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8,554 | 181fde8463503d894644aa4a86125450098a1be2 | Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi seemed increasingly cornered Sunday as security forces defected to the opposition in a town near the capital and the United Nations Security Council voted for tough restrictions on and possible war crimes charges against the Libyan regime. Former security forces said they had switched sides and joined the opposition in Zawiya, a town about 55 kilometers (35 miles) from the capital, Tripoli. Some buildings in Zawiya showed signs of damage, including a freshly burned-out police station. CNN's Nic Robertson, on a government-organized trip to Zawiya, saw armed civilians taking defensive positions on rooftops to prepare for a possible effort by Gadhafi loyalists to retake the town. About 2,000 people took part in an anti-government protest there, some standing atop tanks or holding anti-aircraft guns. They said they wanted the government overthrown, calling Gadhafi a "bloodsucker." Later in the day, CNN witnessed two smaller pro-government rallies that had apparently been organized by government officials for international journalists to see, Robertson reported. The opposition now controls several Libyan cities after weeks of protests inspired by demonstrations that toppled longtime leaders in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. Gadhafi criticized the U.N. Security Council resolution Sunday, telling private Serbian station Pink TV by phone that council members "took a decision based on media reports that are based abroad." He added, "If the Security Council wants to know about something, they should have sent a fact-finding committee." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Security Council measures -- which include an arms embargo, asset freeze, and travel bans for Gadhafi and members of his family and associates -- form "one of the speediest international responses to a government targeting its own people." "We recognize the killings are ongoing," Clinton told reporters en route to a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Switzerland. "We recognize we need to advance the humanitarian, the military, judicial, and even forensic planning already under way." British Prime Minister David Cameron and British Foreign Secretary William Hague both called on Gadhafi on Sunday to go. "Libya's future has no future with him at the helm," Cameron said. "Absolutely none." Britain also announced it was freezing the assets of Gadhafi, five of his children, and those acting on their behalf. Gadhafi's son, Saif, denied the government used force on its own people. In an interview that ran Sunday with Christiane Amanpour for ABC's "This Week," he was asked about numerous reports of attacks by government forces on civilians. "Show me a single attack," he said. "Show me a single bomb. Show me a single casualty. The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites." The younger Gadhafi -- who is a prominent member of the government -- also played down anti-government protests. Just because "10,000 or 5,000 people" demonstrate against his father, he said, doesn't mean the entire population is against him. He had harsh words, however, for the Libyan diplomats who have turned their backs on his father, calling them "hypocrites." "If you are strong, they love you. If not, they say goodbye. That is good. We get rid of them," he told Amanpour. Meanwhile, Gadhafi's nurse went home to Ukraine. Galyna Kolotnytska gained notoriety in November after WikiLeaks released a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli describing Gadhafi's almost obsessive reliance on the woman, described as a "voluptuous blonde." Kolotnytska's daughter told CNN on Sunday her mother had returned but was not commenting. Tunisians on the border with Libya waved pre-Gadhafi-era Libyan flags in support of the opposition as tens of thousands surged towards the country that triggered the series of Arab world revolts. About 100,000 people have fled violence in Libya in the past week, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. CNN witnessed the Tunisian army, charities and ordinary Tunisians trying to help Libyans on the border. Refugees said Tunisians were offering them food, water, and even the use of phones. The Tunisian government reported Saturday that 40,000 people had crossed its borders since February 20, while Egypt reported 55,000 had crossed over since February 19, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Sunday. The evacuees include Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, and many from Asian countries. About 10,000 fled from Libya to Tunisia on Saturday, the Red Crescent said. "Very large numbers of people amassed in the no man's land between Libya and Tunisia in extremely cold conditions," Red Crescent spokesman Joe Lowry told CNN on Sunday. "People stood in the queue for six hours with no food, water, or access to sanitation." The Red Crescent is affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. At least four people were carried away in stretchers because of crush injuries and several lost consciousness as a result of the chaos. "It was very worrying to see women passing their babies in cots over the crowd to keep them from harm," Lowry said. There were also chaotic scenes in Tripoli as people rushed to banks to claim a government handout of 500 dinars (just over $400) per family. There were also long lines in Zawiya. Pharmacies in Tripoli were running out of blood pressure and diabetes medicines, a source in the capital told CNN. Gadhafi has showed no sign of relinquishing power. Sunday, the world waited to see whether the threat of sanctions will have any effect on a country where the death toll from the recent unrest has topped 1,000, according to an estimate from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Saturday night, the United Nations Security Council voted 15-0 on the draft resolution, which also refers the situation unfolding in Libya to the International Criminal Court. Gadhafi and others could face an investigation for potential war crimes. "This resolution will be a signal (to) put an end to the fascist regime that is still in existence," said Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, Libyan ambassador to the United Nations. Earlier Saturday, he renounced support for Gadhafi, calling him "a leader who loves nobody but himself." Hours before the Security Council's vote Saturday, Libya's budding opposition picked a former top official as its interim leader. Libya's deputy ambassador to the world body, Ibrahim Dabbashi, indicated that he and fellow diplomats support "in principle" a caretaker administration under the direction of former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil. City councils in areas no longer loyal to Gadhafi chose Jalil to head an interim government that would represent all of Libya and ultimately be based in Tripoli, according to Amal Bogagies, a member of the coalition of the February 17 Uprising, and a separate Libyan opposition source. Both are based in Benghazi, the eastern city that is under the control of the opposition. Jalil was in Gadhafi's government until Monday, when he quit to protest the "bloody situation" and "use of excessive force" against unarmed protesters, according to Libyan newspaper Quryna. Protests began February 15 in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city. At least several other cities are now thought to be under opposition control, according to eyewitnesses. There have been numerous reports of widespread violence -- some of it perpetrated by foreign mercenaries and security forces loyal to Gadhafi, and some by protesters. While CNN has staff in some cities, the network could not independently confirm reports for many areas in Libya. CNN has also compiled information through telephone interviews with witnesses. CNN's Ivan Watson, Eve Bower, Ben Wedeman, Salma Abdelaziz, Talia Kayali, Richard Roth, Jack Maddox and Whitney Hurst contributed to this report. | NEW: Gadhafi's son: Libyan diplomats who turn their backs on Gadhafi are "hypocrites"
Armed civilians take defensive positions in a town they control near Tripoli .
Gadhafi's nurse goes home to Ukraine .
People race to banks to claim a $400 government handout . |
55,592 | 9d976eafc87900c88a9ffec347bae1a663a5a284 | Sentenced: Martyn Jones, 40, who had 17 previous convictions, was jailed for three years over the crash . A hit-and-run driver who left a pedestrian in a coma after mowing him down while being chased by police had been speeding because he was desperate for the toilet, a court heard yesterday. Martyn Jones, 40, whose four-year-old son was with him in the car, was jailed for three years after admitting leaving Tekie Yamani, 37, with brain injuries, fractured ribs and memory loss. At the time of the 60mph crash in the Deane area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, witnesses said the pedestrian was thrown into the air and landed up to 50ft further along the road. Jones - who had 17 previous convictions - had soiled himself and was being chased by two officers in a police van. They had noticed his erratic driving as he left a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. Katy Appleton, defending, told Bolton Crown Court that Jones suffered from difficulties with his bowel movements and wore a colostomy bag. She said: ‘He had visited his daughter and was in a distressed state. He was desperate to go to the toilet and soiled himself, which led to the very unfortunate events.’ His victim Mr Yamani, a taxi driver and father-of-three originally from Eritrea, was walking to a shop on Wigan Road to buy a phone card when he was struck by the car, on July 18 at about 12pm. Crash scene: Jones had soiled himself and was being chased by two officers in a police van in Deane, Bolton . Jones claimed to police he was unaware that he had hit a person, instead thinking someone had hit his car with a metal bar in an attempted carjacking. But he drove his blue Vauxhall Astra to a friend’s house in nearby Leigh and asked him to keep the vehicle, with the damaged windscreen covered up. The court heard that Jones’s speed was about twice the legal limit and he was seen weaving in and out of traffic and overtaking vehicles. John Hatton, who was driving a bus which Jones overtook, said it was ‘the worst driving’ he had ever seen in his career. Dangerous: Jones’s speed was about twice the legal limit and he was seen weaving in and out of traffic . Mr Yamani suffered a serious brain injury and post-traumatic amnesia, the court heard. He was in a coma for the three weeks after the accident. CCTV footage which captured the horrifying moment Mr Yamani was struck was played to the court. Jones, who lives in a £60,000 terraced house in Leigh, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop. Recorder Stuart Driver said: ‘This was a prolonged and deliberate case of serious bad driving. ‘Your victim was a pedestrian and a vulnerable road user. You did all this while you had your vulnerable four-year-old son in the car with you.’ | Martyn Jones, 40, was driving in Greater Manchester with son, four, in car .
He left pedestrian, 37, with brain injuries, fractured ribs and memory loss .
Tekie Yamani was thrown into air and landed up to 50ft further along road .
Police noticed his erratic driving as he left nearby McDonald’s restaurant .
Jones - who had 17 previous convictions - has been jailed for three years . |
264,109 | e210514fbeec2daae20e6b26e9b1936c2b15f660 | Samsung last night unveiled its latest flagship device, the Galaxy S3, the follow-up to last year's best-selling phone in the world. The smartphone market moves on once more, with the hi-tech voice-controlled Galaxy S3 likely to becomes a standard-bearer for Google’s Android operating system - and a device for the Apple refuseniks. The phone’s most innovative feature is built-in face-tracking and voice control - allowing, Samsung claims, for a more 'natural' control system. Other innovations include what Samsung claims is a 'more intelligent' lock system, that keeps the screen 'awake' when the phone’s camera senses eyes watching it, rather than turning it off. Blue and white: The Samsung S3 launches at the end of May, available in 'pebble blue' and 'marble white' The voice control system is called S Voice - and allows access to weather forecasts, web searches and scheduling, similar to iPhone’s Siri system. Saying 'I want to take a picture' launches the camera application - and will work in eight languages at launch. S Voice can also reply out loud - which Samsung claims will allow the system to be used while driving. Available in blue and white, the phone will be launched at the end of May, starting in Europe, with other regions following. Samsung played on its expertise in screens with a large 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen running a resolution of 1280 x 720p - far bigger than Apple’s iPhone, and close in size to the smaller end of the tablet market. Ready for launch: A still from Samsung's presentation reveals the S3 for the first time . Screen size:4.8 inch . Processor:1.4 Ghz quad-core . Memory size:Up to 32gb (+64gb with card) Operating system:Android Ice Cream Sandwich . Camera:Eight megapixel . Weight: . 133grams . Dimensions:Height - 136mmWidth - 70mmDepth - 8.5mm . Battery:2100mAh . Screen size:4.7 inch . Processor:1.5Ghz quad-core . Memory size:32GB (non-expandable) Operating system:Android Ice Cream Sandwich . Camera:Eight megapixel . Weight:130grams . Dimensions:Height - 134mmWidth - 69mmDepth - 8.9mm . Battery:1800mAh . Screen size:3.5 inch . Processor:800 MHz dual-core . Memory size:Up to 64gb (non-expandable) Operating system:iOS . Camera:Eight megapixel . Weight:140grams . Dimensions:Height - 115mmWidth - 58mmDepth - 9mm . Battery:1432mAh . The S3 is powered by a quad-core processor - similar to the ones found in many laptops, and far more powerful than the dual core found in the iPhone. The phone also includes an NFC chip - near-field-communications - allowing users to share content such as video by tapping phones together. And if you are sick of wires, a separate wireless charging kit means you can charge your phone without hooking it up to the socket. Live audience: Hundreds of people packed into the Earls Court auditorium to see the launch of the phone . Mail Online science editor Rob Waugh gets hands-on with the S3: . The screen isn’t quite the match of some Android rivals such as Sony’s new Xperia S, but on every other count, this is a uniquely desirable device - and likely to set the pace for Apple’s next iPhone. The speed of the quad-core processor is detectable in every app, with the new version of Android giving everything a satisfyingly sci-fi 'Tron'-like feel, and the screen is absolutely huge - with the extra space particularly useful when panning through photos with a fingertip. It is also not massively bigger than its predecessor the S2, despite the vast screen - although anyone switching from an iPhone will definitely notice the difference. This blurs the line between phones and tablets - and pulls off the feat with verve. It's also packed with hidden treats - tapping two phones to trade videos between them at 300mbps is probably no more than a novelty, but it's a good one. Burst shoot outperforms a lot of dedicated digital cameras, with a held-down finger rattling out a machine-gun sequence of 20 pictures per second, then instantly picking the best using face detection. The auto-call function’s another 'why hasn’t anyone done this' winner - if you’re looking at a text, for instance, then pick up the phone and put it to your face, it automatically calls the person who texted you. It's smart - and it works. Voice control, as ever, is a bit more take-it-or-leave-it - although it’s unfair to judge S Voice from a crowded and noisy convention centre. It did at least bring up a weather forecast - but trying to persuade it to take a photo was far more difficult. Overall, this is a gorgeous handset that’s likely to put more momentum behind Google’s Android. Samsung has raised the stakes here - and Apple will have to do something truly special to beat this. Samsung pointed out that while the . screen is 22 per cent larger than the previous S2, the 'bezel' around it . has been slimmed down, so that the gadget is barely bigger than its . predecessor. The gadget will launch on May 29 in Europe, and in 10 other . cities worldwide including Tokyo and Dubai. The gadget also has some features clearly aimed at the . business market once dominated by BlackBerry. On-device encryption will allow secure emails working within . business networks - catering for the new trend for businesses allowing . employees to 'bring their own' smartphones rather than using company phones. The NFC chip will also be used for tap-to-pay mobile . payments, in partnership with Visa, with a 'virtual wallet' on the device . making payment simple. The . phone is also armed with a battery claimed to last longer than other . devices - despite a form factor which is 8.6mm thin and 130g in weight. The phone has an eight megapixel camera - on a par with both iPhone 4S and the previous Galaxy S2. The . device was presented by Samsung president JK Shin, who said: 'There were a lot of . rumours and speculation - some were right, and some were wrong. 'The . Galaxy S3 is the best-in-class smartphone in the world.' The . phone was shown off by The Gadget Show’s Suzi Perry at a high-profile . event at London's Earls Court exhibition centre - a large, clearly . expensive stage show that had a distinct resemblance to Apple’s . well-choreographed showings for new iPhones and iPads. 'This is the biggest launch event of the year,' said Perry. Samsung is also to launch a range of pop-up shops which will show off the handset around Europe - announcing this in a way reminiscent of Steve Job's traditional, 'One last thing,' at their product launches. A new feature called ‘Pop up Play’ enables multitasking - so that you can, for instance, put a video in a . window on screen, then use other apps with the rest of the screen. This sort of feature was previously the province of Windows or Mac machines, rather than phones. Competition: The iPhone 4S and HTC One series are also premium models with high brand loyalty . The camera can also burst-shoot at speeds of up to 20 frames per second - faster than many pro-grade cameras. The camera also automatically zooms in on faces by double-tapping the screen and a ‘best-shot’ mode auto-selects the best out of the burst. Some of the apps pre-installed on the S3 . The phone’s front camera can also shoot in HD - still rare in smartphones - and take still images at the same time. Sharing photos with friends is also . speeded up by face-recognition technology - which offers to 'share' photos with any friends detected in a photo using hi-tech face . recognition, sharing either by text message or email, with a bubble . popping up over each person's face with the option to send the photo to . them. The S2 is expected to cost around £35-£40 per . month. Carphone Warehouse said their tariffs would start for £36 on a . 24-month contract. The S3 also contains voice controls - . which brings it up to speed with the iPhone's Siri - but users may be . wondering if it will be another damp squib. Despite . the fun of Apple's Siri, most users prefer traditional controls over . speaking to their phone, and the feature which launched the iPhone 4s is . not used by many users. The Samsung Galaxy S3 will be heavily promoted with a worldwide advertising campaign starting this week. Samsung is now the biggest phone . manufacturer in the world, and for this launch they took a page out of . Apple's marketing guide and kept everything hush-hush. Even . Samsung's invite to journalists and enthusiasts for the launch in Earl's Court, London, played it quiet - simply inviting people to . 'come and meet the next Galaxy'. The stylus-equipped Galaxy Note was a hit for Samsung, proving there is a market for devices with five-inch screens . | Samsung unveiled latest flagship smartphone at Apple-style launch party in London .
Eye-tracking and voice-control revealed as key new features .
Owners get 4.8" screen, quad-core processor, NFC payments, and face-recognition .
Wireless charging kit removes the clutter of wires .
Mail Online verdict: 'Samsung has raised the stakes here - and Apple will have to do something truly special to beat this' |
48,855 | 89eb6a37bf8215cade6eed0b75c4860c830f8a4e | For most managers, losing your captain for three vital games - two against direct rivals - would be a disaster. But such is the embarrassment of attacking riches at Louis van Gaal's disposal, he must now choose between a £37million World Cup winner and arguably one of the best young players in Europe to replace the suspended Wayne Rooney. Van Gaal no doubt would prefer to have Rooney available for Sunday's clash with Everton but as far as replacements go Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj aren't too bad. Juan Mata shows off his strength during Manchester United training earlier this week . Adnan Januzaj takes a seat during a break in training earlier this week . Wayne Rooney is sent off during Manchester United's 2-1 win over West Ham last week . Wayne Rooney (centre) took a full part in training last week but will miss the game against Everton . Most managers would love to have such options, but who will the Dutchman choose? And what will it tell us about his long-term plans for Manchester United? The Dutchman has already proven during his short tenure at Old Trafford that he is not to be second guessed when it comes to team selection. He has, after all, used more players this year than any other manager and given debuts to several young players barely known outside the walls of United's Carrington training ground. But Mata, having scored twice this season already, may consider himself a slight favourite over his younger rival, who is yet to start a game in any competition this season. Van Gaal hinted as much during his Friday press conference, saying: 'In [Rooney's] position Juan Mata has played very well. I have to choose. I will miss Wayne because he is the captain of the team but Mata can also play very well.' That being said, however, the 26-year-old has been on the bench for United's last two games - and didn't even come on during the 2-1 win over West Ham last week. Louis van Gaal will have to choose between Adnan Januzaj and Juan Mata to replace Wanye Rooney . Juan Mata celebrates coring against Sunderland in the Premier League to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead . Juan Mata scores against for United in the 4-0 win over QPR at Old Trafford last month . With Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao - neither of whom are blessed with much pace - to start up front, Van Gaal may decide that he wants more speed and dynamism in his front three - meaning Mata may be sacrificed. For all his talent on the ball and ability to open up defences, there is no doubt that Mata often slows United's play down. Januzaj, however, is one of those players who has the ability to get fans out of their seats with his direct style of play. Under former manager David Moyes, the 19-year-old was predominately seen terrorising opposition full-backs but many at Old Trafford believe that he will eventually develop in to the No 10 role. Van Gaal has used Januzaj sparingly this season but after he shone for United's U21s last week - scoring one and setting the other up - the Dutchman may feel he can no longer keep his No 11 on the bench. In recent years, United have lost many of their promising young stars - Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison and Gerard Pique in particular - and that may too play a part in Van Gaal's thinking. Adnan Januzaj skips mast Joshua Onomah of Tottenham in United's U21s victory last week . Manchester United's U21 players mob Adnan Januzaj after he scores the winning goal against Tottenham . He must surely know that the longer he keeps Januzaj on the fringes of the first-team, the greater the chance he will leave. The Belgian was one of the few players to emerge with any credit last season during Moyes' disastrous reign and it was expected that this would be the year he really broke through and showed his full potential. However, a change in formation and the arrival of a flurry of expensive stars at Old Trafford have raised doubts about the future of Januzaj. Is he prepared to bide his time or will he look to move elsewhere in search of the game time a young player of his calibre no doubt deserves? Equally, should Mata find himself on the bench on Sunday, then it would surely signal the start of the end for him at United. If Mata isn't trusted in a home game against Everton, then when will he be trusted? It is a straight shoot-out between two talented - but different - players and whoever gets the nod will be under pressure to deliver. But who will Van Gaal choose, we will find out soon enough... | Wayne Rooney is suspended for Manchester United's game against Everton .
Boss Van Gaal is likely to choose between Mata and Januzaj to replace him .
Dutchman hinted on Friday that Mata is likely to start .
Mata has been on the bench for United's last two games .
Januzaj is yet to start a game in any competition for United this season . |
69,886 | c622d06172862569b5a9c799c7081ef09403b567 | Nothing says Australian like green and gold and Streets are hoping that patriotic Aussies will lap up its new 'Green & Golden' varieties of the Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop ice creams. The move is a celebration of 80 years of Aussie Summers under Streets Ice Cream, which began when Edwin Street began selling ice cream from his shop in Corrimal, NSW, in the early 1920s. The patriotic Green & Golden variety of the Golden Gaytime ice cream . The new limited edition Paddle Pop is a celebration of 80 years of Aussie Summers under Streets Ice Cream . It's not the first time that Streets has mixed up its ice cream offer. Over the years, there have been over 20 different flavours of the Gaytime ice cream, including Strawberry Shortcake, Raspberry Rough, and Turkish Delight. Paddle Pop is among the most recognised Australian brands and is sold in over 20 different countries. Streets Marketing Director, Anthony Toovey said the Aussie themed ice creams were designed to remind people that Streets Ice Creams are about the Aussie summer time and having fun. 'We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 80th summer than with ice creams that say we are proudly Australian - green and gold through and through' said Mr Toovey. Limited edition Green & Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop Aussie Rainbow are available now. SInce its launch there have been 20 different versions of the Golden Gaytime ice cream. The limited edition Aussie Rainbow version of the Paddle Pop is available now . | Streets releases green and gold versions of the Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop ice creams .
The move is a celebration of 80 Aussie summers with Streets ice cream . |
97,373 | 094ce57dc5743c70bfff59eade7509ba133b839a | (CNN) -- A federal grand jury has charged a British man with hacking into thousands of computer systems and stealing confidential U.S. government information. Lauri Love, 28, and alleged co-conspirators are accused of trying to "disrupt the operations and infrastructure" of various agencies and departments, including the Army, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The indictment was announced Monday by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman of New Jersey. "As part of their alleged scheme, they stole military data and personal identifying information belonging to servicemen and women," said Fishman. "Such conduct endangers the security of our country and is an affront to those who serve." Love was arrested Friday at his Stradishall, England, home. He faces one count of illegally accessing a government computer system and one count of conspiracy. Related criminal charges were also unsealed in Virginia on Monday. | Indictment alleges suspect hacked into networks and stole confidential information .
Suspect Lauri Love and others allegedly sought to disrupt Army, NASA, EPA systems .
Love was arrested on Friday at his home in England . |
236,239 | bdcbbb12bc478994f25a0a7d2de72f9d3ad21398 | By . Steph Cockroft . Christine Walker went to Cheltenham General Hospital with a . bruised elbow but died after contracting norovirus . An elderly woman who was admitted to hospital with a bruised elbow died after doctors failed to check on her for three days, an inquest has heard. Christine Walker, 86, from Silverton, Devon, was treated for minor bruising at Cheltenham General Hospital in March last year after a fall while staying at her son's house in Gloucestershire. Despite having just minor bruising from the fall, Mrs Walker was kept in the hospital under observation. But when she was moved to a different ward the next day, the pensioner was not seen by a doctor for another three days. By that time, Mrs Walker had contracted norovirus - from which she died two weeks later. Speaking after the inquest into her death, the family said Mrs Walker had been well before the hospital admission and had been 'up and down the stairs' just days earlier. In a statement the family said: 'Mr Walker and his family are still . coming to terms with the fact that his mother was admitted to hospital . with a bruised elbow and went on to die.' At an inquest into her death at Gloucestershire Coroner's Court, the hearing heard how the mother-of-two had been kept in hospital under observation because of her age and frail health. Doctors, who saw Mrs Walker on March 17, were concerned that she might have suffered an unforeseen injury during the fall. The next day, the patient was moved into a private room on the Kemerton Ward - which her family claim was dirty and understaffed - but was not looked at by doctors. By the time she was checked on March 21, Mrs Walker was vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea. She died on April 10 from norovirus, pneumonia and haematuria, which is when there is blood in the urine. During the hearing, a consultant physician at Cheltenham General Hospital admitted that no senior doctor had been assigned to look after Mrs Walker. She said: 'That did not happen and I do not know why that did not happen.' Mrs Walker's son Nicholas, with whom she had been staying at the time, said he was told by a . nurse that she was the only person on shift during one particular . morning - an allegation the hospital denies. The inquest heard there were 'staffing pressures' on the ward which . 'could have been an explanation' for why Mrs Walker was not checked for . three days by medical staff - in which time she contracted the virus . The hearing heard the Kemerton Ward is meant to have at least two nurses and two health care assistants on duty at all times. Nurse Jonathan Burford said: 'There was a mixture of ward staff, agency staff and bank staff [cover] on the ward. It was a challenge to meet minimum staffing levels at times.' When coroner Katy Skerrett asked whether that could be 'an explanation for why Mrs Walker was not looked in on for those three days', the nurse replied 'yes'. Lawyer Jamie Gamble, who was representing Mr Walker, told the inquest it was 'highly likely' that Mrs Walker caught the virus on the ward. 'Mr Walker and his family are still . coming to terms with the fact that his mother was admitted to hospital . with a bruised elbow and went on to die' Walker family statement . He said: 'The family made a complaint about the room Mrs Walker was in being dirty. 'The complaint was that there was an incontinence sheet in the room from the patient before.' Sister Sue Harris, the nurse in charge of the hospital at night, apologised to the Walker family and admitted the room was untidy - but not dirty. She said: 'The family were not happy about the nursing care on the ward. I apologised. 'I was unhappy that they had experienced that on the ward as we have a high standard of nursing care. I was upset. The private room was untidy. I would not say dirty.' Recording a narrative verdict, Gloucestershire coroner Katy Skerrett said: 'This woman was admitted to hospital having suffered a fall. She was frail due to her age and various other health issues. 'She was not seen by the medic team for three days, during which she had norovirus. The delay seems to be after she contracted the virus. 'There were staffing pressures at the hospital and there was a medley of Trust, agency and bank staff working in what was a temporary winter ward. 'After a discussion with the family she was placed on the LCP. She died on April 10. I offer my sincere condolences to her family.' Speaking after the inquest, Mr Walker, who has moved from Cheltenham to Devon since her death, said: 'She was not a frail woman. She was up and down the stairs, eating three meals a day.' His partner Sue Taylor added: 'She had a wicked sense of humour. She certainly was not frail.' A statement read on behalf of the Walker family's solicitor Oliver Thorne read: 'Today’s inquest has highlighted a number of failings on the part of Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust. 'These include ward cleanliness, communication and staffing pressures. The main one is how Mrs Walker went for three days without being seen. 'Mr Walker and his family are still coming to terms with the fact that his mother was admitted to hospital with a bruised elbow and went on to die.' The Walker family said it is now considering taking legal action against the trust. | Christine Walker was kept in Cheltenham General Hospital for observation .
But she died from norovirus after not being seen by staff for three days .
Coroner said she was 'frail' but there were 'staffing pressures' on the ward .
Mrs Walker's family said inquest highlighed 'a number of failings' by the NHS . |
22,131 | 3ecb2acb99384fe720916d8b5f311b90ee9a66f1 | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 04:39 EST, 3 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:04 EST, 3 May 2013 . Fate sealed by the Moon: General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson was shot by his own troops who could only see his silhouette in the moonlight . Astronomers have cleared up the mystery of how Confederate general Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson was accidentally shot and killed by his own soldiers. General Jackson was a major figure in the American Civil War, a genius general and second in command to Confederate general Robert E. Lee. He was shot by his own troops during the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, and died soon after, an incident widely regarded as a turning point in the fight between North and South. Now a reconstruction of the Moon's cycle at the time of the friendly fire incident has explained how General Jackson's own troops could have mistaken him for the enemy. That fateful night, General Jackson kept his troops, who were fresh from a major victory against the Union's Twelfth Corps, fighting even as the Sun set - a rare move in that time. But as the South's soldiers fought on under the moonlight, a Confederate officer on the left flank of the 18th North Carolina regiment spotted a group of riders headed towards his position. It was General Jackson and his command unit. But fearing the enemy was upon them, Major John Barry ordered his soldiers to fire on the riders, riddling the group with bullets. General Jackson was hit in his right wrist and left arm, which had to be amputated, and died eight days later after catching pneumonia. Now astronomers say they have worked out why Major Barry and his soldiers didn't recognize their commanders, and it's because the position of the Moon meant they appeared only as silhouettes to the men in their own lines. Astronomer Don Olson of Texas State University and Laurie Jasinski, a researcher and editor at the Texas State Historical Association, used astronomical software to calculate the Moon's position on the night of the battle. Battle plans: The positions of the Confederate . (black) and Union (blue) lines at Chancellorsville, as . well as the relative position of the moon, which meant the South's . soldiers didn't recognize their commander . They also scoured historical accounts . and battle maps to work out exactly where the 18th North Carolina . regiment and General Jackson's party were placed at the time of the . shooting - about 9pm. Professor Olson told SPACE.com: . 'Once we calculated the compass direction of the moon and compared that . to the detailed battle maps published by Robert Krick, it quickly . became obvious how Stonewall Jackson would have been seen as a dark . silhouette, from the point of view of the 18th North Carolina regiment.' General Jackson's death was seen as a major blow for . the Confederacy, affecting not only its military prospects, but also the . morale of its army and of the general public. Jackson in death became . an icon of Southern heroism and commitment, joining Lee in the pantheon . of the 'Lost Cause'. Still . regarded as one of U.S. history's greatest tacticians, historians still . debate whether the outcome of the whole Civil War might have been . altered if he had survived. Illustration showing Stonewall Jackson with his troops at Bull Run, July 21, 1861 . His Valley Campaign and his . envelopment of the Union Army right wing at Chancellorsville are studied . worldwide even today as examples of innovative and bold leadership. He excelled as well in other battles; . the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) where he received his . famous nickname 'Stonewall', Second Bull Run (Second Manassas), . Antietam, and Fredericksburg. Jackson was not universally successful . as a commander, however, as displayed by his weak and confused efforts . during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond in 1862. He was greatly admired and respected throughout the South, and his death had a profound effect there on civilians and soldiers alike. A poem penned by one of his soldiers soon became a very popular song, 'Stonewall Jackson's Way'. A stone marks the spot where Stonewall Jackson was shot Guinea, Virginia . On learning of his injuries, General Lee wrote to Jackson stating: 'Could I have directed events, I would have chosen for the good of the country to be disabled in your stead.' This isn't the first time that Professor Olson has used astronomy to clear up other historical mysteries. He . has previously calculated the direction of moonlight on the night of . Paul Revere's ride to warn Colonial militia of the advance of British . forces to explain why he wasn't spotted by sentries on a Royal Navy . warship. And he did the same to explain how sailors on Japan's I-58 submarine were able to spot and sink the USS Indianapolis in 1945. 'We are always interested in any historical event that happened at night - very often, the moon plays an important role, as happened here,' he added. Professor Olson and Mr Jasinski reported their findings in the May 2013 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. A painting commemorating the last meeting between General Robert Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the two confederate leaders of the U.S. Civil War . | Confederate commander was shot in friendly fire incident that may have been a turning point in the Civil War .
New research shows he was between his troops and the Moon, the light from which would have cast him as a silhouette . |
30,284 | 5619b27ee91b2f7720afebe590a869ccfd3ee4d3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:37 EST, 20 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:58 EST, 21 October 2013 . A teenager who was caught with a dead baby in her bag while she was allegedly shoplifting at a Victoria Secret in New York has not been charged over the macabre find. Tiona Rodriguez, 17, was released Saturday without bail after she pleaded not guilty to petty larceny and possession of stolen property charges. However, authorities say they cannot bring charges over the dead baby until forensic tests determine exactly how the full-term newborn died, which could take several weeks, according to the New York Post. Preliminary . reports from detectives suggest the fetus was born alive and possibly . had been asphyxiated. In court: Tiona Rodgriguez, 17, pictured on her way to a Manhattan . courtroom on Saturday where she pleaded not guilty to shoplifting . charges . Arrests: Tiona Rodriguez (left) was carrying a . dead baby boy in her shopping bag when she was stopped on suspicion of . shoplifting with her friend Francis Estevez (right) in New York on . Thursday . 'I . don’t want to ignore the elephant in the room, but we are only . arraigning the shoplifts,' Assistant District Attorney Robert . Hettleman told the court, according to New York Daily News. As . the court released Estevez without bail, more than a dozen cops and . detectives descended on her Queens home with a crime scene unit truck . and two other vehicles, according to a neighbor. Police . believe Rodriguez gave birth in Estevez’s home on Wednesday. The . investigators spent two hours going through an upstairs apartment where . Estevez’s family lives. Rodriguez was arrested on October 17 along with her friend Francis Estevez, 17, in a . Victoria’s Secret shop on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The grisly discovery was made when the two girls were stopped by a . security guard as they left the store in Herald Square on suspicion of . shoplifting. But as well as . allegedly finding hundreds of dollars worth of stolen goods inside the . bags, the guard noticed there was a strong odor inside and found a tiny . body under the loot. Rodriguez . told detectives she had delivered a day earlier and didn't know what to . do, authorities said. Police believe she delivered at the other girl's . house. ‘Shoplifting with a . baby in her bag the entire time certainly suggests a little bit of . difficulty following society’s rules,’ assistant district attorney . Robert Hettleman said in Manhattan Criminal Court on Saturday. Hettleman said the matter was still under investigation. ‘The . NYPD, my office and the office of the Chief Medical Examiner are going . to continue to vigorously and thoroughly investigate the matter relating . to the baby,’ he told the Post. Rodriguez is due back in court on December 10. Found: Investigators remove evidence bags containing the male fetus from the scene on Thursday . A recent autopsy of the dead baby was . inconclusive, and more tests will be needed to determine how the fetus . died, according to the city medical examiner's office. But New York Police Department spokesman, . John McCarthy, said that the case was still being investigated and that . police were awaiting the medical examiners' determination of the cause . of death. After Rodriguez was arrested on Thursday she was taken to Bellevue Hospital and both girls were arrested on petit larceny charges. A few hours later the fetus was removed . by Medical Examiner's Office workers, who also removed other bags of . potential evidence. Medical attention: Tiona Rodriguez, who said she had had a miscarriage, is taken away in a wheelchair . A woman who said she was the other girl's mother said she hadn't spoken with her daughter since her arrest and hung up. On her Facebook page late on . Wednesday night, Rodriguez had complained about period cramps, and . added that she was excited about an upcoming job interview at Chipotle. Rodriguez and Estevez are both charged . with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Estevez . allegedly had $230 worth of clothes and cosmetics in her bag. One of Tiona's neighbors said she was shocked to hear the teenager had been pregnant. Zami . Ford, 17, said: 'I’ve known her since she was little. She was probably . nervous and didn't know what to do. She would never hurt anyone.' She said she was unaware of the teen's pregnancy and was stunned by the allegations. 'She's a good girl. I can't believe she would do that.' Health problems: Tiona had complained of period pains the day before she was stopped in Victoria's Secret . Teen mom: Tiona, who has a two-year-old son, told police she had a miscarriage the day before . Shocking discovery: A police officer outside the Victoria's Secret branch where a fetus was found in a bag . Another . neighbor, Lydia Perez, said: 'She had to have hidden that pregnancy for . a while. I saw her outside here the other day with her family, and her . baby. 'There was a whole bunch of joy. You would never know there were . any problems.' Customers at . Victoria’s Secret were also shocked to hear that a fetus was found in . the store, but most sympathized with the schoolgirl. 'She must be going through a big depression. She must have been wondering how she was going to get rid of it,' Yvonne Sonera told the Daily News. | Tiona .
