday. Jenny already has son Caspar with ex DJ Dominic Thrupp . But as the word spread, the parents-to-be were together in hospital, facing the first hurdle in a much longed for pregnancy. Kate, . 30, who is barely eight weeks pregnant, was taken to the hospital just . after lunch by her husband and immediately put on a drip to stop her . becoming dehydrated. Kate will be staying in hospital for a few more days with Clarence House saying it's the rest she needs . Last night she appeared to be responding well to treatment. Sources said there was ‘no cause for alarm’. However, doctors at the King Edward VII Hospital have taken the precautionary step of keeping her in for the next few days with Clarence House telling MailOnline this morning that . Catherine is still expected to spend the next few days in hospital, and . requires a 'period of rest'. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a rare condition believed to affect up to two per cent of women in pregnancy and is a severe form of morning sickness. Kate is amongst the 2% of women suffering from acute morning sickness . It tends to be more common in young mothers, women who are in their first pregnancy, and those with multiple pregnancies. Women with HG often lose weight - usually over 10 per cent of their body weight - and feel tired and dizzy. They may also find they are passing water less often than usual, and the main risk is dehydration which can lead to headache, palpitations and confusion. There is also a risk of nutritional deficiencies. Then symptoms are severe, admission to hospital may be needed for observation and to treat dehydration with intravenous fluids. This usually only means a few days in hospital. Unlike most morning sickness, HG usually persists past the first trimester of pregnancy, and typically subsides by week 21 of pregnancy – although it can last much longer. However, leading doctors say that along with more ordinary morning sickness, it is a sign the pregnancy is progressing. Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, consultant obstetrician and medical director of the London Women’s Clinic, says: ‘It is almost always a positive sign that the pregnancy is progressing well. ‘The sickness is thought to be due to a rise in hormone levels. It normally occurs during weeks six and eight of pregnancy, when the placenta takes over production of hormones from the ovaries. ‘It generally continues until around 12 or 14 weeks, but if it stops before, it can — although not always — be a sign that all is not well.’ Mark Prigg . | Jenny Frost expecting twins in February .
Said she couldn't keep her food down and described the sickness as 'debilitating' |
93,803 | 049c4853924e4a2ec601db8f29035b4f8eb5c429 | By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 08:47 EST, 8 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:38 EST, 8 August 2012 . A price glitch in round-trip tickets between New York and . Israel sparked an online buying frenzy among Orthodox Jews on Monday who saw tickets ordinarily . priced around $1,600 slashed below $400. At least 5,000 tickets were sold in just three hours by El Al Airlines after word of their dramatically reduced airfare spread through New York's traditionally large-family Orthodox Jewish communities. 'I booked me, my wife, her parents and her three brothers,' Joey Mansour, 28, told the New York Post. Error: A ticket glitch in EL-AL's airfare mistakenly dropped round-trip tickets to Israel from $1,600 to below $400 on Monday . Frenzy: Word of the dramatically low prices spread through New York's traditionally large-family Orthodox Jewish communities causing the frenzy . 'Then I booked my in-laws again for March, my wife’s first . cousin who’s married with three children, his mother-in-law, my wife’s aunt, . her husband, and two kids.' Pregnant women were reported to have bought seats for their . unborn children as well. 'The whole office went into chaos mode,' Lazar Cohen who . broadcast the fares to his co-workers told the Post. '...five of the eight people in the office immediately . booked tickets for themselves and their families, without hesitation,' he said. Sweep: Large Jewish families eagerly swept up the tickets to Tel Aviv on Monday with at least 5,000 tickets sold before the error was caught . After noticing the unusual spike in ticket sales, El Al caught the mistake. The airline blames the glitch on a contractor responsible for . posting fares. After some review on Wednesday they announced that they will honour the price. 'An outside company posted incorrect fares on travel . websites, so all tickets sold will indeed be honored,' the airline stated. An El Al special flight special on travel . between New York and Tel Aviv is today offered at $1,179. | El Al Airlines sells 5,000 tickets in three hours as families rush to buy .
Tickets ordinarily priced around $1,600 . |
84,089 | ee797c77410249b23a83a06a33e1698f32a77882 | Khartoum, Sudan (CNN) -- "Father we ask that you stand with your child Mariam. We ask that you strengthen and support her and grant her your grace." It's the Sunday service in Khartoum and the pastor is leading the Christian congregation in prayers for Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, the mother of two convicted last month for the crime of apostasy after a court ruled that she abandoned the Muslim faith. It's crime she strenuously denies, maintaining both that she was raised Christian -- in spite of being born to a Muslim father -- and that she would have been within her rights to leave the faith. Neither statement has won her clemency under Sudan's harsh interpretation of Islamic law. As the pastor finishes his sermon, praying that God grant her strength, even "as the hangman's noose swings before her," he asks that the congregation pray that if she is not granted freedom, the Holy Father will grant her eternal life. More than half the pews arranged before him are empty, and members of the choir struggle to fill the hall with their voices. As Mariam's case has dragged on, Sudan's churches have begun to empty. We were asked to conceal the identity of the congregation; it is clear many Christians here are scared. And activists tell us it is within good reason. After the secession of the majority Christian South in 2011, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced this new Sudan would be Arab and Islamic in identity. Although Sudan's constitution made provision for both ethnic diversity and religious freedom, shortly after the president's highly-publicized speech, the then-minister of religious affairs announced that no licenses would be granted to allow for the building of new churches. Since South Sudan gained independence, problems between Khartoum and the mostly Christian regions bordering the new state have intensified. The new edicts, many activists told us, felt highly politicized. So how deep does the tolerance enshrined in the country's constitution actually run? Not very, says Nabeel Adeeb, a prominent Sudanese human rights lawyer, himself a Christian. "If you look at the laws of the country," he tells us, "the laws favor Muslims." "Number one, the crime of apostasy, which is creating a wall around Islam that nobody is allowed to leave." And what is worse, he says, is the sense that extremist sentiment toward Christians is increasingly tolerated. "In the war of propaganda between the two religions, Christianity will stand no chance. All the media is used to promote Islamic beliefs and to speak about Islam as the only religion and to insult other beliefs, especially Christianity which is normally referred to as being an infidel." Last year, Adeeb says he documented around 200 cases of Christian foreigners deported for the crime of "evangelizing." "It was almost en masse," he says. "They confiscated bibles and searched Christian centers. Deported them without instigating any legal procedures." CNN has placed an interview request with Sudan's foreign ministry and has been promised that the foreign minister will address the concerns raised. In the past, the Sudanese government has pointed to the many churches lining the streets of their capital as evidence of its tolerance. Many Sudanese we spoke to think the government is obsessed with a belief that -- as one put it -- "Christian missionaries (are) converting on every street corner." One Christian activist, who also declined to be identified, said: "The church is now contaminated with terror. You don't feel safe in prayer." The only hope, she said, was that Mariam's trial had now brought that terror out into the international spotlight. READ MORE: Husband of jailed Christian fears for family's lives . | Christians in Sudan fearful after mother of two sentenced to death for abandoning Islam .
Woman denies apostasy, says she was raised Christian despite having Muslim father .
Christian South seceded in 2011; Sudan's leader has moved country towards more Islamic identity since then .
Human rights lawyer says hundreds of Christians have been deported for "evangelizing" |
67,979 | c0e223492782ec71ff23e0cf63c7b0195d75e438 | By . David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 10:48 EST, 4 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:39 EST, 4 December 2013 . An officer in the U.S. Navy has been extradited from his deployment in Japan to face charges that he sexually abused pre-teen twin boys. Brock Mason of Norman, Oklahoma, was charged at Cleveland County District Court on Tuesday. The 24-year-old is accused of five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, one count of lewd or indecent proposal to a child under 16, two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology and one count of contributing to the delinquency of minors. U.S. Navy officer Brock Mason, 24, has been extradited from his deployment in Japan to face charges that he sexually abused pre-teen twin boys whilst attending the University of Oklahoma . The incidents allegedly occurred between January 2012 and November 2013, while Mason was a student at the University of Oklahoma. According to court documents, Mason allegedly forced the young boys to have sex with him, perform oral sex and masturbate, in exchange for gifts like cash and shoes. Mason also allegedly gave the boys drugs and forced them to look at pornography. His victims were between the ages of 11 and 13 at the time of the incidents, the charges state. Authorities say the single mother of the boys thought Mason was mentoring and helping her sons by spending time with them. ‘They think that person’s just trying . to be their friend and cares about them and so it just gets out of . control,’ District Attorney Greg Mashburn told KFOR. According to court documents, Mason allegedly forced the young boys to have sex with him, perform oral sex and masturbate, in exchange for gifts like cash and shoes . The investigation into Mason began after he was allegedly caught downloading child pornography onto his computer. ‘The NCIS, the naval intelligence, got a tip from a cyber line that some child porn had been downloaded onto his computer,’ said Mashburn. ‘So they started digging deeper, started looking at his Facebook, saw some messages with some children here in Norman.’ The investigation is ongoing and prosecutors believe there could be more victims from Oklahoma and even other states. Mason was booked into the Cleveland County Jail on Dec. 1 and arraigned on Tuesday. His bond was set at $750,000 and he is next due in court on Dec. 17. Video: Sailor stationed overseas is extradited to Oklahoma for alleged child sex crimes . | Brock Mason was extradited from deployment in Japan to face charges including five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 .
He allegedly forced the young boys to have sex with him, perform oral sex and masturbate, in exchange for gifts like cash and shoes .
Mason also allegedly gave them drugs and forced them to look at pornography .
His victims were between the ages of 11 and 13 at the time .
The single mother of the boys had thought Mason was mentoring and helping her sons by spending time with them . |
12,640 | 23d9426e28dd9a82cb06cb0823981399dd1e352d | A mysterious 'crop circle' that appeared in a California barley field a week ago has been explained: it was a publicity stunt for a tech company. Nvidia Corporation, a company that makes chips for computers and smart phones, owned up to the stunt at a press conference in Las Vegas Sunday. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said he had given his marketing department a small budget and a mission to promote the company's new Tegra K1 chip. Scroll down for videos . Mystery: This intricate marking cropped up in a field in California on Monday morning . Debate: Some people see the crop circle as proof of alien visitation while others think it was made by humans . Discovery? A YouTube video uploaded by an anonymous user claims to show the first finding of the circle when two friends noticed a flashing green light in the field beside the road . The marketing department delivered, with the 'crop circle' and accompanying YouTube video garnering widespread attention. The crop circle near Chualar, California, contained a stylized image of a computer chip and the number '192' in Braille. On Sunday, the company announced the Tegra K1, a new chip for tablets and smartphones that contains 192 computing 'cores,' or mini-computers, for graphics applications. In the new Tegra K1, the graphics component based on its "Kepler" design, used in high-end PCs. The chip would makes for a tablet more powerful than an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game console, while consuming one-twentieth the power. 'We've bridged the gap - we've brought mobile computing to the same level as desktop computing,' Huang said. The 192 cores in the new chip compare to Nvidia's previous flagship, the Tegra 4, with 72 graphics cores. Huang demonstrated near photo-realistic simulations of environments and human faces, run on the new chip. He said Epic Games will adapt the next version of its Unreal Engine, the basis for many popular games, so that it will work on the chip. He didn't announce when the chip would be available or any gadget makers that were adopting it. The . giant markings caused believers to claim that aliens had landed in . Salinas Valley, while crop circle experts were quick to claim that the . shape, which resembles a computer chip, was a hoax. An anonymous video surfaced on YouTube . that claimed to show the first discovery of the circle, after two . friends noticed flashing lights in a field and got out of their car to . investigate. The first pictures of the markings were taken by photographer Julie Belanger of the 111th Aerial Photography Squadron who flew over the site near Chualar, ten miles south of Salinas. Berlanger told KSBW: 'It was beautiful. Quite beautiful... I believe it's possible that aliens exist, but I don't know if they would bother making a crop circle to give us a message.' The YouTube video claimed to show two men finding the markings after they witnessed green flashing lights next to the road. The footage showed the men leaving their car and climbing over the fence into the field. While the green lights flickered few more times the cameraman focused on the flattened plants. At one point one of the friends said: 'Dude, are you seeing this? Dude, this is a crop circle.' After walking in the field for a couple of minutes the men appeared the panic and run back to their vehicle. 'A friend and I were driving on Chualar Canyon Road south of Salinas, California before sunrise, and THIS happened,' the YouTube user known only as Cannot Say commented on the video. View from above: Aerial photographer Julie Belanger shot the circle from a helicopter . Impressive sight: 'It was beautiful. Quite beautiful,' said the aerial photographer who shot the marking . 'Needless to say, pretty wild, but we slipped away and it's too good not to share. Created this account since I don't want this tied to me. Still not sure what to make of it.' Many people were not convinced that the markings were proof of an alien visitation. The Monterey Herald reported that the site was being protected by security guards on Monday, but they would not name the client they were working for. Jeffrey Wilson of the Independent Crop Circle Researchers Association also told the paper that there were several signs that the circles were made by human rather than extra-terrestrial life. Wilson pointed out that the marking was too well aligned with the road, the center of the circle resembled braille and that the YouTube video could have been a form of viral marketing. 'My guess is that ... it is commissioned work for an advertisement,' Wilson explained to the Herald. 'Or a commissioned work for a production company making a documentary on crop circles or for some kind of film.' Proof? The YouTube video concentrated on the flattened plants in the the field that make up the crop circle . | Complicated crop circle appeared in Salinas Valley, California, last week .
Anonymous YouTube video claimed to show the markings being discovered by two friends after they saw green flashing lights in a field .
The CEO of tech company Nvidia Corporation admitted the stunt Sunday .
Nvidia Corporation marketers created the marking to promote a new computer chip .
Believers claimed the markings were made by extra-terrestrial life . |
180,989 | 7651313ccccc3a0c15e237326ed15780aa3f3ae3 | A table drawn up by Oxfam showed The Netherlands is the best place to eat while Chad is the worst. The U.S. didn't make it into the top 20 . The Netherlands is the best place in the world to eat, according to new research. In contrast, people in Chad are the worst off when it comes to their food consumption. The UK only made number 13 in the survey while the U.S. came in at 21 on the table of the best countries to eat in terms of nutritional value and availability. The new report compiled by Oxfam saw researchers look at the food consumption in 125 countries. The researchers considered whether people have enough to eat, whether people can afford to eat, whether the food available is of good quality and the extent of diet related diseases. The results showed that the Netherlands is the best place in the world to eat, followed by France and Switzerland. The Netherlands took the top spot because it has comparatively low food prices, low diabetes levels and better nutritional diversity than its European rivals. Also in the top 12 were Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal. However, these countries did not score well in all categories. The Netherlands has high levels of obesity with almost one in five of its population with a body mass index of more than 30. The healthy level is 18 to 25. Of the top rating countries, Australia has the highest obesity levels – 27 per cent of Australians are obese. At the bottom of the table, Chad is shown to be the worst place to eat as the food is of little nutritional value, it is expensive and it prepared with limited access to hygienic conditions. One in three children in Chad are also underweight. Joining Chad at the bottom of the table are Ethiopia and Angola. The rest of the bottom 10 are made up of sub-Saharan African countries and Yemen. All but one of the top 10 worst countries in terms of food availability, affordability and quality, were in sub-Saharan Africa . In these countries, diets are dominated by nutrient-poor cereals, roots and root vegetables. The research also revealed that the USA has the most affordable food in the world while Angola has the least affordable. Quality of food is highest in Iceland and it is lowest in Madagascar. The highest rate of diabetes is in Saudi Arabia and the country with the greatest obesity problem is Kuwait. 1. The Netherlands . 2. France . 3. Switzerland . 4. Denmark . 5. Sweden . 6. Austria . 7. Belgium . 8. Ireland . 9. Italy . 10. Portugal . 1. Chad . 2. Angola . 3. Ethiopia . 4. Madagascar . 5. Yemen . 6. Niger . 7. Burundi . 8. Mozambique . 9. Zimbabwe . 10. Sierra Leone . In contrast, there is very little obesity in Bangladesh, Nepal and Ethiopia. The Oxfam report shows that malnutrition is most prevalent in Burundi where 67 per cent of people are undernourished and 35 per cent of children are underweight. Yemen was the next worst for malnutrition followed by India and Madagascar. In India, 44 per cent of children were found to be underweight – the highest rate in the world. In contrast, in Saudi Arabia 18 per cent of people are diabetic and a third are obese. Kuwait has the highest level of obesity – 42 per cent - and in the U.S. and Egypt a third of the populations are also obese. Surprisingly, there are also high levels of obesity in some middle-income countries. The Netherlands was the best place to eat because the food is affordable and nutritionally diverse . Fiji, Mexico and Venezuela are all among the worst 10. The report does note, however, that the highest levels of obesity in the world are actually found in the Pacific Islands but that they were not included in the study. The island of Nauru has the highest obesity rates in the world – 71 per cent of the population is obese. Following the completion of the research, Oxfam has drawn up a list of things that need to be done to address some of the problems. These include investing in small-holder agriculture, tackling climate change and better regulating food speculation to prevent high price rises. | The rankings are based on the food availability, affordability, quality, and the rate of diet-related illnesses in each country .