Rodriguez appeared in a Manhattan court on Saturday .
She was charged with petty larceny and possession of stolen property .
But authorities say they cannot bring .
charges over the dead baby until forensic tests determine exactly how .
the full-term newborn died .
Rodriguez and Francis Estevez, both 17, were stopped for suspected .
shoplifting on Thursday in a Victoria's Secret in New York City .
A security guard found the baby's body inside a bag .
Sources confirmed the newborn weighed eight and a half pounds, pointing to a full term baby .
Medical examiner's office says the cause of death is inconclusive .
They believe the child was born alive and died of asphyxia .
Rodriguez gave birth to a baby boy at her friend's home in Queens the day before . |
121,461 | 28fd37016e9f212f72b57fbf28f87b3b0bce7086 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:05 EST, 17 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 23:06 EST, 17 November 2012 . Three people who died when their small plane struck a pickup truck on the runway have been identified as fraternity brothers from the University of Maine. The victims of Friday night's crash were 22-year-old David Cheney, of Beverly, Massachusetts; 24-year-old Marcelo Rugini, an exchange student from Brazil; and 24-year-old William 'B.J.' Hannigan III, of South Portland, Maine. All three were members of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Cheney was the fraternity's president. Killed: David Cheney, left, and B.J. Hannigan, right, were killed in a plane crash in Maine on Friday night . 'UMaine's Greek and international student communities are mourning the loss of three of their own, but they are not alone in their grief,' said Robert Dana, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. 'Losing these three young men - David, Marcelo and B.J. - is a loss for the entire UMaine community and the many people - including faculty and staff - whose lives they touched. They brought great light and energy to our campus, and we will miss them.' Fraternity brothers: Marcelo Rugini was the third of the victims, who met through their frat house . Their Cessna 172 was believed to be traveling about 100mph and had just gone airborne when it clipped a pickup truck that was driving across the runway. The plane kept climbing for a brief few seconds, reaching an altitude of about 100 feet, witnesses said. Then . it veered eastward and spiraled down about 300 yards into a . thickly-wooded area nearby and burst into flames, according to Knox . County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Carroll. The collision sent flames 10 to 20 feet in the air and smoke billowing into the sky, police said. One fraternity brother, senior Lucas . Bernardi, told the Bangor Daily News that the three had flown out of . Bangor International Airport earlier in the day and then toward Lincoln . County over a farm where one of the victims had worked over the summer. He said one of the victims had just earned his pilot's licence and wanted to take his friends for a fun ride. 'It wasn't the first time they had been flying,' Mr Bernardi told the newspaper. 'I was supposed to go with them, but I didn't.' Mr Hannigan, who graduated from the university in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, was piloting the plane and had been working on his flight hours, Dana said. Mr Cheney was a business major. Mr Rugini, who was from the town of Muliterno in southern Brazil, was an economics major. Search: Authorities combed the woods nearby to find the wreckage and remains of the victims . Tragic: University officials paid tributes to the three young men who died in the accident . Lambda Chi Alpha has been in touch with the victims' families and has been keeping the university informed, Mr Dana said. Fraternity members gathered in . solidarity at their campus house Saturday night, and a police officer . was stationed outside to keep away the media, the Bangor Daily News . reported. The . first people to the scene tried unsuccessfully to pull one of the . occupants from the burning wreckage, said John Newcomb, president of the . Downeast Air airline services company, who was among those who tried to . help. The . pickup truck that was struck by the plane was allowed to be at the . airport and was driven by a pilot who was picking up another pilot who . had parked a plane in a hangar, Mr Carroll said. Crash . course: A Cessna 172 similar to this one crashed after hitting a truck . that was crossing the runway just as the four-seater tried to take flight . Accident scene: Firefighters had difficulty accessing the woods around Knox County Regional Airport to extinguish the fiery plane crash that killed three Friday night . All trucks at the airport are equipped . with radios to pick up any traffic from planes, according to airport . manager Jeff Northgraves. He said planes are required to radio their positions before, during and after takeoff. It is not yet known if the plane that crashed had radioed its actions. Because . the plane's identification numbers had been burned off, ‘we don't have . verification that this aircraft is what we think it is,’ Northgraves . said. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. | Collision sent flames 10 to 20 feet in the air and smoke billowing into sky .
Cessna likely traveling 100 mph on runway as accident occurred .
Victims met through Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at the University of Maine .
B.J. Hannigan, 24, was piloting plane after recently earning flying licence .
Frat president David Cheney and Brazilian exchange student Marcelo Rugini also killed in horror crash . |
20,220 | 3961ff66592feeb3dd32ed6859b08a01a3934c3a | Isle de la Gonave, Haiti (CNN) -- The fishing boat speeds over blue waters of the Caribbean, leaving behind the devastation of mainland Haiti. Pods of dolphins and flying fish dart over the frothy waves. Ahead lies an island of pristine beaches. But reality on the Haitian island, about 45 miles off the main island, is far from a tropical paradise. Neglected by the government for years, the residents of Isle de la Gonave call their island "the forgotten Haiti." Now more than ever. The earth didn't rumble as hard in la Gonave on January 12, but people are feeling a different sort of aftershock. "This whole island was sourced by Port-au-Prince," says Capt. Stan Bednair, who has come in on this warm, humid Tuesday with a team from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to assess the situation at Anse-a-Galets, the biggest community on the island. "The main source of income here is cash from the mainland," he says. "Now it is not flowing." Without much agriculture on the rugged, limestone island, people seek all their provisions -- including food -- by boat from the Haitian capital and coastal cities such as Leogane that were leveled in the killer quake. "We don't produce anything here. Just fish," says Bernard Ranfort, who does odd manual labor jobs to earn a few dollars. After the quake, he says, prices skyrocketed. A pot of rice used to cost about 50 cents; now it's up to more than $1. iReport: Haiti's missing and found . "You buy what you can. If not a whole pot, then half a pot. This is how we are living," he says. "This area wasn't hit by the quake, but we are feeling it." La Gonave is one of the poorest regions of Haiti, the most destitute country in the Americas, where the per capita income is less than $400 and 80 percent of people are living under the poverty line. Bednair says the quake is a severe blow to this impoverished and isolated community. "There is a very strong secondary effect in la Gonave." Some of that is evident at the hospital in Anse-a-Galets. Jean Donaldson's mother has brought him here so that the Americans can help him. The 9-year-old boy broke his right leg when a wall crumbled in November. He had pins placed in his leg in Port-au-Prince. They were supposed to have been removed the day before the quake. The boy is rushed in and placed on a gurney in a gaudily painted turquoise examination room that was sparse in the morning but by midday is teeming with the U.S. Navy's world-class medicines and expert doctors. Lt. Kishla Askins suggests taking the boy back to the USS Nassau for further treatment. Jean's mother puts a fresh shirt on him for the journey. Askins continues down the long line of patients, all of whom are expecting some of her short time here. Full coverage . They are suffering from acute injuries, both quake-related and not, and chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. "They just don't have that access to care," Askins says. "They don't have specialists here or anything like x-rays to internal medicine, any kind of surgery. They were relying on Port-au-Prince, and they have lost that." The Marines carry the crippled boy to a Humvee and journey down the main route through Anse-a-Galets: Avenue of Evolution. Despite the name, time seems to have stood still in this town of limestone huts and a few dilapidated or half-finished buildings. Layers of dust cover everything, as though the quake had struck violently here. The only signs of modern civilization are the two cell towers owned by Digicel and Voila and a series of hand-painted green street signs, an odd site in a place where vehicles are lacking license plates. A sudden burst of magenta bougainvilleas catches the eye amid the drab. At the beach, crowds have amassed to watch the Americans who came to help. Joinvill Anvousse is one of them. He, like many other young people from la Gonave, left his birthplace several years ago to seek education in Port-au-Prince. He was studying theology at the Haitian Bible College. Finding shelter, aid, supplies . On the day of the quake, he escaped with his sister. His house and his college, he says, were destroyed. Afraid of the sizeable aftershocks that continued to jolt the city, afraid of the death all around him, Anvousse took a boat back to la Gonave. He says he doesn't know where his parents are. Nor his other seven siblings. He meanders through Anse-a-Galets in hopes of finding people who will provide him something to eat. He counts back the days to Sunday, trying to recall when he last had a meal. "Rice," he says. "And then some water. If you go to the water pipe, you can find some water. "Some of my family is dead. The rest are very poor right now. My education is breaking down. It was everything to me." He doesn't even have the money to return to Port-au-Prince to find loved ones. The boat rides cost anywhere from $6 to $8, depending on whether it's on a sailboat or a motorized one. Under the glare of the afternoon sun, Anvousse gazes intently as the Marines load up their trucks and gear onto a monstrous landing craft utility boat that carried them to shore earlier in the day. Residents watch in awe as though an alien spacecraft had landed from outer space. Some have never even seen a television camera, let alone a state-of-the-art utility boat that comes by sea and travels on land, kicking up sand and gravel like a hurricane would. "The government of Haiti is breaking down," Anvousse says, his eyes set on the departing Marines. "The only thing we can do now is wait for the USA." Then the Marines, who came with food and medicine, head for the sea. They don't see the sign at the tiny port. "Thank you for visiting Anse-a-Galets." | Residents of Isle de la Gonave call their island "the forgotten Haiti"
The island is dependent on Port-au-Prince for money, supplies .
The quake spared island direct hit, but the residents are now cut off from main island .
Island's people are hungry and in need of medical care; U.S. Marines try to help . |
205,487 | 9603f60dbb32c15140c118fb3c99ff55ed445fe0 | By . Emily Allen . Last updated at 1:20 PM on 27th October 2011 . Accused: Rashpal Chana pictured at Nottingham Crown Court is accused of the manslaughter of Kristiana Logina . A two-year-old girl who died at her mother's home was probably held under a shower head or extremely hot water and was never taken for urgent medical treatment, a court heard. Kristiana Logina suffered 10 per cent burns to her body when she was held under a scalding hot water which could have reached a maximum of 58 degrees, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Her mother, Eva Logina, 25, and her then boyfriend, 49-year-old Rashpal Chana, applied creams and bandages to Kristiana's wounds but never took her to be assessed and treated by medical professionals. The court was told that had they sought medical treatment, the toddler's life could have been saved. Both are charged with her manslaughter on February 15 last year at the house they shared in Harborne, Birmingham. Logina, now of Smethwick in West Midlands, also faces a further charge of child cruelty on dates between February 15 2009 and February 15 2010. She and Chana, also of Smethwick, West Midlands, both deny all charges. At the start of their trial today, prosecutor Timothy Raggatt QC told the jury of five women and seven men that Kristiana was injured between 10 days and a fortnight before her death and eventually died in the paediatric intensive care unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital. He said: 'It seems likely that the direct cause may very well have been the application by a shower head unit or extremely hot water. 'The nature and extent of the injuries that she sustained were such that it would have been, or should have been, instantly apparent that she required urgent medical treatment.' Both are charged with her manslaughter on February 15 last year at the house they shared in Harborne, Birmingham . Kristiana's burns were left untreated for such a long period of time that the damaged skin eventually died and began to decay, Mr Raggatt said. He added: 'The direct cause of her death was something known by the medical profession as septic shock. 'Septic shock means this - it is that your body becomes so infected and debilitated that your organs and vital systems stop working. 'That in its turn leads to infection, organ failure and death.' Logina, who is from Latvia and came to the UK in 2007 when she was pregnant with Kristiana, initially put her up for adoption after her birth, which led to her being in foster care for a short period. Mr Raggatt told the court: 'During that that time of foster care Kristiana was a normal happily developing girl. 'After she returned to her mother and after she spent some time with her mother the child deteriorated and went from a happy, bouncy child and went to one who was sullen, sad and depressed and one who was shown little care or affection.' The trial continues. | Kristiana Logina suffered 10 per cent burns to her body .
Court heard her burns went untreated and her skin started to decay . |
74,930 | d46ec7e8156d405470581e71743e991daf8a0c29 | (CNN) -- An explosion at a North Carolina chemical plant Saturday ignited a fire and forced the evacuation of some 750 people, an official said. The local fire department received a call about an explosion at Chemical Coatings Inc. around 3 p.m. ET, said Denise Michaud, Caldwell County health director. The blast ignited a fire, which was under control, but still burning Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, she said. Aerial video of the scene showed huge plumes of white smoke rising as firefighters blasted the blaze with water. No injures were reported. Residents living within one mile of the plant, which makes aerosols and other coating products, were told to evacuate, Michaud said. It was not immediately known what caused the explosion. | About 750 people were forced out of their homes .
No injuries were reported .
The explosion at Chemical Coatings Inc. ignited a fire .
The blaze was under control, but still burning Saturday evening . |
272,762 | ed445992246b0f87779a7719cec0919b9bc7fecf | By . Victoria Woollaston . Even the most expensive, lightweight earphones feel a little alien when pushed into the inner ear. But a San Diego-based firm is hoping to change this with custom-made buds that are perfectly moulded to the wearer’s ears' shape and size. Called OwnPhones, they’re also completely wireless and sync to phones and music players through Bluetooth. Scroll down for video . Each wireless OwnPhone is custom-made to fit the wearer’s ear (illustration pictured). Colours, styles and materials of individual OwnPhones can be personalised, and the firm claims there are more than 10,000 possible combinations . Customers begin by taking a photo of their ear and uploading it to a smartphone app. This image is analysed using specialist software, which plots the size, shape and curves of the outer ear, as well the part of the inner ear that is visible. These scans are used to create a 3D-printed model. Sound-wise, the firm claims that because the OwnPhones sit in the ear snuggly, they block out a certain level of noise. However, to cancel out all other noises, the OwnPhones use what the company calls Soundscaping. Wearers can also use the app to let certain sounds penetrate the earphones including an alarm, or a friend’s voice. OwnPhones are available to pre-order from Kickstarter for $149 (£88). Each earphone can also be personalised with a variety of colours, styles and materials. The company, founded by San Diego-based Itamar Jobani, claims there are more than 10,000 possible combinations of Ownphones. Customers begin by taking a photo of their ear and uploading it to a smartphone app. This image is analysed using specialist software, which plots the size, shape and curves of the outer ear, as well the part of the inner ear that is visible. OwnPhones use these scans to build a virtual model of the ear before 3D printing an earphone to fit this comfortably. Sound-wise, the firm claims that because the OwnPhones sit in the ear snuggly, they can block out a certain level of noise. However, to cancel out all other noises, the OwnPhones use what the company calls Soundscaping. Customers begin by taking a photo of their ear and uploading it to an app. This image is used to create a 3D-printed model. OwnPhones are available to pre-order from Kickstarter for $149 (£88), but are expected to retail for $299 (£177) from March. This includes a Jewellery Collection range (pictured) This Soundscaping features is said to be able to lower environmental noises. Wearers can also use the app to let certain sounds penetrate the earphones including an alarm, or a friend’s voice. The company calls this Real World Notifications. The firm claims that because the OwnPhones sit in the ear snuggly (pictured left), they block out a certain level of noise. To cancel out other noises, the OwnPhones use what's called Soundscaping. Elsewhere, certain models of OwnPhones are fitted with LED lights (right) that indicate whether the wearer is busy, or free to talk . Elsewhere, certain models of OwnPhones are fitted with LED lights that can indicate whether the wearer is busy, or free to talk. OwnPhones are available to pre-order from Kickstarter for $149 (£88), but they are expected to retail for $299 (£177) when they go on general sale in March. This includes a Designer Fit, a Smart Fit - which feature the LED lights and notifications - and the Jewellery Collection. | Each OwnPhone is custom made to fit the wearer’s ear perfectly .
People order the customised phones using a smartphone app .
Images of a person’s ear are then turned into 3D-printed models .
Colours, styles and materials in individual OwnPhones can be personalised .
OwnPhones are available to pre-order on Kickstarter for $149 (£88)
They are expected to retail for $299 (£177) when they go on sale in March . |
266,694 | e570f3e8d2f1566805ad502b3fe6df8ad2a93f94 | Grim toll: Thousands will die because of the cold this winter - while millions say they fret over heating bills . More than three million older people are worried about staying warm indoors this winter – with six million anxious about rising fuel bills, says Age UK. The charity said its research shows many are unaware of the potentially fatal consequences of living in poorly heated housing. Cold temperatures endanger the elderly by increasing the risk of flu, chest infections and other respiratory problems, and their severity. Being cold also pushes up blood pressure which may trigger heart attacks and strokes. Almost one in four people (22 per cent) taking part in the research did not know that a number of serious health problems are made worse or brought on by the cold. This rose to 29 per cent amongst people aged 80 and over. Fewer than one in 10 Britons aged 65 and over are aware that strokes can be brought on by the cold in winter, with only 14 per cent recognising that the cold can impact on heart attacks. The survey marks the launch of Age UK’s Spread The Warmth winter campaign, which is aimed at cutting the 24,000 excess winter deaths that occur nationally each winter. Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director of Age UK, said ‘It’s vital for older people to keep warm, both inside and outside their homes in the winter months. ‘Being cold, even for just a short amount of time can be very dangerous as it increases the risk of associated health problems and preventable deaths during the winter.’ ‘Through our Spread the Warmth campaign, we are calling on everyone to recognise the importance of staying warm and well this winter and to think about older friends, neighbours and relatives as the temperature drops.’ Living room temperatures should ideally be kept at 70F (21C) and above whereas bedroom temperatures should be kept at a minimum of 64F (18C), according to international guidelines (from WHO). Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary, described price rises from energy companies as 'eye-watering' But the survey of 1,100 Britons aged 65 and over found four out of five did not know the ideal living room and bedroom temperatures. Among their major concerns this winter were staying warm at home cited by 28 per cent of respondents – equivalent to three million older people nationwide – and the soaring cost of energy bills, selected by 55 per cent. Official advice issued last week told elderly people unable to afford fuel bills to heat only their living rooms during daytime this winter. Cold temperatures endanger the elderly by increasing the risk of flu, chest infections and other respiratory problems . Public Health England also suggests they keep the heating in their bedroom off until just before going to bed. Britain’s biggest pensioners’ organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has launched an online poster campaign urging its 1.5m members to email energy secretary Ed Davey over the number of older people that die every year of cold-related illnesses. Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said ‘Every year over 25,000 older people die in this country from cold-related illnesses and the best the government can do is to tell people to put a jumper on. ‘Most of the big six energy companies have now announced eye-watering increases in their charges and rather than tackle the scandal of fuel poverty, the government has instead redefined what it is, so as to cut down on the official number of those who cannot afford to keep warm. ‘Ministers have got to get a grip on the problem and start addressing the need for higher winter fuel payments, widespread insulation programmes and the introduction of a block on the right of energy companies to simply put up bills without any regard to the economic climate in which they operate. ‘It is a national scandal that ever year thousands of older people die from the cold. This has got to stop.’ Luciana Berger MP, Shadow Minister for Public Health, said ‘Many older and vulnerable people all across the UK face a choice between heating and eating this winter, and it shows how out of touch David Cameron is that the only solution he offers is advice on what room to heat. ‘That’s why we desperately need a Labour government which will freeze energy bills to save money for 27 million households and 2.4 million businesses and reset the market to deliver fairer prices in the future.’ | Charity warns of death toll as heating bills soar .
Britons woefully ill-informed about risks of cold weather .
Freezing temperatures can bring on heart attacks and respiratory problems . |
182,366 | 7828f92d06a97ccf3c1417cfd1adb2e9ac1694cd | (CNN) -- A pop star wife, an estimated annual salary of $46 million and the most iconic player of this generation -- but to those who know the "real" David Beckham, he is just a "normal guy" and a "devoted dad". When Beckham announced his decision to retire from football Thursday, there was one man who had already anticipated such an event. Paul Clement, the assistant manager of Paris Saint-Germain, became a close confidante of his compatriot Beckham following the midfielder's arrival in the French capital last January. Nights in his exclusive suite at Le Bristol hotel were luxurious, but the distance between the 38-year-old and the rest of his family is believed to be one of the key factors in his decision to retire. While his former Spice Girl wife, Victoria, remained at home with children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, Beckham spent time talking through his troubles to a man with a sympathetic ear. "The impression from the very first time we met was that he was a devoted dad," Clement told CNN. "He was very hands-on with the kids and, talking to people who knew him, I knew he wanted to be involved. "I think that being away from his family, them being in London and him being in Paris, was difficult for him. "We used to talk about our kids all the time and he asked me questions and we chatted about schooling and what they were up to. "He missed them and I think that was a huge part of his decision to call it a day. I just had a feeling he might retire." In an exclusive interview with CNN last month, Beckham spoke of the difficulty of being away from his family. "That's the sacrifice I have to make as a father and as a husband: being away from my family," Beckham said. "It is only for a short time, but it's difficult being away from the children every single day. But they understand it. They understand that Daddy works hard." It is an experience which has caused some anguish for the former England captain, who takes great pride in being both a father and a husband, but has had to balance that with a busy traveling schedule. Not only has he played in Spain, the United States and Italy, he has also kept up his many business and charity commitments and recently agreed to become a football ambassador for China. "The kids have moved across the world and I think he wanted them to have some stability," added Clement. "The oldest, Brooklyn, is 14 now and it's important for him to get his education and feel settled and I think David felt that was crucial. "It was great to have him around and talk, but I've got my family here and that's been so good for me. "David has four kids and he really missed them. They're a tight unit and he found it difficult." For Clement, Beckham's arrival came at time of personal tragedy. His friend and colleague, PSG's former nutritionist Nick Broad, died in a highway accident last January. It was a period of great difficulty for Clement on a personal level and for all of those at the club. But in Beckham, he found somebody to confide in and talk to -- a man completely different to that portrayed in fashion magazines and tabloid newspapers. "He's just a normal guy," said Clement. "He's quite shy in his own way, but he's good to be around and he likes to have a laugh and be with his friends. "For me, it was great that he was there just after Nick died because that was an awful time. "It was great to have him around. It was a bit weird at first, because I'd read so much about him through the press and had my own impression. "But speaking to people who knew him, I knew he was an absolute gentleman. For somebody so famous, he's just a normal guy. He's very professional, does all the right things and is a great example to the younger players." Despite his advancing years, Beckham appeared to be in peak condition, showing a level of fitness which would embarrass some of the younger players in the PSG squad. But while he may have yet been able to continue playing, the off-field situation gave an inkling of what was to come, according to Clement. "I had a feeling it might happen and he's going out at the top, which is the way he would like it," he added. "He could have continued on a football level because he's certainly fit enough. But he might have been a bit-part player next season or had to move to another club and I think he wanted to go out at the very top. "He's really enjoyed being in Paris and competing at a high level after time in the U.S. He may have not thought it would have ever happened again, but he made the most of it." While Beckham will curtail his time in Paris at the end of the season, Clement hopes to remain to continue his work alongside manager Carlo Ancelotti. But although the midfielder will exit following the final game against Lorient on May 27, his time at the club will not be forgotten. "It's nice to work with good players," said Clement. "But it's more important to work with good people." | David Beckham found it difficult without wife and children in Paris .
Beckham described as a "devoted dad" by Paris Saint-Germain colleague .
PSG assistant manager Paul Clement pays tribute to midfielder .
Clement says he had a feeling Beckham would retire at end of season . |
111,874 | 1c4610ee47e2786a923af018ede468630a371d91 | The document suggests that the MoD should ¿reduce the profile of the repatriation ceremonies¿ as they reduce support for war . Repatriation ceremonies for the remains of dead soldiers should have a lower profile in order to make war more palatable to the British public, according to a report for the Ministry of Defence. It examines how to sway ‘casualty averse’ public opinion, a situation commonly known as 'body bag syndrome', and was published by the MoD’s strategy formulation unit. The document suggests that the MoD should ‘reduce the profile of the repatriation ceremonies’ where coffins carrying deceased soldiers are brought back to UK bases such as RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. It discusses ways to ‘reduce public sensitivity’ and methods of explaining that ‘risks are knowingly and willingly undertaken’ by armed forces personnel. Suggestions included making greater use of the SAS and other special forces, as well as mercenaries, because it claims losses sustained by the elite soldiers and hired guns do not have the same impact on the public and press. 'Neither the media nor the public in the west appear to identify with contractors in the way that they do with their military personnel. Thus casualties from within the contractorised force are more acceptable in pursuit of military ends than those from among our own forces.' It added: 'The public appear to have a more robust attitude to SF [special forces] losses.' Reassurances are made in the paper that the British public may not be as ‘risk-averse’ as they appear, and suggests this is ‘based on recent, post-2000 experience’. ‘Historically, once the public are convinced that they have a stake in the conflict they are prepared to endorse military risks and will accept casualties as the necessary consequence of the use of military force,’ it says. The report adds: ‘The public have become better informed and our opponents more sophisticated in the exploitation of the sources of information with the net result that convincing the nation of the need to run military risks has become more difficult but no less essential.’ The report also recommends the increased us of drones to reduce casualties . The report, written in 2012 and released under the Freedom of Information Act, has been met with criticism by relatives of soldiers killed while serving their country. Deborah Allbutt, whose husband Stephen was killed in a friendly fire incident in Iraq in 2003, described the proposals for repatriation ceremonies as ‘brushing the deaths under the carpet’. She told The Guardian: ‘They are fighting and giving their lives. Why should they be hidden away? It would be absolutely disgraceful.’ The deaths of mercenaries, or 'private military contractors' do not affect the public psyche as keenly as military personnel. File picture . Allbutt, with others, gained a landmark ruling this year that relatives of killed or injured soldiers can seek damages under human rights legislation. An MoD spokesman said: ‘It is entirely right that we publicly honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and there are no plans to change the way in which repatriation ceremonies are conducted. ‘A key purpose of the development, concepts and doctrine centre is to produce research which tests and challenges established doctrine and its papers are designed to stimulate internal debate, not outline government policy or positions. To represent this paper as policy or a potential shift of policy is misleading.’ | Report says images of flag-draped coffins reduces support for military action .
It adds special forces and mercenary deaths don't hit public as hard .
MOD says document is to foster 'debate' and is not policy . |
157,672 | 57dcb0b6ae1787993031146c307926e5ba54ca7b | By . Simon Murphy . PUBLISHED: . 16:49 EST, 25 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:18 EST, 26 May 2013 . Armed police have arrested a 22-year-old man today on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Drummer Lee Rigby. Counter-terrorism officers supported by armed police swooped on an address in Highbury Grove, north London, Scotland Yard said. It comes after officers last night arrested three people on suspicion of conspiring to murder the solider. Three more men have been arrested for the death of Drummer Lee Rigby last week . Police with machine guns stormed three separate addresses in simultaneous raids across south-east London between 6pm and 6.30pm. On the Lamb Estate in Greenwich, officers in balaclavas charged in to a first-floor flat and used a Taser on one suspect. They arrested a Somali man and another unarmed man, both in their 20s. Neighbour Tariq Mahmood, 54, a . businessman, said: 'My daughter is traumatised. This is just a quiet . estate. I can't believe this happened.' Officers from the Met's Counter . Terrorism Command supported by specialist firearms officers raided a . separate fourth-floor flat 300 yards away, believed to be the home of . relatives of the Somali. The arrests came as authorities in France investigated whether the killing was linked to an attack on a French soldier who was stabbed in the neck in a busy shopping area outside Paris today. The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, 25, in Woolwich remain in hospital after being shot by police when they charged towards armed officers on Wednesday, while a 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder has now been released on bail, police confirmed tonight. A great character: Father of one and soldier Rigby, of Greater Manchester, pictured relaxing on Army leave . The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, who have been identified as Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22, remain in a stable condition in hospital, police added. Drummer Rigby was hit by a car and then attacked with weapons including a knife and a meat cleaver but the cause of his death has not been confirmed by a post-mortem examination. The young father's murder has provoked a backlash of anger across the country, with many incidents of mosques being attacked, racial abuse and comments made on social media. Attack: Drummer Rigby was killed on the street in Woolwich, south London when Michael Adebolajo launched his attack . Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, south-east London, with a knife in his hand at the scene where Lee Rigby was stabbed to death . Two suspects remain in hospital after police shot them at the scene . But close to the spot where he was brutally hacked to death, people showed solidarity today as they comforted one another and left floral tributes, adding to the thousands of bouquets already there. Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is to investigate following the disclosure that Adebolajo and Adebowale were known to MI5. Police refused to comment on reports tonight that Adebowale was arrested two months ago. Two women aged 29 and 31 have both been released without charge after they were held on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, while a number of other people not directly involved with the attack have been charged over malicious comments made on social networking sites. Searches have also been taking place at three other addresses in south London, one in east London, one in north London and one in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, the former home of Adebolajo. French president Francois Hollande said authorities were investigating any possible link between the Paris attack, which was not believed to have seriously injured the 23-year-old soldier, and that on Drummer Rigby. A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was unable to say whether police were connecting the incidents.The father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor said tonight that he had acted as a mentor to Adebowale, who was known to his friends as Toby. Grief: A wellwisher outside the army barracks, 200 yards from where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed, by the huge - and growing - pile of flowers . 'Dear soldier': A handwritten note left in honour of Lee Rigby close to the scene of the brutal murder in Woolwich . Asked about Wednesday's events, Richard Taylor told ITV News: 'I was terribly shocked at what I saw that day. 'It's a different Toby or Michael that I was seeing that day. I don't believe it was anything Islamic.' Mr Taylor, whose son was just ten when he was killed in the capital in 2000, said he had tried to help Adebowale after he was bullied at school and then became involved in drugs and gangs. But he said that when he spoke to Adebowale two months ago, he told him that he had changed his ways as he had become a Muslim. He went on:'Having seen how my own son was stabbed to death, made me feel that... whatever happens, they will still be alive, they will still be on the street or maybe they will take them away from the public or change their faces. They don't deserve to live.' it was Drummer Rigby's dream to join the army. Thousands of people have left tributes to him since his death last week . Meanwhile the BNP has been accused of cynically exploiting the killing to further its 'own poisonous ends' after the far right group announced it would be demonstrating in Woolwich next Saturday. And up to 2,000 people took part in a EDL march in Newcastle today, which was planned before Wednesday's attack. Earlier this month it was predicted that 500 would turn up. EDL supporters sang 'RIP Lee Rigby' as they marched through the city while a Union flag with his name on was displayed to cheers. Police said three people were arrested for allegedly making racist tweets before it had begun. Drummer Rigby's family yesterday paid tribute to the soldier they described as their 'hero'. 'Lee's dream growing up was always to join the Army, which he succeeded in doing. He was dedicated and loved his job,' they said in a statement. Drummer Rigby's wife Rebecca, mother of their two-year-old son Jack, said through tears that he was 'a devoted father'. Along with the floral tributes at the corner of John Wilson Street and Artillery Place where the attack took place, many hundreds more have been left outside the entrance to Woolwich barracks a few hundred yards away, where Drummer Rigby was based. A book of condolence has been opened at Woolwich Town Hall, where opening hours have been extended over the bank holiday weekend to allow the public to pay their respects. Professor David Maguire, vice-chancellor of the University of Greenwich, confirmed that Adebolajo had been a student there for two years but had been thrown out because his 'academic progress was unsatisfactory'. Adebowale had not studied there, he said. The professor added: 'The university takes its responsibilities very seriously in terms of preventing extremism. We are committed to ensuring that the university is a safe and secure place of study and debate within the confines of the law. We have diverse communities on campus and these include a range of different faiths. 'Given the seriousness of issues raised, the university is setting up an investigation into the association of these two individuals with the university, to assess whether there is any evidence of extremism in the university (past or present) and whether we need to update our policies and practices.' | Two men aged 24 and 28 were arrested at a residential address in London .
A further 21-year-old man was arrested in the street in Charlton .
The Counter Terrorism Command used tasers to detain two of them .
The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, 25, in Woolwich remain in hospital after being shot by police . |
218,769 | a731f86c365dfdefa3b44ac6ac1b59f5518dbed1 | Boston (CNN) -- After deliberating for 28 hours over four days, a federal jury Friday broke for the weekend without announcing a verdict in the trial of reputed Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger. The eight-man, four-woman panel will resume work at 9 a.m. Monday to continue processing testimony from more than 70 witnesses and over 800 exhibits compiled during the seven weeks of the trial. Bulger, 83, is accused of racketeering, including involvement in 19 killings, and also 13 counts of extortion and money-laundering during a 20-year "reign of terror" that defined South Boston from the early '70s through 1995, when Bulger fled Boston. After the jury was dismissed Friday, Bulger waived his rights to a forfeiture hearing on the nearly $822,000 and 30 weapons found in his Santa Monica, California, home where he had been living under an alias until he was arrested in 2011. If he is found guilty, the money and weapons will be forfeited to the government. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper asked Bulger if he understood he was giving up his right to have the jury decide whether or not his possessions will be forfeited if he is convicted. "I understand yes," Bulger replied." On Thursday, the jury asked to see one of the pieces of evidence in the case, a gun with an obliterated serial number. The last charge in the 32-count indictment accuses Bulger of possession of firearms with obliterated serial numbers. See all the charges the jury will decide (PDF) Outside the courtroom Thursday, Bulger's lead attorney, J.W. Carney, said he was "very, very proud of the service these jurors have provided to us no matter what the outcome of the trial." Carney added that it was difficult waiting for a verdict "because we invested at this point two years of work to get this case ready for trial." "The longer the jury stays out the more it shows us they are as conscientious a jury as I have ever seen," Carney said. "I know that the prosecutors also believe that, the judge believes that. We are very pleased at that." The widow of one of Bulger's alleged victims said separately that she believed "the jurors are looking at the situation and trying to do right by all of us." Patricia Donahue, who has been at the trial almost every day with her three sons, added, "We been putting our lives on hold since this trial started, it's tough, but it's almost over now." Still, Donahue said, "If deliberations go for a long period of time I'm going to start to worry about a mistrial." 'You're a coward!' widow yells at Bulger . During the seven-week trial, jurors heard dramatic testimony from convicted gangsters, bookies, extortion victims, a disgraced FBI supervisor, ex-drug dealers, retired FBI agents and relatives of people Bulger is accused of killing. Prosecutors called 63 witnesses. The defense called 10. Former hit man John Martorano testified for both sides, for a total of 72 witnesses over 35 days. Bulger never took the stand despite repeated hints from his lawyers throughout trial he would testify. In fact, Bulger seemed to want to testify. Questioned by Judge Casper, Bulger called his decision a "choice made involuntarily." Bulger was a fugitive for more than 16 years, disappearing after a crooked FBI agent told him he was about to be indicted on federal racketeering charges. The FBI tracked him down and arrested him in 2011 in Santa Monica, California, where he had been living with his girlfriend under an alias. Bulger's attorneys release photos designed to show his softer side . | The jury ends its fourth day of deliberations with no verdict announced .
Deliberations will resume Monday .
"Whitey" Bulger was a reputed mob boss in South Boston .
Charges against him include racketeering and involvement in 19 killings . |
222,940 | ac99d412f57df3c4103d58c4a4a4a16b2e48badb | Created: . 10:52 EST, 27 July 2014 . Talented: Martin Finn, 23, is wowing audiences across the UK with his singing voice . An autistic man whose condition is so severe he has never spoken a full sentence is reducing audiences to tears with his impressive singing voice. Martin Finn, 23, from Atherton near Wigan, in Lancashire, has to be cared for around the clock by his parents John and Norma. Despite not being able to string more than three words together, Martin is pitch-perfect and is now performing in concerts around the UK. One of his favourite tunes to sing is Ronan Keating's When You Say Nothing At All. Martin's father John, 64, a retired builder, told Sheron Boyle of theSunday People: 'The gap between his disability and his ability makes him one in a million but that is how we have always seen him. 'He can do nothing himself and will always be a toddler trapped in man's body. 'But music is his life and it has given him life.' Mr Finn was diagnosed when he was three years old and went to a special needs school until the age of 14. He then was transferred to Landgate School, in Wigan, which is for children with special needs. It was there that his talent for singing was first spotted. According to his father, Martin listens to a lyric about five or six times before he can sing it back in tune. He has even begun reading books on music despite never being able to read at school. Martin's parents have bought him more than 1,000 CDs, DVDs and videos and he has sung in front of audiences of up to 1,000 people. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Emotional: Martin took part in BBC3's Autistic Superstars which showcased his incredible voice . Before a concert, his mother Norma writes down the songs that he should sing and then reads him the list. They can only give him a couple of minutes' notice before a performance because otherwise he becomes agitated. But a huge crowd did not put Martin off performing on BBC3's Autistic Superstars in 2010 where he sang Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap. His parents believe Martin is autistic savant - a person with a mental disabiity but has an exceptional skill. The movie Rain Man exposed millions of people to autism as well as the autistic savant phenomenon. In the movie, Raymond, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman, displayed a great memory for baseball statistics, memorised parts of the telephone book, and counted cards in Las Vegas. Martin's parents are now hoping someone in the music industry can help him make a CD and DVD which could help to raise funds to care for the singer after they have gone. | Martin Finn, 23, is from Atherton near Wigan, in Lancashire .
His parents John and Norma have to care for him around the clock .
Despite not being able to string more three words together he loves to sing .
Martin is pitch-perfect and is now performing in concerts around the UK . |
212,394 | 9f0c020d0c6874e49d1581fff98e7c394b242f67 | By . Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 06:12 EST, 20 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:02 EST, 20 February 2013 . When he bought it for £6,500, it was little more than a shack to shelter in while he worked as a lifeguard. But Adam Wooler’s modest investment had the all-important factor…location. After razing it to the ground, he built an idyllic holiday home in its place which is now earning him £100,000 a year. Perched on the edge of a 300ft cliff, the chalet, with triple-glazed windows and heated floors, enjoys uninterrupted views of Whitsand Bay in Cornwall. Idyllic: Adam Wooler transformed a ramshackle shed into this stunning cliff-top retreat that earns more than £100,000 pounds a year in rent . View: The clifftop retreat boasts stunning coastal views of Whitsand Bay, in Cornwall . Cosy: Mr Wooler and his wife Katherine invested £100,000 to turn it into the luxury holiday retreat, which has a kitchen, lounge, bedroom, shower room and sun terrace . Mr Wooler, 47, bought the hut more than 25 years ago while he studied at Plymouth University. He did little with it for much of that . time, but after marrying and moving further along the coast to Dorset, . he and his new wife Katherine decided to invest £100,000 to create a . luxury bolthole. They now rent out the retreat all year . round for between £1,500 and £2,900 a week. With an occupancy rate of . 80 per cent, the annual return should be around £100,000. Aimed at couples looking for a . romantic break, the chalet, called The Edge, is already booked up for . most of the spring and summer. Married: Adam Wooler, with his wife Katherine, who transformed the hut he lived in as a student 25 years previously . Perfect position: The chalet has bi-folding patio doors to make the most of the uninterrupted coastal views . Booked up: The chalet, called The Edge, is aimed at honeymooners and couples looking for a romantic break, but is already full for most of spring and summer . Clifftop: The building is perched on the edge of a 300ft cliff, and was Mr Wooler's home while he was studying at university, before it was turned into the luxury retreat . Beautiful: Pop star Duffy has been one of the guests who have been able to enjoy stunning sunsets, such as this, while staying at the isolated seaside retreat . Mr Wooler said: ‘It was nothing more than a wooden shack on a cliff with one room and an outside loo when I bought it. ‘I lived in it for 18 months...and . nearly got blown away with it a few times. I left it as it was for 25 . years and couldn’t really afford to do anything with it. It has only . been the last 18 months that we managed to get the funding and planning . permission in place that we could really do something with it. Eco-friendly: The chalet measures 23ft by 13ft and has been made out of eco-friendly cedar wood . Inside: Along with being well insulated, the building has underfloor heating and triple-glazed windows . Ambitions: The couple hope to buy another chalet nearby and transform it into a holiday let geared up for families . Worth it: Mr Wooler said: 'People are happy to pay the rental price for it because of the views and the high standard finish' ‘We are delighted with how it has . turned out. It has been designed to make the most of the views and is . now a really romantic getaway.’ The Edge, which has one bedroom, a . kitchen, lounge and shower room, is made out of eco-friendly cedar wood. Mr Wooler and his 37-year-old garden designer wife have just had a baby. They hope to buy another chalet nearby and transform it into a holiday let especially for families. Previously: How the old shack looked before it was demolished and turned into the luxury retreat . Bargain: Mr Wooler bought the shack, pictured before it was renovated, for £6,500 while working as a lifeguard on the beach below . Demolition: Mr Wooler clearing the old shack before work began on the new chalet . Underway: Mr Wooler admires the view as the construction of the new building begins to take shape . Building work: The couple spent £100,000 rebuilding the hut, which they now rent out to holidaymakers . Bidders will have the chance to own a piece of the Cumbrian coast when an historic four-mile stretch goes under the hammer. The length of Morecambe Bay foreshore (pictured below), from Roosebeck to Bardsea, will be split into five lots and sold separately at auction next week. The land, which includes pockets of woodland and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, belongs to John Poole, former senior partner of Poole Townsend, who bought it from the Crown around 18 months ago. Mr Poole has sold much of the surrounding land locally, but the five areas of foreshore remain 'superfluous' and Ulverston auctioneer Howard Whitaker has been tasked with selling them. Mr Whitaker said nearby former Crown plots of one acre to one-and-a-half-acres have sold for between £2,000 and £4,000. He said the title of the land dates back to William the Conqueror, who gave it to the first Baron le Fleming - whose family owned large amounts of land in Furness during the 12th and 13th centuries. But he said no matter the outcome, public access to the foreshore cannot be impeded, and the owner cannot remove the shingles or fence from the land. Ownership would give the highest bidder powers such as the authority to move on a travelling community or exercise the 28-day rule - which would allow them to reside on the land for up to a maximum of 28 days. The experienced auctioneer said he had never sold anything like this in almost half a century in the profession. 'It's a beauty spot, it's a pretty place in a lovely location and it's a very unusual sale,' said Mr Whitaker. 'In 46 years of professional auctioneering, I've never been asked to sell anything like this and I don't think I ever will again.' | Adam Wooler lived in timber shack while studying at university .
But has now turned it into an idyllic holiday chalet with stunning views .
The chalet is said to be worth £250,000, and is rented out all year round . |
224,664 | aedf2f180de64a86bb488360ea1de34b439f0d4f | By . Dan Bloom . Fraudster: Helen Smith, 42, arranged fake music exams for five pupils at her Sheffield home . A piano teacher has been ordered to pay compensation to students who she tricked into taking bogus grade exams. The pupils were told they had passed with flying colours at Helen Smith's home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire - but were devastated when their certificates never turned up. Smith, 42, was found guilty of fraud after she arranged for a fake examiner to test the five pupils, three of whom were under 18. She was spared jail today at Sheffield Magistrates Court, where she insisted the whole situation was an administrative mix-up. Smith said: 'I think I have suffered quite a lot for something I don’t believe I’ve done, even now.' In a separate case, the General Teaching Council had already banned Smith from teaching in schools for two years for claiming sick pay while on holiday. During Smith’s trial last month, the court heard how students had paid fees and were tested on December 15, 2012. Smith told magistrates she had arranged the exams in good faith with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). But Lynne Butler, deputy head of UK operations for ABRSM, said the organisation had no record of any exam taking place and had not sent any examiner to the property. The court heard that Sharon Copley, the mother of one of Smith’s teenage pupils, said she had already booked a Grade Five piano exam through official channels. But Smith told her that her daughter should attend the test at her own house, where she was told she had passed before discovering the truth. 'She was absolutely devastated,' Ms Copley said. 'To be told by somebody you trusted that you have passed with a distinction and to then find out the person she looked up to hadn’t told the truth, she felt humiliated and let down. It knocked her for six.' Smith said an administrative error by the board was possibly to blame for it having no record of the tests, nor of sending an examiner to the address on the day in question. But she was convicted of six counts of fraud by abuse of position, and one of fraud by false representation between February 2012 and March 2013. Smith, who was unrepresented, told the court she had been the victim of a hate campaign. Denial: Smith continued to protest her innocence before she was ordered to pay £1,500 compensation . 'I’ve had my house smashed, I’ve had threatening phone calls, I’ve had all the windows smashed and I feel very unsafe,' she said. But District Judge Sheila Driver told her: 'You did hear from the victims when they gave evidence of the stress - particularly on the younger victims - when they realised they hadn’t achieved what they thought they had achieved. 'And the fact that they had to re-take exams they believed they had already passed. 'You attempted to involve yourself in a game of smoke and mirrors, but your evidence was inconsistent, not credible, and frankly nonsense. 'I am satisfied that all victims suffered a financial loss due to a false representation by you and I therefore find you guilty of all charges.' District Judge Sheila Driver told Smith at Sheffield Magistrates' Court: 'You attempted to involve yourself in a game of smoke and mirrors, but your evidence was inconsistent, not credible, and frankly nonsense' Smith was sentenced to a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was ordered to attend 15 sessions in Sheffield’s Together Women Project, and to pay £1,500 in compensation to her five victims at £50 per month. She was also given a curfew order, under which she must remain at her home address between 7pm and 7am every day. | Helen Smith, 42, arranged exams at her home in Sheffield for five pupils .
They were told they passed but exam board had no record of the tests .
Mother of one piano pupil said teenager felt 'humiliated and let down'
Smith blamed administrative error and said claims led to a hate campaign .
Judge gave her a suspended jail term and ordered her to pay victims £1,500 . |
263,641 | e1767fa4828e84815b14e2bdd0199dec46963b09 | By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 20:05 EST, 3 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:45 EST, 4 February 2013 . Liam Fox: The loyal supporter of David Cameron may return to quash any dissent as tensions in the party bubble over . Liam Fox is being lined up for a Cabinet return to help crush three fledgling plots against David Cameron’s leadership. Senior allies of the Prime Minister say he is considering making the former defence secretary chief whip to get a grip on his backbenchers as rebellion spreads even further than first thought. The Mail can reveal that Tory whips believe they have uncovered two more plots against Mr Cameron after allies of backbencher Adam Afriyie were exposed last week for promoting him as the next Tory leader. The second plot involves a former Army officer who has attempted to recruit supporters from among MPs who used to serve in the Armed Forces for what the leadership has branded a ‘military coup’ against the Prime Minister. At least one minister and several Parliamentary Private Secretaries have been approached with a view to joining the conspiracy - though party managers believe most have said no. Separately ministers ousted in Mr Cameron’s last reshuffle and those who have never been given a job have also privately discussed whether to act against him. This third ‘plot’ has not yet reached ‘lift-off’ according to MPs in the know. But whips are monitoring this group of the ‘disgruntled and the dispossessed’. Insiders say none of these three plots yet has the momentum to oust the PM, but concede the three groups of plotters are ‘somewhat interlocking’ and reflect ‘widespread dissatisfaction’ with Mr Cameron’s leadership. Treasury minister Greg Clark today dismissed rumours of an imminent leadership challenge as 'a load of rubbish. 'I’ve neither been approached or asked to join anyone’s team. We’ve got a very good leader of the party,' he told BBC radio 4. Current Chief Whip Sir George Young called in Mr Afriyie for a dressing down last Thursday after he was named as the central figure in a plot to oust Mr Cameron. But some of Mr Cameron’s closest aides now want Dr Fox to return as chief whip in a move that would be popular with the Tory Right and give him the authority to act against the plotters. Insiders say he has served his time after quitting over his friendship with lobbyist Adam Werritty and remained loyal. He was a staunch supporter of Mr Cameron’s recent speech on Europe and has remained close to Chancellor George Osborne and Justice Secretary Chris Grayling. Sir George was ushered into retirement last autumn but recalled after Andrew Mitchell’s resignation one month into the job. Ploy: Adam Afriyie was found to be plotting against David Cameron . The ‘military coup’ plotters have privately discussed their options but unlike Mr Afriyie’s supporters - dubbed the Windsor Set after his constituency - they have not identified a potential leader. Tory chiefs believe Mr Afriyie, who has campaigned to scrap the expenses watchdog IPSA, has primarily won support from MPs who were publicly humiliated over their second homes allowance claims. Those named in connection with one or other of the plots include Mark Field, Bill Wiggin - an Eton contemporary of Mr Cameron - Chris Heaton-Harris, Jonathan Djanogly, Dan Byles and Patrick Mercer, a former Army Colonel. Mr Mercer denies any involvement in plots but is widely reported to have sent a letter to Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee calling for a vote of no confidence in Mr Cameron. Liam Fox with his best man Adam Werritty. Fox was forced to quit over his friendship with the lobbyist . A vote would be triggered if Mr Brady receives 46 letters. Mr Wiggin, who is an ally of Mr Afriyie, was ousted from the whips office in Mr Cameron’s reshuffle and also served as a Territorial Army platoon commander with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, is seen by party chiefs as the link man between the three groups. He also faced embarrassment over expenses when he was forced to repay £4,000 claimed on the wrong property. Mr Wiggin, who was a year above Mr Cameron at Eton and whose wife Milly used to date the PM, has denied seeking to oust him but has publicly voiced his admiration for Mr Afriyie’s leadership potential. Yesterday he told a Sunday newspaper: ‘It’s got nothing to do with me.’ | Former defence secretary could stage comeback as Chief Whip to rein in mutinous backbenchers .
The staunch Cameron supporter could please Tory Right .
There are believed to be three Tory plots against the Prime Minister .
Treasury minister Greg Clark dismisses idea of mutiny as 'total rubbish' |
149,561 | 4d60566f1eddeac829be970e5893b6c7a1e34d67 | Jerusalem (CNN) -- Researchers said Wednesday for the first time they have found what they believe to be pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus. The find is of importance because tests on the shroud and the body it wrapped revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy in the Old City of Jerusalem. And in addition, the weave of the shroud raises fresh doubts about the Shroud of Turin, which many people believe was used to wrap the body of Jesus. According to researchers involved in the excavation and subsequent testing, the recently discovered shroud lends more credible evidence that the Shroud of Turin does not date to Roman times when Jesus died but from a later period. The latest shroud was found in a tomb complex on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem. "This is the first time that we have a shroud from the time of Jesus," said Shimon Gibson, the excavation director. He called such a find in the Jerusalem area unique because the high humidity levels in the city do not normally allow for the preservation of organic material. Gibson said the remains of the man covered in the cloth consisted of different wrappings for the body and the head, which was consistent with burial practices of the era. He also said research had shown that the weave of the cloth was a simple one, much different from the more complex Shroud of Turin's. The origin of the Shroud of Turin, a burial cloth that some believe bears the image of Jesus, is a source of great controversy, with many academics arguing it dates from the Middle Ages and not the time of Jesus. The burial cave, which has been dubbed the Tomb of the Shroud, was first uncovered in 2000 and was one of more than 70 separate family tombs of the first century. It is in a location described in the Bible as the "Field of Blood," next to the area where Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, is said to have committed suicide. Based on the tomb's location and the style of the shroud wrappings, researchers have said the shrouded man was an affluent member of Jerusalem society. Because of the unique nature of the find, the remains of the shroud and the bodily remains were subject to molecular and DNA testing. Researchers said they were surprised to find that the shrouded man suffered from both leprosy and tuberculosis. The discovery of leprosy was found in DNA samples taken from the skeletal remains and is the earliest proven case of the disease, according to Hebrew University professor Mark Spigelman. It is likely the shrouded man died from tuberculosis, Spigelman said, and its presence in other remains found at the site suggest "the significant impact social diseases such as tuberculosis had on society from the low socioeconomic groups up to the more affluent families, such as Tomb the Shroud in first-century Jerusalem." | Excavation chief: "This is the first time that we have a shroud from the time of Jesus"
Researchers: Tests reveal earliest proven case of leprosy in Old City of Jerusalem .
Shrouded man suffered from both leprosy and tuberculosis, researchers say .
Weave of discovered shroud raises fresh doubts about Shroud of Turin . |
210,029 | 9c011fe6468150a6bec10947c9156afc038891fd | By . Mia De Graaf . When your name’s David Beckham, requests for selfies don’t just come in singles. So the former England, Manchester United and Real Madrid football maestro was happy to oblige a hat-trick of ladies with their camera phones during a break in play at Wimbledon yesterday. David Beckham took to the 74 exclusive wicker seats - but wife Victoria was not with him as he brought his mother instead. It has become traditional for people from the world of sport to watch the Centre Court action on the middle Saturday of the tournament, and Beckham is in good company. Someone does not appear to be making it so as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Sir Patrick Stewart (left) does not look very happy at Wimbledon unlike the two ladies posing for a selfie with David Beckham . Day out: Sandra Beckham beamed proudly in the Royal Box at Wimbledon as her son David and Sir Bobby Charlton stood for the applauding crowds . Good company: Today's Royal Box line-up included Sir Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton, David Haye, Sachin Tendulkar, Tom Daley and military personnel . Gloomy: Staff were able to remove the rain cover from Centre Court after drizzling subsided this morning but forecasters warn of imminent thunder . Accompanied by his mother Sandra, Beckham is joined by British Olympic medallists Tom Daley, Victoria Pendleton, Nicola Adams, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Amy Williams and Lizzie Yarnold. While World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton . is among the Royal Box guests, none of the current . England team will be making an appearance in the exclusive area despite . being home early from Brazil. Other sports figures include England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, England Test cricketers past and present Phil Tufnell, Andrew Strauss, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, along with golfer Ian Poulter, and boxing stars David Haye and Anthony Joshua. Breezed through: Rafael Nadal is recovering from his poor performance last year and today stormed past Kukushkin 6-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 . Under cover: Crowds were sheltered under the custom-built roof for Rafael Nadal's clash on Centre Court today with Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin . Cricketers: Andrew Strauss and Sachin Tendulkar represented the cricket world at the tournament to watch the Spanish player . Straight from training: Diver Tom Daley looked spritely at the event having dashed over from an early morning training session in the pool . Take a bow: British boxers Nicola Adams, Anthony Joshua and David Haye also stood in the box cluttered with sports stars and members of the armed forces . Tradition: Victoria Pendleton also attended on the middle Saturday of the competition, now traditionally the day when sports figures attend SW19 . Dapper: Sir Bradley Wiggins showcased a cropped hairdo and a dapper three-piece suit as he gave a wave ahead of Nadal's clash with Kukushkin . Occasion: Military personnel also took up some of the 74 exclusive wicker chairs in the Royal Box and stood to mark Armed Forces Day . Andy Murray's mother Judy also joined the stars following her son's Centre Court win last night. Military personnel were given seats in the Royal Box to mark Armed Forces Day today. Tennis fans at the SW19 Grand Slam have been putting up their umbrellas and hoods as showers are falling over the All England Club. In on the action: Gemma Arterton (left) looked elegant in a simple dress in the stands for the Nadal v Kukushkin clash, just along from Rachel Riley (right) Happy: David Tennant and his wife Georgia Moffett, the daughter of former Doctor Who Peter Davison, enjoyed the tennis players' performances . Glowing: Paralympic skiers Kelly Gallagher (right) and Charlotte Evans looked radiant in summer dresses in the Royal Box sat behind Judy Murray . Dressed to impress: Golfers Matthew Fitzpatrick (left) and Ian Poulter (right) looked sharp in suits, the mandatory dress code for men in the Royal Box . Retired swimmer Mark Foster hardly seems to mind the grey clouds rolling overheard having evidently caught some rays recently with his bronzed look . Rain chic: Spectators take shelter from rain showers at the All England Tennis Club in ponchos but keep it summery with headbands dotted with white flowers . Undeterred: Despite the tempestuous weather, hundreds of tennis fans gathered outside with picnics to watch the clash wearing ponchos and wellies . On other courts, the stands were a multi-coloured sea of umbrellas as rain delayed the start of play - but none of the beaming spectators seemed to mind . Kitted out: Despite slightly abbreviating his name, these Rafa fans went to great effort to show their support for the Spanish player . Pimms o'Clock? It doesn't seem like perfect weather for Pimms but determined picnickers came armed with bottle-loads to sip through the match . Glum: A grey mist hung over London but tennis fans happily perched on the edge of a pond for the occasion . The Met Office said the area will see heavy showers today with a risk of thunder and lightning, although there will be some sunny spells. The roof on Centre Court means play is guaranteed. Spanish star Rafael Nadal opened the show on Centre Court with a four-set victory over Mikhail Kukushkin - but rain has stopped play on all the outside courts. | Rafa Nadal through with four-set victory over Kukushkin 6-7 6-1 6-1 6-1 .
Middle Saturday of the competition has become traditional day for figures in world of sport to attend .
Met Office said SW19 will see heavy showers today with risk of thunder and lightning with sunny spells . |
66,484 | bc928cf8714e0a3f2d0d3774e76dae64ef84c203 | By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 06:18 EST, 14 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:19 EST, 14 December 2013 . From Ant and Dec's SMTV Live to Tiswas, it would appear the glory days of Saturday morning children's television are behind us. But now, ITV is hoping to recapture the weekend buzz by launching a new breakfast show. Scrambled! - which will start at 7.30am on Saturdays and Sundays - is due to be aired late January. Popular: Tiswas, featuring Chris Tarrant, became a cult favourite when it hit ITV's airwaves in the 1970s . Mayhem: The show proved popular with both children and adults across the UK, before it was axed in 1982 . It will feature chat, games, competitions and a range of established and new children's programmes, according to The Sun. Viewers will also be encouraged to interact with the show by sending in photos and videos. Producers are yet to reveal the names of the show's four young presenters - however, they are believed to be two males and two females. 'It is a big deal for ITV. They are hoping to recapture the glory days of Ant and Dec on CD:UK and SMTV Live,' a source told the newspaper. Successful: SMTV Live, hosted by Ant and Dec and Cat Deeley, has been the channel's most successful children's programme since Tiswas. It attracted a staggering 2.5million viewers at the height of its popularity . Memories: Boyzone's Mikey and Keith are interviewed by Cat Deeley during an episode of SMTV Live . Glory days: Other successful Saturday morning shows include Swap Shop, left, and Saturday Superstore, right . The unnamed source added that the . show - commissioned by CITV - will be shot in a flat in Brighton and is . expected to air during a two-hour slot. However, the show has a lot to live up to - with previous Saturday morning programmes attracting more than 2million viewers. SMTV Live - first broadcast on ITV in 1998 - has been the channel's most successful children's programme since Tiswas. The . show - featuring competitions, cartoons and comedy sketches - attracted . a staggering 2.5million viewers at the height of its popularity. Fun: The BBC's Live & Kicking, featuring Jamie Theakston and Zoe Ball, was broadcast from 1993 to 2001 . Location: Scrambled! - commissioned by CITV - is expected to be filmed in a flat in Brighton (pictured) It was axed by ITV in 2003 - however, ex-hosts Ant and Dec have recently spoken of their wish to see it return. Tiswas - believed to be an acronym for Today is Saturday, Watch and Smile - also became a cult favourite when it hit the airwaves in the 1970s. The show proved popular with both children and adults across the UK - attracting more than 4million viewers at its peak. Despite being axed in 1982, it spawned a variety of Tiswas-branded merchandise, including books, t-shirts, CDs and even a ceramic money box. Other successful Saturday morning shows include Live & Kicking, Swap Shop, Going Live! and Saturday Superstore. | ITV show Scrambled! is due to be aired late January, it has been reported .
Will feature chat, games, competitions and several children's programmes . |
172,701 | 6b7fdd05bd286c31f72715365235606d0f7828e6 | By . Associated Press . Perhaps it was his rather suspicious-sounding name that first led police to one suspect's alleged $10,000 of marijuana. Paul Scott Stoner, 42, was charged last Thursday with growing marijuana and having a firearm while in possession of more than a pound of marijuana. The suspect, from Unionville, Virginia, had been growing thousands of dollars worth of cannabis plants at his home. Paul Scott Stoner, 42, has been charged with growing $10,000 marijuana plants at his Virginia home . The charges stemmed from an ongoing investigation related to the alleged sale of marijuana to children in Orange County. Further charges are pending. Authorities say they acted on a tip that Stoner was selling to children and during the search last Thursday seized marijuana, marijuana plants, drug paraphernalia, prescription drugs, needles, spoons and guns. The Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force raided Stoner's home on August 14. Stoner is free on bond. A hearing is set for August 27. The Department of Social Services is also involved in the investigation. An on-going investigation found that Stoner had been selling drugs to children from his Virginia home . | Paul Scott Stoner, 42, has been charged with growing marijuana and having a firearm in Unionville, Virginia .
The charges stemmed from an ongoing investigation related to the alleged sale of marijuana to children in Orange County . |
5,210 | 0ec4829380fbf03836686102adda9cf498b5149c | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A claim that several dozen glass plates bought for $45 at a garage sale were negatives from Ansel Adams brought an angry response of disbelief from the man who oversees the famed photographer's trust. Adams' grandson is also unconvinced. Matthew Adams, who runs the Ansel Adams Gallery, said even if they are authenticated, they are not worth much beyond their historical value. The art dealer who placed their eventual value at more than $200 million said Wednesday that the controversy is increasing their value by "driving the market to them." "They're making them so desirable," said David W. Streets. "People all over the world are seeing this and saying 'I want one of each.'" That controversy took a bitter turn a day after California wall painter Rick Norsigian and his lawyer held a news conference at Streets' Beverly Hills art gallery to say they have proof the negatives were created by Ansel Adams. William Turnage, the managing trustee of Adams' trust, called Norsigian and those working with him "a bunch of crooks" who "are pulling a big con job." Norsigian's lawyer, Arnold Peter, called Turnage's attack "a shameful and pointless disparagement of the professional reputations of some of the top leaders in their respective fields." The team of experts included two court-qualified handwriting experts, a retired FBI agent, and a former assistant United States attorney, Peter said. Peter said that based on the overwhelming evidence they gathered "no reasonable person would have any doubt that these, in fact, were the long-lost images of Ansel Adams." Turnage, who was Adams' business manager before his death in 1984, challenged the expertise of Norsigian's team, saying the only one with art credentials was a "so-called expert that nobody has ever heard of from Jackson Hole, Wyoming." "They had to go out into the boonies to dig him up," Turnage said. Norsigian's lawyer responded by calling Turnage an "elitist." "Ansel Adams would likely be shocked and appalled at such blatant arrogance and condescending commentary in his name," Peter said. Turnage said Norsigian's strategy is to line up a long list of hired experts to tell "a big lie." "Hitler used that technique," Turnage said. "You don't tell a small one. You tell a big one." Peter said Turnage "has converted a professional disagreement over works of art into a personal attack utilizing tactics that are grossly offensive and unconscionable." "Likening Rick Norsigian to Adolf Hitler is nothing more than yet another bullying tactics designed to silence Mr. Norsigian," Peter said. The lawyer invited Matthew Adams and Turnage "to engage in a meaningful dialogue and examine the evidence which they have consistently refused to do." "We now offer them yet another opportunity to jointly agree on and hire experts who are qualified to render a final opinion on the authenticity of the negatives," Peter said. "Any honest and fair assessment will lead to but one conclusion -- these are the lost negatives of Ansel Adams." The approach was "to put these negatives on trial" using a "high burden of proof" to show that the 65 glass plates were created by Adams, the iconic American photographer whose images of the West inspired the country. "I have sent people to prison for the rest of their lives for far less evidence than I have seen in this case," said evidence and burden-of-proof expert Manny Medrano, who was hired by Norsigian to help authenticate the plates. "In my view, those photographs were done by Ansel Adams." Meanwhile, Matthew Adams said Wednesday, "I don't think that they've proven that they are (authentic). ... And I don't know that you could ever prove that they are." Adams, who reviewed Norsigian's evidence last year, said he wanted more scientific tests, including carbon dating, to prove beyond a doubt that the work was that of his grandfather. He cited "a number of inconsistencies," including the conclusion by two handwriting analysts that notations on manila envelopes containing the plates were made by Ansel Adams' wife, Virginia Adams. The envelopes had five misspellings of well-known Yosemite National Park landmarks, he said. "Bridal Veil Falls" is misspelled twice as "Bridal Vail Falls" and "Happy Isles" is misspelled "Happy Iles," Adams said. Virginia Adams -- who spent most of her life in that area of California -- would have spelled those names correctly, he said. Handwriting experts Michael Nattenberg and Marcel Matley said they used Virginia Adams' writing samples provided by her grandson to reach their conclusion that it was her penmanship. Matthew Adams said his belief that she was not the author of the notations is based on copies of the envelopes given to him by Peter. "I just looked at them myself," Adams said. "I did not hire experts." Norsigian's team also said the locations of the photographs, which were taken around San Francisco and Yosemite, helped prove their case. "The fact that these locations were well-known to Adams, and visited by him, further supports the proposition that all of the images in the collection were most probably created by Adams," said art expert Robert Moeller. Matthew Adams said that circumstantial evidence was unconvincing, since several other highly skilled photographers were known to shoot at the same places around the same period. Even if Norsigian's glass plates are authentic Ansel Adams photographs, they would have mostly historical value, "not anywhere near" the $200 million estimate given by Streets, Adams said. Streets said his estimate was based on decades of print sales and rights fees. "There will always be a demand for Ansel Adams' work," he said. "The long-term potential is very easy to prove for these." "You can't print original photographs from them because Ansel's not around to print them," Matthew Adams said. "Anything you make from them you would have to say is an unknown interpretation of something that may be Ansel's." The Ansel Adams Gallery is still producing prints, but with a printer who was trained by Adams. The iconic artist died in 1984 at the age of 82. "A lot of the magic that he created was in the darkroom making the print," his grandson said. "Ansel's not around to tell us how he would have printed it." Streets countered Adams, saying, "It's not a mysterious process." "There are master printmakers who are making prints today," he said. Norsigian has contracted with Jesse Kallisher, whose prints hang in the Smithsonian and the Louvre museums, to produce original fine arts prints from the negatives, Streets said. While Matthew Adams is unconvinced, he doesn't doubt that Norsigian is sincere in his belief that he has Ansel Adams negatives. "I think that they do believe it, but I don't think that they have proven it," he said. He doesn't agree, however, with Turnage's charge that it's a "con job." "My take on it is that it is irresponsible to present them as Ansel's," Matthew Adams said. Norsigian, a painter for the Fresno school system, kept the glass plates under his pool table for four years before realizing they might be too valuable to store at home. He believes they were from Adams' early career, a period that is not well documented since a 1937 darkroom fire destroyed 5,000 of his plates. "It truly is a missing link of Ansel Adams and history and his career," Streets said. Norsigian, who scours garage sales for antiques, was looking for a barber chair when he spotted two deteriorated boxes in the spring of 2000. When he pulled one of the glass negatives out, he saw Yosemite. "As a young man, I worked at Yosemite quite a bit. So, right away I recognized it as Yosemite," Norsigian said. He bargained with the seller, finally negotiating the price for the boxes down from $70 to $45. The owner said he bought them in the 1940s at a warehouse salvage sale in Los Angeles. It would be two years before Norsigian realized the photos might be from Adams, he said. After four years, he had done enough research to realize the plates could be valuable. He moved them from under his pool table and placed them in a bank vault. How these 6.5-inch x 8.5-inch glass plate negatives of famous Yosemite landscapes and San Francisco landmarks -- some of them showing fire damage -- might have made their way from Adams' collection 70 years ago to a Southern California garage sale in 2000 can only be guessed. Photography expert Patrick Alt, who helped confirm the authenticity of the negatives, suspects Adams carried them to use in a photography class he was teaching in Pasadena, California, in the early 1940s. "It is my belief that he brought these negatives with him for teaching purposes and to show students how to not let their negatives be engulfed in a fire," Alt said. "I think this clearly explains the range of work in these negatives, from very early pictorialist boat pictures, to images not as successful, to images of the highest level of his work during this time period." Alt said it is impossible to know why Adams would store them in Pasadena and never reclaim them. For now, the photos will go on a tour of universities and museums, starting in October at Fresno State University, Norsigian said. "I just hope everybody enjoys them," he said. Norsigian said he has not spoken with the man who sold him the two boxes a decade ago. "If he's still around, I'm afraid he may come looking for me," he said. Norsigian, who is 64, is still working but said he may retire this year. | NEW: Ansel Adams' trustee says garage sale claim is a "con job"
NEW: The lawyer for the man who found photos calls Adams' trustee an "elitist"
NEW: An appraiser says the controversy is fueling sales of photo prints .