The Netherlands, France and Switzerland are the best places to eat .
Chad, Angola and Ethiopia are the worst countries to eat in .
The UK came 13th in the rankings, and the U.S. came 21st . |
54,783 | 9b2ee14c0efb76aa27ba9e99dd5bf12494682eb4 | Most six-year olds are happy playing with their school friends and trying to convince their parents to let them stay up late. But pint size Ozzy Osbourne fan Amber Jacobs is more interested in playing her rock records - and is set to become the world's youngest DJ. The youngster - known as DJ AJ - is set to be crowned the youngest disc jockey on the planet this month by Guinness World Records. Scroll down to listen to one of Amber's mixes . Rocking out: Tiny six-year-old Amber Jacobs is set to officially become the youngest DJ on the planet when she is recognised by Guinness World Records. The youngster doesn't like X Factor but loves Ozzy Osbourne . In control: Amber takes over the playlist on her dad's The Sunday Service show where she treats listeners to her favourite tunes. Off air she likes to watch SpongeBob SquarePants. Rock n' roll: The youngster treats listeners to her thoughts and opinions on music and her favourite bands. Amber also chats about what she's been up to at school with her friends. Amber, from Pershore, Worcestershire, has been DJing for six months on internet station TBFM Online with dad Steve. She said: 'I really enjoy playing my favourite songs and listening to bands I like. 'I like being in control of the desk and playing with the controls. 'I play rock music - I like it way more than anything on the X Factor.' The schoolgirl, also a fan of cult heavy metal star Rob Zombie, has a slot on her dad's show. She takes over the playlist of The Sunday Service and introduces her own choice of tracks. Dad Steve, 48, said: 'She first started about six months ago - I was working at the station doing my own show.' She used to sit in and wanted to have a go. Daddy's girl: Steve and Amber have a a few thousand listeners tuning in every week. 'We have regular . listeners from Scandinavia, Australia and America.' said Steve. Riding high: Dad Steve reckons his daughter 'genuinely' enjoys doing the show. On a really good day she will dance around the studio . A star is born: Feedback for Amber's show has been brilliant. Could the schoolgirl be destined for Radio One? 'So I started letting her help out and now she has a half hour slot during my show,' Steve said. 'During her section within the show she has full control. She chooses themusic, cues the tracks and speaks in between songs. 'She mostly talks about music, her favourite bands and what she's been up to atschool with her friends. 'Our show has a few thousand listeners tuning in every week. We have regularlisteners from Scandinavia, Australia and America. 'She really likes rock music and her favourite artists are Ozzy Osbourne andRob Zombie.' AUDIO: Amber Jacobs shows of her DJ wizardry on her weekly show The Sunday Service . Big fans: How long until she takes over her dad's show completely? Some of Amber's listeners show their appreciation of the future star. Relaxing with friends: Amber will become the world's youngest DJ at a charity show for Acorns . Children's Hospice at The Swan Inn, in Evesham, Worcestershire. Picking the next track: Amber decides whether to rock out with Ozzy Osbourne or headbang to Rob Zombie. 'She chooses the . music, cues the tracks and speaks in between songs,' said Steve . Lost in music: Smiling Amber celebrates another successful show with some of her greatest hits. Now to plan next week's show. Taking on the competition: One day all this could be Amber's. BBC Hereford and Worcester DJ Andrew Easton gets sized up by Amber. Amber 'genuinely' enjoys doing the show. 'She dances around in the studio and has a lot of fun,' said Steve. 'The feedback has been brilliant - absolutely phenomenal. She's a natural. Ifanything she talks too much!' Amber will officially become the world's youngest DJ at a charity show for AcornsChildren’s Hospice at The Swan Inn, in Evesham, Worcestershire on Sunday, October 28. Steve insisted Amber was just a normal child at heart. 'When she's not live on air, she's just a regular six-year-old girl andlikes watching SpongeBob Square Pants,' he said. | Amber Jacobs to be named youngest DJ by Guinness World Records .
Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne is among the youngster's favourites .
Thousands of listeners tune in from around the world to her internet show .
She relaxes with SpongeBob Square Pants when she is not live on air . |
231,507 | b7bed0b5423123a8598b1f772f821d36b6abe151 | Liverpool defender Kolo Toure believes unbeaten Premier League leaders Chelsea will have to prove their mental toughness if they are to match the achievement of the Arsenal 'Invincibles' side he was part of 10 years ago. Jose Mourinho's team have a four-point cushion at the top of the table and could extend the gap further in Saturday's early kick-off at Anfield. The season is only 10 matches old and Toure said there is a long way to go before the Stamford Bridge club can think about emulating the Gunners' formidable 2003-04 season. Kolo Toure impressed during Liverpool's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League . Karim Benzema scored the winner for Real Madrid as they eased into the knockout stages . 'They have a good team and with the squad they have of course they can do it,' he said. 'But it's not the only quality. It is about mentality. Every game is challenging and sometimes things don't go well for you but you need to be able to come back and carry on fighting. 'The season has just started. We will see. It's a great chance (for Liverpool to end the unbeaten run) but the most important thing is we want to win the game.' The roles were somewhat reversed last April when Chelsea arrived at Anfield, with Liverpool top of the table and seemingly on course for their first title since 1990. However, things quickly unravelled as Mourinho's tactical masterclass saw the visitors stifle their free-flowing opponents with a disciplined defensive display which centred around getting men behind the ball and hitting on the counter-attack. Steven Gerrard's slip to allow Demba Ba to race through and break the deadlock just before half-time has been translated into a song which far from being a Chelsea fans' favourite is sung at grounds around the country when the former England captain is in town. Willian added a late second to spell the beginning of the end of the Merseysiders' title dream and Liverpool are looking for revenge. Chelsea continued their unbeaten Premier League run against Queens Park Rangers last weekend . Arsenal went a whole season unbeaten in 2003/04 and Chelsea have been tipped to follow suit . What may help them this time around is the expectation Chelsea, as league leaders and with summer signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas in sparkling form, will not come to kill the game. 'It is a very important game when you think what they did to us last season,' said Toure, whose defensive performance in the 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Bernabeu has put him in contention to start at the expense of £20million summer signing Dejan Lovren. 'That cost us the league and now we have the chance to beat them. I can't wait for that honestly. 'Every game for Liverpool you want to win and Chelsea are playing well now. 'When you play at home in a game like that it is going to be attacking teams. Chelsea attack and Liverpool attack as well. I think you are going to see a great game. 'This season they will attack, with the players they have they can't defend (all the time). 'I think they will just try to score goals and we will try to score goals.' Most of Liverpool's big names are expected to return at the weekend but Rodgers was impressed by the performance of some fringe players in the Bernabeu and suggested those who were benched should not automatically assume they will earn a recall. | Chelsea have started the season in blistering form .
Jose Mourinho's side have been tipped to go unbeaten .
Kolo Toure was part of the Arsenal side that did so 10 years ago .
He believes Chelsea can match the 'Invincibles' |
8,198 | 1732a71716c54da942e03bad8612522366b0cabd | A 20-year-old Russian footballer has been shot dead while driving home in a region that has become the focus of Islamic militant activity. Anzhi Makhachkala midfielder Gasan Magomedov was driving home last night when his car was pelted with machine-gun fire. He died while being taken to hospital. No arrests have been made and the motive is unclear, the club said in a statement. Gasan Magomedov, who played for Anzhi, was shot while driving in to his village in Dagestan last night . Anzhi sent 'deepest condolences' to the family of Magomedov, a player in the club's youth and reserve teams. The club added: 'One thing can be said with confidence - Magomedov could not have provoked anything like this in any way.' There were no reports of any other casualties. Anzhi chief executive Sergey Korablev said: 'We grieve together with everyone who was dear to Gasan. 'I hope the police quickly find the killers and they suffer just punishment.' Makhachkala (pictured) is the main city in the Dagestan Republic in Russia - the region has become the focus of Islamist miltant activity with as many as 300 people from the area fighting reportedly fighting for ISIS . The footballer was shot in the region of Dagestan - where the club are based - and which has become the focus of Islamist militant activity in the North Caucasus. As many as 300 people from Dagestan are fighting for ISIS and about ten returnees have been killed in Russian anti-terror operations, it has been reported. The North Caucasus region is the part of Russia that slopes up towards the main ridge of the Caucasus mountains, often considered the border between Europe and Asia. It is home to dozens of nationalities and languages and gun battles between rebels and Russian security forces are not uncommon. Anzhi challenged for the Russian Premier League title in recent years financed by billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov. With his funding, the club spent eye-watering sums on star players such as former Brazilian player Roberto Carlos, Chelsea winger Willian and striker Samuel Eto'o who was reportedly paid around £350,000 a week. Under his ownership, the club twice reached Europe and played the likes of Liverpool. But when Mr Kerimov withdrew his backing, Anzhi were relegated to the second tier with the worst record in the whole of European football. In the past the club encouraged big-money stars like Willian (left) and Samuel Eto'o (right) to sign for the club . | Anzhi Makhachkala player Gasan Magomedov shot dead driving home .
He was pelted with machine-gun fire and died while being taken to hospital .
The footballer was shot in the region of Dagestan in North Caucasus .
That region has been the focus of Islamist militant activity in Russia . |
260,698 | dd96e023f0c537b93bb8500fd91b1ecfce7beb65 | (CNN)If when you say internet, you think of a computer, then you probably don't live in an African country. The continent has some of the lowest fixed-broadband subscription rates in the world, with most people's first encounter with the world wide web coming via their mobile phones. Around 70% of mobile users browse the internet on their devices, and Africa's mobile broadband growth is increasing at a rate of more than 40% -- twice the global average. This is largely due to the weak land-line infrastructure on the continent, which makes connecting through a desktop computer difficult. Low-cost or second-hand feature phones are also much cheaper to buy, which has made them ubiquitous across the continent, and it is estimated that by 2016 Africa will have a billion mobile phones. Feature devices also stay charged for longer -- a crucial requirement in a part of the world where the supply of power is irregular and unreliable. "More people in Africa have a mobile phone than access to electricity," according to Toby Shapshak, editor and publisher of Stuff Magazine. "That means, for a phone to be functional, it needs decent battery life. These feature phones have anywhere up to a week." This has created a unique environment where mobile technology have been adapted for a wide range of usages, from lowering information barriers and improving access to financial and health services to boosting commerce and bringing people together. Mobile money transfer systems such as M-Pesa, which launched in Nairobi in 2007, allow customers to send cash to remote areas with the touch of a button. The service has nearly 17 million active customers who make more than US$1.1 billion worth of transactions per month. And if you're worried that the medicines you bought might be counterfeit, you can check their authenticity through mPedigree, a mobile application which gives you a "genuine" or "fake" answer after you text the drug's serial number. Mobile phone technology has also moved into sectors outside the traditional tech remit. Farmers can access information about the weather, real-time market prices, and new farming tips though mobile apps like Farmerline and Esoko. Mobiles have even infiltrated arts and culture, with Badilisha Poetry X-Change, the world's largest archive of African poets featured on a mobile first website. The spread of internet-enabled cell phones has also had an effect on the fiber of society: "The impact of Internet access via mobile devices on the continent has been a game changer on the continent," according to Nmachi Jidenma, manager of mobile disruptors at PayPal. "Access to social networks has given youth a platform for self-expression and civic participation in ways that are having real impact on elections, governance and accountability." More from Africa View . Read this: Fast-rising aviation hub spreads its wings . Read this: Tropical paradise with a booming economy . | Most people in Africa access the web through a mobile phone .
The continent's broadband growth is increasing at twice the global average rate .