Photographer's grandson wants more tests before he accepts photos as Adams' |
197,138 | 8b288144170f07a78339a6c5e0c6af15b45d6e07 | By . Ted Thornhill . Updated: . 06:47 EST, 12 December 2011 . A greater percentage of Mars is habitable than Earth, say scientists who have made an overall study of temperature and pressure conditions of the Red Planet. Researchers from the Australian National University say that three per cent of Mars could sustain life, while just one per cent of Earth’s volume contains life – from the core to upper atmosphere. However, the team say that most Earth-like organisms would need to retreat underground to survive on Mars. Water find: Thanks to huge amounts of ice and warmer conditions underground, life could thrive on Mars . Astrobiologist Charley Lineweaver told AFP: ‘What we tried to do, simply, was take almost all of the information we could and put it together and say “is the big picture consistent with there being life on Mars?”’ And the simple answer is yes... There are large regions of Mars that are compatible with terrestrial life.’ Life could exist on Mars, scientists say, largely because there is a huge amount of water there in the form of ice, found at the polar regions. But the pressure on the planet is so low that water would vaporise on the surface. Below ground, however, there is sufficient pressure for water to be kept in a liquid state, which would enable microbes to thrive. On average it lies 141.6 million miles from the Sun. With a diameter of 4,222 miles, it’s around half the size of the Earth. It’s absolutely freezing there, with an average temperature of -85F (-65C). Gravity is much less powerful - slightly less than 40 per cent of ours. The atmosphere is desperately thin – one per cent of Earth’s pressure – and not very nice for us humans because 95 per cent of it is carbon dioxide. It boasts the solar system’s biggest mountain – Olympus Mons, a dead volcano with staggering proportions. It measures 335 miles across and rises to a height of 88,000ft, which is almost three times higher than Everest. Mars has two cosmic sidekicks – the moons Deimos and Phobos. Mars’s red colouring comes from the iron oxide that coats its surface. Mars has huge amounts of ice at its polar caps. If they melted, it would cover the whole planet in water 11-metres deep, according to Nasa. And while the surface temperature is not ideal for life, being an extremely chilly -65C, below ground it would be much warmer thanks to heat from the planet’s core. Lineweaver added that his study, which analysed decades of data, was ‘the best estimate yet published of how habitable Mars is to terrestrial microbes’. Lineweaver's findings were published today in Astrobiology. Scientists will learn a great deal more about Mars’s ability to sustain life when the rover Curiosity lands on the surface next August. Nasa’s earlier Viking rovers concluded 35 years ago that there was no sign of life, but scientists hope Curiosity’s more sophisticated equipment will reveal more. It will be 'the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet', said Doug McCuistion, director of Nasa’s Mars exploration programme. The rover is expected to land on Mars on August 5, 2012, after travelling nearly 354million miles from our planet. One of the chief tasks of the $2.5billion mission will be to discover the source of the methane gas scientists have detected in the Martian air. It will also fire a laser beam with the energy of a million lightbulbs at the surface of the red planet to see whether or not it could have supported life. The international team of space explorers that launched the Mars Science Laboratory is relying on the instrument to look for biological signs on the distant world. The ChemCam will fire a powerful laser pulse, vaporising some Mars dust and examining the spectrum of light shining through it. The robust system is one of 10 instruments mounted on the mission's rover vehicle. Analysis: The ChemCam system uses a laser to take samples from as far as 23 feet away from the Curiosity rover . Exploring: Opportunity is about to spend its fifth winter on Mars . When ChemCam fires its extremely powerful laser pulse, it will vaporise an area the size of a pinhead. The system's telescope will peer at the flash of glowing plasma created by the vaporized material and record the colours of light contained within it. These spectral colours will then be interpreted by a spectrometer, enabling scientists to determine the elemental composition of the vaporised material. Hardy: Opportunity has covered an impressive 21 miles on the Martian surface . Meanwhile, Nasa's lone surviving Mars rover Opportunity is scouting the landscape in search of a place to spend its fifth winter. The . solar-powered robot geologist has been scouting out sites along the . crater rim that not only have interesting rocks to examine but also . ample sunshine. The hardy rover has survived four previous Martian . winters and scientists expect no different and even drew up a to-do . list. Opportunity will ‘keep active all winter long’, said Bruce Banerdt, rover project scientist at Nasa headquarters. The probe has so far covered around 21 miles of the Martian surface. | Three per cent of Mars's volume could sustain life, compared to one per cent on Earth . |
286,073 | feae9cb7285866476f3400194c2d16e27ed6b4c7 | Dubai (CNN) -- In a Dubai café, patrons sip camel-milk lattes, camel-ccinos and shakes made with camel milk. The newly opened Cafe2Go is one of the first to put camel milk on its menu and it seems to be passing the taste test with intrigued customers. "I'm surprised because I was thinking it was tasting really different from the normal milk, but ... it's really nice," said customer Nadia Rizk. "I thought it would be weird when I tried it, but it's just like everything else," said another, Sal Hobbi. It is the latest sign of a boom in camel-milk products in the United Arab Emirates. A few years ago, Al-Nassma became the first company in the country to produce camel-milk chocolate. "It tastes really nice," said Martin Van Almsick, general manager of Al Nassma Chocolate. "And the thing is, you don't have to be an expert to notice. This is a great chocolate, everybody can tell." Camel milk has been a staple for Bedouins for centuries, but it has never before been produced in scale or used commercially in this way. For Emiratis, it is a way of combining local pride with a healthy option. Camel milk is lower in fat and higher in Vitamin C than cow's milk, according to scientists. "In the milk are all the vitamins, all the minerals, fat, carbohydrates, that you need for daily life," said Ulrich Wernery, scientific director of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory. Also on Inside the Middle East: Saudi foodies ditch fast food for fine dining . And it's not just being used in coffee and chocolate. There's also camel-milk cheese and "Camelicious" -- bottled camel milk sold in supermarkets and sometimes flavored with date or chocolate. They are produced by "Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products," one of the world's first large-scale camel milk farms, based in the desert outside Dubai. "We are using the camel milk, and our grandfathers using the camel milk, for many years," said Mutasher Al Badry, its manager. "It is not new to us, and it was in our culture to have the milk, and the camel milk products as well," he added. "We are converting the culture to commercial." The farm has thousands of camels, each producing around six liters of milk a day, but demand is so high they are struggling to keep up. Farm manager Peter Nagy says that to produce milk, it's important to keep the animals happy . "That's the whole idea, that's the whole concept," he said. "To keep animals quiet, happy. And then, they will produce milk for us." See also: Dubai diners flock to eat new 'camel burger' Both Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products and Al Nassma Chocolate receive funding from Dubai's ruling sheikhs, who say they are motivated as much by the desire to promote a healthy product as by profit. In future, they hope, it will be on sale way beyond the shores of the United Arab Emirates. "We are planning to be a global leader, and also we are planning to be a reference for the world in the camel industry," said Al Badry. | Camel milk is used in lattes, milkshakes, chocolate and cheese in Dubai .
Bedouins have drunk camel milk for centuries, but commercial production is new .
"Camelicious" bottled milk is produced at a huge farm on the outskirts of Dubai . |
260,681 | dd8e2f712b2e1ed0536195b2b15491e5348f47e3 | The independent NHS ombudsman is accused of failing countless families who have complained, such as the parents of Sam Morrish, three, who died due to multiple health service failings . Patients who complain to the NHS watchdog in charge of care are wasting their time, a charity warned today. The Patients Association, a lobby group that aims to improve patients' experience of health care, has declared it has 'no confidence' in the independent NHS ombudsman. Its role is to investigate complaints over unfair treatment and poor service that individuals have received from the NHS in England. Today, the Patients Association released a report into what it claims were failures by the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). It is accused of failing to handle complaints of poor care by families, who they say have been 'let down'. The PHSO, the last resort for those complaining about unfair or poor service from the NHS in England, is undergoing a modernisation scheme. Last month it revealed it had investigated 2,199 cases in 2013/14 - six times more than the previous year. But Patients Association deputy chief executive Jacqueline Coles, writing in the report, said it had 'failed to adapt' to modern demands. As a result, it will no longer be referring callers on the charity's helpline to the watchdog. She said: 'For many years we have advised people who contact our national helpline to go to the PHSO when they have received an unsatisfactory response from their local health service providers.' 'Sadly we can no longer recommend this course of action to patients, as we have no confidence in the PHSO to carry out an independent, fair, open, honest and robust investigation. 'It leaves the victims and families seeking help regarding health concerns cold, alone and frozen out. The PHSO fails them on a regular basis.' The report cites the case of Sam Morrish, who died in 2010 from a treatable condition due to multiple health service failings. The three-year-old died 36 hours after his parents first sought medical help for suspected flu and a chest infection. In that crucial period, they say they experienced a series of shocking blunders from doctors, NHS Direct, an out-of-hours GP service and a hospital. The mistakes were compounded when the grieving couple asked the NHS to investigate the events leading to Sam’s death from septic shock to prevent future tragedies. Two initial investigations failed to identify key problems, and Scott and Susanna Morrish said they were forced to relive ‘the life-shattering death’ of their child to get officials to finally act. In March 2012 the couple complained to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), the highest authority on NHS complaints. But they said officials failed to understand information about the case. The couple said they persevered in a bid to improve the health service for other patients, including their other sons, now aged nine and two. The role of the NHS Ombudsman is to investigate complaints over unfair treatment and poor service that patients have received from the NHS in England . But they later said they felt 'failed' by the complaints process after it took four years for the PHSO to publish its findings. The Patients Association said Sam’s death exposed ‘catastrophic and systemic’ failings in care and in how the NHS handles complaints. Chief executive Katherine Murphy said: Our experience of the PHSO has been painful. 'The family wanted organisations to learn so that this would not happen again, but the ombudsman did not want to interview anyone about what went wrong. 'The PHSO is the body which is supposed to hold the NHS to account and set benchmarks but there seems to be a lack of accountability for its own actions. 'The Patients Association helpline has advised hundreds of people to contact the ombudsman but time and time again people have come back to us saying the PHSO has told them there’s nothing more they can do. 'At this point in time I would not advise anyone who came to our helpline to contact the PHSO, because I have no confidence in it. A senior executive within the PHSO told Mr Morrish and I the methodology used in their investigation into our complaints was not fit for purpose. 'It’s time that this organisation was subjected to greater scrutiny. It costs billions at a time when the NHS is struggling. If that money was invested in frontline staff we would have a very different NHS.' The Patients Association report recommends an overhaul of the ombudsman to improve investigation timescales, contact with patients and a code of practice. A PHSO spokesman told the BBC: 'We have embarked on a radical modernisation drive which includes listening to feedback from users. 'We are delighted that the Patients Association has agreed to help us draw up a service charter, which will be a set of promises to users about what they can expect when they use our service.' | Patients Association has condemned the independent NHS ombudsman .
Has accused it of failing to handle complaints and 'letting down' families .
Charity says it will no longer refer people in need to the ombudsman . |
69,880 | c61c626e65c05bc788cfc9938c27191f9f4e746c | By . Lucy Waterlow . The Duchess of Cambridge sparked a rush in the sales of swaddling blankets after she was pictured with one wrapped around baby Prince George of Cambridge as they left hospital. Now a former nurse and birth doula has said these mothers will have happy and contented babies - if they learn how to use them. Viv Rogan, dubbed the Baby Calmer, said: 'Since Kate was seen with a swaddling blanket more people have been buying them but now they need to know how to use them properly. It's more than just a blanket. If folded correctly it can transform a screaming baby into a calm one in three minutes.' Cry baby solution: Swaddling can soothe a distressed newborn according to Dr Harvey Karp . Swaddling is one of the techniques Viv recommends to new mothers as she teaches the parenting practices recommended by America's Dr Harvey Karp. He said babies can be soothed by following what he calls the 'Five S's' - . swaddling, putting them in a side-on position, . making shushing sounds, swinging them and giving them a dummy to . suck. Dr Karp's advice in based on his belief that babies aged 0 to three months are in the 'fourth trimester' and can be best settled into the world by being in an environment similar to how they were in the womb. His 'The Happiest Baby' advice has been widely followed in the U.S. and now Viv, from Wimbledon, is spreading the word in the UK after becoming one of a handful of credited instructors in Dr Karp's baby calming techniques. The baby calmer: Viv Rogan teaches Dr Karp's 'five S's' technique in the UK . A mother of three grown-up boys, Viv said she wishes she had known the methods sooner as it would have made her life easier when her sons were newborns. She said: 'It is tempting to think that someone who can calm a baby easily has a special gift but it has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with understanding why restless babies cry.' She said all of Dr Karp's advise is based on 'tried and tested methods' and 'ancient techniques' such as swaddling. Swaddling goes back to Biblical times but has died out in recent generations in Britain as women no longer know how to due it - or fear causing hip displacement in their babies by doing them too tightly (a problem Viv said isn't relevant if you wrap the baby so their hips still have room to move). Ancient technique: Viv shows a new mother how to correctly swaddle her baby . It's a wrap: Swaddling replicates how babies felt curled up in the womb but they mustn't be bound too tightly . She gets her clients to first practise swaddling on dolls so they can get the technique right before wrapping their baby. She said a swaddled baby will sleep longer during the night and, if swaddled at certain periods during the day, will settle easier and some very restless babies will latch on with more ease if swaddled, though skin-to-skin feeding is still the ideal. She explained that the method works by replicating how the babies were in the womb when they were comfortably curled up. In the current heatwave, she said mothers needn't have their babies swaddled for long periods. To avoid them overheating, she said they should be swaddled without any clothes but just wearing a nappy. Parents should always be sure to check the baby is not too hot. Does she know how to use it? The Duchess of Cambridge had a swaddling shawl around baby Prince George of Cambridge when she left hospital . She said the many parents she has advised have seen huge improvements in their baby's temperament after being swaddled. She said: 'It has become a party trick for one of my client's husbands. He went to a friend's Christening where all the babies were crying and upset and he calmed them by swaddling each one.' But Viv says if put down to sleep babies must always be put on their backs and the swaddled must be secure.Swaddling should be discontinued when the baby is able to turn over in its cot. Viv added that the shushing noises are also key to a happy baby. She said: 'Babies are not used to complete peace and quiet. They have been in the womb where they could hear shushing noises and the sounds of their mother's body.' Parents can replicate this by playing 'white noise' to get their baby to sleep. Vivienne Rogan, Baby Calmer is one of only a few certified HB educators in The UK. For more information visit: www.thebabycalmer.co.uk . | Dr Harvey Karp's 'Happiest Baby' technique based on 'Five S's'
Swaddling, shush noises, side-laying, swinging and sucking a dummy .
Former nurse and doula Viv Rogan teaches his methods in UK .
She said distressed babies become calm in minutes . |
276,969 | f2d27d1931ade7c41f93a5c5ebc1c979375f6f12 | (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were dancing their way through 10 official inaugural balls after a day of pomp and circumstance that saw his first presidential address and excitement about her inaugural dress. Michelle Obama, dressed in Jason Wu, and President Obama at the Home State Ball Tuesday night. The Obamas were serenaded by Beyoncé during their first dance at the Neighborhood Ball Tuesday night. Beyoncé sang Etta James' "At Last," from her role in the movie "Cadillac Records" as the couple laughed and took their first spin around the dance floor. Before the dance, Obama addressed the crowd, which erupted in applause when he entered the room. "First of all, how good-looking is my wife?" Obama joked. Watch the Obamas at the first ball of the night » . All eyes certainly were on Michelle Obama, who had kept her choice of a designer and dress style a secret until the moment she entered the dance floor. The first lady was clad in a long white gown designed by up-and-coming designer Jason Wu, 26. The gown made especially for the first lady is made of ivory silk chiffon, embellished with organza and Swarovski crystal rhinestones and silver thread embroidery, according to one of Wu's publicists. Wu told CNN he didn't know that she had chosen his gown until her first ball appearance Tuesday night. "It's thrilling. ... For a young designer, I couldn't ask for any more than this," said Wu, whose design style combines modern lifestyle dressing and haute couture, according to his Web site. He designed and delivered the dress at the request of Michelle Obama's aides in December, according to fashion expert Mary Alice Stephenson, contributing editor at Harper's Bazaar. Wu -- who has been in the business for three years, according to InStyle.com fashion director Joe Berean -- said he intended the gown to stand for everything that she and President Obama are about. Listen to Berean critique Michelle Obama's inauguration outfits » . "It's about hope. It's about newness," he said. "It's all a little dreamlike, and we're making history, and I wanted to really reflect that." The Neighborhood Ball, a first of its kind and one of the balls open to the public, was the first of 10 official balls that the Obamas were scheduled to attend. For the new president, the first was particularly important. "I cut my teeth doing neighborhood work and this campaign was organized neighborhood by neighborhood," he said. For that reason "this ball is the one that captures best the spirit of this campaign," Obama said. The Obamas then moved to their second ball -- the Home State Ball, for Illinois and Hawaii -- at the Convention Center. After greeting the crowd by saying "Aloha," the president thanked many in the crowd who he said were old friends who had been part of the couple's lives for awhile. "This is a special ball because it represents our roots," he said. The couple laughed and embraced as they danced. President Obama even let loose after his long day, twirling his wife around in a circle -- a move the crowd cheered. Time: See the glamour of past balls . Next, the Obamas made their way to the Commander-in-Chief Ball, attended by many members of the military, including wounded veterans. "It is wonderful to be surrounded by some of the very best and bravest Americans," Obama said. "Your courage, your grace and your patriotism inspire us all." Obama told the crowd that there is "no greater honor or responsibility than serving as your commander in chief." Watch the Obamas as the Commander-in-Chief Ball » . Obama then introduced members of the military from Illinois stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan. After thanking them, Obama took time for lighter banter, polling the members of the military about whether they were Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox baseball fans. "Terrible!" quipped Obama, known to be a huge White Sox fan, as most said they were Cubs fans. Then Obama introduced his wife, who took a moment to emerge from backstage. "I may have been stood up," he joked, before she came out for their next dance. Next, the Obamas turned their attention to the Youth Inaugural Ball, where people between the ages of 18 and 35 gathered. "When you look at the history of this campaign, what started out as an improbable journey -- when nobody gave us a chance -- was carried forward, was inspired by, was driven by, was energized by, young people all across America," Obama said. The president thanked the young people who came out to vote in dramatically high numbers, especially compared to past elections. He said a new generation inspired an older generation, and "that's how change happens in America." Afterward, the Obamas moved to the Home State Ball for Delaware and Pennsylvania, honoring Vice President Joe Biden. "We are grateful to you, not only for the trust you bestowed, but also for a guy named Joe Biden," Obama said. Biden was born in Pennsylvania and later moved to Delaware, which he represented in the U.S. Senate. The Obamas then visited the rest of the parties earlier than scheduled and in quick succession, spending about five minutes each at the Mid-Atlantic, Western, Midwest, Southern and Eastern regional balls. At the Western Ball, singer Marc Anthony helped entertain about 11,500 guests, including film director Ron Howard and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actress Cheryl Hines. When the Obamas arrived, someone shouted "I love you" to the president. "I love you back," Obama responded. "Michelle loves you, too." Before the couple's dance at the Midwest Ball, the president introduced the first lady by saying he'd "like to dance with the one who brung me, and who does everything I do except ... in high heels." The first couple's last dance of the night -- at the Eastern Ball -- happened shortly after 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. Melanie Roussell, a spokeswoman for the committee, said that in keeping with tradition, the Obamas and Biden and his wife, Jill, would make appearances at each of the official balls. Quiz: First ladies gowns . There was more than chips and dip for the new president and his fellow partygoers. "We will have a little more than light fare," said Roussell, who listed such menu items as penne Italiano and chilled chicken roulades with tomatoes, artichokes and pine nuts. The balls also featured plenty of music to suit just about everyone's taste. In addition to Beyoncé, the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center included recording artists Jay-Z, Faith Hill, Shakira and Alicia Keys. iReport.com: Are you in Washington? Share your story . Those not lucky enough to score a ticket or an invitation could watch on television. "We are trying to make this the most accessible inauguration in history," Roussell said. "We are encouraging people to plan parties in their own neighborhoods, and they can tune in and celebrate along with the president." CNN's Lisa Respers France, Mallory Simon and Rebecca Sinderbrand contributed to this report. | Obama thanks youth for helping inspire, energize "improbable journey"
Obama says at military ball there is "no greater honor" than being commander .
Michelle Obama wears silk chiffon Jason Wu gown with crystal rhinestones .
Celebrities attending include Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Faith Hill . |
20,727 | 3acfb6d4d9651f5c87e41e2db53fde96a57e339a | A teenager who feared she would never walk again, is now preparing for a ballet exam after her spine miraculously healed itself. Megan Kershaw, 14, was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer in 2008, which caused her to collapse at school. During a nine-hour operation to remove three-quarters of the tumour, doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her spine, causing spinal fractures, and for years she was confined to a wheelchair. Megan Kershaw from Doncaster has now fully recovered from a rare form of liver cancer which caused her spine to collapse . It was during treatment that Professor Nick Bishop from Sheffield Children’s Hospital suggested they should try and let the spine heal naturally. Now Megan's back is fully healed and doctors have been amazed by her speedy recovery. Professor Nick Bishop said: 'The speed of recovery is fantastic and just shows how well children’s bones can recover in this kind of situation. 'Her spine is healing itself without . any special treatment from us. The spine’s building blocks, the . vertebrae, have growth plates on their upper and lower surfaces. “It is these growth plates that have restored Megan’s vertebral architecture in such an exemplary fashion. 'Megan no longer needs to see me now . her spine has healed.' Relief: Megan pictured with her mother Deborah, and younger sister Bronwen, 12 . Megan is once again enjoying her favourite hobbies which include dancing, horse-riding, skiing and riding roller coasters. Her mother Deborah, 48, from Misson, near Doncaster said: 'She is a miracle. It is incredible what has happened and what the body can do. 'She’s back to being a normal healthy child and can do all the things her friends do. 'She has shown tremendous courage through everything and she’s back to her dancing which has helped her very much.' Megan still needs regular check-ups and is having a scan at the end of March to check on her progress. The youngster previously hit headlines when Simon Cowell paid for her to go on a trip to Disneyland in Florida for her 13th Birthday. He stepped in when he heard she had made a 'wish board' that included meeting him, Girls Aloud and the dream trip to Disney. Megan is now preparing for a Royal Academy of Dance ballet exam . next month. Dance tutor James Vaughan, who taught Megan before she was diagnosed with liver cancer said: 'Megan always had a great attitude and never missed a single lesson. 'When she was at her worst after the treatments had ravaged her body she first came back to class in a wheelchair unable to walk very well and she was a shadow of her former self. 'I was delighted to have her back and her determination to succeed despite her illness was an inspiration to us all.' | Megan Kershaw was diagnosed with rare liver cancer .
Condition caused spine to collapse .
Now fully recovered after spending years in wheelchair . |
210,775 | 9d02a0b42ab22fe0b7f1db86c5fd3b431d4e620d | Shocking figures: The annual number of sex offenders under the age of ten has doubled in the last three years. A four-year child was investigated by police for rape while 800 youngster under the age of ten have sexually assaulted other children in the last six years. The shocking revelations are a terrifying insight into the child abuse crisis plaguing Britain - with experts blaming internet porn and the sexualisation of children for the rise in offences. The figures, obtained by The Sunday Mirror, also show that the annual number of sex offenders under the age of ten has doubled in the last three years. Child protection experts believe the majority of the youngsters will have been abuse victims themselves. But they are also deeply concerned about the accessibility of extreme online pornography and the effect this can have on children who watch it. Their comment comes two years after David Cameron vowed to ensure pornography is blocked by internet providers on demand from the householder. Figures obtained by the Sunday Mirror through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request from 33 police forces across England and Wales showed 776 children aged up to nine had been investigated for sex crimes. No legal action was taken over the incidents as the criminal age of responsibility in England and Wales is 10. NSPCC spokesman Jon Brown told the Sunday Mirror: 'These figures may seem hard to believe but, unfortunately, there are cases of children as young as three committing sexual offences. 'These children may well have experienced very severe trauma and abuse themselves. That kind of behaviour won't just have come out of nowhere. They will undoubtedly have been victims of sexual abuse. It's terrible. 'There should be no cases like this. These children are not paedophiles - they are victims themselves.' Shocking data released by the Metropolitan Police appears to show a four year old was recorded as suspected of committing rape between January and September 2014. Scotland Yard refused to disclose if the child was a boy or girl. And officers from Greater Manchester Police dealt with 18 horrific cases of children under 10 raping other children between 2009 and 2014. Disturbing: In one shocking case revealed through a Freedom of Information request, a nine-year-old girl was quizzed for taking or making indecent photos of other children . The offenders included a boy aged six, five boys aged seven, seven boys aged eight and five boys aged nine. Dozens more children under ten were found to have committed sexual assaults in Greater Manchester, including a seven-year-old girl who sexually assaulted a boy. A leading psychologist has claimed not enough is being done to prevent youngsters from watching porn on the internet. Dr Linda Papadopoulos wrote a report for the Home Office in 2010 discussing ways in which children could be protected from exposure to x-rated images. Only a tiny portion of her 36 recommendations were implemented, including the introduction of new age ratings for music videos. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, she claimed the Government needed to do much more to tackle the problem. A nine-year-old girl was quizzed for taking or making indecent photos of other children. Rape by children at such a young age constitutes penetration of their victim other than sexual intercourse. The paper said the number of children committing sex crimes had doubled from 128 in 2012 to 254 last year and the figures could be higher as several forces did not respond to its FoI request. Figures from the Met suggest they recorded a total of 2,823 crimes of all types perpetrated by one to 10 year olds between 2011 and 2014. But the force warned there were errors in the recording of some its data, citing a rape suspect's age being entered as one and many other ages simply recorded as zero because the suspect's age was unknown to the officer entering the data. Against this, Donald Findlater, research director at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, warned the statistics were more likely to be the tip of the iceberg as many of the crimes go unreported. He claimed it was 'tragic' when children as young as three display sexualised behaviour and said there was a lack of services available for such youngsters. Warning: Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, above, has claimed not enough is being done to prevent youngsters from watching porn on the internet . The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has produced a guide for parents, teachers and playgroup leaders focusing on children who display sexual behaviour. Calls and emails to its Stop it Now! helpline have more than doubled since 2004, rising from 110 to 225 last year. The charity even discussed the sexual behaviour of a two-year-old boy with a concerned caller. A Government spokesman said: 'The age of criminal responsibility is set at 10 years old. Social services work with the families of children under this age whose behaviour gives cause for concern. 'If a child is found to have committed a serious offence, councils can apply to the Family Court to place the child under supervision, or take them into care. 'They could also be placed under the supervision of a youth offending team for up to 12 months.' Anyone needing support or advice will a child protection issue can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected] . | Shocking new figures were revealed by a Freedom of Information request .
Experts say many offenders will have been the victim of abuse themselves .
No legal action taken as children under ten are not criminally responsible .
Disturbing revelation comes two years after PM vowed to block online porn . |
115,500 | 210c471d2f3cfba9b4432a63d663a61363f81ab0 | The Mail On Sunday today exposes the massive international security risk posed by a gun that can be easily made with new 3D printers. We built the weapon, which is capable of firing a live round, from blueprints available on the internet – then smuggled it on to a packed Eurostar train. Two reporters passed completely unchallenged through strict airport-style security to carry the gun on to a London to Paris service in the weekend rush-hour, alongside hundreds of unsuspecting travellers. Reporter Simon Murphy carried the plastic gun on to a London to Paris service in the weekend rush-hour . Once on board the packed 5.31pm Eurostar train, the reporters were able to assemble the pieces to create a fully functional firearm, and pose for pictures close to unsuspecting passengers . The pistol, capable of firing a deadly 0.38-calibre bullet, was produced in under 36 hours using a revolutionary £1,700 machine to ‘print’ its components. And because all the parts are plastic, they did not trigger the metal detectors all Euro-star passengers must pass through. Last night, the train operator began an urgent investigation into the security breach as experts called for airports and public buildings to review their procedures in light of our revelations. The Mail on Sunday pieced together the 16-part pistol – called The Liberator by its creators – after downloading the designs. They were originally published by an American university student, who proved the design works by successfully firing a bullet on a shooting range. The blueprints have since been downloaded more than 100,000 times and are now widely available, despite attempts to remove them. Made entirely of plastic except for a small firing pin and ammunition, the gun presents a huge problem for security services around the world, as it can be broken down into parts that do not set off metal detectors and may not show up on conventional body and bag scanning devices. To test the procedures at St Pancras International Station, the gun produced by the MoS was split into three pieces and concealed in the clothing of two reporters who bought standard class tickets to Paris. We then walked through the usual security procedures, manned by UK Border officials. We placed our luggage and metal objects, including loose change and watches, in plastic trays which were then passed through airport scanners. But although we were carrying parts of a potentially deadly weapon, we were able to walk through a metal detector without triggering the alarm. While some passengers were patted down by security guards, we proceeded unchallenged to passport control, manned by French police. Once on board the packed 5.31pm Eurostar train on Friday, we were able to assemble the pieces to create a fully functional firearm in just 30 seconds, and pose for pictures close to unsuspecting passengers. We did not attempt to smuggle the firing pin or bullet for safety and legal reasons, but small metal items could be easily concealed. Last night, security experts and politicians said they were horrified at the implications of our investigation. Lord West, the former Labour security Minister, called for a review to see how the ‘extremely dangerous’ weapons could be better detected. But he said he was ‘not surprised’ that Eurostar checks had failed to spot the weapon because they were so hard to detect. He said: ‘What we need is a review of how we can look at these things and how we can discover them more easily. That will take work and it will cost money. ‘These weapons are extremely dangerous because they are very difficult to detect with the methods we normally use. This is going to be a real problem, no doubt about it. People are going to have to rethink whether we need more checks.’ A Eurostar spokeswoman said last night: ‘Eurostar has a high level of security, with a number of checks as specified by the authorities in order to protect the integrity of the Channel Tunnel. We take any issue relating to security very seriously. We will be investigating immediately to fully understand the nature of this issue with our security partner which carries out checks on our behalf at St Pancras. We will also investigate the matter with the Department for Transport, who oversee our security operation, and specify the checks that need to be undertaken.’ The Transport Department said the UK had ‘one of the strictest transport security regimes in the world’ and added: ‘This is kept under constant review in response to new or emerging threats, but we do not comment on specifics for obvious reasons.’ Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas spent the last year designing the weapon. A self-styled libertarian, he argues that everyone should have access to guns, and said last week: ‘I recognise the tool might be used to harm other people . . . it’s a gun. But I don’t think that’s a reason not to do it.’ The US State Department last week rushed to ban the plastic firearm, but security sources fear the worst after the document was uploaded to file-sharing websites. One user, DakotaSmith, wrote: ‘This is the first in what will be an avalanche of undetectable, untraceable, easy-to-manufacture weapons that will turn the tables on evil-doers the world over. Share and enjoy.’ Reporter Simon Murphy puts the 3D gun together in the Eurostar toilet . Firearms experts advised The Mail on Sunday not to test whether the weapon would fire due to safety and legal concerns. But the lapse in security will shock travellers. Chris Yates, an aviation security analyst, said: ‘If Eurostar security can be breached in this way, then so can airport security processes. ‘Authorities should be extremely worried. The obvious danger is that if you have the ability to print out a gun on a 3D printer from a blueprint downloaded online, then the probability is that a terrorist has that capability as well . . . which could have devastating consequences. They could potentially cause a problem at 38,000ft that would cause the aircraft to crash or be hijacked.’ Lord West added: ‘If you actually have to search people’s baggage and go through it all, travel becomes a misery and the terrorists, in a sense, have won. There has to be a balance.’ However, he said that more sophisticated scanners might be able to detect the 3D weapons. All of the major parts of the model were made using a program which reads files that tell the printer how to create each component from layer upon layer of plastic. The only other part of the gun is a 25mm metal piece, which acts as the firing pin, and can be purchased from any hardware store. The pistol can only be fired once using a .38 calibre round before the plastic barrel has to be replaced. The body of the gun was made in just a day with smaller parts taking only a matter of hours. In order to comply with gun manufacturing regulations in the US, Mr Wilson purposely designed his weapon with a steel component in the handle to make it detectable. But it is not essential, and the gun can still be fired without it. The Home Office said: ‘The UK has some of the toughest gun laws in the world. Anyone wanting to manufacture or own a firearm, including one produced through 3D printing, would need a licence. Anyone manufacturing guns without a licence is liable to prosecution.’ The MoS, which carried out its investigations in the public interest, has now dismantled the gun. The Liberator plastic gun is a simple single-shot weapon that fires a small .380-caliber bullet . | Weapon capable of firing a live round smuggled on to packed Eurostar .
Reporters passed unchallenged through airport-style security .
Pistol produced using £1,700 machine to 'print' its components . |
287,016 | ffe16392826970e871974f2097156551cb5e6157 | By . Freya Noble for Daily Mail Australia . Imagine writing off a car worth almost half a million dollars. Now imagine it wasn't even yours. That's the reality for one unlucky man who totalled his mate's $400,000 Lamborghini in Sydney on Saturday night. While cruising through EdeNsor Park in the city's west, the driver of the charcoal V12-powered Lamborghini Murcielago came over the crest of a hill and ploughed into another car. Scroll down for video . This Lamborghini Murcielago was written off on Saturday night when it ploughed into another car . That other vehicle, a white Honda SUV, was turning into its driveway, Nine News reported. The 2007 model Lamborghini is completely written off as confirmed to the program by the car's driver, Vince, who said: 'Yeah it's a write off, there's nothing left of it'. The Honda, driven by Kathy Barillaro, also looked a little worse for wear after it rolled 20 metres and came to a stop further down the street. The driver of the other vehicle Kathy Barillaro survived unscathed after her Honda SVU rolled for 20 metres down the road . The 2007 model car was only purchased last weekend by two men who split the $400,000 price tag . Ms Barillaro was lucky and was only treated for minor injuries such as cuts, bruises and whiplash by paramedics at the scene, but did not suffer anything more serious. 'I don't know what happened, and I was just rolling and rolling and rolling', she said. 'All I heard was this loud bang, it sounded like a plane crash really', Kathy's husband Bruno Barillaro said. The driver of the Lamborghini, Vince, said the crash totally wrote off the luxury sports car . Police are investigating the crash but no one has been charged . Vince said that he had purchased the car in partnership with a friend, and they had only picked up the car last weekend. He also added that he wasn't too concerned about the car and was glad everyone involved in the accident was largely unharmed. Police told Daily Mail Australia they are investigating the incident and the possibility that speed was a factor, but no charges have been laid. Kathy's husband Bruce Barillaro said the accident sounded like a plane crash . | The luxury car was in an accident in Edesor Park in Sydney's west .