A host of mobile-based start-ups have exploited this by offering services from banking to farming . |
91,977 | 0250bf7a85f10b2f046b4ee82cbcba5a31183f80 | The world's oldest boatyard dating back nearly 4,000 years has been uncovered by archaeologists at the site of a new housing estate in Wales. The site, believed to be the first prehistoric boat building site ever to be discovered, was found when developers came upon the edge of a long-vanished Ice Age lake. Work on the housing estate in Monmouth, South Wales, was stopped for six months as a team of archaeologists unearthed the remains of the ancient boat building site used by prehistoric man. Scroll down for video . Site: Archaeologists have uncovered a boatyard dating back nearly 4,000 years at the site of a new housing estate in Wales . Important discovery: The site, which dates back to 1700 BC, is said to be of 'international importance'. Pictured is an artist's impression of the boatyard . Development: The site was found when developers came upon the edge of a long-vanished Ice Age lake . Archaeologist Stephen Clarke said the discovery of the site, which dates back to 1700 BC, was of 'international importance'. Mr Clarke, 71, said: 'I have been digging for 55 years and I have never seen anything like it. 'No one in the world has ever identified a prehistoric boat building site before. 'They have found fragments of boats but never a boat building site - this is of international importance.' Excavations at the site have revealed three 100ft-long channels which run parrallel to each other and at right angles to the ancient lake. The 'dead-straight' metre-wide channels are shaped like the bottom of wooden canoes. They are also cut through a mound of burned earth carbon-dated to the early Bronze Age. Unearthed: Excavations have revealed three 100ft-long channels shaped like the bottom of wooden canoes . Work underway: Archaeologists working on the site with the three channels of the boatyard clearly visible . Dig: Work on the housing estate was stopped for six months as a team of archaeologists unearthed the remains of the ancient boat building site . Boatyard: The three 100ft-long channels run parrallel to each other and at right angles to the ancient lake . Mr Clarke said they showed a twin-hulled boat with an outrigger being dragged into a huge Ice Age lake. The discovery was made on the newly built Parc Glyndwr housing estate on the edge of the historic market town of Monmouth, South Wales. Monmouth Archaeological Society moved onto the site soon after the edge of the post-glacial lake was uncovered by unsuspecting builders. Mr Clarke said: 'It’s a hell of a site - within 60 yards of it we had Stone Age artefacts and six Bronze Age sites. Boat: An artist's impression of the type of boat built in the yard . 'The three channels turned out to be 100ft-long and all perfectly parrallel, level and at right angles to the edge of the post-glacial lake. The channels show they built a boat made out of twin canoes with an outrigger. The oldest boats found by archaeologists are dugout canoes from around 7,000 to 10,000-years-ago. The Pesse canoe is the oldest ever to be recovered. It was made from the hollowed trunk of a Pinus sylvestris tree. It is believed to have been built between 8200 and 7600BC. Elsewhere, a 7,000-year-old reed boat was discovered in Kuwait while they are also known to have been used between 4000 and 3000BC in ancient Egypt and in the Indian Ocean. Logboats meanwhile also survived in Europe until modern times and are still made in the Tropics. Planked boats are believed to have developed from extended logboats or rafts. In Egypt, a method of using mortises and tenons to develop edge-fastening, instead of using stitching or sewing, became the method throughout the Mediterranean and lasted throughout the Greek and Roman times. Source: ferribyboats.co.uk . 'There was no sign of the wooden boat but there was evidence of wood working on the site - with sharp flakes of imported flint found alongside the channels.' He said the boat was built on what was a . huge prehistoric lake which became a home to hunter gatherers - and . slowly drained away over thousands of years. Prehistoric cave drawings in Scandanavia have been discovered depicting outrigger boats like the one built at Monmouth. And they were still being used in places like Fiji in the 19th century. A large boat of a similar date and form to the Monmouth remains was recently recovered from a peat bog at Lurgan, Ireland. Monmouth Archaeological Society have previously won the highest award in their field - the Silver Trowel for the Greatest Initiative in Archaeology. But after uncovering the prehistoric shipyard the archaeologists had to give it back to housing developers Charles Church. Mr Clarke said: 'The prehistoric site is now mostly under a flood pond and the parts that aren’t have been built on. 'We have preserved it by recording it to . the best of our ability before it was developed on. Unfortunately there . just isn’t the money to preserve and protect all these sites.' In use: The boats were still being used in places such as Fiji in the 19th century (pictured) The research surrounding the prehistoric boat building site is now being published in a book called The Lost Lake. Mr Clarke added: 'I am hoping other archaeologists will have seen similar channels on other sites and realise what was happening there. 'This is the first site that has been recognised in the world but there must be others out there.' Evidence: Prehistoric cave drawings in Scandanavia have been discovered depicting outrigger boats like the one built at Monmouth. Pictured is an example of similar boats in use in Fiji in the 19th century . | Site is believed to be first prehistoric boatyard ever to be discovered .
The site dates back to 1700 BC and is of 'international importance'
Excavations revealed channels shaped like bottom of wooden canoes .
Archaeologists say channels are evidence boat was built at the site . |
14,804 | 29fa633f4e44c7380c515a7f639110bb97328702 | Wales host England at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night in what is sure to be a thrilling start to the Six Nations. Here, Sportsmail's NIK SIMON looks at the form of each player ahead of the crunch clash. FULL BACK . WALES . Leigh Halfpenny 7.5 . Age: 26 Caps: 55 . Found his rhythm again after an injury-plagued start to life in Toulon. A wonderful goal-kicker and a key defensive pin. ENGLAND . Mike Brown 7 . Age: 29 Caps: 33 . Claims to have cut out the ‘flashy stuff’ to create more opportunities for team-mates. Form has dropped since last year's competition . Leigh Halfpenny (left) has found his rhythm again while Mike Brown's form has dropped slightly . WING . WALES . Alex Cuthbert 7 . Age: 24 Caps: 30 . Unsettled at club level and turned down a dual contract with the Welsh Rugby Union. However, his scoring record in the Test arena remains impressive. ENGLAND . Anthony Watson 7 . Age: 20 Caps: 4 . An exciting attacker for Bath but still waiting for his first international try. His speed can cause problems if used effectively. Alex Cuthbert's scoring record in the Test arena for Wales remains impressive . Anthony Watson's speed can cause the Welsh defence problems but has yet to score in a competitive fixture . CENTRE . WALES . Jonathan Davies 8 . Age: 26 Caps: 43 . Has a seamless midfield partnership with Jamie Roberts. Dangerous with ball-in-hand and bounced off tackles by Brad Barritt in the Champions Cup last month. ENGLAND . Jonathan Joseph 7.5 . Age: 23 Caps: 6 . Very different style to Manu Tuilagi, who would be starting if fit. Adds some magic with his footwork and intelligent running lines. Jonathan Davies dominated Brad Barritt in the Champions Cup last month . Jonathan Joseph adds some magic with his footwork but is very different to Manu Tuilagi . CENTRE . WALES . Jamie Roberts 8 . Age: 28 Caps: 64 . A classy and intelligent operator who will carry hard or run as a decoy. Gets his side on the front foot and is also the team’s defensive captain. ENGLAND . Luther Burrell 6.5 . Age: 27 Caps: 7 . Shown up by Jamie Roberts in the Champions Cup last month. Injuries have stunted the Saints midfielder’s form this season. Jamie Roberts (left) is a classy and intelligent performer and could dominate Luther Burrell again . WING . WALES . George North 7.5 . Age: 22 Caps: 45 . Unquestionably one of the most gifted wingers in the northern hemisphere, although his form for Wales has been questioned. ENGLAND . Jonny May 7 . Age: 24 Caps: 11 . Often unpredictable but will need to stick to patterns to avoid being exploited by the Welsh back-three. Uncatchable in space. George North storms past the challenge of Jack Nowell during the match at Twickenham last year . Jonny May is uncatchable in space and will be looking to impress on Friday night . FLY-HALF . WALES . Dan Biggar 8 . Age: 25 Caps: 28 . Established himself as the chief incumbent of the No 10 jersey in the autumn. A brave outside-half who has the confidence to rally those around him. ENGLAND . George Ford 7.5 . Age: 21 Caps: 6 . Would have been favourite to start even if Owen Farrell was fit. His small stature will be targeted by Wales’s physical runners. Dan Biggar (left) has established himself in the Wales side while George Ford could be targeted . SCRUM-HALF . WALES . Rhys Webb 8 . Age: 26 Caps: 9 . A livewire player who injects speed. His sniping runs are a constant threat around the fringes of the breakdown. Prone to mistakes. ENGLAND . Ben Youngs 7 . Age: 25 Caps: 42 . Has the speed required for a modern scrum-half. Offers a more reliable kicking game than Danny Care. Sometimes anonymous for England. Rhys Webb is a livewire player who injects speed, while Ben Youngs is sometimes anonymous for England . PROP . WALES . Gethin Jenkins 7.5 . Age: 34 Caps: 110 . Dropped at the start of the autumn but returned with a mighty performance against South Africa. Experienced scrummager who acts as an extra back-row. ENGLAND . Dan Cole 6.5 . Age: 27 Caps: 45 . A world-class scrummager who is equally combative at the breakdown. A lack of game time because of injuries could be problematic. Gethin Jenkins has returned to form with Wales . A lack of game time because of injuries could be problematic for England . HOOKER . WALES . Richard Hibbard 7 . Age: 31 Caps: 33 . Back in the line-up after a club v country row in the autumn. A fiery individual who can lift the team with a crunching tackle or carry. ENGLAND . Dylan Hartley 7.5 . Age: 28 Caps: 61 . If he can rise above the Welsh wind-ups, Hartley can be one of England’s most influential players. Must keep his cool and cut down the penalties. Richard Hibbard can lift Wales with a crunching tackle or carry . Dylan Hartley must keep his cool at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night . PROP . WALES . Samson Lee 8 . Age: 22 Caps: 9 . Took the sting out of Adam Jones’s retirement. Stocky and solid in the scrum, making him Europe’s up-and-coming tight-head. ENGLAND . Joe Marler 8 . Age: 24 Caps: 26 . The Quins skipper had a torrid time against Wales two years ago but his game has come on leaps and bounds. Joe Marler has come on leaps and bounds and will face up to young Welshman Samson Lee . SECOND ROW . WALES . Jake Ball 7.5 . Age: 23 Caps: 8 . Established himself as a starting second row with his powerful performances in the autumn. Strong and physical with soft hands from his cricketing background. ENGLAND . Dave Attwood 8 . Age: 27 Caps: 16 . Playing the best rugby of his career following a second wind at Bath. Physical and intelligent player who will make his presence known. Jake Ball and Gethin Jenkins take on Joe Launchbury during the game last year . Dave Attwood passes the ball during England captain's run at the Millennium Stadium . SECOND ROW . WALES . Alun Wyn Jones 8 . Age: 29 Caps: 84 . An abrasive character who will get in the face of the opposition. Expect him to try and get under the inexperienced skin of George Kruis. ENGLAND . George Kruis 7 . Age: 24 Caps: 4 . His inexperience will be targeted by some of Wales’s veterans. Has been selected amid major second-row injury problems. Alun Wyn Jones is an abrasive character who will get in the face of the opposition . George Kruis' inexperience may be targeted by the Welsh . BLINDSIDE . WALES . Dan Lydiate 7.5 . Age: 27 Caps: 41 . The menacing chop tackler who will be diving at the ankles of Billy Vunipola. Back up to speed after having his Racing Metro contract terminated. ENGLAND . James Haskell 8 . Age: 29 Caps: 53 . Eager to seize his opportunity back in the international set-up. The form player for Wasps who will carry hard and tackle until he drops. Dan Lydiate (l) will be diving at the ankles of Billy Vunipola - James Haskell is eager to seize his opportuinity . NO. 8 . WALES . Toby Faletau 7 . Age: 24 Caps: 40 . Played every minute of the autumn and offers athleticism as a ball carrier. A lack of challengers for his jersey. ENGLAND . Billy Vunipola 7.5 . Age: 22 Caps: 12 . Flopped for England during the autumn but rediscovered his form at Saracens with some barnstorming carrying. There are a lack of challengers for Toby Faletau's (l) jersey while Billy Vunipola needs to improve for England . OPENSIDE . WALES . Sam Warburton 8 . Age: 26 Caps: 49 . A menace at the breakdown and the heartbeat of the team. According to coach Rob Howley, Wales play well when Warburton plays well. ENGLAND . Chris Robshaw 7.5 . Age: 28 Caps: 32 . Described by his opposite number as England’s most consistent performer. Commitment to the cause is never questioned. Sam Warburton and Chris Robshaw - the two captains ready to go head-to-head on Friday night . WALES SUBSTITUTES: Scott Baldwin, Paul James, Aaron Jarvis, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Mike Phillips, Rhys Priestland, Liam Williams . ENGLAND SUBSTITUTES: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Kieran Brookes, Tom Croft, Nick Easter, Richard Wigglesworth, Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees . WALES TOTAL: 114.5 . Average score: 7.63 . ENGLAND TOTAL: 109.5 . Average score: 7.30 . | Wales take on England in the Six Nations opener on Friday night .
The Millennium Stadium roof will be open for the crunch clash .
Wales are the favourites after beating England 30-3 two years ago . |
227,464 | b2846d22d2300c873356eaf0e3131399e06336ef | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 21:53 EST, 10 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:54 EST, 11 February 2013 . He's famous for his wit and dry sense of humour - and he clearly hasn't lost any of it. The 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh left a policeman chuckling yesterday as he walked to church in Sandringham, Norfolk. No-one was near enough to hear what he said, but Prince Philip appeared to be back to his playful best after having suffered bout of illness last year. The Duke braved the wind and rain to walk 400 yards to St Mary Magdalene church from Sandringham House with an equerry while the Queen, 86, went by car. Playful: The Duke of Edinburgh attended a Sunday morning church service at Sandringham Church, Norfolk, yesterday and walked past this policeman . She decided to break with Royal tradition by extending her winter break, it was revealed yesterday. The monarch normally returns to London every year within a day or so of Ascension Day on February 6, the anniversary of her taking over the throne on the death of her father. But this year the Queen has decided to continue her stay on her 20,000-acre estate in north Norfolk for a few more days. The Queen, who was wearing a white coat and accompanied by a lady in waiting, was cheered by a crowd of around 50 well-wishers as she arrived in her state Bentley. She collected flowers from around half a dozen children after the 40 minute service. An onlooker said: 'It was a real surprise to see the Queen. Normally she returns to London alone and leaves Prince Philip at Sandringham so he can continue to enjoy the shooting up here. The Duke braved the wind and rain to walk 400 yards to St Mary Magdalene church from Sandringham House with an equerry . The Queen, who was wearing a white coat and accompanied by a lady in waiting, was cheered by a crowd of around 50 well-wishers . The Queen arrived in her state Bentley and collected flowers from around half a dozen children after the 40 minute service . This year the Queen has decided to continue her stay on her 20,000-acre estate in north Norfolk for a few more days . 'But this year she has stayed on with him. It is unusual because she is normally a stickler for routine.' While the pheasant shooting season ends on February 1, the prince still enjoys going out shooting hares with his friends. It is believed that he went out on a hare shoot on Saturday. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: 'There is no particular reason for the Queen choosing to stay up at Sandringham. 'She has had some engagements in Norfolk. It is just the way the diary has fallen. She is back with a full programme of events this week.' The Queen normally spends Ascension Day quietly at Sandringham where her father King George VI died in 1952. | Prince Philip appeared to be back to his playful best after illness last year .
Queen decides to break with Royal tradition by extending her winter break . |
233,149 | b9d6d1f861064da02ffd6fe452c3ae053af89236 | San Diego (CNN) -- Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court after 191 years, is crusading to reverse what she says is an alarming decline in America's knowledge of democracy and announced an initiative Wednesday to educate children across the country. Asserting that democracy is not inherited at birth but rather learned in school, O'Connor founded the educational nonprofit group iCivics in 2009 to secure America's governance and prepare the next generation of citizens and leaders. On Wednesday, O'Connor announced an expansion of that program to include the Boys & Girls Club of America, which has almost 4,000 clubs serving 4.1 million youngsters. "Many states around the country are no longer teaching or requiring civics education for young people," said O'Connor, 82. "When I went to school -- and that was a long time ago, and I went to school in El Paso, Texas -- we had civics almost every year, and in fact, I almost got tired of it. "But the fact of the matter is that every young person needs to learn how our government works at the national level, at the state level, at the local level and how they can be part of it," O'Connor said. O'Connor said her website, iCivics.org, was partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs because of its vast network serving youths. "It's a very big organization, and I want them to know and use -- and they want to know and to use -- iCivics because it's a great activity for young people," O'Connor added. O'Connor cited an Annenberg Public Policy Center national survey showing that only one-third of Americans could name all three branches of the U.S. government. "I can't believe it," O'Connor said in in a speech at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's national conference in San Diego on Wednesday. Then she added: "Two-thirds of Americans can name a judge on 'American Idol,' and only 15% can name the chief justice of the United States," who is John Roberts. "Civic knowledge can't be handed down the gene pool. It has to be learned," O'Connor told the gathering of 2,400 conference attendees. O'Connor said the American awareness of civics is "on the decline." "It's putting our country at some risk," O'Connor said. iCivics offers free curricula and video games in public, private and charter schools in all 50 states and has counted more than 5 million game plays on its website, spokeswoman Kelly Landis said. The 16 video games are designed to teach students about civics, even asking them to play the role of president. O'Connor was a President Reagan appointee to the Supreme Court in 1981, and she retired from the nation's highest court in 2006. | NEW: "It's putting our country at some risk," O'Connor says of declining civics knowledge .
Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor founded iCivics in 2009 .
She announced a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday .
Retired since 2006, she was the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court . |
137,647 | 3e047ffeff8bac401204123ac0f0c6fe50d47d28 | RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The harsh reality of life and death in Gaza is a common theme for Palestinian filmmakers. A still from "Fatenah," the first commerical animation to come out of the Palestinian Territories. But it was the 2004 death of a young Palestinian woman -- not at the hands of a militant attack or an Israeli incursion -- that struck a note with two filmmakers. Their animated film, "Fatenah," is inspired by her struggle with breast cancer, which is still a sensitive subject in the Palestinian territories. "The amount of trouble she has to go to just to survive, you feel somehow committed to be part of that project, it is so strong and so emotional," director Ahmad Habash told CNN. Fatenah, which tells the fictional story of a young seamstress from a Gaza refugee camp, is the first commercial Palestinian animation film ever made. The heart-wrenching tale follows Fatenah's pain and humiliation as she struggles to leave Gaza for treatment after finding few Palestinian doctors willing to help. At first, one doctor suggests she loosen her bra, while another says her condition will probably go away once she marries. It takes six months for Palestinian doctors to treat her concerns seriously and diagnose her with breast cancer. Fatenah becomes tied up in Israeli and Palestinian bureaucracy, denied treatment until it is too late. It is a devastating tale that Habash said is not unique. "The Shata refugee camp, which exists in Gaza ... represents any refugee camp and [Fatenah] could be any woman," he said. "The story could happen again." The film's executive producer Saed Andoni said it was a gamble telling such a tragic story using animation. But he believes that bet has paid off. "I think the animation has softened the harshness of the topic," he said. "Breast cancer and illness and death and Gaza and the siege, it's all heavy stuff, it's all harsh stuff. Put it in an animation style, give it a new dimension, give it a new perspective." At a screening in the West Bank city of Ramallah, audience members wept after hearing Fatenah's story, saying they related to her plight. One scene shows Fatenah checking her breast for lumps. The filmmakers hope this will help to break down barriers around a subject that is still very hidden in the region. "It's very taboo to speak about the woman's body in Palestinian society, but in the film it happens and nobody criticizes and nobody says anything about it," Andoni said. "They accept it." The film breaks new ground by dealing with matters often swept under the carpet in Palestinian society. Andoni said the film's greatest endorsement came from the father of the woman whose real-life story inspired the film. The woman's father said he cried when he watched it. "It's a very human story and if it can touch the real family, it is a great moment," Andoni said. | Young Palestinian's death from breast cancer inspires first commercial animation .
"Fatenah" is based on life of Gaza seamstress who died of the disease aged 28 .
It took doctors six months to diagnose cancer; they told her to loosen her bra .
Filmmakers hope it will help break down barriers around subject taboo in the region . |
256,779 | d85bd24aec440237b7a008193fea7c9250fbc46e | (CNN) -- Now that Caylee Anthony's remains have been identified, the search for the Florida toddler turns into a prosecution of her mother. Casey Anthony, 22, is accused of killing her daughter. Investigators say her alibi didn't check out. Although Orange County, Florida, Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia said Friday she could not determine how Caylee died, she concluded the death was a homicide. The child's mother, Casey Anthony, 22, faces charges including murder in the disappearance and death of Caylee, who was 2 when she vanished last summer. The remains were found last week in woods about a half-mile from Anthony's parents' house and identified through DNA testing. See where Caylee's skeleton was found » . On Saturday, investigators finished 10 days of sifting through the crime scene and served a warrant at the Anthony house for a third search for evidence, said Capt. Angelo Nieves of the Orange County sheriff's department. Cindy and George Anthony, the child's grandparents, were present for the search. The mother's defense team had claimed since her October indictment that the child might still be alive, even claiming witnesses spotted Caylee since her disappearance. The finding of the body "has really cut the legs out of the defense," Stacey Honowitz, an assistant Florida state's attorney, said Friday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." Watch experts size up the legal case » . The lack of a cause of death and the absence of any soft tissue on the toddler's skeletal remains poses a challenge for prosecutors, forensic expert Lawrence Kobilinsky, a defense consultant for Casey Anthony, told Larry King. "If you don't have a cause of death, isn't it possible that it might have been an accident?" Kobilinsky said. A murder conviction would require proof the victim was killed intentionally. Legal experts say duct tape reportedly found on the body could convince a judge or jury that Caylee's death was not an accident. Perhaps of greater significance, though, is Casey Anthony's behavior since -- and even before -- her child went missing. According to earlier reports, Caylee was the result of an unintended pregnancy, and Anthony made an attempt to give her up after birth. She referred to Caylee as "the little snot head" and continued to maintain an active social life. Follow a timeline of the case » . When Caylee went missing, Anthony did not tell her family for a month. It was the child's grandmother who called police. Anthony told conflicting stories at the beginning of the investigation, including a tale that Caylee was with a nanny. The name and address turned out to be bogus. As police searched for Caylee, they say Anthony's active social life continued -- including one memorable evening dancing at an Orlando bar that was hosting "Hot Body Contest." Investigators said they found the scent of decomposing flesh and a trace of chloroform, a powerful knockout agent, in the trunk of a car Anthony drove at the time. Anthony's family offered various explanations, including a rotting pizza and a dead squirrel. Watch a tribute to the little girl » . On the Anthonys' home computer, police found there had been searches for chloroform, missing children and "neck-breaking," although Garavaglia said Friday that she did not find evidence of trauma to the bones. "The prosecution is going to have a great deal of circumstantial evidence, and this is a physical evidence case," Kobilinsky said. "This is not a question about credibility, although obviously a jury looks at credibility and contradictions, but the physical evidence will either include her or exclude Casey. It's an uphill battle for the defense." Nevertheless, forensic expert Kathy Reichs, who also is working with Anthony's defense team, sees an opening. "Given that there's no evidence as to the cause of death, ... you could have an accidental death and a mother that panics," she told King. "There are alternative explanations." Perhaps not enough to save Anthony, said famed defense attorney Mark Geragos, who is not associated with the case. "The defense will try to focus, I'm sure, on all of the forensic evidence and whatever else they can do," he told King. "But they're always going to be up against it with the 'She didn't act right' evidence, and that's the hardest thing to combat in this case." Prosecutors don't need to show what killed Caylee, Geragos said. The defense needs to overcome Casey Anthony's statements and behavior. "Somebody is going to have to give an explanation at some point as to when she last saw the child, who she gave the child to," he said. "And until that is done, I don't care what they put together, it's not going to carry any weight." | Casey Anthony's defense team has big challenge, experts say .
Lack of cause of death, physical evidence could hinder prosecution .
Mother's partying, other behavior don't help her defense .
Officials have identified remains of Florida toddler who vanished last summer . |
214,004 | a127b1fd2254f3b2aea0c379c46e0616f54e154f | By . Luke Garratt . A mother was left weeping with joy after her severely disabled son spoke his first-ever word after nine years of silence, giving her hope that he might one day utter full sentences. Lucas Kirby suffers from a rare condition called lissencephaly which means his brain has not developed beyond that of a baby. His mother Tracie, 45, was warned that he might not live beyond two, but Lucas has defied all the odds and reached his ninth birthday. Tracie Kirby with her son Lucas, who finally spoke his first word - the name of the paramedic who saved his life . The brain condition means that he is confined to a wheelchair and had never spoken a word - until recently. When Lucas choked on some food and lost consciousness, his mother called 999. Before they arrived Ms Kirby managed to dislodge the blockage and resuscitate him, but paramedics still arrived to check on him. Dr Andrew Mason introduced himself to Lucas while he was performing checks and was startled when the boy said his name 'Andy' back to him. Dr Mason called for Ms Kirby and he repeated the name again. Dr Andrew Mason (far right) with his fellow paramedics and Lucas when he went to visit the ambulance crew which responded to his emergency . Dr Andrew Mason, who introduced himself to Lucas and was startled when the boy repeated his name . While Lucas has not said anything since his outburst on March 2, his mother says she now has fresh hope that he might one day be able to talk. She said: 'My first reaction when the paramedics told me was that they were taking the mickey. Lucas has never spoken because he is so disabled. 'I was just floored, literally floored. One of the rapid response team had to hold me up, I was just sobbing. 'It has definitely given me hope that he will speak again. You have gone from thinking that he is not capable of doing it to seeing and hearing that he is. 'Lucas has gone through so much in such a short life that every day he is exceeding expectations. 'We were told he wasn’t going to live past two and this month he turned nine. 'I have been trying to get him to say "mum" his entire life so it is actually quite annoying. 'Even if he never speaks again, at least I know he can. He’ll always be my little miracle boy.' Since the incident, Tracie Kirby said she now hopes her son might one day be able to speak more words . Ms Kirby had been told her son wouldn't survive beyond the age of two but he has just had his ninth birthday . Lucas’s Lissencephaly means he has a 'smooth brain' which doesn’t have the same grooves or ridges as other children’s. As a result he needs round-the-clock care as regular seizures put him at risk of dying every day. There is no cure and sufferers rarely live past the age of ten. Ms Kirby, who looks after him full time at their home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, added: 'He is just a happy kid. 'They said he wouldn’t show any emotion but he definitely does. 'He doesn’t need to say anything because his facial expressions tell you how he feels. Lissencephaly, which literally means smooth brain, is a rare brain formation disorder. It is caused by defective neuronal migration during the 12th to 24th weeks of pregnancy resulting in a lack of development of brain folds and grooves. The disease can be identified at birth, or soon after, by ultrasound CT or MRI. Causes can include viral infections of the uterus or the fetus, or insufficient blood supply to the fetal brain early in pregnancy. 'I am proud of him every day. Even with all his issues he is still the best thing I have ever done. 'You go through life with your blinkers on. You don’t think how many disabled children there actually are. 'But Lucas fills me with wonder every day. One of his nicknames is my wonder boy.' Dr Mason, from Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service, said: 'I walked over to little Lucas and introduced myself. 'When he repeated my name after me, I assumed that it was because his consciousness was improving. 'I told his mum this, only for her to say he couldn’t speak so he can’t have said my name. 'Again I introduced myself and the same thing happened, as clear as anything he said "Andy". 'This time Tracie was there to witness it - and promptly burst into tears.' Lucas was taken to West Suffolk General Hospital but was soon discharged and is now recovering well at home. Since the incident the youngster and his mother visited Bury St Edmunds ambulance station to meet the crews and doctor who saved his life. Andrew Mascall, from the East of England Ambulance Service, was the first paramedic on scene and said Lucas’s first word was a 'wonderful moment'. He said: 'It was clear Lucas was quite unwell so we immediately started assessing and treating him. 'He was beginning to show signs of improvement when we clearly heard him say "Andy". 'I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wonderful moment. It was amazing. 'Tracie was bawling her eyes out after hearing her son say his first word ever - though I think she was pretty miffed it wasn’t "Mum".' | Lucas Kirby was born with a condition that hampers brain development .
His brain won't develop beyond that of a five-month-old baby .
His mother has been given hope now that he has said his first word .
He repeated the name of a doctor called to his house after an emergency .
Tracie Kirby, from Suffolk, was told he wouldn't live past two .
He recently celebrated his ninth birthday against all odds . |
210,100 | 9c1497d841d72e0165d6da5a25eee93050ed7d16 | A transparent futuristic kayak, which makes it look like its rowers are floating on water, is being promoted as the ideal way to take your encounters with sea creatures to a new level. The space-age vessel is available now for any nature enthusiasts who wish to paddle and fully immerse themselves in the beautiful surroundings around them. Kayaks have been given an innovative transparent design by Seattle based company Clear Blue Hawaii. Unique design: The Molokini kayak produced by Clear Blue Hawaii boasts a stylish and functional design . The kayaks come with varying policarbonate panels which are made entirely of a clear plastic giving the paddler a crystal clear view. It has been developed from the same policarbonate material which is used in fighter jet canopies and bulletproof glass. But you'll need deep pockets, the Molokini kayak costs £1,654.20 ($2,683.65). Tests for the unique and stylish looking kayak by developers Clear Blue Hawaii have included encounters with coral farms, nocturnal underwater sea life and pods of dolphins. Clear Blue Hawaii have promoted the two passenger policarbonate clear kayak as an ideal product for exploring oceanic areas with plentiful marine life and sea creatures. Open water: The kayak gives paddlers an opportunity to explore the open water like never before . Great views: Paddlers can enjoy views of up to 75 feet below the surface of the water in the kayaks . The kayak is completely clear and transparent apart from the ergonomically designed seats and the stability system. In clear waters it is possible to see up to 75 feet below the surface of the water. Those depths of 75 feet plus were visible when successful tests were undertaken during the development stage of the kayak. Having the opportunity to gaze downwards into the ocean in the clear bottom sea kayak gives paddlers a fantastic opportunity to discover additional marine life and explore areas of the sea which might otherwise remain a mystery. Tests: During testing coral farms, underwater sea life and pods of dolphins were viewed in the kayaks . The hull is visually stunning and the timeless design of the accessories add a sophisticated feel while the curves give the kayak an attractive appearance. The Molokini kayak is recommended for use in calm ocean conditions. The company has developed an improved tracking system which is an significant advantage during long distance paddling. The science which makes this innovative plastic possible is a Lexan product, a policarbonate, which holds out water. The innovative developers ignored some concerns from investors, who claimed the Molokini kayak was an affluent niche product, to create an exciting and visually stunning kayak which is certainly original. Other kayaks: Clear Blue Hawaii also develop a multitude of other kayaks and accessories . | Clear kayak gives paddlers a unique opportunity to view marine life .
Kayak made with same material fighter as jet canopies and bulletproof glass .
Molokini kayak has capability to view 75 feet below the surface of the water .
During testing nocturnal underwater sea life and pods of dolphins were seen . |
56,775 | a0d8e1f6d7cb2264ff2383910763aa025f61c90e | By . Ryan Gorman and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:21 EST, 7 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:50 EST, 7 December 2013 . The brother-in-law of Columbia, South Carolina mayor was shot dead execution style Friday outside a Charlotte, NC mini-mart. Witnesses reported hearing as many as nine shots fired at Donald Gist Jr., whose sister is Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin’s wife, in the brazen daylight murder. One witness said there were multiple bullet wounds to his head. Authorities have fingered violent career criminal Arthur Givens, 40, as the main suspect in the killing, and have issued a warrant for his arrest as they hunt him down. Sudden death: Arthur Givens (left) shot dead the brother of DeAndrea Benjamin (left), wife of Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin, early Friday afternoon . ‘I was across the street. I saw him. I heard the shots. It was about eight or nine shots,’ Victor Brown told WSOC. ‘It was scary. Everybody scattered out. It was very scary.’ The shooting took place just after 1PM, according to eyewitness accounts. It occurred in the parking lot of the Queens Mini Mart. Mr Givens reportedly hit Mr Gist with multiple rounds in the horrifying attack. One witness decribed the grizzly scene to News14 Carolina. ‘I just walked up here and seen a guy laying on the ground, look like he got shot in the head a couple of times,’ said Sheba Kennedy. Scene of the crime: Authorities descended on the parking lot of Queens Mini-Mart, in Charlotte's Uptown neighborhood . Gathering evidence: Homicide detectives interviewed eyewitnesses and gathered evidence from the scene of the horrifying execution . The store is located on a busy thoroughfare, there were many witnesses to the cold-blooded killing. ‘We just came over to the scene and we saw the man lying down on the ground,’ another told WSOC.Police aren’t sure why Mr Gist was in Charlotte, but they have said they do not believe the attack was random. A local resident who spoke to NBC Charlotte was outraged by the shocking slaying. ‘It . makes me mad, it makes me very mad,’ said Kevin Biddle. ‘Because this . don’t make no sense. It shouldn’t be where a person got to be scared to . walk the streets, this is crazy.’ ‘It does not appear to be a random act of violence,’ Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department spokesperson Mike Harris told local media during a press briefing. ‘The suspect and the victim appear to have known each other.’ Authorities have not said how the two men know each other, but a MailOnline review of court records revealed they both have a criminal past. Mr Givens has an extensive criminal history dating back four decades to 1989. Among the 38 criminal complaints leveled against him during his lifelong crime spree are several breaking and entering charges, multiple narcotics possession with the intent to distribute charges, several assault charges - including three this year alone - and multiple stints in prison. Mr Gist has a handful of fraud and theft charges, one count of burglary and multiple drug charges on his criminal record. He served one year in prison for the drug charge. Part of the investigation: Police swarmed this house in suburban Charlotte, but have not said why they were there . The Columbia Mayor’s Office released the following statement regarding the death of Mr Gist. ‘The shock and sadness of [the] past few hours have been difficult to bear. We will remember Donald as he was: a loving husband, father, son and brother…’ ‘We thank you all for the tremendous outpouring of support and we ask for your continued prayers in the days and weeks to come.’ Mr Gist is survived by his wife and son, police are still searching for his killer. | Donald Gist Jr was shot dead by Arthur Givens .