It ploughed into another car that was turning into its driveway .
The Lamborghini Murcielago was only picked up by its owners last week .
The 2007 model car was purchased by the driver Vince and a friend .
No one was seriously injured and police are investigating . |
171,887 | 6a76910b11b29d510ee697da138a515720096b67 | By . Lucy Thackray For Daily Mail Australia . and Sarah Dean For Daily Mail Australia . Disgraced former NRL star Todd Carney says he doesn't understand the criticism or controversy after a photo was leaked last month of Carney partying with the notorious Corby sisters at a Balinese bar. In the wake of his shameful dismissal from the Cronulla Sharks, the photograph put the 28-year-old back in the press for all the wrong reasons - but Carney can't grasp why. Speaking for the first time since the controversy, Carney says, 'I'm not ashamed,' according to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). 'Someone asked me to pose for a photo... If people are kind or decent to me and ask for a photo I'm not about to be rude to them. I'm not ashamed to appear in a photo with them... I don't see the big issue or the interest in the picture.' Trio: Todd was photographed partying with Schapelle Corby who was released from Bali's Kerobokan Prison five months ago, and her sister Mercedes last week . In the snap, the sacked Cronulla Sharks player has his tattooed arms draped over the sisters' shoulders and a big smile on his face. The photo was leaked to the media from a private social media account - and Carney believes that the picture came from the Facebook page of a mortified Mercedes Corby. 'I saw (Mercedes) the day after it hit the headlines and she was very apologetic. I don't hold it against her. She didn't do this to me,' Carney tells SMH. Corby, 37, was released from Bali's Kerobokan Prison five months ago after serving nine years in jail for couriering 4.2 kilograms of cannabis to Indonesia. And 29-year-old Carney has escaped Australia after his 'bubbling' scandal, which showed the sportsman urinating into his own mouth in a lewd photograph taken in a hotel toilet. 'Toddy and me post bubble!': A fan posted photos of himself with Todd Carney on Instagram during a night out at Alleycats bar in Katu, Bali. Bryson McNeill said Carney asked him what he did and brushed off his own troubles . Schapelle Corby is on parole after being released from Bali's Kerobokan Prison in February this year. This photo shows her in 2005 before her trial for drug smuggling . The 'bubbling' photo was and leaked on social media and led to him being sacked from his team. Corby lives with her sister in Kuta, Bali, where Carney is currently holidaying. Just three months after being released from jail she got back together with her Indonesian boyfriend Ben Panangian, who supported her while she was locked-up. It's believed she now works at her sister's surfboard and swimwear shop on the island. On 16 July, Carney first graced his social media accounts since his spectacular exit from the sport. He was all smiles with former Cronulla Sharks teammate Wade Graham, as the pair caught up mid-week for a sweet treat. He captioned a photo: 'Always good company and laugh with this frick @wadegraham17 #waffles #yogurberry,' Schapelle Corby is still living in Bali with her sister and boyfriend Ben Panangian. Here she is seen with Ben in front of the Board Room Surfing shop that belongs to her sister Mercedes . All smiles: Sacked NRL star Todd Carney has graced his social media accounts for the first time since his spectacular exit from the sport last month, with teammate Wade Graham . Fans were supportive of Carney's return to social media, sending him well wishes, with one saying: 'Good on ya @tcarney86 bounce back bigger and better,' while another posed the question on everyone's lips: 'What are u going to do now after that thing u did @tcarney86.' Carney's sacking followed years of controversy including run-ins with police and NRL officials. In 2009, a full-frontal naked photo of Carney appeared on a rental phone in Canberra. The telephone company apologised after a woman found the images on a phone she was loaned by a Telstra Shop while her handset was being repaired. Career breaker: Todd cut a far different figure to that when he hit the headlines more than a month ago amidst his 'bubbling' scandal . In 2006, while playing with the Canberra Raiders, he was charged with drink driving and lost his license for five years. He was later caught driving while disqualified and failed to stop for police, which resulted in his being sentenced to community service. He allegedly urinated on a man in a Canberra nightclub in 2008. Later that year he was de-registered and banned from playing in the NRL competition until 2010 due to his on-going string of alcohol-related incidents. Striped of his jersey: The tattooed sportsman's contract was terminated in June after a lewd photograph of him in a hotel toilet urinating into his own mouth leaked onto social . | Todd Carney confused by Corby photo scandal: 'I don't see the big issue'
Carney was criticised for leaked photo with the Corby sisters in Bali in July .
'Mercedes apologised' after photo was released from her Facebook page .
Convicted drug smuggler Schappelle Corby was granted parole in February .
Carney was sacked from Cronulla Sharks in June for lewd photo .
The image, leaked on social media, saw him urinating into his own mouth . |
231,070 | b731af7e24ee7dec181b338c52452d8ee0d8494b | By . Hugo Gye . Last updated at 11:16 AM on 10th November 2011 . Police who raided the home of convicted sex offender Neil Waters, 50, found a DVD containing forty excerpts from films which had been screened on television . A man accused of possessing child pornography has been cleared after a judge heard his videos were taken from terrestrial TV. Police who raided the home of convicted sex offender Neil Waters, 50, found a DVD containing 40 excerpts from films which had been screened on television. None of the films was pornographic, and they could be legitimately and legally viewed by the public, Gloucester Crown Court was told. Judge Jamie Tabor ruled that whatever . motive Waters had for gathering the film clips together, they could not . be regarded as indecent within the meaning of the law. On hearing his ruling, prosecutor . Virgina Cornwall said the Crown would not continue with the nine charges . against Waters of making indecent images of children between 2008 and . 2011. Waters has been on the sex offender register since 2006 when he was jailed for child porn offences. The court heard that following the raid on his home on February 28 this year Waters, who was on parole, was recalled to prison to continue serving his sentence and he has remained behind bars since then. Ms Cornwall told Judge Tabor: 'We invite . the court to rule on the admissibility of these images. They were found . in somewhat unusual circumstances. 'The defendant was at the time a . registered sex offender who had been released from prison and was living . in the community. As a result of information received, officers . attended his home and during a search found a disc in his shed. 'That . disc contained 40 clips of principally young girls that had been taken . from films broadcast on terrestrial TV. VHS tapes were also found and it . is clear that the excerpts on the disc came from them. They were . perfectly legitimate terrestrial TV films.' Gloucester Crown Court (pictured) heard that following the raid, Waters, who was on parole, was recalled to prison to continue serving his sentence and he has remained behind bars since then . Judge Tabor said, 'I understand there was no question of them coming from pay-per-view TV, but from films any member of the public could have seen.' Ms Cornwall replied, 'Yes, they were films shown at any time without restrictions on them which are not pornographic in nature at all. They are innocuous, generally speaking.' Waters' lawyer said: 'The defendant has not purchased these images. He has just taped what has been on TV. Anyone could have recorded them.' Giving his ruling, Judge Tabor said he had viewed a selection of the clips and they were undoubtedly of children but they would not be considered by the public to be indecent nowadays - and probably would not have been seen as indecent even 30 years ago. If the case went to trial, he said, the jury would not be allowed to consider the motivation for Waters making the recordings and the disc. The children shown in the clips were 'predominately of children in semi-undressed state,' he said. 'He may well have derived some form of gratification, sexual or otherwise, by looking at scantily clad young children - for example in an aboriginal cave talking to their mother. 'But if one removes the motivation for making these clips one is left with the images themselves and one asks oneself objectively are they indecent? They are not.' Ms Cornwall offered no evidence on the nine charges in the light of the judge's ruling and Waters was formally found not guilty. | Judge Tabor: 'I understand there was no question of them coming from pay-per-view TV, but from films any member of the public could have seen' |
69,325 | c49083652d148ef26688f59b2306468b453fc9fa | Next month, U.S. President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit Myanmar, the strongest endorsement yet of the country's efforts to tread a path to democracy. Much has changed in a year since U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a historic visit to the country in December 2011. CNN was also invited to enter Myanmar, also known as Burma, for the first time in years. With an official journalist visa stamped in our passport, we and other media invited for Clinton's visit, knew this was a big change for a country that has repelled any kind of scrutiny for half a century. Q&A: What's behind sectarian violence in Myanmar? Obama's visit will come at a time when Myanmar is in the news again but not for the right reasons. Violence between Rohingya Muslims and local Buddhists continues in Rakhine state in the west of the country. The United Nations says at least 89 people have been killed in the past two weeks and 110,000 are displaced. Some aid organizations are questioning whether now is the right time for Obama to add legitimacy to the government of President Thein Sein. But there's no denying a lot has changed in the past year and a half. Read more: Aung San Suu Kyi has "soft spot" for the military generals . So far, a quasi-civilian government has been sworn in, although the military still holds great sway. Hundreds of political prisoners have been released, ceasefires have been signed between the government and some but not all ethnic groups. Political and economic reform is well underway. Another change that didn't make headlines but has been clear to us during numerous trips over that 12-month period is the attitude of the Burmese people. Last year, very few people would speak to us on camera or in some cases even off-camera for fear of retribution. Decades of brutal military rule turned freedom of speech into a luxury most could not afford. Aung San Suu Kyi: Peaceful freedom fighter . But just four months later, during a bi-election in which the freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party won almost all seats, caution was thrown to the wind and celebrations were passionate and unrestrained. Thousands of jubilant Suu Kyi supporters spilled into the street, holding posters of the woman who had spent much of the past two decades under house arrest -- these were scenes which just a couple of years earlier would have ended in arrest and imprisonment. U Myint Maung, a man from Yangon, had a simple explanation of the election. "The people were living in prison. Aung San Suu Kyi held the key to open the door," he said. We, as journalists, were welcomed and thanked on the streets as if the fact we were there documenting these changes meant they could never be reversed. Read more: Myanmar eases restrictions on news organizations . But not one person we spoke to over many months said their lives had physically improved. They were more hopeful and believed democracy was now possible but they were still struggling to survive. Daily life is hard for many Burmese. A country that was one of the richest in Asia 50 years ago is now one of the poorest. Authorities are struggling to shore up institutions and update laws to protect people and resources from hungry international investors snapping at Myanmar's heels. The ethnic unrest in Rahkine state has tested the efforts of President Thein Sein's administration to seek reconciliation with Myanmar's different ethnic groups. There's no doubt that some changes in Myanmar have been swift and Sein deserves the international praise he is receiving. But the transformation from pariah to ally is not complete and the skeptics among us worry it could yet stumble. | President Obama will become first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar .
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited country in December 2011 .
Uncertainty remains for Myanmar as ethnic violence continues in Rakhine state . |
71,675 | cb207adfd0400bde7a49cdc8a9d068fa979d0f12 | By . Sami Mokbel . Follow @@SamiMokbel81_DM . Rio Ferdinand met with Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night to thrash out his protracted transfer to the newly-promoted Premier League club. The veteran-central defender held talks with Harry Redknapp at a central London hotel in bid to agree a 12 month contract. Ferdinand 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. Close: Rio Ferdinand is in talks with Queens Park Rangers ahead of his move to the London Club . But the move has been shrouded in doubt over a wage disagreement after QPR had a last-minute rethink on Ferdinand's personal terms. However, Redknapp believes he can still lure Ferdinand to Loftus Road and hopes to conclude a deal this week. Negotiations: A wage disagreement has put Ferdinand's move in doubt . Interest: Harry Redknapp is hopeful Ferdinand will be a QPR player by the end of the week . VIDEO QPR close in on centre backs . High spirits: Joey Barton leads the way as QPR players take part in pre-season training . | Rio Ferdinand has met with QPR to discuss his protracted transfer to the west London club .
Veteran defender's move has stalled due to a wage disagreement .
Redknapp remains confident that the deal will be concluded this week . |
209,979 | 9bef411351183b186e926a0ed167be9b98424f41 | The Liberal Democrats have stopped the Government from ‘really delivering’ on immigration reform, David Cameron claimed today. The Prime Minister said he needed a Tory majority after the next election because he had not been able to ‘go ahead with all the things we wanted to do’. Mr Cameron’s remarks come after he pledged to make reform of European freedom of movement rules the centrepiece of his Brussels renegotiation if he wins the next election. David Cameron (centre) with the Tory candidate for Rochester and Strood Kelly Tolhurst (left) were shown around the Crossrail site in Chatham, Kent, by site manager Michael O'Neil yesterday . The PM claimed he had already restricted the benefits migrants could claim – but admitted further reform would be ‘tough’. Speaking to Radio Kent this morning, ahead of the crunch November 20 Rochester and Strood by-election, Mr Cameron said: ‘I believe at the next election I’ve got a very strong case to say you’ve seen what we’ve done in Coalition, having to make some compromises, not being able to go ahead with all the things we wanted to do – now give us the chance to really deliver for the country, including on issues like immigration.’ Mr Cameron said freedom of movement within the EU was not ‘an unqualified right’. He said: ‘You can’t come here and immediately claim benefits. We’ve said that if you come here and claim benefits, that after six months you should go home. We’ve said that if you come here and you can’t support yourself and you’re begging on the streets you should return to the country you came from.’ Mr Cameron added: ‘We’ve already made qualifications, but my view is that there is a lot more we can do to make sure that we properly control immigration into our country, both from outside the European Union, where we’ve cut migration quite substantially under this government, but we also need to take steps with Europe as well. ‘As far as I’m concerned the British public are the boss, they’ve made it very clear they want this issue sorted out, and that’s exactly what I want to do.’ Angela Merkel has allegedly vetoed a proposal to cap the number of migrants allowed Britain every year . The Prime Minister insisted the German Chancellor Angela Merkel shared some of his concerns about immigration – amid claims she had vetoed plans to put a cap on the number of migrants allowed into Britain each year. He said: ‘I’ve had good conversations with Angela Merkel about this, and she’s talked about the issues they’ve had in Germany with the problems of migration and particularly this issue of people being able to claim benefits. ‘So look, of course we’re not all instantly going to agree, and of course this will be a tough negotiation, but the point I’d make is look, you’ve got one leader, David Cameron, the Conservative party…who have a very clear view that we need to have a renegotiation and then a referendum on Europe. ‘We have a plan to bring our immigration under control, and I don’t hear that plan either from Labour or the Liberal Democrats or indeed Ukip. Because of course if you vote Ukip you probably end up with a Labour government and no immigration control at all.' Far right leader Marine Le Pen used Mr Cameron's struggle to control immigration as an 'example' of why France should leave the EU . Miss Le Pen wrote: 'We are not free to decide our immigration policy and the example of Mr Cameron recently proved' Mr Cameron said he wanted to change Britain's relationship with Europe. He said: 'I don’t want a referendum today because I’m not satisfied with the way Europe is working today. ‘But I believe that if you put forward a strong case for renegotiation, hold that renegotiation, get a better deal, we can address issues like immigration. ‘In the end, it’s not going to be my decision whether Britain stays or leaves the European Union. ‘I’m a positive person, I want to put a positive approach to this which is to get the changes we need, but in the end it will be for the people of Britain, the people of Rochester and Strood to decide to stay in on these new terms or leave.’ He dismissed a suggestion that the Tories should make an election pact with Ukip to shore up support in marginal consituencies. ‘I don’t believe in deals and pacts. The next election is absolutely wide open, and it could easily result, if people vote the right way, in a Conservative-only government. ‘That’s what I’m campaigning for and nothing’s going to distract me between now and then. ‘People know with me that I will always try and do the right thing for Britain.’ | PM said a Tory majority was needed to overhaul Brussels migration rules .
Mr Cameron has vowed to make immigration centrepiece of EU renegotiation .
He claimed migrant benefits already cut but admitted further reform 'tough' |
244,750 | c8c6d80c3726e037fb9601ba5fc69e1c96c3a7cd | (EW.com) -- It's been 26 years since "Top Gun," but the dogfights in that absurdly entertaining Reagan-era classic have lost none of their speed-demon zap. That said, "Top Gun" lets you know that you're basically watching a videogame with actors. Not so with "Red Tails," a lavishly square historical drama about the Tuskegee Airmen, the very first African-American military pilots, who served in segregated units during World War II. The movie has potent sequences of aerial combat that recall Tom Cruise and his flyboys bombarding evil out of the air. Here, though, the planes zoom close to the ground, with the tree-lined hills of Italy looming up behind them. The actors really appear to be flying, and that gives the Airmen's brushes with the enemy -- even when they're just providing ''escort'' cover for white pilots -- a heart-in-the-throat, you-are-there quality. Plus, they do get to bomb a few Nazi planes. As long as it stays in the air, "Red Tails," a George Lucas production written by John Ridley ("U Turn") and directed by Anthony Hemingway (a veteran of "The Wire" and "CSI: NY"), is a compelling sky-war pageant of a movie. On the ground, it's a far shakier experience: dutiful and prosaic, with thinly scripted episodes that don't add up to a satisfying story. The scenes of racial conflict, like one set at a white officers' club, are vivid illustrations of what the Airmen were up against, and Terrence Howard, as the colonel who argues for the right of the 99th Fighter Squadron to see combat, is defiant in an enjoyably savvy high-command way. David Oyelowo, in the Cruise-ian role of Joe ''Lightning'' Little -- the daredevil who must learn to fly in support of his team -- makes cocky bravado desperate and human. But just about everyone else in the cast achieves one or two eager dimensions rather than three. B- . See full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | "Red Tails" is a lavishly square historical drama about the Tuskegee Airmen .
The movie has potent sequences of aerial combat that recall Tom Cruise and his flyboys .
The actors really appear to be flying, giving the Airmen's brushes with the enemy a heart-in-the-throat quality . |
280,502 | f75fef1c2d836550349eaa25469a065d8de1ddb7 | (CNN)Vince Camuto, the iconic women's footwear designer and co-founder of Nine West, has died. He was 78. His namesake line paid tribute to the designer with a post on Twitter, citing a quote by Camuto that read, "Life is an adventure. Seize the opportunity and find your passion." In 1978, Camuto co-founded Nine West with Jerome Fisher. In 1999, they sold what had become one of the country's largest shoe companies to the Jones Group Inc. for nearly $900 million. Nine West, which has expanded into clothing and accessories, celebrated Camuto's influence on its Facebook page: "Thank you for making women look and feel more beautiful -- from our head to our soles. You will be missed." Camuto went on to create the Camuto Group in 2001, acquiring licenses for brands like BCBG Max Azria, Lucky Brand and Tory Burch, helping the latter create her now-signature Reva ballet flat. Under the Camuto Group, he launched three of his own clothing and footwear lines -- Vince Camuto, VC Signature and Louise et Cie -- in 2005. That year, he purchased the license for the Jessica Simpson Collection. Simpson mourned the loss of Camuto on Instagram, heralding him as a "mentor" and "the creator of all my dreams." "I will forever walk in your shoes ... you made them," she continued. Camuto is survived by his wife, Louise, and five children. People we've lost in 2015 . | Vince Camuto has died at the age of 78 .
Camuto co-founded Nine West in 1978 . |
225,984 | b0a4572c8ae72b70ebe83dddfaf5fd7d9d09ba95 | By . Kerry Mcqueeney . Last updated at 11:51 PM on 6th January 2012 . Sleepless nights are the bane of every new parent’s life. But one weary father has not only helped stop them – he’s making £60,000 a year in the process. Matthew Nifield, 33, invented a phone app to send his twin daughters to sleep after he found certain sounds made them nod off. Land of nod: Gwyneth (right) can barely stifle a yawn as she and twin sister Madeleine listen to the app created by father Matthew . App-y dad: Matthew with his popular White Noise Ambience app, displayed on an iPad . The computer whizz created the White Noise Ambience app for iPads and iPhones and it is has been downloaded by exhausted parents all over the world. It has proved so popular he's now making £60,000 a year. The 33-year-old was having sleepless nights because one-year-old daughters Madeleine and Gwyneth would rarely fall asleep together. But he noticed that some relaxing sounds would start them yawning and they would soon doze off. Matthew started recording the gentle sounds of waves crashing, . rain falling onto a car roof and even a cat purring. And whenever the twins were wide awake he would play one of the sounds to send them off. Matthew said: 'I looked on the iPhone app store for something to help them doze off but couldn’t find anything. So I created my own app called White Noise Ambience. Daddy's sleepy girls: Matthew noticed some relaxing sounds would start his girls yawning and they would soon doze off . 'It worked for my girls and now the app is available online - lots of tired parents are downloading it.' Matthew, of Cardiff, South Wales, recorded 150 different sounds and . tried them out on his little girls, who were just six months old at the . time. He said: 'The girls’ favourite is waves crashing, there is something very peaceful about that. 'But personally I like rain on a car - I normally drop off myself within about 10 minutes of that.' Other . sounds on the app are, a steam train, frogs croaking in a rainforest, . and even the sounds of a sprinkler, tumble drier and lawnmower. The app is so popular in America that Matthew is now living in California where he is designing other internet products. He said: 'It is earning me around £5,000-a-month. 'There’s quite a considerable living to be earned from apps, especially one that involves a necessity like sleep!' | Sleep-deprived parents all over the world are downloading the White Noise Ambience app . |
181,208 | 769569b243a5435b88713274bfe2959023f8b7e3 | A mother-of-one believes she’s a better mother thanks to her 32G breast implants. Tamsin Wade, 19, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, hated her deflated and uneven 32AA bust. As her confidence plummeted, she refused to leave the house, meaning her son, Finley, 2, couldn’t attend play dates and after school clubs. Tamsin took a loan of £5000 to pay for surgery to increase her breasts from 32AA (left) to 32G (right) Tamsin, pictured with boyfriend Joe and son Finley, first became anxious about her flat chest when she gave birth in April 2012 . The beautiful blonde wasn’t able to do anything with her son without feeling shy and embarrassed about her appearance. But realising the affect her low self esteem was having on little Finley, Tamsin took out a bank loan to pay for the £5,000 surgery, and now believes she’s a better mother thanks to her new assets. Tamsin said: 'Since having my boob job I have been so happy. 'I was unable to go swimming with Finley as I felt so self-conscious. 'I was forced to wear baggy clothes to hide my figure and getting into a bikini made me feel so uncomfortable that me and Finley had never been swimming. 'I started to shy away from going out at all as I just felt so bad about myself.' Tamsin, pictured after surgery, says before her breast implants her mood and confidence were low, affecting both her life and her sons . But since having the surgery Tamsin has got her confidence back, allowing her to hit the pool and join new toddler groups with her son. She said: 'After the surgery I felt so much better and immediately started joining mum and baby groups for me and Finley. 'He loves them and I love spending quality time with him. Since her surgery, Tamsin, here with boyfriend Joe and Finley, says she has regained her confidence and now has signed up to numerous mother and son playgroups . 'My loan repayments are around £140 a month and it hasn’t stopped me from doing anything with my boys, if anything we do more now than ever. 'I feel comfortable to take him abroad now too as I won’t mind wearing skimpy clothes and bikinis - it’ll be great to go on holiday with him. 'We will probably go on a last minute holiday. 'Finley has always been my number one priority, but now I don’t let anything hold me back from being the best mum I can be.' Tamsin first became anxious about her flat chest when she gave birth to Finley in April 2012. Tamsin said: 'Before I had Finley my boobs were a 32D but the aftermath of being pregnant left me with double A’s. Tamsin is convinced that her new bigger cleavage (left with her old white bra and new pink one) has made her a better mother to Finley (right, playing with her) 'So I lived in baggy clothes despite only being petite because I didn’t want anyone to notice my boobs. 'It just really knocked my confidence as my body had changed so much, I wasn’t used to it. Tamsin’s confidence was so low that she was unable to take Finley to the beach, swimming classes, even taking him down to the shops had become a struggle. She said: 'My general mood was low, I had no confidence and felt myself hiding away. 'I knew I couldn’t carry on feeling like this as it was affecting my entire life. 'I wanted to do more with my son, he is my world and I felt as though I was restricting him too.' Tamsin started looking into getting a breast enlargement online. She said: 'I started researching the best cosmetic surgery groups. 'After meeting up with numerous surgeons I finally went to a consultation with MYA. 'They were amazing, they made me feel really relaxed, I couldn’t wait to book my surgery in with them.' Tamsin says that despite monthly loan repayments of £140 she now does more with Joe and Finley than ever before . Since Tamsin’s transformation she and her boyfriend, Joe Johnson, 26, have started looking forward to the future. She said: 'We can now look forward to a family holiday’s together. 'It has drastically improved my relationship with Joe as I’m no longer shy about getting changed in front of him. 'He is thrilled with the results too.' Tamsin hasn’t said no to having more surgery in the future, although she loved the experience with MYA Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. She added: 'I would think about getting a nose job but it doesn’t bother me that much.' MYA said: 'We are delighted that Tamsin chose MYA for her procedure and we think she looks phenomenal. http://www.mya.co.uk/ . | Tamsin's 32AA bust caused her confidence to plummet .
Ashamed to leave the house, son Finley couldn't go to play dates or clubs .
Took out a loan of £5,000 to pay to increase breasts to 32G .
Since her surgery has signed up to numerous mother and son playgroups . |
94,674 | 05a81ff1eb0993aafa03c083b794fe1957766c50 | By . Carol Driver for MailOnline . Ryanair is known for its budget flights and hidden charges – but new footage has revealed what passes for inflight entertainment on board its aircraft. This 50-second video, filmed on board a flight to Ibiza, shows passengers singing the theme to the Dambusters while doing the actions of a plane as the flight descends. Once the plane lands, cheering erupts and the crowd begins chanting 'here we, here we, here we f*****g go' as they roll down the runway. The crowds on board the Ryanair flight to Ibiza started chanting as the plane came in to land . Other passengers in the background on the flight from Prestwick Airport look anxious and agitated at what is happening just rows in front of them. Cabin crew can also be seen looking on helplessly as the singing goes on uninterrupted. The rowdy flight flew on a Saturday afternoon last month but film of the obscene shouting has only just emerged. Passengers began filming the rowdy holidaymakers as they sang 'here we, here we, here we f*****g go' A passenger, who refused to be named, said: 'This comes as no surprise to see this kind of footage appear. 'This Saturday flight is notorious between passengers and cabin crew alike. 'I was flying back from Majorca with Ryanair last month and got talking to the air stewardess. The 50-second video shows passengers singing the theme to the Dambusters while doing the actions of a plane as the flight descends . 'I asked if she enjoyed her work and she said yes but then admitted she was dreading her shift on Saturday afternoon which was a flight to Ibiza from Prestwick. 'It is well known that these flights are a nightmare with all sorts of stories about outrageous behaviour taking place on them, including planking over seats as the plane comes into land. 'There can't be anybody in the industry who enjoys working them.' Tom Lucas, a sports psychologist who has worked with high-profile stars from Celtic and other football clubs, called for Ryanair to take action against unruly passengers. Mr Lucas, of Glasgow, complained to the airline last year after a fight broke out on his flight to Ibiza and one drunken passenger wet himself in his seat. While some holidaymakers join in with the singing, other look on helplessly or try to ignore the noise . He said: 'Ryanair have rules and regulations but rarely seem to enforce them . 'They will only do something about this when something really serious has happened. 'The staff sometimes make the situation worse by selling drink to people who are already out of it. Our flight ran out of drink, a man wet himself and a fight broke out. 'What kind of way is that to behave on an aeroplane? It's a disgrace and something should be done about it.' A Ryanair spokeswoman said: 'We regret the unruly behaviour of this small group of customers over a brief period as this aircraft was on approach to Ibiza last month. 'However, our cabin supervisor spoke to the group shortly after landing and they apologised and assured her that it would not be repeated. This group has since returned to Glasgow Prestwick without incident.' The rowdy flight actually landed in Ibiza last Saturday, but footage has only just been posted online . Last September a plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a group of drunken Scots sparked chaos on a Ryanair flight from Prestwick Airport to Ibiza. Police said 14 men had been thrown off the plane at Beauvais airport north of Paris and questioned by authorities. French police claimed the group were so inebriated they thought they had landed in Ibiza when the aircraft touched down in Paris. Their antics became so out of control the pilot alerted French air bosses that he would be making an emergency landing and diverted to Beauvais carrying 174 passengers. Just weeks before another Ryanair flight saw up to 30 men run amok on a flight to Ibiza from Prestwick. They guzzled spirits, jumped on seats, shouted, swore and threatened crew and passengers. Spanish police were called on to the flight when it landed and it is understood they removed five members of the group. | 50-second video shows rows of passengers loudly singing songs .
As Ryanair flight lands on party island, crowd erupts into cheers .
Cabin crew can be seen looking on helplessly at rowdy passengers . |
144,956 | 477ce441653659ef77fcb9bbe34c931713c9a863 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 06:36 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:55 EST, 11 July 2013 . David Cameron and Nick Clegg are to leave the country on holiday at the same time this summer – despite having six weeks to ensure one of them stays in charge of the country. MPs begin their long summer break next Thursday and are not due back in Westminster until the beginning of September. But Mr Clegg today revealed he had been unable to co-ordinate his family holiday so it did not clash with the Camerons’, and other ministers will be left to ‘hold the fort’. Scroll down for video . Break: Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam Gonzalez pictured taking a stroll in Olmedo, Valladolid, north eastern Spain during their holiday last year . The Prime Minister and his deputy faced criticism last year after they both jetted off at the same time. Questions were raised about the point of Mr Clegg was if he did not deputise in the Prime Minister’s absence. However, Deputy PM has admitted the Cleggs and Camerons have again failed to ensure that one of them remains in Westminster during the six-week recess. It will not be the first foreign holiday this year for either man - Mr Clegg enjoyed a ski break in the exclusive Davos resort in Switzerland in April while Mr Cameron went to Ibiza with his wife Samantha in June. Speaking on his weekly radio phone-in, Mr Clegg said: ‘The Prime Minister and I, we try where we can. We’re pragmatic about these things to make sure that as much as possible, we don’t go away at the same time but there’s not always a perfect match.’ He revealed there would be a ‘short period of time where both the Prime Minister and I are away’ this summer. ‘We’re sort of trying to hand over the baton to each other,’ he added. Sun: David Cameron and his wife Samantha went to the Spanish Island of Ibiza for a short break in May this year . With the two most senior members of . the coalition out of the country, Foreign Secretary William Hague and . Theresa May will be left to ‘hold the fort’. Mr . Clegg said: We’ve got other senior members of the government: William . Hague, Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary and others who in those . periods of time where either the Prime Minister or I are away; both of . us for either official reasons or during the recess, they can also hold . the fort. ‘ . After being criticised by a caller to his LBC 97.3 show, Mr Clegg insisted: ‘That’s in a sense the approach which we’ve taken, which I hope most people will accept is a sensible and pragmatic way of dealing with this.’ Taking charge: Foreign Secretary William Hague (left) and Home Secretary Theresa May (right) will 'hold the fort' while the Prime Minister and his deputy are on holiday this summer . The caller, Diane, said: ‘As Deputy Prime Minister, that’s exactly what you should do. You should deputise in the absence of the Prime Minister. ‘There is a minimum of six weeks children’s summer holidays and if your children go to certain privileged schools, they will have eight to nine weeks. ‘Surely it could be arranged for either the Prime Minister or you as Deputy Prime Minister to remain in the country. 'When I was working, I certainly could not take the same holidays as my counterpart under any circumstances.’ Every year Mr Clegg and his family go to the same village in Spain where his wife Miriaim’s family is from. They will be accompanied by their three children Antonio, Alberto and Miguel. | Deputy PM reveals his summer break will clash with the Prime Minister's .
Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary will be left in charge .
Caller tells Mr Clegg: 'You should deputise in the absence of the PM' |
185,188 | 7be4487ef0940ac00ea90630cc4f4d15280bba25 | Just about recovered from the Ice Bucket Challenge? Prepare yourself to take on the latest charity challenge that's sweeping social media. The After Eight challenge sees participants attempt to slide a chocolate down their face and into their mouth without the use of their hands in the quickest time possible. They are then encouraged to donate money to charity and nominate three more people to try to beat their time. The concept is the brainchild of Liverpool legend, Kenny Dalglish, who has been using his connections in the sporting world to get stars to undertake the charity challenge. Scroll down for video . Jack Whitehall, left, and Jamie Redknapp, right, have both taken part in the After Eight Challenge . He is asking participants to donate money to the Marina Dalglish appeal - a cause he set up in his wife's honour after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. As of Thursday, ex-Westlife singer Nicky Byrne has smashed the record after he managed to get the chocolate from his forehead into his mouth in just 2.88 seconds. Kenny himself held the crown until Monday, with a time of 5.44 seconds, but was also beaten by Coleen Rooney and Jamie Redknapp with 3.0 seconds and 3.5 seconds respectively. Footballing heroes Matt le Tissier, Alan Hansen and Ian Ayre (CEO of LFC) are also showing their support to Kenny and Marina by participating and donating to the appeal. And it looks set to spread even further afield after footballers Adam Lallana, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Brendan Rogers were nominated. David Beckham has even been nominated by his ex-England teammate from the 90s, Matt Le Tissier. A blurred Coleen Rooney, left, and Matt Le Tissier, who nominated David Beckham, also tried the challenge . Are these two next? David Beckham has been nominated - so will he take part and nominate his wife Victoria? Speaking about the appeal, Kenny said: 'It's fantastic to see the support from all these stars spreading. Nicky Byrne has done a great job of stealing the current challenge crown. 'The challenge is really fun and the appeal is so important for helping women affected by breast cancer. Don't forget to donate when you take part.' Marina Dalglish added: 'It is fantastic to see people are getting behind the charity and having such a lot of fun doing it. But we mustn't forget the real reason for this challenge, to raise money for those affected by breast cancer. The contribution is incredibly important to those affected, so please donate generously.' The couple, whose services to charity have been recognised with many awards, have raised £1.5m for a Chemotherapy Centre at Aintree and Fazekerley Hospital, £3.1m towards a Radiotherapy Centre at Aintree and £500,000 towards a new Chemotherapy Centre at Southport and Formby Hospital. Their new challenge is to raise £2m for an MRI scanner to treat brain tumours. Charitable: Marina Dalglish, right, the wife of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, left, received an MBE for services to breast cancer patients in Merseyside. She was given the all clear from the disease but fundraises tirelessly for the cause . Have a go: These tips advise participants on how to nail the challenge . Upload yours with the hashtag #after8challenge. To make a donation to the Marina Dalglish Appeal please visit www.justgiving.com/marinadalglish or text MINT08£ and the amount you would like to donate to 70070 . | Involves sliding chocolate down face into mouth without using hands .
Have to do it in quickest time possible, donate money and nominate others .
Nicky Byrne of Westlife fame holds the record - just 2.88 seconds .
David Beckham, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer nominated .
Started by Kenny Dalglish and wife to raise funds for breast cancer care . |
82,768 | eab3179a6e8458bf1855595bd72d529988d6751d | The new Greek government has picked its first fight with the European Union, delaying agreement on further EU sanctions against Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine. The move raised European and Nato fears that Moscow might seek to exploit the extremist coalition under Alexis Tsipras as a Trojan horse within the key western alliances. An emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers was convened in Brussels to respond to the upsurge in violence in eastern Ukraine, notably last week's shelling of the town of Mariupol by pro-Russian secessionists which left 30 civilians dead and 100 wounded. The move raised European and Nato fears that Moscow might seek to exploit the extremist coalition under Alexis Tsipras (pictured) as a Trojan horse within the key western alliances . Last night the ministers agreed to prolong the blacklisting of pro-Russian separatist leaders from March until September, to add new names to the blacklist by next week, and asked the European commission to look into broadening the economic and financial sanctions against Russia imposed last July. Although it was originally feared that the Greeks would veto the sanctions, their ambassador merely prolonged the blacklisting by refusing to agree to the key passage on sanctions, until his minister arrived in Brussels. 'One delegation has a general reserve on the text,' the ambassadors stated in the final draft of the document. Although several other countries are lukewarm about renewing or extending sanctions against Moscow or the Russian separatists, diplomats said there were no other dissenters on the statement, which squarely held Russia to blame for facilitating the Mariupol attack. The meeting 'notes evidence of continued and growing support given to the separatists by Russia, which underlines Russia's responsibility,' the statement said. Nikos Kotzias (pictured), the new Greek foreign minister, said Greece wanted to 'prevent a rift' between Russia and the EU . While falling short of proposing new sanctions on Russia, the statement told the European commission to prepare new 'appropriate action'. Diplomats said that meant broader financial and economic penalties against Moscow than those imposed last July and which need to be renewed by this July. Britain is pushing for stronger sanctions against Moscow. Nikos Kotzias, the new Greek foreign minister, said Greece wanted to 'prevent a rift' between Russia and the EU, although both sides have been in acute conflict for the past 10 months over Moscow's assault on Ukraine. Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy coordinator chairing the meeting, said the decision to augment the sanctions was unanimous. She said Kotzias was 'taking his own position which was changing in the days'. | Greek ambassador refused more sanctions against Russian backed rebels .
Raises fears Moscow might seek to exploit the new extremist coalition .
Foreign Minister said Greece wants to 'prevent rift' between Russia and EU . |
31,080 | 585768810c7ee044d9908b81080de3ea5e001a92 | By . Ashley Collman . PUBLISHED: . 20:21 EST, 4 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:22 EST, 4 February 2014 . More than 50 deputies combed the Hollywood Hills Tuesday on horseback and foot, searching for a 54-year-old registered sex offender suspected of killing a 21-year-old man two weeks ago. Oscar Bridges, who also goes by the names Peter and Rick, is a suspect in the stabbing death of Texas man Robert Brewer, who was found in dead in a South LA motel on January 23. Police organized a search effort to scour the Hollywood Hills between the Greek Theatre and Runyon Canyon for the man considered to be armed and dangerous. Search is on: 54-year-old Oscar Bridges (left) is suspected of stabbing 21-year-old Robert Brewer (right) to death in a motel on January 23. Police in Hollywood organized a massive manhunt Tuesday in the Hollywood Hills after receiving several tips that he was spotted in the area last week . Witnesses reported seeing the 6-foot-2 black man with dreadlocks in the area as early as last week. 'I've seen him up there walking around by himself without a backpack, without a shirt. So when I see it this morning on the news, it just kind of creeped me out,' Hollywood resident Oscar Murillo told ABC 7. In addition to searching the Hollywood Hills, deputies also swept the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl. During their search, they showed Bridges' picture to locals on the street, on the trails, in motels and homeless camps in hopes of getting a lead on his location. In addition to being a registered sex offender, Bridges has an extensive criminal record including drug and assault charges. According to police, Bridges likes to befriend young men between the ages of 16 and 25, and also has ties to Arizona. Manhunt: Over 50 deputies searched the Hills between the Greek Theatre and Runyon Canyon on horseback and on foot . Wanted: Bridges is described as a 6-foot-2 black man with dreadlocks, weighing approximately 180 pounds. He is a registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history including drug and assault charges . Friend of the law: Police say Bridges befriends young men between the ages of 16-25 and has ties to several attorneys in the area . They say he has worked with several attorneys in the area, and may have used his relationship to get around the law. Police searched motels in the Hollywood and West Hollywood area because he is known to frequent such establishments. The motel where Brewer was found dead is in the Westmont area, one of the most dangerous LA neighborhoods with 100 homicides in the last seven years. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. | Oscar Bridges is suspected of stabbing Robert Brewer to death in a South LA motel .
He was spotted as early as last week in the Hollywood Hills, somewhere between Runyon Canyon and the Greek Theatre .
Police have described Bridges as 6-foot-2 black man, weighing about 180 pounds with dreadlocks . |
125,413 | 2e21715e4174c36971a068d94318b2b16f220ac0 | By . Aaron Sharp . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 25 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:41 EST, 25 October 2013 . Chocoholics have been forced to scour the shops for their favourite Green & Black's organic chocolate and almond bar after a nut shortage saw the sweet treat sell out. Retailers up and down the country have seen demand for the upmarket treat, which costs £2.29 for a 100g bar, by far outstrip supply in recent weeks. Both Waitrose and Wholefoods have confirmed that they have already sold out. In demand: The almond infused bars, above, have already sold out in retailers Waitrose and Wholefoods . It has sparked a nationwide scramble in the sweet aisles to snap up what remains of the milk chocolate treat. The unexpected shortage is believed to have been caused by problem in the supply of almonds, which are imported from harvesters in Europe and America. California, which grows 80 per cent of the world's almonds, suffered under the effects of a prolonged drought which led to smaller nuts being harvested this year. Poor harvest: 80 per cent of the world's raw almonds, above, are grown in California which has suffered with drought this year . Seasonal shortage: According to experts, some countries could run out of almonds by the . Because the product is sold by weight, that meant more nuts were needed to fulfill orders. To add to poor growing conditions, a dwindling bee population in the west American state has hit harvesters who rely on the pollinators. Economists have seen a surge in the price of almonds this year, but even that has failed to stem the tide of companies wanting to buy the nut in bulk. And British shoppers are now seeing the effects on the shelves with bars like Green and Black's almond variety becoming hard to come by. Dave Price, commercial manager at a . leading nut supplier, told The Independent: 'Extreme . temperatures in California meant the state was hit by a drought, leading . to smaller nut sizes. Exporters calculate the product by weight, so . more nuts are needed. 'In turn, only larger nuts can be used in processing, all of which has exacerbated price increases'. Upmarket: High brow food retailer Waitrose confirmed that they had sold out of the Green & Black's bars . 'It . looks like Spanish and Italian crops, which have seen demand rise to . make up the shortfall, will run out before the end of the season, . despite their raised prices.' Green & Black said they are working with suppliers to resolve the problem. A spokesperson said: 'We pride ourselves on delivering the best tasting bars using only the best ingredients. 'Regarding the Green & Black’s Organic Almond Bar we have experienced some challenges in the production of the bar and are working closely with the suppliers of our organic whole roasted almonds to make sure our much loved Almond bar makes it back on shelf as soon as possible. 'We want to take this opportunity to reassure our fans that the product is not being discontinued.' | Organic almond bar is a hit with middle-class chocolate lovers .
The £2.29 treat is sold-out at retailers Waitrose and Wholefoods .
The problem has been blamed on global shortage of almonds . |
46,447 | 82db2d0c565be1ce0efe4d70c4c7836cc0d41536 | An unlikely group helped Sen. Thad Cochran capture the Republican nomination in a hotly contested primary runoff, but the strategy that propelled him to victory is unlikely to make it into the GOP playbook. In the final weeks of the election, Cochran's campaign and allies turned to African-Americans and Democrats to carry the incumbent senator past his tea party challenger. Turnout shot up in counties with the highest African-American populations, but Cochran's success with turning out an unlikely demographic will be hard to replicate elsewhere, several Republican strategists said. CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Kevin Madden emphasized that each election should be treated as an independent race with its own strategy. "I think it would be hard to say this is a sign of something that could be replicated in congressional districts or in races around the country," Madden, a former adviser to 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said. A unique scenario played out in Mississippi: Because of the state's open primary system, Democrats were able to help elect the Republican nominee, who is all but certain to win the general election in the solidly Republican state. The contentious race between an incumbent with a pipeline to federal funds and a more conservative challenger with tea party backing jolted blacks into action -- 88% of whom voted for the Democratic nominee in the state's last Senate race in 2012, according to CNN exit polls. Lifelong Democrats mobilized for Cochran . States in which the same scenario could play out "are few and far between," GOP strategist and CNN political commentator Alex Castellanos said. "Until we find such a rare state, it will do a Republican no good to promise more federal spending and benefits to minority voters." Bringing home the pork . Throughout the campaign, Cochran consistently pointed out his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the multimillion-dollar projects he has funded in Mississippi, some of which bear his name, like the University of Southern Mississippi's Thad Cochran Center. Jackson, Mississippi, also boasts the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center -- a formerly run-down mall that an African-American doctor converted into a medical center with Cochran's support, said D'Andra Orey, political science professor at Jackson State University. "He's done some things that are not black-specific, but things that blacks benefit from," Orey said. Many credited Cochran's success at the ballot box to his ability to funnel federal dollars into his state -- the poorest in the country. Henry Barbour, who steered the pro-Cochran super PAC Mississippi Conservatives, said that Cochran's long-standing relationships with the African-American community and ability to meet "the needs of all the Mississippians" helped Cochran win. "It only worked because they had confidence in Sen. Cochran, whether it was a Republican voter we were talking to, an independent voter we were talking to, or even a Democratic voter," Barbour acknowledged. But still, Barbour said he does not "think there's any question" that the strategy can be applied on a national level. "We've got to genuinely go into the minority communities and communicate our message and explain to them why it's good for them," Barbour said. Barbour called the election an impressive feat given the state's violent history of race relations. Turnout spiked in Hinds County, which is 70% African-American and saw about 7,000 more voters for Cochran in the runoff than in the primary. While boasting a similar share of Cochran supporters, neighboring Madison County -- which is 38% African-American -- delivered much smaller gains for Cochran in the runoff. George Flaggs Jr., the mayor of Vicksburg, backed Cochran and encouraged other Democrats to support him at the polls, largely because his city's economy is anchored in government-funded projects. "(Sen. Cochran) is a person that demonstrates leadership in terms of helping with jobs and job creation," Flaggs said. "I'm a black Democrat, but I try to be responsive to the needs of the city and the state." He added that Mississippi would be unable to compete for federal funds with states like New York or California without Cochran's seniority in the Senate. Barbour said he was "damned proud" to ask African-Americans and Democrats for their support. "One of the highlights of the runoff was working with African-Americans in a shared interest in our state," Barbour said. "This is how you grow the party." Conservative activists slam Cochran for courting Democrats . Is the African-American vote up for grabs? ConservativeBlackChick.com's Crystal Wright said the Mississippi race showed that neither party should take the black vote for granted. "We don't go out and earn the black vote," Wright said of the GOP. "The only time the Republican Party is serious about going after the black vote is -- it's like the vote of last resort. Blacks have become the vote of last resort and we need to say no more." Republicans could actually make inroads with African-Americans in the rural and suburban communities of the South, said Ravi K. Perry, a political science professor at Mississippi State University. Perry, who has written extensively about race in politics, said Cochran's outreach to blacks is "obviously a winning strategy" and that the runoff showed that there is interest in the African-American community to have an impact on the political process. "It's not going to be a strategy that you're going to throw away," Perry said. He added that many African-Americans are socially conservative and may find Republican candidates appealing, particularly if they can bring home federal dollars for the agriculture industry, which relies on subsidies. "Democrats should not rest on their laurels and assume that the African-American vote is theirs and the GOP should not assume that it is out of their reach," Perry said. Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Donna Brazile dispelled the idea that Democrats take the African-American vote for granted and said that Democrats are working to recruit and turn out more every election cycle. "The only legitimate criticism ... is that we wait until the last minute to encourage African-Americans to vote," Brazile said. "But when it comes to encouraging African-Americans to run for office, we're at the table." But Brazile said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is making an "aggressive effort" to recruit and register African-Americans and other minorities in key states this cycle . DSCC National Press Secretary Justin Barasky said the group is already spending to raise turnout in battleground states to near-2012 levels and will be "making an unprecedented investment" to keep the Senate in Democratic hands. Registering and turning out African-Americans will be a key part of this strategy, particularly in Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana, Barasky said. Forming a more inclusive party . Danny Vargas, former chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, was wary to draw any broader conclusions from the unique Mississippi runoff, but said the race is a reminder the GOP needs to cast a wider net. "Nationally, if we ever hope to win back the White House, we need to have an approach that's inclusive of every segment of society," Vargas, who is also president of VARCom Solutions, said. "The poor of our country are not the problem, they're the ones most in need of our solutions." Vargas suggested the GOP should show how its market-oriented solutions can empower all types of communities. "You just need to show up. You need to be willing to go to Hispanic bodegas, black churches or mosques," he said. Beyond African-Americans, Republicans will also need to draw Hispanic voters to remain a viable party as that population is projected to triple by 2050. John Bruce, chair of the University of Mississippi's political science department, called the runoff an "exceptional" case and said no one should expect any significant shifts in racial partisanship. But Cochran's strategy of courting the African-American vote proved successful -- whether because of his record of funding projects in Mississippi or the fear of being represented by someone like McDaniel. "Anytime something works in politics, someone else will try to copy it," Bruce said. McDaniel says 'hundreds' of irregularities found in Mississippi race . Mississippi primary spending surge pushes advertisers off the air . | Runoff turnout shot up in counties with the highest African-American populations .
"This is how you grow the party," head of a pro-Cochran super PAC said .
Several GOP strategists said Cochran's coalition was unique to Mississippi .
Democrats targeting minority communities hoping to increase midterm turnout . |
138,164 | 3eaee57d5309a3d2efd2bccb907131ef0be4556f | (CNN) -- In what was a bizarre, disturbing scene at Wimbledon, Serena Williams withdrew from her doubles match with sister Venus Williams on Tuesday due to a viral illness. "I thought I could rally this morning, because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me," Serena Williams said in a written statement. The Women's Tennis Association said in a release that Serena Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion at doubles, had a viral illness. During warmups Tuesday, Williams stumbled around the court and looked disoriented. She had trouble catching balls thrown to her. Following the warmup, a tournament doctor examined her on the bench, at one point taking her blood pressure. During the 11-minute break, Williams put her head in her hands and appeared to cry. She decided to try to play, but it was tough to watch. At one point, Williams missed on a shot. When it was her turn to serve, it was an entire game of uncharacteristically wild double faults. At that point, the Williams sisters retired from the match, down 3-0. "Unfortunately Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldn't play to her potential today," Venus Williams said. "I'm really proud of her for trying." Tennis analyst Pam Shriver tweeted that no one she talked to could remember someone so clearly out of it on the court. Germany's Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland advanced to the third round with the default. Both Williams sisters have been eliminated from singles' competition. | Serena Williams looked disoriented, couldn't even serve .
She says 'this bug' made it difficult to play .
She's been ill for days, sister Venus Williams says .
The Williams sisters have won five doubles titles at Wimbledon . |
13,778 | 27143aad51cb950ca0932a938838dad9f23a7a57 | The traditional Aboriginal owners of Maralinga, the remote South Australian outback land on which Britain detonated seven atomic bombs 50 years ago, will finally be allowed back on the nuclear testing site. The Australian Government has officially returned the 1,782 square kilometre site to the Maralinga-Tjarutja people, granting them full access to the land known until this week as the 'Section 400' or the Woomera Prohibited Area. The owners are now planning to turn the land, which is 500km north-west of Adelaide, into a tourism mecca. Traditional owners: Maralinga-Tjarutja people gather in the South Australian outback town Maralinga Village to have the final parcel of their homeland returned to them, 58 years after Britain took over the land to drop atomic bombs and test nuclear warheads in the remote western desert region . Mushroom cloud: The atomic cloud over Maralinga (pictured, left) after Britain dropped one of its nuclear test bombs between 1956 and 1963, causing widespread radiation sickness among the local Aboriginal people and contaminating the environment. Members of the Maralinga-Tjarutja community (above, right) attended a ceremony this week for the return of their land which was appropriated for the nuclear testing range . Return of the homeland: Maralinga-Tjarutja indigenous council chair, Keith Peters (left), accepts a framed map of the traditional owners' land from Australian Defence Minister David Johnston (centre) and Indigenous Affairs minister, Nigel Scullion (right). The map shows a vast tract of South Australia's western desert which was used by Britain in the 1950s to drop atomic bombs and establish its nuclear power status in the Cold War . Poisoned ground: Nuclear testing programme worker John Stanier photographed in the 1950s on the ground in the South Australian town of Maralinga wearing protective clothing and carrying a camera in a plastic cover. Mr Stanier appears to be standing by the perimeter of a radioactive area at the atomic bomb testing site . Fifty years on: A local Anangu Aboriginal boy walks alongside a policewoman at Maralinga this week, as Australian Government officials flew in to the tiny South Australian town to hand back the title to the traditional owners of a parcel of land known as 'Section 400' - the nuclear testing range where Britain launched atomic bombs in the 1950s . The area is part of the 3,300 square kilometres of territory belonging to the Anangu Pitjitjantjara indigenous language group which Britain appropriated to conduct nuclear tests between 1956 and 1963. Australian and British servicemen built the test site and an airstrip on Section 400 in 1956 in a region known colloquially as the Woomera Rocket Range, which had been established as a restricted access area after the end of the Second World War. Britain's defence authorities decided to test nuclear bombs at Maralinga, as well as at another South Australia region called Emu Field and the Montebello Islands off Western Australia, to establish its nuclear power status during the Cold War. Radioactive fallout: The Anangu people, from the Maralinga-Tjarutja community, gather this week for the formal handover of 'Section 400', an outstanding 1782 sq km portion of their land which was finally returned to them. More than 50 years ago, Britain used the land for nuclear testing, which caused skin rashes, diarrhoea, fevers and, later, blood diseases and cancer among Aborigines exposed to the radiation . Miles from nowhere: The vast region of South Australia's far western desert known as Maralinga was chosen for its remoteness by the Australian Government for Britain's Cold War nuclear tests. Many indigenous people as well as Australian and UK servicemen suffered the debilitating effects of radiation poisoning following the dropping of atomic bombs in the outback . Big day: A local Aboriginal boy climbs aboard the Royal Australian Force C-130J Hercules on the airstrip at Maralinga after defence force personnel flew in to attend the ceremony to hand back the piece of traditional land once used as a nuclear testing range by the British Government . Thanks a lot mate: Two members of the local indigenous community at Maralinga speak with Australian Defence Minister, David Johnson, at the ceremony held this week to hand back the country taken from the Aborigines, bombed by the British and poisoned with radioactive fallout. Australia spent $100m rehabilitating the land . Hundreds of nuclear trials were carried out. Britain dropped twelve nuclear bombs at Maralinga, and then went on to test nuclear warheads. Although many Aboriginal people were forcibly removed from their land, more than a thousand were directly affected. The widespread radioactive fallout of the bombs across the environment, which the local Aboriginal people called 'puyu' or 'black mist', caused disease and death. New dawn: Synonymous with the atomic bombs that were exploded secretly in its backyard, Maralinga is now hoping to capitalise on its name as a nuclear testing site and attract tourists . Then: Maralinga village in 1956 as seen from an aircraft flying over the north-east of the tiny outback town . Now: The RAAF C-130J Hercules casts a shadow over Section 400 as it flies in for the formal handing over of the land back to the the traditional Aboriginal owners, the Maralinga-Tjarutja community . Bombs away: Servicemen photographed celebrating at Maralinga in 1955, a year before the airstrip and nuclear testing site was built. Following extensive nuclear testing at Maralinga, both Australian and British military men stationed in the area suffered radiation poisoning . Anangu people, along with the non-indigenous civilians and Australian and British soldiers exposed to the radiation, suffered from radioactive poisoning, with symptoms including vomiting, skin rashes, diarrhoea, fevers and, later, blood diseases and cancer. A 1985 royal commission into the British nuclear testing in Australia found the fallout from exploding radioactive Caesium-137 and elements such as Uranium, Plutonium and Beryllium in the desert was three times greater than predicted, and that the tests left 'off the scale' Geiger counter readings 25 years later. The local Aboriginals, because of 'their unique lifestyle, and often their lack of clothing, footwear and permanent shelter' were particularly vulnerable to radiation; one group became sick after walking across highly radioactive ground in bare feet. Boom town: Maralinga village caretaker, Robin Matthews, outside his home in the town that he and other residents are hoping becomes a tourism mecca by trading in on its 'nuclear' name . Spartan: Inside one of the old barracks at Maralinga, where Australian and British servicemen slept during the seven years that atomic bombs and nuclear warheads were tested in the South Australian desert . Final handover: Attending the official ceremony to hand over the final piece of homeland to its traditional owners are (left to right), Defence minister, David Johnston, Indigenous Affairs minister, Nigel Scullion, and Independent Senator, Nick Xenophon . Belly of the beast: South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon speaks with a crew member in the RAAF Hercules on the way to Maralinga in South Australia for the hand-over ceremony of Aboriginal land . Some land title was returned to its Aboriginal owners following the royal commission. The Australian Government spent $100 million cleaning up the land between 1993 and 2001. In 2004, special legislation was passed handing back the title over 21,000 square kilometres to the Maralinga Tjarutja and Pila Nguru people. The Department of Defence held on to Section 400 as a weapons testing range until this week. Sign of the time: The road sign to Section 400, the former nuclear testing site, says 'low level' radioactive contamination still exists . The final piece of homeland land was returned to the Maralinga-Tjarutja community at a ceremony in Maralinga village attended by hundreds of traditional owners, and the Defence Minister David Johnston and Royal Australian Air Force chief, Air Marshall Geoff Brown, . At the ceremony, Maralinga Tjarutja general manager, Richard Preece, said his community planned to set up a business to take visitors on bus tours of the traditional area and nuclear test sites. He said there was strong interest from four-wheel-drive clubs, 'grey nomads' and former servicemen who were based in Maralinga. Tours would begin in April next year. Indigenous Affairs Minister, Nigel Scullion, told AAP the tourism venture would allow the government to work with the traditional owners to ensure the land could be used as a foundation for economic advancement. The Defence Minister, Senator Johnston, said he hoped the handover will provide some 'solace' to the Maralinga people, in particular those who were removed from their traditional lands and relocated to missions. | The British nuclear testing site in outback Australia has been returned to its Aboriginal owners .
Seven atomic bombs were detonated on 'Section 400' in the 1950s .
There were also about 600 smaller nuclear tests on the area .
The land traditionally belonged to the Maralinga-Tjarutja community .
Britain's nuclear tests in Australia caused widespread radiation poisoning .
Aborigines and Australian and UK soldiers suffered disease and death .
Radioactive fallout in remote Australia was three time greater than predicted .
Australia spent $100 million cleaning up the traditional lands .
The government held on to the 1782sq km testing range until this week . |
12,794 | 2446955b1c2aa4f366bd957ffac49acacc0632b6 | Get ready to feel a ghostly shiver down your spine. This is the haunting moment a chair was caught on CCTV apparently moving on its own in a closed theatre hours after a psychic finished his show. It was recorded at Brookside Theatre in Romford, Essex, at around 4am on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Haunting: In the grainy CCTV footage of the main hall at Brookside Theatre, you can just make out a chair (ringed) mysteriously moving . Proof of the supernatural? According to Jai Sepple, who runs the volunteer-run Essex theatre, it is only the latest unexplained event to happen there . Hours earlier the theatre, housed in a former war memorial building, was packed with people attending a show by the medium Roy Roberts. He told MailOnline he now believes the video could prove there's a resident ghost. 'When I saw the footage I jumped up and said, "yes, now we have direct proof!" 'I had a feeling earlier that there was the presence of something, a playful presence of a child, to one side of the room and it seems that must have been it,' he said. 'It doesn't surprise me, it's that sort of a place - it's really active - so when I heard about what had happened I was really excited. 'To me there is no way there is anyone in that theatre when the chair moves and there's no way anyone can say it is staged. I've never seen anything like this directly caught on camera, this is something that is paranormal. 'People can't dispute that, they will try, but they can't dispute it. I am 100 per cent sure that is energy.' Mr Roberts said he now plans to take a team of paranormal investigators to the theatre to investigate further. Jai Sepple, who runs the 140-seat volunteer-run theatre, told MailOnline the ghostly goings-on were not a surprise. Chilling: The imprint of what is believed to be a child's foot, just one of the ghostly goings-on Jai Sepple, who runs the 140-seat volunteer-run theatre, has experienced . Is this real? A photograph of a ghostly figure Mr Sepple says a cast member saw appear in his theatre . The theatre is housed inside Romford War Memorial Social Club building . Medium Roy Roberts believes the footage offers conclusive proof supernatural powers exist . The building is a former Second World War memorial and social club for senior citizens, and in the two years since it was converted into a theatre he says it's had plenty of unexplained events. 'The only reason we checked the CCTV was because we came in on Sunday morning and the chair was out of line,' he said. 'One of the last things I do when I close up is line-up all the chairs so I knew something had happened. It had clearly moved. 'There is also a table that moved but that's harder to make out. I'm quite sceptical about all this kind of thing but my wife isn't, she believes in it. 'There have been several things that have happened in the past, noises and creeks etc, but we've got used to it. 'We've had a child's footprints in the foyer, and one cast member said he saw a strange figure once. He ran after it thinking it was a person, but the figure just disappeared and there was nowhere for it to go. He was visibly shaken after that. 'Another cast member says he was pushed into a toilet, and he's a big chap so we don't think a person could have done it. 'Up until now though we've just kept quiet about all this, what with it being a war memorial. 'It's quite interesting, we don't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Lots of people have been emailing in saying faked it but I can assure you I've neither the time or the knowledge to do that!' | Chair moved mysteriously in a hall hours after a psychic show finished .
It was recorded on Sunday at the Brookside Theatre in Romford, Essex .
Psychic Roy Roberts says: 'Now we have direct proof of the paranormal'
Jai Sepple, who runs the theatre, said it was only the latest ghostly visit . |
149,566 | 4d619adf9b828f70dcd02f90e10e2b74daf35082 | The Coalition has been branded a ‘zombie . government’ after it emerged MPs will take a 19-day break because there . are not enough new laws to debate. The Commons is set to break up early for the Queen’s Speech because there are not enough issues to debate. With David Cameron and Nick Cleg’s parties at loggerheads on several fronts, MPs are preparing to pack their bags on Thursday and not return until the Queen’s Speech on June 4. The Commons is expected to break up on Thursday, a week earlier than expected, because MPs have run out of laws and issues to debate . Ministers have been stung by the idea they have run out of policies to debate, with Commons Leader Andrew Lansley branding the idea a ‘fantasy’. The House of Commons was due to sit until May 22, the day of the European and local elections. But MPs are likely to be given an extra week off, because there is no more legislation to debate ahead of the prorogation for the Queen’s Speech. It will fuel suggestions that the Queen’s Speech itself will contain little in the way of major new laws, because the two coalition parties cannot agree on their final legislation programme before the general election. Labour has repeatedly accused the government of running out of ideas, and the latest break will only add to the impression. Shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle said: ‘We are likely to rise a week early showing that this is a government that hasn't only run out of ideas, it's run out of steam.’ Jon Ashworth MP, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: 'This is just the latest example of David Cameron's zombie government that simply staggers on despite the fact that Ministers have run out of ideas and have nothing left to say. 'We need positive measures to deal with the cost-of-living crisis which the Tories and the Lib Dems cannot provide. Only Labour has answers.' It means MPs will not be back in Westminster until June 4, when the Queen will announce the last package of laws before the general election next year . Embarrassingly MPs have only been back in Westminster for eight days since they returned from a 17-day Easter recess. They also had nine days off in mid-February for a half term break, which came only four and a half weeks after their Christmas break which last from December 19 to January 6. In a debate last week Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said the government is ‘obviously grappling with how to fill up the hours of the day and the days of the week’. He called for the spare time to be used to allow backbench MPs to pass their own laws. Leader of the Commons Andrew Lansley dismissed the idea the coalition has run out of ideas as a 'fantasy' ‘In that way, Parliament could become a real debating Chamber, enabling us to debate the issues that affect ordinary Members of this House rather than being sent into yet another recess because the Government have run out of business.’ Shadow welfare minister Chris Bryant also raised fears that if Parliament is prorogued early it cannot be recalled to debate emergencies. He said: ‘It will be impossible for this House to be summoned, even if the Prime Minister wants it, even if the Leader of the House wants it, even if 649 Members of this House write to the Speaker and demand it, even if the Clerk of the House wants it. ‘We will not be able to sit for three weeks, and during that time, first, there will be elections in Ukraine, which could well be an important flashpoint for NATO troops, let alone anybody else; and, secondly, the Prime Minister will have to decide who will be the British Commissioner, and how Britain will vote on replacements for Mr Van Rompuy and for the President of the European Commission. ‘Would it not be better if we did not prorogue until the day before the Queen’s Speech, so that it was available for us to summon the House if necessary, to hold the Government to account?’ Mr Lansley insisted no final decision has been made. ‘We have no intention of proroguing unless and until all the business that requires to be transacted in this Session has been completed,’ he told MPs. However, when he set out fortchoming business for the Commons he gave no details beyond this Thursday. Tuesday 13 May—If necessary, consideration of Lords amendments, followed by remaining stages of the Consumer Rights Bill. The agenda for this week is hardly packed. At 2.30pm on Monday they will put questions to defence ministers before considering Lords amendments to a Care Bill and the last stages of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. On Tuesday Nick Clegg will face Deputy PM's questions, before a debate on all-party parliamentary groups and any other amendments to laws proposed by the House of Lords. Wednesday will see the last Prime Minister's Questions of the session, and debates on the Deregulation Bill and more consideration of Lords amendments. And on Thursday itself there is only questions to Environment Secretary Owen Paterson and 'If necessary, consideration of Lords amendments'. | Tories and Lib Dems order break because they have nothing to debate .
Parliament to finish on Thursday and not come back until June 4 .
Doubts over whether coalition can agree new laws for Queen's Speech . |
48,005 | 8781d0244b271a55377195aee80cfa3a45838309 | (CNN) -- Police say they are searching for 16-year-old Kara Alongi, a missing New Jersey girl who generated big buzz on social media with a post about a possible intruder. "There is somone in my hour ecall 911," she posted on Twitter at 6:20 p.m. Sunday before she went missing. It is believed she meant "someone in my house, call 911." The comment spawned a flurry of activity on the social networking site, with thousands using the hashtag, #helpfindkara. The girl's Twitter account had also netted nearly 100,000 followers by mid Monday. No foul play is believed to be involved, said Clark, New Jersey, Police Chief Alan Scherb, who added that there were no signs of forced entry and nothing missing from the home. But the teen's post drew national attention, with several people posting her photo in hope of locating her, as well as broader speculation about what may have transpired . "A girl named kara got kidnapped tonight in my town. if you ALL could RT this, that'd be amazing," said Twitter user "Joshua," whose user name is @chommikk. "RT" means "retweet," or forward the message. Police say there is no indication of a kidnapping. The series of posts also prompted indignation from social media users like Jill Brown, whose username is †. | Police say someone called a taxi company asking for a car at Alongi's address .
The driver identified Alongi as the girl he picked up and took to a train station, police said .
The teen's post drew national attention and big buzz on social media .
No foul play is thought to have occurred . |
243,397 | c7025f876b66bbc5a3b078ec15aec347decbcd54 | (CNN) -- Is there anything Jennifer Lawrence can't do? Actually, yes: She's not the best when it comes to singing. The Oscar winner admitted to David Letterman on his "Late Show" on Wednesday that she has a huge fear of singing in front of other people, and it all goes back to the time she sang a holiday song in front of her school as an 8-year-old. "I do not like singing in front of other people," Lawrence told Letterman. "I'm like, scarred from my childhood, because I had a mother who would tell me that I was amazing at everything and that I can do everything, but I can't. So I sang in front of the school, because it was like, 'I can do that! I can do anything!' " Lawrence claims that she has this "tone-deaf Amy Winehouse voice," but when she broke into a rendition of "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," which is the song she performed way back when, Winehouse is definitely not who we were reminded of. Lawrence actually had to face her fear of singing for the latest "Hunger Games" movie, "Mockingjay -- Part I," because she had to perform a song called "The Hanging Tree." She still hasn't heard her performance in the movie, but she knows that moviegoers will. "Everybody's told me that it's me," she said, "because I was like, 'will you guys please get Lorde to really sing it?' And they said no, it's really your voice." We'll find out how she sounds when "Mockingjay -- Part I" opens November 21, but we can already bet it'll be better than her take on Christmas carols. | Jennifer Lawrence butchered Christmas carols on David Letterman's show .