Both men have criminal histories, but Mr Givens' is considerably more extensive and violent .
Mr Givens has 38 charges - including for assault, drugs and breaking and entering - as well as prison time to his name . |
261,206 | de4b798367cdfaf8ebdb651e12859de12708ea66 | Al-Qaeda's Twitter account has now been suspended. After going live Tuesday under the guise of its Shamukh al-Islam website, the official website of the terror organization, the @shomokhalislam account was suspended Sunday after just under 50 tweets. The account’s suspension came only hours after a report critical of Twitter remaining silent as to why it was allowed to remain online for so long . Terrifying: al-Qaeda has started its own Twitter account . First reported Friday by the Washington Free Beacon, the terror group's account was open less than a week before Twitter pulled the plug. The decision to take down Shamukh al-Islam's Twitter came only hours after TheBlaze reported the site was remaining silent on why the account was still up. 'We don’t comment on individual Twitter accounts, for security and privacy reasons,' Twitter spokesperson Nu Wexler told MailOnline. Mr Wexler then referred to the site's rules barring targeted abuse or harassment as likely reasons why @shomokhalislam was suspended as it grew increasingly bolder, tweeting updates about attacks, and even justifications for them. The Twitter account was not locked or kept private, and its followers appear mostly to be journalists and curious gawkers. The website administering it is closed to the public. Some of the postings, translated to English, were accounts of operations. Others were religious decrees and links to statements on the Shamukh al-Islam website and YouTube videos. 'Dear Brothers, the Mujahideen today are going through a period of great scrutiny and trial Be them good Nassara, and certain after God,’ read one tweet. Potential recruiting tool: New recruits belonging to Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebel group march during a passing out parade . 'Peshawar from New burn under the feet of the servants of worshipers of the cross, the explosive device was detonated now targeting Bus least the staff of the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan in Peshawar,' read another, before giving a death toll of 17, with 35 injured in the attack. 'The attack killed more than 17 people dead and inflicted 35 wounded in the initial toll expected to rise .. Source Brother Fadil Abu Maaz Kouhati,' said the most recent tweet sent from the account. Had it been allowed to remain online, it likely would have been subject to intense intelligence community scrutiny. Prior to the account's suspension, terror analysts speculated it was likely a shift in strategy for the notoriously cryptic terror group. Despite . well-known power struggles among different al-Qaeda factions, the . Twitter account's administrator had pledged to remain neutral and focus . on spreading the terror group's message, according to the Times. Had it been allowed to remain online, it likely would have been subject to intense intelligence community scrutiny. Spreading the word: An Al Qaeda Fighter shows his AK-47 machine gun with Arabic language professing allegiance to 'al-Qaeda' organization . ‘We’ve seen terrorist groups make . increasingly effective use of social media, particularly Twitter and . Facebook, in recent years,’ Patrick Poole, a counterterrorism expert, . told the Washington Times. ‘Not only is this important for propaganda purposes but also recruitment,' he added. It also may have allowed al-Qaeda the capability to streamline distribution of directives or celebratory announcements. 'If the dissemination of official releases is no longer to be done centrally, it has the potential to make the forums obsolete and usher in a new era whereby jihadi activists primarily rely on social media platforms to interact with one another,' Aaron Zelin, a counterterrorism analyst, told the Times. No reason has been given for the account's suspension, but one only needs to look at why the site suspended al-Shabaab's account multiple times during the Kenyan mall seige. The al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists also violated rules pertaining to threatening behavior or violence. | The suspension comes less than a week after the account went live .
It also comes only hours after a media report saying Twitter refused to comment Saturday on why the account was still live .
Followers were mostly journalists and curious onlookers . |
112,103 | 1c99350daf2b855ed9848977c4fe55a6917ad829 | Even as the biggest sporting event of the year approached, ESPN took a moment to remember its veteran broadcaster, Stuart Scott, who died from cancer earlier last month. Emotional colleagues shed tears as they described the passion and kindness of their colleague, who died on 4 January at the age of 49. Host Suzy Kolber recalled Scott, who covered the Super Bowl for years, holding her baby daughter the day she was born, and how she did the same for his daughter, Taelor. Scroll down for video . Emotional: Long-time colleague Suzy Kolber (left) broke down in tears as she remembered Stuart Scott (right) in a Super Bowl preview show Sunday . Touching: Kolber shared this image of Scott holding her daughter Kellyn at her first NFL game, when she was nine months old . Sharing a picture of him holding Kellyn at her first NFL game, she said: 'When Kellyn was nine months old, she came to her very first NFL game - and I just always thought that picture was magical. 'So, what will I miss the most? He was universally known for his hugs? Strong, meaningful and filled with love.' 'We can't replace that, but we were happy we had him in our lives. But the legacy lives on, which of course is what Stuart was all about too.' Kolber and Scott had a 20-year working relationship. On the field: The 2002 Super Bowl, above, was one of many Scott covered. He is pictured interviewing New England Patriots quarterback Drew Blesdoe . Another host said: 'We were grateful for the spirit of Stu, it was undaunted, indomitable, and we're grateful'. The ESPN hosts also reminded viewers of Scott's fund with the Jimmy V Foundation foundation, dedicated to helping disadvantaged groups fight cancer. During his career at the network, which began in 1993, Scott covered practically every major sporting event. He interviewed sporting heroes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods - as well as scoring a segment with Barack Obama, whom he played at basketball in the run-up to his 2008 victory. President Obama issued a tribute to Scott on the day that he died, revealing his ESPN shows often kept him entertained on the campaign trail. Tributes all round: All the hosts of ESPN's Countdown show paid their respects to their colleague, who died of an unspecified cancer last month . Big fan: Scott is pictured above playing basketball with Barack Obama when he was a presidential candidate . He was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, and became a figurehead in his struggle with a disease, inspiring many. However, he never revealed what kind of cancer he was fighting. Scott was noted for carrying on working even in some of the worst periods of his disease. On the day of his death, ESPN president John Skipper described Scott as 'a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure' and that his 'energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced.' He continued: 'Who engages in mixed martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments? Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set?' Scott was survived by his parents, O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; siblings Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney and Susan Scott; his daughters Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15; and girlfriend Kristin Spodobalski. | Hosts, including friend Suzy Kolber, spoke warmly of Scott on Sunday .
Had worked at ESPN since 1993 and covered many Super Bowls .
Kolber praised his passion and enthusiasm, and shared emotional photo .
Scott died of cancer aged 49, having been diagnosed in 2007 . |
172,886 | 6bbe9087b82edfb973120885a25f26538520dbcd | (CNN) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. can do more to help Mexico battle drug cartels that have started operating more like terrorists and insurgent groups. "It is one of my highest priorities," Clinton said Friday during a speech in San Francisco at the nonpartisan Commonwealth Club. "This is one of the most difficult fights that any country faces today. We saw it over the last couple of decades in Colombia." "We are watching drug traffickers undermine and corrupt governments in Central America, and we are watching the brutality and barbarity of their assaults on governors and mayors, the press, as well as each other, in Mexico," she added. Clinton said the U.S. can do more than sending the Blackhawk helicopters it promised Mexico. She said the U.S. is helping Mexico create an anonymous tipline to report drug cartels. However, she said, it can also help Mexico rebuild its criminal system and train its police force. She likened recent drug cartel violence to terror groups. "For the first time, they are using car bombings," Clinton said. "You see them being much more organized in a kind of paramilitary way." Clinton's remarks come the same week she discussed the U.S. effort to find David Hartley, an American believed to have been shot by drug bandits on the border of Mexico and Texas. The United States is "supporting local law enforcement, supporting the authorities on the border, doing everything that we know to do to try to assist in helping to find the body and helping to find the perpetrators," she said. Hartley is reported to have been shot during a September 30 boating trip by gunmen investigators believe are linked to a Mexican drug gang. | Clinton speaks at a club in San Francisco .
She compares drug cartels in Mexico to terror groups .
Remarks come the same week she talked about the Falcon Lake case . |
16,600 | 2f11ce7ba1421683ba8f92382030038d391b3b94 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- They helped introduce the world to mop top haircuts, collarless jackets and yellow submarines -- now a British university is launching what it says is the world's first ever masters degree in the Beatles. The masters degree will examine The Beatles' contribution to modern society. Liverpool Hope University, in the Fab Four's home city, says its Beatles, Popular Music and Society course will be a long-overdue examination of the band behind songs such as "Help!" "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "Octopus's Garden." "There have been over 8,000 books about The Beatles but there has never been serious academic study and that is what we are going to address," says Miles Brocken, Hope's senior lecturer in popular music. "Forty years on from their break-up, now is the right time and Liverpool is the right place to study The Beatles," he adds. He said the course, expected to offer places to 30 students when it starts in September 2009, had already received enquiries from overseas, including the United States. Brocken defended the course's practical use, telling the Guardian newspaper that academic study of John, Paul, George and Ringo would put its students firmly on the long and winding road to a successful career. What do you think? "I think any MA equips people with extra study and research skills. MAs of any description are vital for the workplace," he said. "You will find that once you have done a master's degree it separates you from the pack." | British university says its masters degree in the Beatles is a world first .
Course supervisor says academic study of the Fab Four is long overdue .
Lecturer Miles Brocken says Beatles MA will boost career prospects . |
172,430 | 6b26176974e9cfdb739a730e8b982038dab8f3a0 | Camp Verde, Arizona (CNN) -- The eighth day in the trial of a formal spiritual retreat leader charged with manslaughter after a deadly sweat lodge ceremony concluded Friday with emotional testimony from the roommate of one of the victims. Self-help author and James Arthur Ray is accused of three counts of manslaughter in the deaths of three people who were in the sweat lodge for the purification ceremony. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison on each count. Witness Beverley Bunn, who roomed with victim Kirby Brown during the five-day retreat in 2009, went through an exhaustive examination Friday, recounting all eight rounds of the sweat lodge purification ceremony. Each round lasted 10 to 15 minutes. While they were not prevented from leaving, participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds. Bunn grew emotional while recalling a horrifying scene after the ceremony ended, describing people tripping over others in their haste to leave the searing hot tent, while others lay unconscious outside. "As I was getting ready to leave, there was two gentlemen in front of me who were dragging another lifeless person out. One man would pull her arms and another would push. ... They (dragged) her all the way to the door," she testified. She also described seeing her stricken roommate. "I was passing Kirby, and there was some snorting or snoring sounds coming from her," she said. "It was like a gurgling snorting sound." Other participants had mucus bubbling from their mouths, and one man opened his eyes to reveal burst blood vessels, she said. Brown, 38, of Westtown, New York, and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died the night of the event. Volunteer Lizbeth Marie Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, died nine days after the ceremony. Prosecutors maintain Ray psychologically pressured participants to remain in the lodge even when they weren't feeling well, contributing to the deaths of the three victims. The defense has argued the incident was "a tragic accident" and that participants had a free choice to take part in the activities or leave if they became too intense. Bunn, however, testified Friday that over the course of the five-day retreat Ray instilled a directive among the participants: "Play full on." "You learn through the course of the week that you don't question Mr. Ray on anything," Bunn testified. "You know what the rules are -- things are not optional. "As you go through the week you learn that there's consequences or reprimand for you to be called out ... if you question Mr. Ray or don't play full on." Bunn is scheduled to return to the witness stand when the trial resumes Tuesday. Jurors on Wednesday heard a recording in which Ray previewed the intense ceremony and told participants how it would be a "death and rebirth experience." He told participants it would include the most "intense heat you've every experienced in your life. You will feel like you are going to die." The author described the October 2009 ceremony as a sacred way for participants to rid themselves of "all the things that you've allowed to be your truth and have caused you to sell yourself short." In the recording, Ray told participants, who paid up to $10,000 each to attend the event, that as "true spiritual warriors" and in their "altered state" they would endure heat so intense it would make it feel like their skins was coming off of their bodies. "I will be right there with you," he said. "You will have to get to a point where you surrender to death," Ray said. "When you are going into the lodge symbolically you are going back into the womb of Mother Earth." "It is such a great metaphor," the author said. "... My body dies but I never die." Prosecutors argue that the lodge -- made of willow trees and branches, and covered with tarpaulins and blankets -- was heated to perilously high temperatures, causing the participants to suffer dehydration and heatstroke. During his recorded talk, Ray repeatedly told participants to drink plenty of fluids. At least 15 others who took part in the ritual fell ill, but more than 40 others were uninjured. CNN's Daniel Lewis and InSession's Beth Karas contributed to this report. | Beverley Bunn roomed with one of the three victims at the 2009 retreat .
Self-help author and retreat leader James Ray is charged with manslaughter .
Defense calls the incident "a tragic accident" |
214,160 | a157114d99bfa43c13e881b216e184f3a411c058 | By . Paul Donnelley . A man who murdered his fiancée with a single punch during an argument over whether to take a bus or a taxi home was jailed for life today. Former soldier Ryan Ingham, 26, sent Caroline Finegan, 29, crumpling to the ground like a ‘bag of potatoes’ after he ran at her at full pelt before striking her in the face. One witness was ‘moved to tears’ after seeing Ingham hit her ‘like a car travelling at 40mph’ before he started to shake her ‘like a rag doll’ as she lay on the ground in an act of ‘wanton thuggery’. Killer: Ryan Ingham, 26, has been convicted of murdering his fiancee, Caroline Finegan, 29 . The force . of the punch broke Miss Finegan’s nose, her eye socket and swivelled her . head so violently that it tore blood vessels in her neck. During . a 999 call as bingo hall worker Miss Finegan lay dying, Ingham was . heard telling her: ‘Hello, wakey wakey. Oi, monkey get up, look you . bashed your head. What you doing, your belly is showing.’ When . paramedics arrived at the scene near Shudehill bus station in . Manchester city centre at around 1am on January 16, Miss Finegan was not . breathing. She was pronounced dead later that day in hospital. Scene: The couple had been on a night out in Manchester city centre before they rowed, the court heard . Today . at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester Ingham who was convicted of . murder after a trial showed no emotion as he was ordered to serve a . minimum 16 years before he could be considered for parole. It emerged he . had a string of previous convictions for assaults on ex-girlfriends. Judge . Peter Lakin told him: ‘You are an unpleasant coward and young man with a . complete inability to control your temper particularly after the . consumption of alcohol. You have in any view a very disturbing history . for assaulting your partners and clearly you have no respect what so . ever for the welfare of those who trust you in a relationship. ‘You . repaid Caroline’s love for you with a violent punch to her face which . caused immediate fatal brain haemorrhage. The reason you did this was . only because of a trivial argument over how to get home. With that . single punch you took away Caroline’s life. Tattooed thug: Father-of-six Ryan Ingham has a history of abuse towards his girlfriends and finally murdered one of them. He was sentenced to life imprisonment today with a recommendation he serve 16 years . ‘She . was only 29 and had her whole life ahead of her. She clearly thought . her relationship with you would bring future happiness. Sadly for her . she was completely wrong. You are a dangerous young man particularly . toward those in a relationship with you.’ Earlier . the court heard how Miss Finnegan who had five children from previous . relationships had met father-of-six Ingham in August last year and the . couple become engaged three months later. The incident took place in January after they had out together at Churchills pub in Manchester city centre. CCTV . captured the pair as they appeared to be arguing after leaving the pub . to make their way home to Stockport. The couple were seen initially . heading towards a bus station before speaking separately to a taxi . driver. Witness . Anthony O’Connor, a worker at Manchester Cathedral who had just left . work after a shift, said: ‘I saw a lady shouting very loudly and it . seemed directed at me and she was probably 40ft away. Then I noticed a . gentleman run straight past me on my left side. He was in the middle of . the road. He was running extremely fast. A witness reported seeing Ingham drag Miss Finegan by the arms onto the pavement after punching her . ‘He ran at her at a really full speed and then came into contact with her and with the punch she completely fell to the ground. ‘The . one thing that affects me that time and to this day is the way she fell . to the ground. The only way I can describe it is if you had a bag of . potatoes and if you drop them and they crumple. That is how she fell. As . far as I am aware the life left her instantly. She completely collapsed . into the road. He did not stop running and ran four or five steps . after. ‘I . could not see where the punch landed. I knew it was the upper part of . the body. He punched her while he was running. He ran, kept on running . and punched her. It was like someone hitting her in a motor car at about . 40mph. It was with incredible force he hit her with. He picked up great . speed. She was then on the floor. Heartbroken: Charlene Finegan (left) Caroline's cousin and Kath Gill (right) foster mother of Caroline outside court following the sentencing today . ‘He . came back and immediately picked her up by the arms and that scene was . horrific and it disturbed me. He dragged her onto the pavement and as he . was dragging her, her blouse was pulled up and her skirt was coming . down. ‘I . said to myself ‘What a way for a human being to go.’ There was total . disrespect for human life. It was horrendous. He started to shake her . like a rag doll. ‘I . think it was a total attack of thuggery. He had no respect of human . life and not respect for that girl. It was wanton thuggery. There is no . excuse for it.’ When . Ingham rang 999 he claimed he was qualified to carry out first aid on . the battlefield. When asked by the operator what caused the fall he . said: ‘I don’t know because we were arguing. ‘I . ran over to her and next thing I know she was being a mong, lying on . the floor, because we were about to get a taxi home. We were arguing . about getting a taxi home. It is superficial. I am ex-Army. I have got . my battlefield first aid.’ Ryan Ingham who spent six months in the Army has been in court a dozen times before for 23 offences, most linked to domestic violence. Here are the lowlights. 2005: Criminal assault - during course of argument with his 17-year-old girlfriend, he punched her in the face and body causing minor injury. August 2005: Same victim. Ingham elbowed her in the head during a domestic argument and received a suspended sentence. August 2008: Assaulted mother and father. 2012: Threatened girlfriend at the time with a knife to the neck and threatened her unborn child. October 2012: Before he became engaged to Caroline Finegan, there was incident where he hit her and she sustained a swollen cheek. ‘She . is in no danger. She is just p****d. I do not know if she is faking it . or not. She is all right because she is breathing normal. She is asleep. She is snoring. That is how I know she is asleep.’CT scans later . revealed extensive subarachnoid bleeding in Miss Finegan’s brain. At . 6.19pm on January 16 she was pronounced dead. Ingham . initially said she had passed out and fell over but later admitted they . had been ‘bickering’ about whether to get a bus or taxi home. He denied . murder. Senior . Investigating Officer Duncan Thorpe from Greater Manchester Police . (GMP) said after the case: ‘Caroline’s family have been left deeply . upset and cannot believe someone who claimed to love her could kill her. Ingham himself will have to live with the fact his reckless and . thoughtless action took the life of an innocent woman. ‘GMP . takes all reports of domestic abuse seriously. If you’re a friend, . family member or neighbour who witnesses signs of domestic abuse, report . it to the police. ‘Domestic . abuse is not acceptable under any circumstances and there are support . services available for victims and families from the report to . conviction.’ Sacha . Cooper, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North . West, said: ‘Ryan Ingham carried out a horrific unprovoked attack on . his partner in the centre of Manchester after they had enjoyed a night . out together. ‘He . refused to take responsibility for his actions. Initially he fabricated . a version of events whereby she had fallen to the floor in a drunken . state and later on offered a plea to manslaughter. However, following a . trial, the jury convicted him of murder. ‘Today Ryan Ingham will face up to the consequences of his mindless actions as he begins his prison sentence.’ | Father-of-six Ryan Ingham, 27, told he must serve at least 16 years .
Judge told him: 'You are an unpleasant coward with a complete inability to control your temper'
Caroline Finegan, 29, crumpled to ground 'like bag of potatoes', court heard .
Mother-of-five had been on night out Ingham in Manchester .
Couple had late night disagreement about how to get home to Stockport .
Witness saw Ingham run and punch Miss Finegan before she fell .
Ingham rang 999 and said: 'She is being a mong... She is just p******'
Ingham had attacked Miss Finegan before they became engaged . |
7,221 | 147bafcf67de9ecf7ea2c4729be8c61b6ba98952 | Struggling: The publishers of Penthouse are filing for bankruptcy after amassing $300million worth of debt . The publisher of adult magazine Penthouse has filed for bankruptcy with $300million of debt. The magazine has seen a sharp drop in sales as a result of the rise of free adult content on the internet and is now looking for investors to cover their losses. California-based FriendFinder Networks, who own the publication, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday after losing $49.4 million last year, and $10.3 million in the past quarter. But the company said it has reached an agreement with key stakeholders to keep the magazine on the shelves and return control to its founders. However, founded by Bob Guccione, whose monthly circulation is now said to be 175,000 down from 5 million at its peak, may be snapped up by New Jersey-born entrepreneur Jeremy Frommer. Last year, Mr Frommer acquired a trove of memorabilia owned by the late Guccione that included nude photos of Madonna and a picture of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger engaged in a sex act. He is now the CEO of the Guccione Collection. Today, Mr Frommer told MailOnline: 'I would like to see the Penthouse brand restored to its former glory and carry on the legacy of Bob Guccione.' However, he would not comment on ongoing discussions. Chief . executive Anthony Previte, said: 'The Chapter 11 filing is the most . efficient and cost-effective way for the company to implement the . transaction support agreement while continuing to operate our business.' 'All . operations will continue as normal throughout this process. Importantly, nothing about the user experience is going to change and we . anticipate that all of our affiliates will continue to be paid in the . ordinary course of business during the Chapter 11 process.' Penthouse was founded in 1965 as a rival to Hugh Hefner's Playboy. Bob Guccione began publishing the magazine in Britain in 1965 and four years later in the United States, . earning him a fortune of around $400 million by the 1980's. However, the rise in popularity of the internet badly affected sales and several bad business deals put publishers General Media in financial trouble. Drop in sales: The magazine has struggled to compete with the availability of free adult content on the internet. Its founder Bob Guccione (right) died in 2010 after the company was taken over by FriendFinder Networks . History: Founder of Penthouse Magazine, Bob Guccione, when the magazine started in 1965 . In 2003 the company declared itself . bankrupt after defaulting on its loans, but restarted the following year and . was renamed Penthouse Media Group. Mr Guccione left the company soon after the deal and died of cancer in 2010, aged 79. Besides . publishing Penthouse, FriendFinder Networks operates a number of . adult-oriented social networking sites including AdultFriendFinder.com, . Amigos.com, AsiaFriendFinder.com and SeniorFriendFinder.com. The group said holders of most of the . secured debt agreed to the plan, which will now need approval by a . bankruptcy court in Delaware. The . plan would convert some of the debt to new stock, and the . existing shares would be cancelled. | FriendFinder Networks Inc filed for Chapter 11 on Tuesday .
The company took ownership of the publication in 2003 .
It has struggled to compete with the rise in free content on the internet .
The magazine was founded in 1975 as a rival to Hugh Hefner's Playboy . |
57,070 | a1aefe3a93e3cc16a4a942bfb00e2dddad9c525f | By . Chris Pleasance . PUBLISHED: . 07:31 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:40 EST, 13 December 2013 . A pedophile teacher who replaced Bin Laden on the FBI’s most wanted list after spending five years on the run faces decades in prison after pleading guilty to filming children in school bathrooms. Eric Justin Toth, 31, now faces up to 30 years in jail after years of abuse which was only uncovered after a school camera that had been in his possession was found to have child pornography on it. A tip off from a tourist eventually lead to his arrest in Nicaragua earlier this year, where he travelled using a fake passport, and was found living under an assumed name with fake credit cards. Scroll down for video . Eric Justin Toth, 31, faces up to 30 years behind bars after admitting to hiding a camera the children's toilet at a school where he was a teacher . According to his plea bargain he now faces between 22 and 30 years behind bars. Appearing in court he answered simply 'yes' or 'no' to questions asked of him, except for correcting the age of one of his victims. His sick behaviour was discovered after a school camera was found to have child pornography on it, but In fact Toth had been taking sinister videos of children for years, across several different states. Court documents revealed that in 2005 Toth had taken pictures and video of a sleeping camper on a school trip in Wisconsin, and two years later filmed himself abusing a prepubescent boy. According to court documents Toth also filmed a sleeping camper on a trip in Wisconsin in 2005, and recorded himself abusing a prepubescent boy in 2007 . The former school teacher and camp counselor spent five years on the run and replaced Osama Bin Laden on the FBI's most wanted list after his crimes came to light . He also installed hidden cameras in the bathroom of Beauvoir School, Washington, where he worked as a third grade teacher. That camera captured footage of 15 children aged under 10. 'Eric Toth is every parent's worst nightmare: a serial predator who took advantage of his position as a camp counselor and a teacher to sexually exploit children in his care,' U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said in a statement. After the camera was found to contain child porn, Toth was taken off campus by security, but fled before police could apprehend him. Toth's sick fantasies were only discovered after a school camera he had been using was found to contain child pornography . He then moved across states, living in Texas and Arizona before finally settling in Nicaragua. At one point his car was found at Minnesota airport containing an apparent suicide note and a flash drive with images of child pornography on it, suggesting he kept up his sick fantasies while on the run. Toth was placed on to the FBI's Most wanted list following the death of Osama Bin Laden and the eventual publicity lead to a civilian tip-off that he was living abroad. Toth pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, identity theft and misusing a Social Security number. His attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. | Eric Justin Toth, 31, has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography .
Now faces between 22 and 30 years in jail according to plea agreement .
Was found in Nicaragua earlier this year after five years on the run .
Used hidden cameras to record children at school and on camping trips . |
279,135 | f5a81f1b7f2f6e6905eac441ff7fdda338598966 | Anthony Weiner lost his cool today on the campaign trail, engaging in a blazing shouting match with a constituent who insulted him and his wife. New York's infamous mayoral candidate was out and about in the Borough Hall area of Brooklyn ahead of celebrations on Thursday for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The politician was picking up some traditional baked goods in the strongly Orthodox Jewish community, when a man in a yarmulke came up to Weiner, called him a 'scumbag' and added: 'You’re married to an Arab' making a reference to the disgraced congressman's wife Huma Abedin. Weiner shot back at the man calling him a 'jackass', while chewing a large mouthful of cake. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE . Showdown: In a Brooklyn bakery, Anthony Weiner got into a tit-for-tat argument with a constituent today after the man said the mayoral candidate was a 'deviant' Weiner replied: 'Charming. Takes one to know one, jackass.' The heated exchange was caught on video by Weiner's campaign. Weiner then said: 'You wait until I walk out to say anything. That's courage. Go ahead.' He then returned to the store before a tit-for-tat shouting match ensues. The man told Weiner: 'You have a nerve to even walk around in public. You are disgusting.' To which Weiner responded: 'Oh yeah, and you're a perfect person?' Charming man: New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner called a constituent a 'jackass' today after he insulted his wife at a store in Brooklyn, New York . Spat with a voter: Customers at the Brooklyn bakery looked on in disbelief at the heated exchange . Displeased: Weiner's patience with constituents' opinions following his sexting scandal appears to be wearing thin . The man returned: 'I'm not perfect, but I didn't do what you did.' Weiner would not let the issue go, raising his voice and pointing his finger at the man, while customers in the bakery looked on in disbelief. The disgraced politician said: 'You're my judge? You're my judge? What rabbi taught you that? What rabbi taught you that you're my judge?' The man said: 'You're fine. You talk to God and work out your problems, but stay out of the public eye. That's the difference.' Public opinion: The man confronted Weiner in the Brooklyn bakery . Weiner continued: 'That's up to you to judge, my friend. I don't take my judgments to you and I don't judge you.' The voter said: 'You're a bad example for the people.' Weiner fired back: 'That's your judgment?' The man then reasoned: 'No, that's obvious. Your behavior is deviant.' The voter then asks how Weiner could betray the person closest to him, referring to the politician's long-suffering wife Huma Abedin, as the politician continues to shout over him. As Weiner became more and more hysterical, the man calmly answers that he is not judging the politician but says he should stay out of the public, go home and get a job. Weiner then adds: 'By the way, I have fought very hard for this community and delivered more than you will ever in your entire life.' Losing his cool: Weiner shouts back at the man after he told the politician to take himself out of public life because his behavior was not normal . The man calmly says: 'You never delivered anything to me or for any of these people.' The mayoral then calls the constituent 'ignorant' before turning away with the remark: 'Take care buddy, nice talking to you.' Outside the shop, Weiner attempted to brush off the incident, saying: 'I don't back down' before adding that the man had every right to his opinion because 'this is America'. The shouting match came as it was announced earlier this week that support had collapsed for ex-congressman Weiner, a former front-runner amid a new sexting scandal with student-turned-porn-star Sydney Leathers. Weiner is now in a distant fourth, with only 7 per cent of the vote. Weiner also embarrassed himself on Monday by putting on a fake and bizarre Caribbean accent as he shouted to crowds from a float at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. | Candidate was on walkabout in Brooklyn ahead of Rosh Hashanah .