Actress says she has a "tone-deaf Amy Winehouse voice"
She proved it by singing "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" |
155,459 | 54f01c4f30bd727b2f281256138d1314cdd1aa2f | New video evidence in the Bruce Jenner car crash incident could spell trouble for the transitioning reality star following the four-car incident that left one person dead and seven injured on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, earlier this month. An MTA bus traveling behind the Hummer involved is reported to have captured the entire incident on mounted cameras, evidence that is now in the hands of the police. The footage, which has been reconstructed, shows the 65-year-old former Olympian smash his Cadillac Escalade into the back of both the victim’s white Lexus and the Toyota Prius involved. Scroll down for video . New video evidence could spell trouble for Bruce Jenner, according to reports, following the four-car incident that left one person dead and seven injured on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu earlier this month . Bruce Jenner surveys the crash scene: An MTA bus traveling behind the Hummer involved is reported to have captured the entire incident on mounted cameras, evidence that is now in the hands of the police . A white Lexus was pushed into the path of a Hummer coming the other way, leaving the vehicle a crumpled wreck and the sole occupant, 69-year-old Kim Howe, dead . Most significantly the video shows that the Lexus driver didn’t make contact with the Prius involved, reports TMZ. Sources familiar with the video told TMZ that Jenner hits the Lexus, propelling it into a Hummer coming the other way. Jenner then continues on and hits the Prius. If correct, the MTA video makes a more compelling case that Jenner was following too close, which opens the door to a possible vehicular manslaughter prosecution, claims TMZ. A video showing a possible recreation of the accident has been created by Integral Media Works. According to previous reports, the Lexus had been in Jenner's path after coming to a halt when it hit a Prius travelling ahead. The Lexus was then pushed into the path of a Hummer coming the other way, leaving the vehicle a crumpled wreck and the sole occupant, 69-year-old Kim Howe, dead. A video showing a possible recreation of the accident has been created by Integral Media Works . The video shows Jenner rear-end the Lexus and when the Lexus clears his lane, his SUV keeps moving and crashes into the Prius . The MTA video is alleged to show that Jenner hits the Lexus, propelling it into a Hummer coming the other way. Jenner then continues on and hits the Prius . The Kardashian family patriarch, who escaped the crash unscathed, took a roadside sobriety test in front of officers in the wake of the collision, which he passed. This latest evidence suggests that rather than the chain reaction being caused by the victim's Lexus hitting the Prius in front of her, Jenner may have hit both cars, claims TMZ. Law enforcement sources told the celebrity news site that one operating theory is that the Prius had been stopped behind cars and, as a traffic light turned green, vehicles began moving. It was at this point, sources say, that Jenner rear-ended the Lexus and when the Lexus cleared his lane, his car kept moving and crashed into the Prius. TMZ reported that police say when Jenner hit the Lexus, it veered left while his Escalade moved to the right. Detectives in Malibu have opened a vehicular homicide investigation. If any of the drivers in the crash are found criminally negligent, felony charges could be filed - which carry a sentence of up to six years in prison. Jenner's Cadillac Escalade hit the back of the victim's white Lexus on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, which caused a chain reaction that resulted in the luxury sedan veering into oncoming traffic . An aerial view of the crash scene on February 7 shows the damaged cars, and police markings as they work to investigate the cause . If it is determined that Jenner's Escalade struck both cars and authorities find he was following too closely, it would make prosecution for vehicular manslaughter more likely than if he was just part of the chain reaction, TMZ claims. Investigations will determine if Jenner, or any of the other three drivers involved in the collision, were texting or on their mobile phones at the time of the collision. It is illegal to text while driving in California. The star's representative has denied that he was texting behind the wheel. Breaking his silence on the crash the following day, Jenner said in a statement: 'My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident.' 'It is a devastating tragedy, and I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them. I will continue to cooperate in every way possible.' But three days after the crash, Jenner was seen talking on his phone while driving in Los Angeles. The reality star had the device pressed to his ear while behind the wheel in Thousand Oaks, California. Bruce married Kris Jenner, pictured together, in 1991, but their divorce is expected to be finalized next month . | New video evidence could spell trouble for Jenner following the four-car incident that left one person dead and seven injured in Malibu .
Footage taken by an MTA bus shows the 65-year-old smash his Escalade into the back of the victim's white Lexus and the Toyota Prius involved .
Most significantly the video - which is in police hands - shows that the Lexus driver didn't make contact with the Prius involved .
A reconstruction video of the incident makes a case that Jenner was following too closely .
If it is proved that he caused the fatal wreck, he could be charged with vehicular manslaughter which carries a six year prison sentence . |
107,056 | 16153819caa4d69f5a5094c6503a065eb38cc488 | By . Jill Reilly for MailOnline . It was confirmed today that Bernie Ecclestone has paid the agreed £60million to clear him of bribery charges, but the Formula One boss is showing no signs of adjusting his luxurious lifestyle. This afternoon he was spotted celebrating the end of the three month trial with his third wife Fabiana Flosi and friends as they toured the Croatian island of Havr. The 83-year-old walked around the pretty town centre with his 35-year-old wife before they retreated to his luxury yacht Petara which was anchored in the bay. It was confirmed today that he has paid the agreed £60million to clear him of bribery charges, but Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is showing no sign of adjusting his luxurious lifestyle . This afternoon he was spotted with his third wife Fabiana Flosi and friends as they toured the Croatian island of Havr . The 83-year-old walked around the pretty town centre with his 35-year-old wife before they retreated to his luxury yacht Petara which was anchored in the bay . The southern Dalmatian is a favourite with Ecclestone and the 176ft vessel, which is named Petara, after Bernie's daughters Petra and Tamara, was also spotted moored in several ports across Croatia last year. Not that Ecclestone should have been too concerned about his bank balance in light of recent events - he is worth an estimated £6billion. Ecclestone faced charges of bribery and incitement to breach of trust over a payment to a German banker in charge of selling a stake in F1 in 2005. Ecclestone denied wrongdoing. After the three month trial, on August 5 the Munich state court approved an agreement between Ecclestone's lawyers and prosecutors to end the trial. Not that Ecclestone should have been too concerned about his bank balance in light of recent events - he is worth an estimated £6billion . The pensioner gives a thumb-up as he tours the Croatian town . It gave the 83-year-old Englishman a week to pay the money and the court said today that the payment was made on time. £58.6m will go directly to the German state, with the remainder to a German charity that looks after terminally-ill children. Last week's result was not the scenario Ecclestone envisaged as he was determined to prove his innocence, but with the trial exacting a toll, the 83-year-old and his defence team decided to make the offer. Ecclestone is given a helping hand to get back onto a smaller boat which brought the party to shore . Ecclestone, who was divorced by his 6ft 2in second wife Slavica – mother of his daughters Tamara and Petra – in 2009 and married a Brazilian nearly 50 years his junior in 2012 . The pair smile as they are taken back to their luxurious floating home . The 176ft vessel, which is named Petara, after Bernie's daughters Petra and Tamara, was also spotted moored in several ports across Croatia last year . | F1 boss is holidaying in Croatia with his wife Fabiana Flosi .
Last week he paid £60million to German court in bribery case .
Payout represents just 1 per cent of his estimated £6billion fortune .
The 176ft vessel, is named Petara, after daughters Petra and Tamara . |
123,167 | 2b37b8c04721e203a49c5d5c5ba2a085a96000fb | Real Madrid supporters booed coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeper Iker Casillas but saw their team win 2-0 against Deportivo to stay clear at the top of La Liga. There were even a few jeers for an out-of-sorts for Cristiano Ronaldo when he blasted a second half free-kick over but the Ballon D’Or set up the second for Karim Benzema after Isco had scored the first. The worst whistles were reserved for Ancelotti and Casillas and were audible when the team and managers’ names were announced before kick-off. Casillas’ error had cost Real Madrid the opening goal seven days earlier in the 4-0 derby day defeat to Atletico Madrid and Ancelotti was criticised for his team selection but as with most of the abuse levelled at Real players from their own fans – most recently to Gareth Bale – it was incomprehensible especially as it came at the start of the game and seemed to help ensure Madrid made a nervous start. Real Madrid midfielder Isco (left) opened the scoring with a curled finish from Alvaro Arbeloa's pass in the first-half . Karim Benzema follows the ball into the net after doubling Real Madrid's lead to complete a 2-0 victory . Real Madrid superstars celebrate as they move four points clear of arch rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga . Real Madrid (4-3-3): Casillas; Arbeloa, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo; Kroos, Illarra (Silva), Isco (Carvajal); Bale, Benzema (Jese), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Navas, Derik, Medran, Chicharito. Booked: Nacho, Arbeloa . Scorers: Isco 22', Benzema 73' Deportivo (4-2-3-1): Fabricio; Laure, Pablo, Lopo, Luisinho; Bergantinos, Borges (Dominguez); Cuenca, Perez (Medunjanin), Cavaleiro; Riera (Costa). Substitutes: David, Canella, Wilk, Lopez. Booked: Borges, Pablo, Lopo, Laure . Casillas at least wasted no time in responding to the boo-boys with a fine save at his near-post from Isaac Cuenca. The former Barcelona winger tested the home defence on several occasions in the first 15 minutes. For Madrid, Ronaldo hit the bar and Bale then charged through to the edge of the area and did likewise with a ferocious shot. The Welshman turned provider next with a cross that Benzema should have done better with but allowed Fabricio to push away for a corner. When Real finally took the lead on 23 minutes it was from Isco just inside the area immediately after Ronaldo had missed from much closer in. He failed to finish from a yard out from Benzema’s cross and Isco saved the day with a curling shot into the far corner when it looked as if Deportivo had cleared the danger. It was a boost for the team but Ronaldo's miss did nothing to improve his state of mind. He had made an uncharacteristically quiet start to the game after a tumultuous week when the celebration of his 30th birthday party had made almost as much news as Madrid’s derby-day defeat that came just hours before it. Bale was comfortably Real Madrid’s best performer in the first half and his run and cross gave Ronaldo the chance to make it two but he headed over. There was one moment of brilliant skill from Ronaldo who turned Deportivo’s 39-year-old full-back Manuel Pablo inside out but it was Bale who finished the half strongly crossing from the right only for team-mates to again fail to capitalise. Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti was roundly jeered ahead of the game following their previous defeat to Atletico Madrid . Deportivo midfielder Issaac Cuenca reacts after missing a superb opportunity to give the visitors an early lead . Cristiano Ronaldo was uncharacteristically subdued after being criticised for celebrating his birthday after defeat to Atletico . Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale (left) was denied a first-half goal after his long-range strike hit the woodwork . Portuguese superstar Ronaldo attempts an ambitious overhead kick as the hosts strive to break the deadlock . Isco's curled effort opens the scoring for Real Madrid after both Ronaldo and Benzema had contrived to miss . Spain international Isco celebrates after giving Real Madrid the lead after being set up by Alvaro Arbeloa . Isco kisses his tattooed arm as Real Madrid take control after a lively start from the visitors . If Real had started to look more convincing at the end of the first half that was all forgotten at the start of the second with Deportivo hitting the post from Celso Borges and Casillas making a fine save down to his left from Wigan loanee Oriol Riera. The jeers for the keeper at the start of the game were now replaced with applause. He was keeping Real Madrid in the game. Goalscorer Isco had to intervene at the back post to break down another visitors’ attack. And Ronaldo’s afternoon was getting no better as he blasted a free-kick over the bar from the edge of the area and there were even a few jeers for the three-times Ballon d’Or winner. Real Madrid brought on winter window signing Lucas Silva for Asier Illaramendi with 20 minutes left and immediately got the second goal. Ronaldo played Benzema in and he scored with a first-time shot over the advancing Fabricio. Jese Rodriguez came on for Benzema and set-up Ronaldo now playing at centre-forward. The Portuguese sent the chance wide smashing the turf in frustration at the miss. Madrid stay top with the win and remain Champions League favourites ahead of this week’s trip to Germany to play Schalke but the mood has changed considerably since the group stages when they and their talisman Ronaldo looked invincible. Real Madrid No 1 Iker Casillas was also targeted by the boo boys before pulling off a succession of fine saves . The world's most expensive player Bale was arguably Real Madrid's best player despite recent criticism from fans . World Cup winner Toni Kroos evades the attention of a group of Deportivo defenders . New signing, and former Arsenal target, Lucas Silva was introduced to the Bernabeu in the second half . Benzema stretches over Deportivo keeper Fabri as Real Madrid double their lead on 73minutes . The France international pumps the air with his fist after ading to his impressive goals tally this season . Real Madrid team-mates race to congratulate Benzema as they open up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga . Bale takes down the ball on his chest as Real Madrid see out the closing minutes of the game . Even Real Madrid talisman Ronaldo was booed after missing several chances to score during the victory . | Real Madrid opened up a four point lead in La Liga with a 2-0 defeat of Deportivo La Coruna .
Spain international Isco opened the scoring after being assisted by Alvaro Arbeloa in the first-half .
Karim Benzema silenced his personal critics again with a dinked finish from Cristiano Ronaldo's pass .
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeper Iker Casillas were jeered by Los Blancos supporters . |
57,282 | a24e883489648def0c81fa57ce51c5062952b553 | By . David Mccormack . The German government is set to scrap its decades-old policy of not spying on key NATO allies – including the U.S. – in response to the latest spy scandal, which exposed a German intelligence officer as a double-agent leaking secret documents to the U.S. The decision was announced by Thomas de Maizière, an Interior Minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. He told the newspaper Bild that Berlin wants ‘360 degree surveillance’ of all intelligence-gathering operations in Germany. Scroll down for video . German Chancellor Angela Merkel interrupted a trade visit to China on Monday to describe the latest spying scandal as a 'clear contradiction of the notion of trustworthy co-operation' After the defeat of the Nazis and the end of World War II in 1945, the new authorities of West Germany adopted a policy of turning a blind eye to the intelligence activities of some of the victors, namely the U.S., Britain and France. Bild claims to have obtained a document detailing ‘concrete countermeasures’ that the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – Germany’s equivalent of the CIA - plans to implement. The minister comments were echoed by Stephan Mayer, a domestic security spokesman for Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats. ‘We must focus more strongly on our so-called allies,’ he said. The BND ‘double agent’ is reported to have simply emailed Berlin’s American embassy and asked whether officials were interested in ‘co-operation’. The Bundesnachrichtendienst (pictured), Germany¿s equivalent of the CIA, has 'concrete' plans to spy on U.S. for first time since 1945 after 'double agent' scanda . German prosecutors say the 31-year-old man is suspected of selling over 218 top-secret German intelligence documents to his US spymasters in return for cash payments of $13,600 per document between 2012 and 2014. He was caught by German counter-espionage agents only after he was found offering similar BND documents to Berlin’s Russian embassy. He was arrested last week. New German counter-espionage measures would almost certainly result in the monitoring of ‘listening posts’, which the National Security Agency (NSA) runs from the roof of its Berlin embassy. Its existence was revealed last year when evidence supplied by the whistle-blower Edward Snowden revealed that NSA had bugged Chancellor Merkel’s cell phone. CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden was responsible for last year's revelation that the NSA had bugged Chancellor Merkel's cell phone . She interrupted a current trade visit to China on Monday to describe the scandal as a ‘very serious development’. She added: ‘It is a clear contradiction of the notion of trustworthy co-operation.’ The White House has said the U.S. will work with Germany to resolve its concerns. Spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. is aware that a German citizen was arrested amid allegations he was purportedly working for the U.S., but he would not say whether the reports are accurate. However two U.S. officials familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters on Monday that the CIA was involved in a spying operation against Germany that had led to the alleged recruitment of the German intelligence official. CIA Director John Brennan has asked to brief key members of the U.S. Congress on the matter. | Angela Merkel's government is set to scrap its decades-old policy of not spying on key NATO allies – including the U.S.
The move is in response to a German intelligence officer being exposed last week as a double-agent selling secret documents to the U.S.
U.S. officials have .
confirmed that the CIA was involved in a spying .
operation against Germany that led to his recruitment .
Last year whistle-blower Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA had bugged Chancellor Merkel's cell phone . |
104,053 | 123fc14d3b25353e650ad3055a8a6ddb4d294eeb | (CNN) -- A pair of second half goals from Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a 2-0 win over 10-man Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal in the Bernabeu Wednesday. A scrappy and ill-tempered affair saw Real's Portuguese international defender Pepe sent off after 61 minutes with manager Jose Mourinho also dismissed to the stands for complaining about the decision. Earlier, a melee in the tunnel at halftime had Barcelona reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto shown a red card by German referee Wolfgang Stark. It took a moment of typical Messi magic to break the deadlock, connecting with a fine cross from substitute Ibrahim Afellay for his 76th minute opener. And with four minutes remaining, Messi rounded off a fine night for Barcelona with a majestic second, weaving his way through the Real defense to beat Iker Casillas with ease. El Clasico: The billion dollar grudge match . It takes his tally for the season to 52, with 11 coming in the Champions League and leaves Real with an almost insurmountable task in the second leg in the Nou Camp next week. Mourinho's men had worked hard to cancel out Barcelona as they had to such good effect in beating them in the final of the Copa del Rey last week and the tactics worked well in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo, the match winner in that final, came close with a shot which surprised Victor Valdes in the Barca goal and Mesut Ozil might have scored from the rebound. Barcelona had the bulk of the possession without looking their threatening best until the match turned on Pepe's dismissal as he lunged for a high bouncing ball and caught Dani Alves. The decision looked harsh and Mourinho was quick to show his displeasure and with the extra man it was Barcelona who capitalized with David Villa forcing a fine save from Casillas before Messi's double strike. An angry Mourinho hit out at the referee's decision after the match. "Another miracle with ten men wasn't possible," he told AFP. "Yes, I think we are eliminated. We will go to Camp Nou with everything and to get a result but I can't see it. "We will be without Pepe and (Sergio) Ramos who didn't do anything and neither did I. I just want to know why? Why did Pepe get sent off? I just want someone to explain. Why did it happen?" With Manchester United also leading 2-0 from their away leg against Schalke Tuesday, the stage looks set for a repeat of the 2009 Champions League final, won by Barcelona. | Lionel Messi scores twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 in Bernabeu .
Real have defender Pepe sent off on the hour mark for foul on Dani Alves .
Manager Jose Mourinho sent to the stands for protesting decision .
Winners will play Manchester United or Schalke in Champions League final . |
256,675 | d83548501029ce729817e5ce1fec97425e2ac1df | By . Peter Allen In Paris . PUBLISHED: . 14:46 EST, 14 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:26 EST, 14 April 2013 . Hundreds of armed police have been placed around Paris' major tourist monuments because of an influx of criminal gangs from eastern Europe. It follows a huge increase in the number of aggressive beggars and pickpockets flooding into the French capital from Romania and Bulgaria – countries whose citizens will soon have unrestricted access to the UK. The Louvre alone now has 20 permanent uniformed officers patrolling its galleries, with five of them placed at the entrance. Guard: Officers at the Louvre, one of a number of attractions in Paris where security has been tightened . They arrived at the weekend, after staff went on strike to complain about youngsters attacking them as they steal from visitors. Similar patrols have been placed around sacred monuments including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sacre-Cœur, the Eiffel Tower, the Pompidou Centre, and even the Palace of Versailles, west of Paris. Explaining the Louvre deployment, deputy director Herve Barbaret said: 'The presence of uniformed police officers has a significant deterrent effect. 'We hope they will stay as long as possible, for several months, until the situation returns to normal.' Mr Herve said plain clothes officers were . also mingling with some of the eight million plus people who visit the . Louvre every year – many of whom are from Britain. Safety: Louvre staff went on strike complaining they were being attacked by youngsters stealing from visitors . The number of surveillance cameras has . also increased, with Mr. Barbaret saying his staff were working with the . Paris prosecutors office to 'get the networks (of criminals) dismantled.' Gangs of Roma thieves – many of them young children – can now be seen all over Paris, the most popular tourist city in the world. 'Do you speak English?' is their usual opening gambit, and then they surround victims, helping themselves to money and possessions. Two years ago, France's then Interior . Minister said that the vast majority of street robberies in Paris were . being carried out by the children of Roma immigrants from Romania and . Bulgaria. Police presence: Hundreds of extras officers have been deployed at monuments including the Eiffel Tower . Claude Gueant said . the notoriously poor and corrupt eastern European states were . responsible for exporting some of the most notorious sneak thieves in . the world. Many operated in gangs around the Gare du Nord Eurostar station, preying on British travellers as they arrived by high-speed train from London. France has shut down illegal camps full of Roma gypsies which have sprung up around the French capital, but crime remains a huge problem. Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 but faced restrictions on immigration which are set to be lifted next year, leading to an expected influx into countries like Britain. A Paris police spokesman said: 'There has been a huge increase in the number of criminal gangs of pickpockets and other thieves operating in the city in recent years. Everything is being done to combat this threat, including placing more officers at tourist sites.' Tourist hotspot: Police officers stand guard in the French capital as a group of Roma children look on . | It follows rise in beggars and pickpockets from Romania and Bulgaria .
The Louvre has 20 permanent uniformed officers patrolling its galleries .
Staff went on strike over attacks by youngsters stealing from visitors .
Eiffel Tower, Sacre-Coeur and Pompidou Centre also heavily guarded . |
50,675 | 8f5e17861d0a655c8f3bec0f34fb560922fd17aa | By . Claire Bates . PUBLISHED: . 06:10 EST, 23 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:12 EST, 23 November 2012 . Heather Weir and boyfriend Jamie Ness could not understand why their normally active golden labrador wanted to sleep all day . A couple say they owe their lives to their pet labrador after his strange behaviour prompted them to call in engineers. Heather Weir and Stoke City footballer Jamie Ness could not understand why their normally active dog Alfie suddenly wanted to sleep all day. Investigations eventually revealed that the couple's Aga cooker was leaking lethal carbon monoxide gas that could have killed them. One-year-old Alfie was sleepy because he was being slowly poisoned by the colourless, odourless gas. Ms Weir, 22, who works as a model, said: 'Without his strange behaviour Jamie and I would have went months not realizing what was leaking into our home. 'I love him so much and I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful companion - he saved our life.' Heather and Jamie, 21, moved from Glasgow where Jamie used to play fro Rangers to their new home in Cheshire in July. After noticing a strange smell, Heather had the stove checked and discovered it had been serviced and passed that month. However, she said: 'Within the past four weeks, Alfie was sleeping all day. He had stopped playing with his toys and was just very lethargic.' After returning from a family trip to the United States, Heather noticed Alfie was getting worse. She said: 'He just wasn't right at all. Usually Alfie would be up and down like a yo-yo pestering me to play but instead, he went up to our room and slept for five hours.' Heather had experienced a few brief moments of sickness but Jamie did not show any symptoms at all. Determined to get the bottom of Alfie's strange behaviour, she called an engineer out to the home who immediately realised what was happening. He told the couple that if Heather had not picked up on Alfie's sickness their exposure to the carbon monoxide leaking from the stove 'could have been fatal'. Heather with Alfie: 'He makes our house a home', she said . Alfie's unusual behaviour alerted his owners to the carbon monoxide poisoning . 'I explained about Alfie and myself and he was so genuinely concerned and happy that he'd discovered this for us before it could have been fatal,' she said. 'He explained that the smell of gas was not nearly as dangerous as the issue with the leak of carbon monoxide. 'I cannot believe how lucky we are - had we not caught this when we did, it could have been fatal to us all. 'I don't know what I'd do without Alfie - he makes our house a home.' She added: 'Within two days of the problem being solved Alfie is back to his usual self.' Carbon monoxide poisoning claims the lives of around 50 people a year in the UK. Heather and Jamie said their dog was now back to his usual happy self . Stephanie Trotter OBE, president and director of CO-Gas Safety who raise awareness and publish data of CO deaths and accidents, said that carbon monoxide prevention needs a "belt and braces" approach. She said: 'Firstly, well done to the dog and well done to the girl. 'Often our dogs, cats and other pets are more susceptible to the gas because of their smaller lungs and weight. 'That's . why miners used to take canaries down the mines - if they stopped . singing you knew to get out because there was CO present. 'We . encourage all homes to open windows for ventilation, have their . chimneys regularly swept and install detectors - it really has to be a . belt and braces approach to keeping an eye on CO.' The RSPCA said pet owners should be more aware of their pets' behaviour. A . spokesman said: 'This demonstrates the importance of pet owners being . aware of their pet's normal behaviour and of being observant. 'If they do notice any change in their . pet's behaviour it's important to seek advice from their vet as it could . be a sign that their pet is suffering from a medical problem.' Paul Johnston, chief executive of . Gas Safe Register, commented: 'The couple involved in this incident had a . lucky escape, but tragically others are not always so fortunate. 'Carbon . monoxide is a highly poisonous gas. You can't see it, taste it or smell . it and without an adequate supply of fresh air, it can kill quickly. 'The symptoms are also very similar to flu, which at this time of year is worrying if people get the two confused.' For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning visit www.gassaferegister.co.uk . | Heather noticed her dog was sleeping all day, had stopped playing with his toys and was very lethargic .
Engineer discovered carbon monoxide leak was slowly poisoning labrador and could have killed couple . |
26,491 | 4b393df902bd62292f93ebc7df7eb12b2405ba31 | The superlatives in China continue -- the latest symbol of China's "bigger is much, much better" ethos is open for business. Located in Chengdu (population 14 million), capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China, the New Century Global Center is the "largest freestanding building in the world," Chinese officials say. Though the words "world's largest" usually bring to mind an image of a towering skyscraper, this project actually isn't all that tall. But it's certainly big. At 500 meters long, 400 meters wide and 100 meters high, the 1.7-million-square-meter mega-structure is capable of housing 20 Sydney Opera Houses and almost three times the size of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The Global Center, which opened June 28, is home to business offices, hotels, movie theaters, shopping malls, a faux Mediterranean village and family-themed attractions such as a water park called Paradise Island. The New Century Global Center is located in an entirely new planned area of Chengdu called Tainfu New District. Chengdu is also currently expanding its subway line and plans to construct a new airport by 2020, further suggesting official ambitions to make the city an economic and cultural capital of western China. From June 6-8, Chengdu hosted this year's Fortune Global Forum, an annual invite-only event featuring chairs, presidents, and CEOs of the world's largest companies. According to Xinhua, China's official state media, by the end of 2012 Chengdu's GDP had hit 800 billion RMB (US$130.48 billion). CNNGo in Chengdu: More than pandas and spicy food . | New Century Global Center is the 'largest freestanding building in the world'
Mega-structure capable of housing 20 Sydney Opera Houses .
Attractions include an IMAX cinema, water park and luxury retail outlets . |
284,149 | fc2589b23ddf7b8198dfdd9c73630b7febef4eda | For 12 months after police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo 'summarily executed' at least nine people, including a child, Britain continued to fund them. But just two weeks after the police brutality scandal the first public reports on it were already available. That was on November 15. During the police offensive, named 'Operation Punch', a further 32 men and boys disappeared in the capital, Kinshasa. Two 16-year-olds are amongst 29 of this group who are still unaccounted for. For 12 months after police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo 'summarily executed' at least nine people, including a child, Britain continued to fund them . And on November 27 the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo issued a joint statement further highlighting the issue, sighting 'reports of disappearance and assassination of young men and children in some communes of Kinshasa'. According to The Telegraph, at that time, the UN agencies said that about 20 people, including 12 children, had been killed. They urged 'immediate steps' to 'put an end to such acts'. Despite these declarations of concern, the Department for International Development (Dfid) continued to fund Congo's police for almost another year. And it wasn't until this month that they finally suspended their payments to its 'Security Sector Accountability and Police Reform Programme'. It did so following a UN report in October which confirmed nine deaths and numerous other violations during Operation Punch. Between 2008 and 2014 Difid had promised £67million to improve the 'capability and accountability' of the Congolese National Police. By the time it pulled the pin on the programme Difid had already spent £55million. Justifying the continued payments a Difid spokesperson told the newspaper: 'We were aware of reports of human rights violations and raised them regularly at the highest level of the Congolese Government while the UN conducted their investigations. We wanted to make sure that any action followed the outcome of the UN investigation.' The Department for International Development only stopped their payments to the police this month after the UN released their final report in October which confirmed they were responsible for nine deaths . The spokesperson added that they made a 'swift decision' to end the payments following the UN's final report. That report found that nine people were executed during Operation Punch and 32 'forcibly disappeared'. The operation was meant to be targeting organised crime. The report went on to say they believe the number of victims could be 'much higher'. And said the operation involved masked and hooded policemen travelling in unmarked vehicles after dark, before waiting outside the homes of their victims. On November 19, a shopkeeper, 30, was shot dead outside his home by hooded men in police uniforms. On November 23, a 18-year-old was picked up while trying to earn money cleaning cars. After being driven around for a number of hours the teenager was shot three times in the back. The youngest victim was a 17-year-old who was shot in the back outside his home on November 27. Of the 32 who disappeared, there were able to buy their freedom from police custody. One of which is a 16-year-old who was tied up and taken from his home to a nearby police station. Dfid's budget rose by 32 per cent between 2012 and 2013 – the biggest annual jump by a Whitehall department in peacetime history. Critics say the pressure to spend its budget makes it harder for the organisation to cut payments. | In November last year police in the Congo killed nine people .
They launched an operation that was meant to target organised crime .
The Department of International Developed had promised them £67million .
The first public reports about the killings were available within two weeks .
But the department kept paying the police force until this month .
They waited for a final report from the UN - by then they had spent £55m . |
253,718 | d466d1488a528b306a7bfdde03d9d9788a7d20e8 | Obama administration officials told a gathering of all 100 U.S. Senators on Wednesday that they were kept in the dark about Saturday's prisoner swap because the Taliban warned that they would kill Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl if any information about the plan leaked to the public. But Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the senior Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, his Democratic counterpart on the committee, were told 'months and months' in advance when the Obama administration was planning to kill Osama bin Laden. 'It was like they didn't trust Dianne and me,' Chambliss said during an interview on the Fox News Channel, describing his frustration with being kept out of the loop on the Bergdahl hostage swap. 'And yet the two of us knew about the bin Laden event leading up to the takedown of bin Laden for months and months and months,' he said. Yes to the al-Qaeda raid, no to the Taliban trade: Sen. Saxby Chambliss told Fox News that the Obama administration briefed him and other Senate Intelligence Committee leaders about the Osama bin Laden kill raid 'months' in advance, and there were no public leaks . Navy SEALS killed terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan bedroom in 2011; senators were briefed 'months and months' in advance, Chambliss said so finds it hard to fathom that he wasn't trusted with plans for Bergdahl's release (right) 'It's just very puzzling about why they didn't notify anyone in Congress about what was going on,' Chambliss added, referring to the negotiations for Bergdahl's release. U.S. Navy SEALS killed bin Laden, the global leader of the al-Qaeda terror network, May 2, 2011 in a covert nighttime raid on his Abbottabad, Pakistan compound. No information about that operation became public until President Barack Obama announced the news in a triumphant White House event. The Associated Press first published an account of Wednesday's closed-door Senate meeting where lawmakers heard explanations from from the White House about why the Obama administration chose to carry out negotiations for Bergdahl's safe return in secret. Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken delivered the presentation, according to two Senate staffers. He told senators that that the administration moved quickly and sought no congressional approval for the release of five Taliban terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay prison because of the Taliban's death threat against Bergdahl if the deal wasn't kept quite. A Senate Republican aide told MailOnline that few on Capitol Hill believe that rationale. 'It's a flimsy argument,' he said, requesting anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. 'We have an intelligence committee that meets in a hermetically sealed room. If you can't trust them with the most sensitive information about what the White House is up to, we may as well pack it in and become a monarchy.' 'It's just so much BS. Now we're all going to wonder even more what the White House isn't telling us.' Big guns: Chambliss (L) is the Senate Intelligence Committee's vice-chair and ranking Republican while Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinsten (R) chairs the committee; then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised both that they would have 30 days' notice if anyone was transferred out of the Guantamano Bay prisoncamp . Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken briefed all 100 senators on Wednesday, citing a Taliban threat to execute Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl if negotiations were leaked to the public as the reason for a hurried prisoner exchange without putting Congress in the loop . The Fox News interview with Chambliss first aired Wednesday on Greta van Susteren's evening program, and portions were re-aired Thursday afternoon. Van Susteren asked him if the White House also explained why the Senate wasn't notified about the 5-for-1 hostage trade 'five minutes before it went down.' 'I mean, why they didn't pick up the phone at the White House and call you and Senator Feinstein? It would have taken about 30 seconds.' Chambliss was on the same page. 'That was my question to Tony [Blinken],' he responded. 'You guys knew this was going down several days out,' he recalled telling Blinken. 'Why didn't you pick up the phone, particularly since Secretary Clinton had written to Senator Feinstein and me and said, "We understand the law is we have to give you 30 days notice before the transfer of any Guantanamo detainee. We assure you we will give you that notice".' 'My comment back to the administration,' Chambliss concluded, 'is that I'm not gonna believe anything they tell me from now on. ... 'How in the world can we trust the administration on anything they tell us?' Another Republican, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, demanded Thursday that Justice Department tell Congress whyis counseled the White House to move ahead with the Taliban trade in the absence of congressional input. 'Unfortunately, this is the latest instance in which the President has chosen to act unilaterally, without regard for Congress’s role, and contrary to a law he recently signed,' Grassley wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder. Obama signed the annual Defense Department authorization bill in December, which included the 30-day congressional notification requirement. 'The public deserves a full and transparent accounting of why the Administration believed it could disregard the law,' Grassley insisted. | Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he didn't believe the Obama administration's claim that fear of a leak prompted them to finalize the release of five terrorists from Guantanamo Bay without telling Congress .
Chambliss said he and Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein 'knew about ... the takedown of [Osama] bin Laden for months and months and months'
Nothing about the bin Laden kill raid was made public until President Obama announced at the White House that the al-Qaeda leader was dead .
Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told senators on Wednesday that the Taliban threatened to execute Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl if any news leaked about hostage-swap negotiations .
That explanation, he said, justified ignoring a law that requires the White House to tell Congress 30 days before releasing anyone from Gitmo . |
267,943 | e70327d42f01e287c07de3d64291fb74ee72a40f | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 04:22 EST, 12 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:31 EST, 12 December 2013 . Flush British Gas bosses have splurged £10,000 on a festive Alton Towers 'jolly' for staff in charge of cutting off customers who cannot afford to pay their bills. Warrant officers - who can break into homes to shut off the power - were sent to the Staffordshire theme park to learn how to cope with irate customers after the energy giant's 9.2 per cent price hike. In return they were put up in a £60-a-night hotel and enjoyed a three-course meal in a function room decked out in fairy lights and sprinkled with fake snow. Training: British Gas sent 80 people from their debt team to Alton Towers (pictured) to learn how to cope with customers irate about the energy giant's 9.2% price hike . Around 80 'debt team' staff had to attend a series of seminars over two days, British Gas said. Campaigners against fuel poverty today accused 'disgraceful' British Gas of 'rewarding those responsible for condemning people to poor health and death'. 'It beggar's belief that the company is still spending . money on parties and hotel rooms for staff when customers are finding it . so hard to pay their bills. It's extra insulting when the staff being . wined and dined are the ones who cut people off,' a company insider told the Mirror. Fuel Poverty Action added: 'Taking staff on a jolly may be fun for them but millions are facing a cold harsh winter.' Track record: Last month British Gas sent customer service staff on a £20,000 'morale boosting' trip to a hotel for a talent show . Warrant officers are a form of bailiff, who are given permission by magistrates to break into a home if the householder or landlord has failed to pay his bills for a prolonged period. They then cut off the electricity or gas. British Gas said today that the staff from all over Britain were at Alton Towers. 'The two day event at the Alton Towers conference centre consisted of seven seminars for our field based debt team. The staff involved in the training live around the country so we provided them with accommodation and a meal, after which they bought their own drinks,' a spokesman said. It came three weeks after the company sent workers on a £20,000 'morale boosting' talent show at another hotel. Yesterday official figures revealed the spending of the average family has fallen by £18.40 a week since 2010, mainly because of spiralling energy bills. The Office for National Statistics said families have cut back on driving and going out to restaurants to pay for gas and electricity. Researchers said that higher spending in ‘housing, fuel and power’ was ‘driven in part by rises in electricity and gas prices, and this is an area where there may be limited scope for many households to reduce consumption’. | Warrant officers - who cut off supplies - enjoyed hotels stay and banquet .