Constituent told Weiner: 'You have a nerve to even walk around in public. You are disgusting' |
227,161 | b225a4c735c7e02233062c775178338aef82e749 | Kolkata, India (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday applauded India's efforts to reduce its imports of Iranian oil but urged it to cut them further to keep pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. "We think India as a country understands the importance of trying to use diplomacy to resolve these difficult threats and is certainly working toward lowering their purchases of Iranian oil," Clinton said in Kolkata, the first stop on her visit to India. "We commend the steps they've taken thus far and hope they will do even more." The United States and other Western countries are using economic pressure on Iran, particularly on its oil industry, to try to push Tehran into halting its nuclear program. They have encouraged Asian countries like India, Japan and South Korea -- key consumers of Iranian oil -- to cut back their purchases. U.S. officials say India has lowered the amount of oil it buys from Iran in recent months. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government is also wrestling with stubbornly high inflation and is wary of provoking upward pressure on prices. India imports about 70% of the oil it uses, with around 10% to 14% estimated to come from Iran. Clinton said Monday that there was an "adequate" supply of oil "in the marketplace." Key world powers met with Iran earlier this month about its intentions for its nuclear program and announced that the next meeting would take place in late May. Iran maintains it is not planning to build a bomb. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has cautioned that he doesn't think the economic sanctions are having an effect. Clinton argued in favor of the current approach on Monday. "We do not believe Iran would have come to the table if there had not been sanctions and pressure," Clinton said Monday. "We do not believe Iran will peacefully resolve this unless the pressure continues." She made the comments before she traveled to New Delhi, where she is met with Singh and other top officials. CNN's Jethro Mullen in Hong Kong and Jill Dougherty in Kolkata contributed to this report. | Hillary Clinton urges New Delhi to reduce its imports of Iranian oil further .
Western countries are putting economic pressure on Iran .
They hope that this will lead to a halt in Tehran's nuclear program . |
79,542 | e185b03c442bc172a8135ed79631f99fe83979a8 | The woman who set the internet on fire last year by claiming to have three breasts has broken her silence to insist she's not a hoaxer. Jasmine Tridevil became the subject of intense online scrutiny and doubt after extraordinary images suggested she had become the first woman in the world to have an artificial third breast fitted. She has now spoken for the first time about the issue - defiantly claiming: 'I know my breasts are real and I do not care what anybody thinks.' Scroll down for video . Defiant: Jasmine Tridevil has now spoken for the first time about her third breast, claiming: 'I know my breasts are real and I do not care what anybody thinks' Many commentators claim the third breast is a wearable prosthetic - especially as she reported a '3 breast prosthesis' stolen when her bags went missing at Tampa Airport in 2014. Breaking her silence for the first time, she added: 'Getting a third breast was not always my plan - I just had the idea two years ago. 'People always have something to say. They will criticize it or will love it and ask for a picture.' Tridevil admits not all the attention she gets is complimentary, adding: 'If I go to a park where there are children, parents will give me dirty looks. 'But if I go to a bar it seems like everybody loves it.' Scrutinized: Many commentators claim the third breast is a wearable prosthetic, especially as Tridevil once reported a '3 breast prosthesis' stolen when her bags went missing at Tampa Airport in 2014 . The aspiring pop-star claims the procedure cost $20,000 and took around an hour and a half to complete. But she admits that she had encountered difficulty when trying to find a surgeon who would perform the procedure. She added: 'There was one surgeon who hung up on me. I think that a lot of them thought I was prank calling them but I was serious they just did not take me seriously. 'There was another surgeon who told me I was crazy and said I should check myself into a mental hospital.' She finally found a doctor who would perform the surgery but claims he made her sign a non-disclosure agreement meaning she can never reveal his name. 'The reason I got a third breast is because I wanted to make my self unattractive towards men,' added the 21-year-old. Dominatrix: The 21-year-old keeps male slaves and claims to have her name tattooed on to 11 men . Compelling evidence of hoax: The above property receipt shows that Hessler's suitcase was stolen at Tampa International Aiport and returned earlier this month with a '3 breast prosthesis' inside . 'Sexually I just did not want to be approached by men anymore. So I got a third breast to make myself unattractive but I still wanted to feel pretty. 'I can still wear provocative clothing and feel pretty myself.' The world's media descended on Tridevil's home in Tampa, Florida after the revelation but she refused to give any interviews. She says: 'The world hates me I get nothing but negative comments. 'They think I'm an attention whore and it's true - I do love attention and I'm not ashamed of it because every entertainer is an attention whore whether they like to admit it or not. 'If they were not then they would not be famous.' The dominatrix - who keeps male slaves and claims to have her name tattooed on to 11 men - has not spoken to her mother since the procedure. Before and after: Tridevil pictured at the age of 16 (L) and more recently, after her supposed surgery (R) She has had numerous calls to categorically prove once and for all that her three breasts are real - but as yet she has refused every offer. 'I could never consider doing a topless shoot - it's against the way I was raised,' she added. The viral sensation - who is cashing in on her new found fame with a self-written pop song - Born to Serve - wants to keep on shocking the world with her outrageous lifestyle. Jasmine added: 'I push the limits I do dangerous things. I never thought that I would ever change my body I was always happy with myself - I guess I just changed.' | Jasmine Tridevil, 21, claimed to have had third breast surgically implanted .
Dismissed as hoax after it was revealed she owned 3-breast prosthesis .
Dominatrix, from Florida, now insists her startling appearance is genuine .
Said: 'I know my breasts are real and I do not care what anybody thinks'
Claims to keep male slaves and have her name tattooed on 11 men . |
63,168 | b374145e7b2be5b8f51ae0831d6c2bdefee6048b | NEW YORK (CNN) -- In that strange intersection of economics and politics, there is a new fashion: Trillion is the new billion. One trillion $1 bills stacked one on top of the other would reach nearly 68,000 miles into the sky. A billion is a thousand million, and a trillion is a thousand billion. To provide some perspective on just how big a trillion dollars is, think about it like this: A trillion dollars is the number 1 followed by 12 zeroes. Or you can think of it this way: One trillion $1 bills stacked one on top of the other would reach nearly 68,000 miles (about 109,400 kilometers) into the sky, or about a third of the way from the Earth to the moon. Some Republicans are hardly over the moon about the growing size of the proposed economic stimulus plan. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said this week that Americans have become desensitized to just how much money that is. "To put a trillion dollars in context, if you spend a million dollars every day since Jesus was born, you still wouldn't have spent a trillion," McConnell said. CNN checked McConnell's numbers with noted Temple University math professor and author John Allen Paulos. "A million dollars a day for 2,000 years is only three-quarters of a trillion dollars. It's a big number no matter how you slice it," Paulos said. Here's another way to look at it. "A million seconds is about 11½ days. A billion seconds is about 32 years, and a trillion seconds is 32,000 years," Paulos said. "People tend to lump them together, perhaps because they rhyme, but if you think of it in terms of a jail sentence, do you want to go to jail for 11½ days or 32 years or maybe 32,000 years? So, they're vastly different, and people generally don't really have a real visceral grasp of the differences among them." Everyone is tossing around the words million, billion and trillion. With the national debt now topping $10 trillion, following a $700 billion bank rescue and proposed $800 billion-plus stimulus package, have we become numb to the numbers? How much is a trillion? » . " 'Number' itself can be parsed 'number' or 'numb-er.' And maybe in this case, the latter is a better pronunciation," Paulos said. "I think to some extent, we have ... evolved in a context where such big numbers were completely foreign." Perhaps a better way to get a "grasp of the numbers," Paulos said, is to use them to describe the budgets of government programs. "The [Environmental Protection Agency's], for example, annual budget is about $7.5 billion. So, a trillion dollars would fund the EPA in present dollars for 130 years -- more than a century. Or the National Science Foundation or National Cancer Institute have budgets of $5 [billion] or $6 billion. You could fund those for almost 200 years," he said. Times have certainly changed. Back in 1993, President Bill Clinton wanted a $30 billion jobs and investment package. He didn't get it. Just last year, President George W. Bush signed an emergency economic stimulus of $168 billion --- a tally that seems paltry compared with the amount requested today. The economic problem, many say, demands huge spending. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker has called it "the mother of all crises." The numbers are big, but so is the United States economy. The gross domestic product, which measures the total value of goods and services produced in a country, is about $14 trillion. Still, many wonder if we can afford it. "So we do have a big economy that may not be as vibrant as it was, but it is still a powerful economic engine. Knock on wood, we'll see what happens," said Paulos. Last week, the House passed an $819 billion emergency stimulus, and the Senate version is approaching $900 billion. In the end, whatever lawmakers hash out probably won't reach $1 trillion. But consider this: If all of the financial market interventions, loans, guarantees, bailouts and rescues are approved, they will total more than $7 trillion. | One billion is equal to 1,000 million; One trillion is equal to 1,000 billion .
One trillion stacked dollars would reach nearly 60,000 miles, one-third way to moon .
Professor: You couldn't spend $1 trillion if you spent $1M a day since Jesus' birth .
All financial market interventions, loans, bailouts total more than $7 trillion . |
267,124 | e5ffe97229c69589469859ff94ba21b2c51f0f24 | By . Emily Sheridan and Sarah Bull . Last updated at 8:18 AM on 13th September 2011 . David Walliams finally reached Westminster this evening after an epic 140-mile swim of the Thames. The Little Britain star, 40, was greeted by his wife Lara Stone, celebrity friends, relatives and hundreds of fans as he climbed up the steps in front of the former County Hall building on the South Bank. Exhausted and achy, the comedian said he was 'OK, a bit tired' after his challenging journey over the past eight days. Triumphant: David Walliams celebrates swimming 140 miles of the River Thames as he arrives on the South Bank at Westminster . The comedian was met by friends Barbara Windsor, Miranda Hart and Lenny Henry as he heard he had raised more than £1.1million for Sport Relief. Talking to The One Show about 45 minutes after his ascent from the river, he said: 'I feel incredible relief. I'm a bit over swimming... I feel like I've done enough for a lifetime.' Amid widespread congratulations from everyone around him, Walliams played down his achievement: 'It was just swimming. It was just putting one arm in front of the other... just swimming.' Although incredibly shattered following his epic journey, no doubt the adrenaline had kicked in giving Walliams the energy to celebrate as he was showered with ticker tape. Just a few more strokes... Walliams just metres away from the finish line . I'm a celebrity... get me out of here! The exhausted comedian is helped out of the water on the steps at the former County Hall . All I want is a shandy and my bed: Walliams said he would have a quiet celebration sleeping after his epic journey . Despite battling a . bout of 'Thames Tummy', a painful rash where his wetsuit rubbed and . aching muscles, Walliams hasn't let anything stop him completing the . challenge, which saw him swimming over 110,000 strokes. Reflecting on his journey, he said: . 'There was a lot against me at the beginning and the water was a lot . colder because the summer was so bad. 'Being sick was a low point. I lost my mojo but I thought if I try I can keep going. 'You are alone with your thoughts for a really long time. Some days I was in the water for 10-12 hours so you sometimes have delusional thoughts so you try to think of songs that you love or movies that you love.' 'Proud to be British': Walliams paid tribute to all those who had supported him along the way, including sponsors and spectators . Back in Lara's arms: Walliams managed to sum up the energy to hug his stunning wife . Proud wife: Lara looked like she couldn't be happier to have her husband back on dry land and the pair couldn't stop smiling . As he prepared to head home for a nice warm bath, he jokingly asked his friend Windsor to sponge him down. He said: 'Dame Barbara, will you bath me? I love this lady!' He paid tribute to those who supported him along the way: 'What took me by surprise was the support. It made me really proud to be British. It's tough times and people have been so generous with their time and money.' Among those congratulating him on . Twitter was James Corden: 'I'm so inspired by David Walliams #thamesswim . That next year I am going to try and swim a width of the Thames. Wish . me luck!' That's my friend! Barbara Windsor was one of the first people to greet Walliams when he got out of the river . Celebrity support: Lenny Henry (centre left) and Barbara Windsor (2nd right) were ready to greet him . Chris Moyles, who . interviewed Walliams this morning, wrote: 'He did it!!!! Well done . David Walliams and @sportrelief amazing achievement and a tonne of money . raised for good causes. Respect.' The tide helped the Little Britain star speed along the last 11 miles after a rest at Kew earlier today as he waited for a break in the tide. This morning, Walliams tackled the . toughest stretch of the Thames when it becomes tidal, with strong . currents and undertows and busy river traffic. A . Twitter update on the Sport Relief page this morning explained: 'Day 8 . of the #thamesswim is about to begin. Tidal Thames looking mildly . irritated rather than full on angry - wet windy morning though.' So relieved! Walliams declared he was 'a bit over swimming' after his amazing feat . Supporters: Hundreds of people were waiting on the South Bank of the Thames to cheer on the comedian at the finish line . Walliams has been supported by his Dutch model wife Stone, who travelled in a support boat, and was met along the way by . celebrity friends including comics Jimmy Carr, Miranda Hart and Rob . Brydon. He said yesterday: 'The two things that have really kept me . going so far are the updates of the fundraising totals I'm given and the . stunning support I've been given by the public. 'There must have been . tens of thousands of people along the route and I can hear their cheers . as I'm swimming. 'I . never expected this to catch the public's imagination like it has - . there seems to have been a real carnival atmosphere around it which is . lovely.' Challenging journey: Walliams swam 140 miles from Lechdale in Gloucestershire to Westminster in London over eight days . And, speaking ahead of starting his swimming this morning, Walliams added: 'Today will see me entering the tidal stretch of the Thames with all the dangers that brings, so I'll need to be strong.' Last night, Walliams ended his day by arriving at Teddington Lock just before 8pm, greeted by his proud and relieved wife. Lara . immediately tweeted her congratulations, . exclaiming: 'Made it to Teddington Lock, beyond proud!!! @sportrelief . #thamesswim #GODAVID.' Keep going: Walliams, who was said to be 'dog-tired', sits on the support boat for the interview . Hero's greeting: David Walliams was given a warm welcome at lunchtime today, before setting off again for Teddington . It had been another tough day, which has seen David swim an astonishing 21 miles. With his Thames tummy taking its toll and the cold rainy weather conditions, he tested himself to the limits of his endurance. Concerned Lara tweeted yesterday afternoon: 'Poor David . is in so much pain! Please keep supporting him, remember how far he's . swam, and why he's doing this @sportrelief #thamesswim'. To sponsor Walliams, go to www.sportrelief.com/donate/walliams. Taking its toll: Walliams looked cheerful despite his 'Thames tummy' on the second to last day of his swim . In with a splash: David hit the water with renewed vigour to continue his swim . | Total raised for Sport Relief so far stands at £1.1million .
Swam 110,000 strokes over 140 miles in eight days . |
76,296 | d85f7ceea5361ffb18ac1545c3b91f08ab5e27c2 | By . Harry Mount . PUBLISHED: . 19:31 EST, 30 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:38 EST, 31 October 2013 . At a cemetery on the eastern fringes of Roman London in AD100, a sombre, yet grand ceremony was taking place. A prosperous citizen was being buried just outside the city boundaries - no Roman, however rich, could be buried within the city walls to prevent the spread of disease. Mourners muttered prayers to the sun god, Mithras, as the body was laid to rest in its dark mausoleum. Overlooking the body, at the far end of the tomb, loomed a majestic stone sculpture of a Roman eagle clutching a writhing snake in its beak. This noble eagle would guarantee the protection of Jupiter, king of the gods, in the afterlife. Beautifully preserved: Luisa Duarte cleaning the sculpture of a Minories eagle and serpent which has been unearthed in the City of London after nearly 2,000 years. Such tomb ornaments were prized by Roman nobility . The sculpture, believed to be the best-preserved ever in London, was unearthed near Aldgate just outside the Roman city wall. Not even the richest noblemen were buried inside the city for fear of disease spreading . After nearly 2,000 years buried under the silt and mud and rubble of London, that eagle has been resurrected. If it hadn’t been for a keen-eyed archaeologist, it might have remained hidden for many centuries more. On the last day of a dig in the East End, archaeologist David Sankey came across a clump of muddy stone, clogged with clay. The sculpture was found at an archeological site, pictured, run by the Museum of London . He and his team had been excavating the earth beneath a planned development of a 16-storey hotel near the Tower of London. The developers were due to begin construction the next day. The team had found a few interesting artefacts in the dig - a bit of pottery, some animal bones - but nothing as spectacular as what they were about to unearth. ‘I couldn’t tell what it was at first,’ says Sankey. ‘I washed it and came across a beak, then a gap, then a wing. And I realised it was an eagle.’ It was no ordinary eagle. It was a Roman eagle, from the first or second century AD, in mortal combat with a snake. More than that, the eagle is the most sophisticated piece of Roman sculpture ever found in London - almost complete except for a chip on its wing. The eagle - on show in the Museum of London - symbolises Jupiter, the greatest of the Roman gods. And it adds another crucial layer to our understanding of Roman Britain. At the time the eagle was carved, Londinium - as it was then known - was far from being a remote backwater of the Roman Empire. Colchester, or Camulodunum, may have been the capital of Roman Britain, but the 330 acres of Londinium - enclosed by three miles of Roman wall, much of which survives today - made it the biggest town in the country. Not long after the Emperor Claudius invaded Britain in AD43, Londinium began its journey to becoming the metropolis it is today. We are discovering more and more about everyday Londinium life, largely thanks to the development of new, modern buildings. Earlier this year, 10,000 finds were excavated on the site of the new headquarters of the Bloomberg media empire near Mansion House Tube station in central London. Among the discoveries, 23ft below ground level, were 250 leather shoes, pewter dinner plates, wooden writing tablets, copper brooches and lead plaques of prancing bulls. Not to mention the biggest collection of phalluses from a single Romano-British site. These phalluses were used as good-luck charms, carried as aides to sexual potency and even used as decorations on horse harnesses. The Romans had a much more easy-going approach to sex - and its public display - than we do today. Brothels abounded in Roman London. Young girls were often captured and forced to work as sex slaves. It was one brutal way the Romans sought to subjugate the people they had conquered. Brothel-tokens, such as this one on show at the University of London, right, were a little more racy than modern-day pound coins - routinely depicting couples in the act of love . Coins and tokens depicting sexual positions have been found in the mud of the Thames. Roman legionaries would have handed these to the brothel-keeper as payment for the act they desired. The poor girl who served them would never have seen any of the money. Juvenal, the Roman poet, wrote that the politicians in Rome kept the city’s people under their thumb through ‘panem et circenses’ - bread and circuses. The same went for the residents of Londinium. Give them food and entertainment, the thinking went, and they won’t rebel. In 1987, London’s Roman amphitheatre was unearthed in the City. Among the discoveries was a timber sliding trapdoor, used to release wild animals into the arena. Top of the bill would have been shows in which animals were set against each other, public executions and gladiator battles. If they were successful in the ring, gladiators could become pin-ups. One Roman cup, discovered by archaeologists, is signed by a gladiator and a glamorous dancing girl, perhaps at the request of an early autograph-hunter. But even if they won the adulation of the crowds, gladiators and dancing girls were still slaves. If you were lucky enough to be a free Roman, life was sweet. When the Romans arrived, they set about importing their home city’s luxuries to this damp and ill-provisioned island. Archaeologists have found elegant furniture such as marble tables, cabinets and chairs with delicately carved lion’s claw feet. Excavated under London's Guildhall in 1988, the city's Roman Amphitheatre was one of Britain's most spectacular archeological finds. Features included trap doors from which animals could spring into the arena . This artist's impression shows how the amphitheatre would have looked in AD70, its Roman heyday . Londinium jewellery was as finely worked as anything on Bond Street today. Finds include an amber amulet in the shape of a gladiator’s helmet and exquisite hairpins. The Romans were great shoppers and party-givers. Archaeologists have found wooden tablets inscribed with extensive shopping lists or invitations to lavish dinner parties. Those tablets also reveal the names of Londinium’s inhabitants - showing a mixture of Latin names and Celtic ones. Invaders lived right alongside the invaded. Tacitus - the Roman historian whose father-in-law, Agricola, was Governor of Britain from AD77 to 85 - wrote about how striking the British natives were. The Scots had red hair and big limbs; the Welsh had dark skins and curly hair. The British were a superstitious lot, he added, given to aggression. When they settled in Londinium, the Romans transformed the stodgy diet hitherto eaten in the city’s taverns, introducing exotic imports from the Mediterranean. London archeologists have been unearthing landmark finds for many years. A temple to the sun god, Mithras, was discovered in the street of Wallbrook, City of London, in 1954 . Amphorae, or urns, were brought over loaded with spices, wine and olives. Pheasants - now the most common bird in the British countryside - were introduced by the Romans, who had encountered them in south-west Asia. Differences persisted, though, between the Roman and the native diet. In AD100, Roman legionaries, serving at the Vindolanda fort in Northumberland, wrote home to their families, asking for food packages: garlic, fish, olive oil, olives, lentils and wine. They didn’t care for the northern stodge favoured by the Scottish Picts - venison, cereal and pork fat. What really got the Roman invaders down was the weather. In AD98, Tacitus said of our climate: ‘Caelum crebris imbribus ac nebulis foedum’ - ‘The British sky is obscured by constant rain and cloud’. Still, their oppressed Imperial subjects had a lot more to be grumpy about: there was no doubt they were second-class citizens. No wonder that, in AD61, a great revolt against the Romans was led by Boudicea, Queen of a Celtic tribe. During the rebellion, Londinium was burnt down. The revolt was suppressed by Roman military might - and Boadicea died, either through illness or taking poison. The Romans subsequently changed their tactics, finding more subtle ways to control the natives. Tacitus explains how Governor Agricola set up Latin schools for the sons of the native British upper class and introduced them to ‘things with a touch of sinfulness to them’: drawing rooms, hot baths and elegant dinner parties. As Tacitus writes: ‘In their stupidity, the British called this civilisation when it was all part of their servitude.’ The Romans didn’t just introduce us to baths, but also the gym. Fragments of thermae - public baths combined with gyms - survive in the City of London. We can thank them, too, for the Roman roads that head out of London. For all their brilliance, those roads left one unfortunate legacy to the modern commuter: the narrowness of train and Tube seats. The first Victorian trains were built to the same width as horse-drawn wagons, which had themselves been designed to fit the ruts left by Roman chariots. The standard British rail gauge - 4ft 8½in - still mirrors the specification for a Roman war chariot. That figure, the Romans thought, reflected the size of a horse’s bottom, with a little wriggle room on either side. As our own bottoms have grown bigger, those seats have become more and more uncomfortable. So next time you’re tightly packed into the 5.37 from Waterloo, you know who to blame: the Ben Hurs of Roman Londinium. Harry Mount is author of Amo, Amas, Amat And All That — How To Become A Latin Lover (Short Books). | Find is the latest in a long line of breathtaking discoveries in the capital .
Romans had a liberal attitude to sex, with brothels and sex slaves common .
Influence stayed even into Victorian era, dictating the standard rail gauge . |
255,832 | d71efe465fa73e70c276594183929dc92c64880c | When travelling in India, you should invest in a turban, available with a little haggling at any bazaar. You might expect the locals to resent your attempts to dress up as a minor character in a Sidney James or Peter Sellers film. On the contrary, they appreciate any efforts by Westerners to come to terms with their complex culture and exhaustingly hectic society. 'You look great, sir, magnificent,' said a tuk-tuk driver, stopping in heavy traffic in Jaisalmer, causing an embarrassing fanfare of car horns. 'You look like maharaja.' A landscape of colour and charm: The Jaswant Thada memorial (foreground) stands proudly in Jodhpur . Next morning, when our guide for the day turned up, he had heard there was a maharaja in town. When I was greeted by shopkeepers, shouting 'Where is your turban, sir? You must wear it,' he realised the fake maharaja was only me. Wherever you go in India, strangers engage you in conversation, usually trying to sell you clothing, food or hotel rooms, or asking 'Where you from?' Wear a turban to cut out this tiresome preliminary banter. Our guide happened to be a local disc jockey and, by the time we set off the next evening for a camel trek and camping by a fire in the sand dunes, the presence of the fake maharaja had even reached the camel drivers. Radio is a powerful medium in the desert by the Pakistan border, they told us. How to wear a turban, parts one and two: Left, a camel driver in Rajasthan; right: James as a 'maharaja' We spent two weeks driving in and around Rajasthan, starting and finishing in Delhi, staying one or two nights in each place. The province is the size of Germany, but the roads are not as good, so it's a punishing schedule, with gridlock traffic in the cities and huge potholes taking you by surprise. A driver is an essential requirement for anyone unaccustomed to Indian roads. Ours was able to negotiate heavy trucks, cyclists, unaccompanied cows, dogs, sheep and goats, and rickshaws, sometimes at speed through narrow gaps with inches to spare. A place for reflection: Udaipur rises magnificently on the shores of Lake Pichola in Rajasthan . What do you do if you find your side of the motorway is blocked by roadworks? Drive on the opposite carriageway against the oncoming traffic, then cross the central reservation when you get a chance. Others may blast their horns, but this is standard procedure. Animals and men, young and old, even sleep unmolested in the central reservations, while fathers often pile their families on the backs of their scooters, sometimes with five passengers, including small children and ladies in flowing saris, riding sidesaddle without helmets. We never saw any of them come to any harm, although there were some agonising near-misses. It is 41 years since I last visited Delhi, but since that time, everyone has acquired a car. Thank goodness for the Commonwealth Games, which caused them to invest in a Metro system. We spent two days in Delhi, visiting the Red Fort, Jama Mosque, Gandhi Smriti, Humayun's Tomb, Connaught Place and Lutyens's monumental government buildings. Then Agra, the Taj Mahal, where ladies like to sit sadly perched in Princess Diana's famous seat, and Fatehpur Sikri. Then Jaipur, Bundi and Udaipur. Jaipur is famous for its harem where the ruler's ladies can look out on the street from windows without being seen themselves, as well as a tribe of elephants taking tourists up the hill to the Amber Fort. Udaipur has a lake with a palace in the middle and another on the shore. This is popular as a wedding venue and for spectacular firework displays. All in the balance: Local women display their astonishing carrying skills in the desert outside Jaisalmer . From there, we travelled to Chhatra Sagar, a noted bird sanctuary with dam and an artificial lake. Guests stay in luxurious tents and the manager takes you on a tour of the local village, explaining the Victoria's the Prince of Jaipur in painted the colour giving it 'the City' environmentallyfriendly structure of the community, its schools, farm workers, potters and silversmiths. Life sometimes stands on its head in India. At Bikaner, we saw a temple where rats in their thousands are fed, pampered and generally worshipped. In Jodhpur, we stayed in the now famous Raas hotel, with its magnificent view of the Mehrangarh Fort perched on top of a steep cliff. By this stage, you'll need to keep a note of your forts, to avoid getting them muddled. The Raas is a quiet enclave in the centre of the city, but with a mosque at the end of the garden. The hotel thoughtfully provides earplugs to prevent guests being woken up by the call to prayer at 4am. We had dinner in another new establishment, the WelcomHotel, on the evening the Maharaja of Jodhpur was paying his first official visit. In the pink: Local men watch the world go by on a warm afternoon in the Rajasthan city of Jaisalmer . This is one of those hotels where massive, three-day Bollywood-type weddings take place - a thriving business and expensive for prosperous families. The Maharaja and Maharani were greeted by the manager and by the head chef, who happens to be His Highness's nephew. Rose petals were sprinkled at the Maharaja's feet and a four-course dinner served. Good to see that nothing has changed. No one sprinkled rose petals at my feet, however. I wasn't wearing my turban. Cox & Kings (0207 873 5000, www.coxandkings.co.uk) has a 15-day/13-night escorted Grand Tour of Northern India priced from £2,295 per person including flights, transfers, excursions and accommodation with breakfast daily. | Northern India is fertile territory for those seeking the country at its finest .
The cities of Delhi and Agra are awash with landmarks, like the Taj Mahal .
The north-easterly state of Rajasthan is a paradise for intrepid travellers . |
147,047 | 4a2668f4df8be7add18b0da54f971d5f5001d540 | Former Southampton midfielder Matt Le Tissier took to Twitter to complain after having his sign confiscated at the World Darts Championship on Saturday night. Le Tissier used his sign to show a Premier League table, in which Southampton lie fourth, having beaten Arsenal last week to open up a two-point gap. But the Saints legend was annoyed to find that security deemed the sign inappropriate, taking it away from him. Former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier had this sign confiscated because it made reference to football . Le Tissier saw Gary Anderson (left) stun top seed Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals on Saturday night . 'Can't believe I had my sign confiscated at the darts last night,' Le Tissier tweeted, following it with the hashtag #killjoy. Fans at Alexandra Palace are encouraged to write their own messages on the signs during the matches. However, as Le Tissier later confirmed on Twitter, the venue has a policy of 'no football signs' which led to his card being taken away. Top seed Michael van Gerwen crashed out of the competition on Saturday night to Gary Anderson, while Phil Taylor beat Raymond van Barneveld in the second semi-final. Le Tissier seemed to enjoy his night out at the Darts on Saturday night despite his sign being confiscated . Phil Taylor (right) talks to Raymond van Barneveld (left) after knocking him out at Alexandra Palace . | Southampton hero Matt Le Tissier was at Alexandra Palace for semi-finals .
Le Tissier drew a Premier League table, showing Saints fourth, on his sign .
But the legendary midfielder had the sign taken away by security . |
128,458 | 31ffed1022f2e1adb2d83b983b4ea2b72b9df531 | By . Sami Mokbel . Follow @@SamiMokbel81_DM . Queens Park Rangers will look to complete their move for Rio Ferdinand on a free transfer this week. The central-defender is a free agent following his release from Manchester United last month. Sportsmail exclusively revealed in June how Rangers had agreed a deal with Ferdinand to join ahead of next season. But the move has been shrouded in doubt over a wage disagreement after QPR had a last-minute rethink on Ferdinand's personal terms. New role: Rio Ferdinand sits on the BBC sofa with Alan Shearer and Ruud Gullit as he fulfills his punditry duties . Expert analysis: Ferdinand has been working as a BBC pundit in Brazil during the World Cup . New challenge: Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has agreed to sign for QPR . Reunited: Ferdinand was given his professional debut by Harry Redknapp at West Ham in 1996 . Fresh start: Ferdinand has been weighing up his options after leaving Manchester United . However, Harry Redknapp believes he can still lure Ferdinand to Loftus Road and hopes to conclude a deal this week when the 35-year-old returns from Brazil following his stint as a BBC World Cup pundit. Meanwhile, have agreed a £4.78million deal in principle for Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. Redknapp knows he needs to bolster his squad ahead of next season following their promotion from the Championship. And the Loftus Road club have a agreed a €6million fee with the Dutch club for the Iceland forward. Rangers have made the 24-year-old a wage offer and are still waiting to hear back from Sigthorsson. The striker has scored 24 league goals for Ajax in the previous three seasons, and notched 15 times in 23 international appearances. Redknapp is also hopeful of finally concluding a move for Rio Ferdinand this week. Wanted man: Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, pictured here in action against Celtic, is on the verge of moving to newly promoted QPR for £4.78million . Goal-getter: Sigthorsson (right) has scored 24 league goals for the Dutch club over the past three seasons . Waiting game: QPR have offered the 24-year-old (right) a contract but are yet to finalise a deal . | Ferdinand had agreed deal with Rangers to join next season back in June .
But a wage disagreement caused QPR to have a re-think on the deal .
QPR think they now have an agreement with the former England defender .
Ferdinand, 35, was released by Manchester United last month .
Harry Redknapp has had £4.78m fee agreed in principle for Sigthorsson .
Ajax striker has scored 15 times in 23 internationals for Iceland . |
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