British Gas say 'debt team' were there for series of seminars on their jobs .
Part of training was to cope with customers furious over price rises .
Campaigners say energy firm 'rewarding' those who cause 'death' |
227,775 | b2f23d6cc1814ca3346b9a515882e37b76cd7343 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the main stumbling blocks to talk with Iran has been the condition that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. Now, the Obama administration may take that option off the table, at least for now. This is from an Iranian nuclear plant in the central province of Isfahan on April 9. The United States and its European allies, which have just invited Iran to a fresh round of nuclear talks, are coming to the realization that if Iran's nuclear program isn't quite at the point of no return, it will be soon. With 5,500 centrifuges, roughly enough for about two weapons worth of uranium a year, Iran isn't going to just shut down its enrichment facility as a goodwill gesture. For years, Iran has been willing to endure sanctions and economic isolation. What it hasn't been willing to do is suspend enrichment. Iran maintains enriching uranium for nuclear energy is its right. Now the West seems to have come around to Iran's way of thinking. Last week during a speech on proliferation in Prague, Czech Republic, President Obama admitted as much when he said, "We will support Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy with rigorous inspections." The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has long argued to allow Iran to maintain a small face-saving nuclear enrichment program under the guise of "research and development." Allowing such a program under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, at least while negotiations continue, would involve strict IAEA inspections -- something which may give the international community the kind of insight into Iran's nuclear program which it has long sought. It would also give Iran the cover to come back to the table without claiming it never gave in to the West. Rather, Tehran can boast the international community came around to its point of view. Preventing Iranian enrichment may be an ultimate pipe dream, but officials hope the right package of incentives, coupled with the threat of tougher sanctions, which could cripple its stumbling economy, could deter Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb. If adopted, the new strategy will undoubtedly be condemned by Israel, which has warned the U.S. that it has until the end of the year to put an end to Iran's uranium production before it takes matters into its own hands. However, moving beyond the issue of enrichment helps Obama inch closer toward engagement with Iran, something he promised during the campaign and has begun to undertake with small, albeit significant, steps, most noticeably his New Year's message to the Iranian people. Those who watch Iran closely say Obama's outreach is being warmly received in the region. While the response from spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamanei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems vague at first glance, experts argue the regime is being quite conciliatory, even flirting with the U.S. overtures and opening the door for talks. Now the administration is taking another leap, inviting Iran to several meetings on Afghanistan as a way to engage on issues of mutual interest. The U.S. is also seriously considering allowing U.S. diplomats around the world to interact with their Iranian counterparts and setting up a U.S. interests section in Iran. Officials say not to expect any dramatic breakthroughs before the Iranians head to the polls to elect a new president in June. But Obama's conservative critics, including several Republican lawmakers, worry Obama is making it too easy for Iran to come back to the table and is giving credibility to Iran's defiant Ahmadinejad in his bid for re-election. The goal of stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon remains, but the tactics are shifting and the rules of the game have changed. Obama and his advisers are betting that by finally giving Iran what it thinks it wants, the U.S. and its allies will get what they need -- a way to bring Iran to the table and start meaningful negotiations, which have eluded them for the past four years. | White House may drop key condition that Iran suspend its nuclear program .
Obama administration hopes change will bring Iran to negotiation table .
Obama says he supports Iran's nuclear program "with rigorous inspections"
Israel wants U.S. to force Iran to end its uranium production program . |
78,069 | dd4c711da28e4cda1ce53ccc157b8f34fd78b2b9 | By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 04:27 EST, 11 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:52 EST, 11 October 2013 . A Spanish electro pop act has been released after a being kidnapped by the notorious Los Zetas cartel in Mexico. Delorean, a Barcelona-based four-piece, were held hostage in a Mexico City hotel for 30 hours by the drug lords, who demanded nearly a quarter of a million pounds for their lives. Fortunately, local police were able to track the Zetas, famous for gruesome torture methods and mass murders, and band members have been able to return to Spain. Kidnapped: Spanish electro pop band Delorean were taken by Los Zetas - one of Mexico's most dangerous drug cartels - after playing at a music festival . Delorean had returned to their Mexico city hotel following a performance at a festival when they were lured into a hostage situation through a fake phone call from the Zetas cartel. They were told they had to vacate the premises due to a shootout, but they were taken by cartel members as soon as they complied. Ekhi Lopetegi, Guillermo Astrain, Unai Lazcano, and Igor Escudeo, originally from the Basque country, were taken to a different hotel and locked in two separate rooms, El Pais reports. The Zetas then contacted their family member s demanding a ransom of five million Mexican peso – approximately £240,000 – for their safe return. Thanks to various police forces including Interpol, the source of the phone calls made to the band’s hotel could be tracked and after 30 hours in captivity the four men could be released. Taken hostage: Ekhi Lopetegi, left, and his band mates Guillermo Astrain, Unai Lazcano, and Igor Escudeo were held for 30 hours on a £240,000 ransom . Official statement: Delorean posted their version of events on their Facebook page . On Wednesday the band posted their version of the events on their official Facebook page: . Los Zetas is one of the most dangerous and powerful crime syndicates in Mexico. The cartel is known for committing some of the most brutal crimes in Latin America as part of their on-going turf war with rival cartels. Los Zetas was set up by a group of defectors from the Mexican Special Forces in the early 1990s and grew into one of the most powerful and brutal groups in the area within its first two decades. After splitting from the Gulf Cartel in 2010, the cartel embarked on one of the most violent turf wars in modern Latin American history, turning Mexico into a battle ground. As well as smuggle drugs, control local crime syndicates, bribe and kidnap, Los Zetas use fear, torture and mass murder to stay in power. The group is responsible for several of Mexico's bloodiest massacres in the 10s including the San Fernando Massacres of 2010 and 2011 where 72 and 193 people respectively, were found tortured and brutally murdered. Los Zetas has been branded the ‘most technologically advanced, sophisticated, and dangerous cartel operating in Mexico’ by the US Government. ‘On Monday morning October 7th we received a phone call at our hotel room in Mexico City from a person posing as a hotel security officer. We were informed that there was a security threat at the hotel. ‘What followed for the next 30 hours was an experience where the threat of death was real due to the psychological manipulation inflicted on us by our kidnappers. 'Thanks to the fantastic work of the National Police in Spain, Ertzantza, Interpol and the Federal Police in Mexico, we were successfully rescued yesterday morning. ‘While it would be convenient to blame . Mexico, that would not be sound. This could have occurred anywhere in . the world. 'Our hope is that this situation will bring attention to the . abuse that we were subjected to by our kidnappers, so that other . travelers do not fall victim in the future. 'This . has been extremely difficult for us and our families. 'At this time we . have no further comment and we ask that you respect our privacy so that . we can return to normality in our lives.’ With . their 2010 debut album hailed by reviewers on New York Times and . Pitchfork, the band had been preparing a world tour to promote their new . album Apar, when they were kidnapped. The band's last tweet on Wednesday linked to a statement from their record label True Panther Sounds asking for privacy. Masters of fear: Alleged members of the Zeta cartel, the crime syndicate responsible for kidnapping Delorans, are displayed to the press last year . Fear-mongering: Los Zetas shot dead five people in Apodaca in 2010, before pinning a message to their chest with an ice pick as a warning to collaborators of a rival drug cartel . Gruesome drug war: In September 2011 two trucks were abandoned after one of them spilled 35 bodies of men and women belonging to the Los Zetas gang killed by a rival cartel. Morales and his henchmen set out to exact bitter revenge for the slaughter . Cache: Weapons belonging to the Zetas cartel, controlled by former special forces soldiers, are displayed after they were seized in 2011 . | Barcelona-based electro act Delorean kidnapped in Mexico City .
The band were held for a £240,000 ransom by notorious cartel .
Los Zetas drugs cartel is known for torture and mass murder . |
180,091 | 752c4d80c4d5da299223c2e064a2b20d44e94858 | By . Chris Pleasance . A one-armed man in Russia has been filmed being savagely beaten during a road rage attack, despite starting the fight himself. The fight happened during rush hour in Moscow as two men in a black Audi tried to start a fight with another pair of men sitting in a Lada behind them. The occupants of the black Audi, Nikita Korolev, 43, and Kiril Stepanov, 45, were travelling along when a taxi tried to pass them coming in the opposite direction. Scroll down for video . A one-armed driver in Russia (right) and his passenger (left) have been filmed starting a road rage fight in Moscow. After being blocked from reversing by a Lana driver behind them (centre), the pair get out and starting kicking and punching the occupants through the windows . With no room for the taxi to pass, Korolev wanted to reverse back up the street but was blocked by a Lada car right up behind him. After angry words were exchanged, the frustrated one-armed Audi driver and his companion decide it is time for firmer action. They get out of their car and walk over to the Lada and begin punching and kicking the occupants through the open windows. But once the Lada driver and passengers get out, they quickly turn the tables, dragging the one-armed man to the floor, kicking him in the head and pulling his fake arm off. But the tables are quickly turned as the Lana driver comes out swinging, dragging the one-armed man to the floor (left) and forcing the other attacker to flee (background, in the light shirt) Yuri Stepanovich, who caught the punch up on his dash cam, said: 'It was really funny. 'The Audi guys, perhaps thinking they were better because they have this big flash car, obviously weren't expecting the Lada crew to fight back. 'But when they got out of the car, which had been kicked and bashed along with them, they turned the tables and gave the duo a pasting! 'They ran back to their luxury car like schoolboys and locked the doors.' After the scuffle had finished the taxi moved back, allowing the Audi driver to make a quick exit. The fight ends as the Lana driver delivers a savage kick to the one-armed man's head while he lies on the floor after having his false arm pulled off . | One-armed driver has been filmed starting fight in Moscow .
Argument started after car behind him refused to reverse .
But tables quickly turn on him and he ends up on the floor .
Fight ends as he is kicked in the head and has false arm pulled off . |
160,774 | 5bd6882732e9fdb2c97648ec0f09224901d39d5a | By . Alex Lazcano for Daily Mail Australia . Police are investigating the circumstances of a wombat that was found decapitated at a park in Lyonville which is only 15 minutes outside the of Daylesford. The decapitated animal was found on Wednesday afternoon and appeared to be left on display. The alleged crime has been described by police as an 'act of cruelty.' A wombat was found decapitated at a park in Victoria . It was found in the picnic area of Lyonville Mineral Springs on Lyonville Springs Road over an hour north of Melbourne.'Its remains were left on display in the reserve with its head found at the top of the rotunda,' said Senior Constable Melissa Seach. Police have not released any information on suspects to the crime. Investigators are keen to speak to any witnesses of any suspicious activity in the area.Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000 or lodge a confidential report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au . Police have described the alleged crime as an 'act of cruelty' | Victorian police have found a wombat decapitated in Lyonville in north west Victoria .
The marsupial was found after 5pm on Wednesday .
Police are seeking witnesses to come forward . |
229,628 | b559fc9081be98aa0c98e4303c1ceae1b49cbea2 | (CNN) -- The United States and Mexico agreed Monday to work cooperatively on exploring and developing oil and natural gas reserves along their maritime border. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar attended the signing of the pact known as the Transboundary Agreement in Los Cabos, Mexico, with Patricia Espinosa, the Mexican foreign relations minister. The agreement requires approval by the U.S. and Mexican national legislatures. According to a statement by the U.S. Interior Department, the agreement will open up almost 1.5 million acres of U.S. outer continental shelf to exploration and development of oil and natural gas reserves. The area, roughly the size of Delaware, is estimated by the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to contain up to 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas, the department statement said. "This agreement makes available promising areas in the resource-rich Gulf of Mexico and establishes a clear process by which both governments can provide the necessary oversight to ensure exploration and development activities are conducted safely," Salazar said in the statement. The Transboundary Agreement creates a framework for Mexico's state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) to work with U.S. oil and gas companies in developing the maritime boundary area. It follows the commitment last year by U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon to work out an agreement on developing the maritime border reserves. | The United States and Mexico sign an agreement to cooperate on energy development .
The agreement covers oil and natural gas development on their maritime border .
The Transboundary Agreement requires approval from both countries' national legislatures . |
209,749 | 9ba27dc24a3ff251cf56b2b9d6ee54576bca9002 | By . Tim Shipman . Last updated at 11:11 PM on 10th January 2012 . Ed Miliband pledged to create a fairer Britain if the party was re-elected . Ed Miliband pleaded with voters and his party not to write him off yesterday as he launched a fresh bid to win back credibility on the economy. The Labour leader insisted he has the ‘inner belief’ to win the next election. But, in a major admission, he appeared to accept that Labour would not be able to go on spending and will have to promise further cuts if it is to win power in 2015. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls went further, saying Labour ‘can make no commitment to reverse any of the Government’s tax rises or spending cuts’. With Labour trailing the Coalition in polling on the economy, he admitted: ‘I know, and Ed Miliband does, that Labour’s got a credibility issue.’ But the party’s economic policy was mired in even more confusion last night after Mr Balls blew up in an interview on Sky News when asked why Labour plans to borrow more money than the Coalition. ‘Don’t lecture me on borrowing,’ he said. Mr Miliband claimed he was prepared to make tough choices to cut the national budget deficit. But the only concrete measure he offered was to declare that he would not uprate the value of Winter Fuel Allowance in line with inflation. He then set out a wish-list that would end up costing billions of pounds – including backing a nationwide campaign to substitute a ‘living wage’ of £7.20 an hour for the minimum wage of £6.08. Mr Miliband said only Labour can deliver fairness when there's less money around and brushed off leadership criticism . The Labour leader admitted welfare . reforms were necessary but then said he was personally ‘a supporter’ of . universal benefits, which would make it impossible to cut costs by . means-testing some state handouts. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Mr . Miliband flatly rejected the recent verdict of his policy guru Lord . Glasman, that his leadership had been ‘crap’. Ed Miliband arrives at the Oxo Tower this morning for the speech with Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Reeve . ‘I don’t agree with him when he says . it is all crap,’ he said, dismissing the growing chorus of criticism as . ‘noises off’ and internal ructions over his leadership as ‘the . Kremlinology of politics’. He insisted: ‘Don’t declare the result . of the race when it is not yet half run. I have a very strong inner . belief that I will win the race.’ Later, in a speech to the London . Citizens Organisation, Mr Miliband attempted to flesh out his call for a . crackdown on ‘predator’ companies such as banks, energy companies and . credit card firms. He said a Labour government would introduce legislation to ensure that energy firms gave a fair deal to the elderly. ‘To help pensioners, those energy . companies should be forced by law to guarantee to all those over 75 the . lowest tariff. It is not fair to those people that they are being ripped . off and overcharged,’ he said. ‘That is a concrete example of how you can make your society fairer in a world where there is less money.’ He also pledged to tax the banks more . heavily to keep university tuition fees capped at £6,000 a year rather . than £9,000 as at present. Chuka Umunna, the party’s business . spokesman, will make further proposals on curbing executive pay tomorrow . and Mr Balls will make a keynote speech on the economy on Saturday. But Mr Miliband’s critics refused to . give him credit for acknowledging economic reality – a full 20 months . after Labour’s former Treasury chief secretary Liam Byrne left a note . telling his ministerial successor: . ‘There’s no money left.’ Darren . Murphy, a former special adviser to leading Blairite Alan Milburn, was . quick to dismiss Mr Miliband’s performance, saying it had ‘more than a . touch of the Iain Duncan Smith about it’. Labour’s high command has been at . pains to dismiss comparisons with Mr Duncan Smith’s doomed leadership of . the Tories as ‘wide of the mark’. Lord Glasman (left) said Mr Miliband had 'no strategy, no narrative and little energy’ and denounced Ed Balls's (right) economic policies as 'all c**p' last week . Lord Glasman compounded Mr Miliband’s . problems. Cornered by a TV crew after the speech, he first said Labour’s . message was clearer. But when asked ‘Really?’ with the camera lowered, . he shrugged his shoulders and reportedly said ‘No.’ Ed . Miliband flatly rejected the verdict of his former adviser, Lord . Glasman, that his leadership had been 'crap' during a BBC Radio 4 . programme today . 'I don't agree with him when he says it is all c**p,' he said . Tory Party deputy chairman Michael . Fallon said: ‘If Ed Miliband was serious about taking tough decisions, . he’d set out a credible plan for cutting the deficit as Alistair . Darling, Alan Johnson and half the Shadow Cabinet have demanded. If he seriously accepts there’s less . money to spend, he would stop making billions of new unfunded spending . promises and instead tell us what Labour would cut. Instead, Ed Miliband . has given us another relaunch but still no credibility.’ Mr Balls warned the belt-tightening . would have to go much further. While he said the Government was cutting . ‘recklessly fast’ – choking off economic growth –Labour would still face . ‘difficult decisions’ in office. ‘We would have to have cuts in police, . we would have to have cuts in the schools budget, we would have to have . cuts in the defence budget,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One. Split: The party is said to be divided on over whether to apologise for the mistakes of the Blair and Brown years . Many people have spent months calling for David Miliband to take over Labour's crown from his brother but this morning the BBC appeared to join the debate too when it accidentally announced David Miliband's speech was 'Coming Up'. As reporters waited for Ed Miliband to take to the stage at London's Oxo Tower for his keynote speech, the Beeb flashed an alert on television screens across the nation announcing: 'Coming up: David Miliband speech'. The error will not have impressed Ed Miliband who has had a famously fractious relationship with his brother since he became Leader of the Opposition. A screen grab of the mistake was quickly tweeted following the blunder at 11.29am . Whoops: The BBC made a mistake this morning when it said that David Miliband's speech was coming up - instead of Ed Miliband's . Vowed to cap train fare rises to apply to ever fare - not just less busy routes . He said pensioners over 75 should be put on the cheapest energy tariff . Outlined a commitment to giving government contracts to firms that offer apprenticeships to tackle youth unemployment and short-termism in business investment . He is also looking at plans for a British Investment Bank to help small businesses invest and grow. He wants workers to sit on corporate remuneration committees . Says he is in favour of people moving up council waiting lists if they contribute to their communities and are good neighbours. | Insists he is not a 'c**p leader following criticism from his former policy guru .
Vowed to cap train fare rises to apply to ever fare - not just less busy routes .
He said pensioners over 75 should be put on the cheapest energy tariff .
Mr Miliband said if Labour won the election again the party would be different . |
74,476 | d32034100236d3a944a9e47eeaae5b1c76181931 | The Chinese air force has a new secret weapon: monkeys. The People's Liberation Army Air Force has trained macaques to keep its troops safe by discouraging birds from nesting near the air force base, the PLA's website reported earlier this week. The monkeys are used in an unidentified air force base in northern China, which is situated right on a major migratory route for birds. When swarms of birds fly around the base, it poses a threat to military planes that are in mid-flight. The birds could potentially get sucked into plane engines, endangering the lives of both birds and pilots. "Don't worry, we now have a secret weapon!" Su Chuang, a high-ranking officer, was quoted as saying on the PLA website. The officer was referring to the specially-trained monkeys that answer to the sound of a whistle. When the nests of birds are discovered in tree tops, the monkey army is deployed to remove them. The PLA have tried many different methods to remove the nests in the past, including opening fire on the nests, using long bamboo poles to topple them out of trees, and having soldiers climb the trees to pick them out. None of these methods were very effective. Apart from being time-consuming and dangerous for the officers who had to climb the trees, the birds kept coming back. However, when monkeys remove the nests, the birds do not return, as the macaques leave a scent on the branches that discourage the birds, according to the PLA's web posting. "The monkeys are loyal bodyguards who defend the safety of our comrades," said the web report. | Birds pose a hazard to Chinese planes in the air .
Monkeys are trained to remove bird's nests from tree tops .
The monkeys leave a scent on tree branches, discouraging birds from returning . |
122,977 | 2af4230150a4767cd0540ed131a9754797ab19dd | Ahead of this weekend's Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Tottenham's home clash with Sunderland... Tottenham vs Sunderland (White Hart Lane) Team news . Tottenham . Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino is likely to welcome back a host of first-team regulars for Saturday's visit of Sunderland. Spurs made seven changes for their FA Cup third-round replay win over Burnley on Wednesday night and the likes of Harry Kane, Federico Fazio, Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris should all return against the Black Cats. Pochettino also confirmed Emmanuel Adebayor will be in his squad having not played since November whilst Erik Lamela (calf) and Ryan Mason (hamstring) are doubtful with Nabil Bentaleb away on international duty with Algeria. Provisional squad: Lloris, Vorm, Friedel, Walker, Naughton, Rose, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Yedlin, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Stambouli, Dembele, Paulinho, Capoue, Eriksen, Chadli, Lennon, Townsend, Soldado, Adebayor, Kane. Harry Kane was yet again on target for Tottenham as the north London side lost against Crystal Palace . Sunderland . Jermain Defoe could be handed a Sunderland debut at former club Tottenham on Saturday after completing his move from Toronto. The 32-year-old England international is included in the squad after signing a three-and-a-half year deal with Jozy Altidore heading in the opposite direction, and will be joined by fit-again frontman Steven Fletcher following his recovery from a groin problem. However, central midfielder Liam Bridcutt is suspended after his sending-off against Liverpool last weekend and natural replacement Lee Cattermole is still out with a groin injury, as is full-back Anthony Reveillere, who needs another week to shake off an Achilles problem. Provisional squad: Pantilimon, Mannone, Jones, Van Aanholt, O'Shea, Brown, Vergini, Coates, Rodwell, Gomez, Larsson, Johnson, Buckley, Alvarez, Mavrias, Giaccherini, Wickham, Fletcher, Defoe. Liam Bridcutt saw red in Sunderland's narrow defeat against Liverpool at home last Saturday . Kick-off: Saturday 3pm . Odds (subject to change) Tottenham 8/13 . Draw 14/5 . Sunderland 5/1 . Referee: Chris Foy . Managers: Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham) Gus Poyet (Sunderland) Key match stats (supplied by Opta) Christian Eriksen has netted in both of his Barclays Premier League appearances against Sunderland. Sunderland managed to net two goals despite only having one shot on target in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light earlier this season against the Londoners. Tottenham are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League games against the Black Cats (W6 D3). Defeat last time out against Manchester City (2-3) ended a run of five on the road without loss for the Black Cats in the Premier League (W3 D2). It also ended a run of four consecutive clean sheets away from home. Jermain Defoe is all smiles during his first training session as a Sunderland player . Spurs are unbeaten in their last five Premier League home games (W3 D2). Tottenham Hotspur have recovered 12 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, the most in the top flight. Harry Kane has scored six goals in his last six Premier League games for Spurs. Nacer Chadli has provided an assist in four of his last five league appearances for Tottenham. Spurs have given away six penalties in the Premier League; two more than any other side in the division. Sunderland have scored a higher proportion of their goals in the final 15 minutes of Barclays Premier League games than any other side (33%). | Mauricio Pochettino likely to welcome back host of first-team stars .
In-form Harry Kane expected to return to the starting 11 .
Emmanuel Adebayor will also be in the Spurs squad for the first time since November last year .
Jermain Defoe could be handed a debut at the home of his old side . |
90,391 | 00482026594f2d676865b52694eeae5d08537e8b | By . Sam Peters . Steve Borthwick will hang up his boots on Saturday satisfied he has earned the respect of his team-mates during a 16-year career which has not always seen him embraced by the English public. Borthwick is the most capped player in Aviva Premiership history with 264 appearances. And he has played through the pain of a serious pectoral injury, sustained almost two months ago, to attempt to finish his career with a domestic final victory against Northampton at Twickenham. The former England captain, who represented his country 57 times and was first-choice skipper during much of Martin Johnson’s troubled reign, has never sought public adulation. Adulation: Steve Borthwick retires with the respect of his team-mates and loved ones, which is 'all that matters' Esteemed: The former England captain, Borthwick retires with the record for Premiership appearances . ‘I believe I have earned the respect of my team-mates and they know how much I want to play well for them,’ said the 34-year-old. ‘They are the people that matter to me; my family and my team-mates. As long as they think well of me, that’s all that matters. ‘Other people can think what they like to be honest. ‘I feel content with where I am. I’ve been a professional for 16 years, I have played for two great clubs in Bath and Saracens. ‘I think I have earned the respect of my team-mates and made lots of great friends. ‘I will look back content with it. It has been a fantastic journey as a player and hopefully there will be plenty more steps to go involved in this brilliant sport.’ Final fling: Borthwick will play is last game of rugby in the Aviva Premiership decider against Northampton . Legends: Borthwick (right) with fellow retiring England star Jonny Wilkinson during their international days . On a high: Borthwick (left) finished his time at Bath with victory in the European Challenge Cup Final . Borthwick’s next move will be to link up with his former Saracens boss Eddie Jones as Japan forwards coach ahead of next year’s World Cup in England. Before then, the Saracens captain must pick his players up for the Aviva Premiership final after last weekend’s crushing 23-6 Heineken Cup final defeat to Toulon in Cardiff. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be emotional,’ he said. ‘Hopefully the result goes our way, but we need to make sure our work rate, effort and intensity is at the standard that is acceptable, and we put in a performance we are proud of.’ | Borthwick plays his final against Northampton at Twickenham on Saturday .
He holds the Premiership caps record at 264 appearances .
The lock played for Bath for 10 years from 1998 before moving to Saracens .
A former England captain he represented his country 57 times .
He says all that matters is his family and team-mates thinking well of him .
'I will look back content with it,' he says of his 16-year professional career . |
111,093 | 1b3f5f6c8e03cc409b308f2e4b5c7f69ac99242c | By . Becky Barrow, Business Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 05:10 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:13 EST, 12 December 2012 . Around 24million people in Britain are working in the private sector, the highest number since records began, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday. Over the past year, the number of private sector workers has jumped by 627,000 – while the number of public sector workers has dropped by 128,000. The public sector is now the smallest it has been for a decade, employing 5.7million – while the private sector has hit 23.9million. Not so busy: The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell by 3,000 in November . This means the private sector is . managing to create jobs nearly five times faster than the State . workforce is being cut by the Government’s austerity drive. The figures also show unemployment is . falling at its fastest pace for more than a decade – defying gloomy . predictions that it was set to sky-rocket due to the anaemic economic . recovery. Overall, unemployment fell by 82,000 . between August and October to 2.51million, the biggest drop since the . recession began and the largest fall since 2001. The total number of workers across the . public and private sector, including many who are self-employed, has . hit 29.6million, the largest workforce since records began in 1971. This means the private sector is . managing to create jobs nearly five times faster than the State . workforce is being cut by the Government’s austerity drive. The figures also show unemployment is . falling at its fastest pace for more than a decade – defying gloomy . predictions that it was set to sky-rocket due to the anaemic economic . recovery. Overall, unemployment fell by 82,000 . between August and October to 2.51million, the biggest drop since the . recession began and the largest fall since 2001. The total number of workers across the . public and private sector, including many who are self-employed, has . hit 29.6million, the largest workforce since records began in 1971. North East 9.5% - 123,000 unemployed (-11,000 compared to last quarter) North West 8.6% - 298,000 (-18,000) Yorkshire/Humber 8.8% - 243,000 (-29,000) East Midlands 8.0% - 184,000 (-8,000) West Midlands 8.7% - 236,000 (-1,000) East 6.9% - 216,000 (+15,000) London 9.0% - 382,000 (+5,000) South East 6.3% - 283,000 (-) South West 5.7% - 155,000 (+2,000) Wales 7.9% - 117,000 (-15,000) Scotland 7.6% - 204,000 (-19,000) Northern Ireland 7.8% 68,000 (-3,000) One economist yesterday said the . figures represent a ‘phenomenal achievement’, given the country’s weak . economic performance amid fears of a triple-dip recession. The figures exclude the effect of the . ‘reclassification’ of 196,000 workers in English sixth forms and further . education colleges from the public into the private sector earlier this . year. Andrew Goodwin, senior economic . adviser to the accountant Ernst & Young’s Item Club, said: ‘These . are phenomenal achievements given the economy has flat-lined over the . last year.’ Employment Minister Mark Hoban said: . ‘Once again, these figures show that the private sector is creating far . more jobs than are being lost in the public sector. 'It is a credit to . British businesses that they’re proving wrong those cynics who claimed . the private sector wouldn’t be able to step up.’ Such a large workforce is helped by . the growth in population. The latest Census showed the population of . England and Wales is 56.1million, up 3.7million in just 10 years. The employment rate of those between . the ages of 16 and 64, which is the number of workers as a percentage of . the total population in this age group, is below its record. It is . currently 71.2 per cent, compared to a peak of 73.1 per cent. Fall: Unemployment is down by half a percentage point compared to a year ago, at 7.8 per cent . And worrying signs remain in the . monthly jobs figures, particularly the number of those who have been . unemployed for a long time. While unemployment is falling, this . includes many who have been out of work for only a few weeks or months . while long-term unemployment remains worryingly high. The Prime Minister said long-term unemployment remains ‘stubbornly high’, adding: ‘It is still a problem.’ Of the 2.51million unemployed, 904,000 – more than a third – have been out of work for more than 12 months. Neil Carberry, director for employment at the CBI business lobby group, said this long-term unemployment is ‘deeply troubling’. Earnings: This graph shows how the increase in average wages continues to lag behind the inflation rate, leading to a real-terms cut in pay for most workers . Out of work: More than half of those unemployed have been jobless for more than six months, with nearly a million people hunting for work for over a year . | Number of private sector workers has jumped by 627,000 in the past year .
Public sector now employs 5.7million compared to 23.9million employed by the private sector .
Jobless rate falls to 7.8% as 82,000 are no longer unemployed .
29.6million Britons now have a job - the highest number in history .
Average wage increases 1.8% leaving many worse off with inflation at 2.7% .
Figures also show 'deeply troubling' scale of long-term unemployment . |
165,732 | 6256006b4f8cbb39f9e7460c2b75deade746d38e | Everton are continuing to consider a deal for Samuel Eto'o as they intensify their search for another striker. The Cameroon international was released by Chelsea at the end of last season. Meanwhile, England U17 international midfielder Ryan Ledson, 16, has signed his first professional contract with the Toffees. On the lookout: Everton are still considering whether to make a move for former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o . VIDEO We should've won - Martinez . | Samuel Eto'o could be a transfer target for Everton .
Cameroon international is still a free agent after leaving Chelsea . |
95,766 | 071df9c8a862bf832ff67bd9578568a7cce074fc | Ahead of the midweek Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for West Brom's home clash with West Ham... West Bromwich Albion vs West Ham United (The Hawthorns) Team news . West Brom . West Brom will give fitness tests to Sebastien Pocognoli and James Morrison ahead of Tuesday's Barclays Premier League visit of West Ham. Full-back Pocognoli suffered a dead leg during the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday while Morrison has been struggling with illness and a knee injury. Midfielder Claudio Yacob serves the second match of a three-game ban. Defender Jonas Olsson is out for up to two months after Achilles surgery. Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Pocognoli, Gamboa, Dawson, Lescott, McAuley, Davidson, Wisdom, Baird, Varela, Gardner, Morrison, O'Neil, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Brunt, Blanco, Sessegnon, Samaras, Ideye, Berahino, Anichebe. West Ham . West Ham midfielder Mark Noble (calf) will have a fitness test ahead of Tuesday's trip to West Bromwich Albion. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble will have a fitness test ahead of the Hammers' trip to West Brom on Tuesday . Defender Winston Reid is available again after a one-match suspension, while forward Enner Valencia has regained fitness following the international break. Striker Diafra Sakho (back) is not yet available. Provisional Squad: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson, Noble, Downing, Jarvis, Amalfitano, Kouyate, Carroll, Jaaskelainen, Valencia, Song, Reid, Zarate, Nolan, O'Brien, Vaz Te, Cole, Demel. West Brom's Saido Berahino has scored in both of the Baggies' Premier League matches against West Ham . Kick-off: Tuesday 8pm . Odds (subject to change): . West Brom 11/8 . Draw 12/5 . West Ham 15/8 . Referee: Mike Jones . Managers: Alan Irvine (West Brom), Sam Allardyce (West Ham) Head-to-head league record: West Brom wins 34, draws 15, West Ham wins 31 . Key match stats (supplied by Opta) Saido Berahino has scored in both Premier League matches against West Ham, one being an equaliser at the Boleyn Ground and the other a winner at the Hawthorns. Nine of Berahino's last 10 competitive goals for West Bromwich Albion have come at the Hawthorns. Five of the last seven Premier League meetings between the Hammers and the Baggies have ended as draws, with one win apiece in the other games in that run. West Ham have gone 12 Premier League games away from home without a clean sheet. The Hammers’ two away wins this season have both come via a 3-1 scoreline (D2 L2). The East London side are winless in four Premier League games at the Hawthorns (D2 L2). West Brom have failed to score in their last three PL matches – they haven’t gone four PL games without a goal in succession since April 2003. The Baggies have lost just one of their last eight Premier League home games against London sides (W2 D5), but this defeat came at the weekend against Arsenal. West Ham’s last seven Premier League goals have been scored by seven different players. Mark Noble has now played 205 Premier League games for West Ham United; the outright most for the club in the competition ahead of Steve Potts (204). | West Brom host West Ham at The Hawthorns on Tuesday at 8pm .
The Baggies will give fitness tests to defender Sebastien Pocognoli and midfielder James Morrison .
West Ham's Winston Reid is available again after a one-match suspension . |
217,211 | a5387498d4897beff2de0d3ce89f06e76605aec1 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:58 EST, 24 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:34 EST, 25 January 2014 . Three police officers in Opa-Locka, Florida, have been suspended for allegedly giving pop star Justin Bieber an unauthorized escort from the airport just days before his DUI arrest. City spokesman David Chiverton confirmed Friday that an investigation has been launched to determine if the Opa-Locka Police Department staffers in question accompanied the hard-partying singer from his private jet to the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami Gardens Monday. 'You can have fun in Miami, but not too much fun,' Chiverton said. Scroll down for video . Was he drunk? Allegations have been made that Miami Beach police officers erroneously said that Justin Bieber's blood alcohol level was much higher than it actually was on the night of his arrest . New details: A trio of officers from Opa-Locka, Florida, have been suspended for allegedly offering Bieber, pictured here upon his release from jail Thursday, to a local strip club Monday . Police escorts from the airport are not uncommon, but they must follow procedure because they involve city vehicles, Chiverton added. Administrators had not authorized any escort for Bieber in this case. Monday night, the King of Diamonds club tweeted that Bieber ordered $75,000 in dollar bills. The club's operator later acknowledged that was an exaggeration and that the singer only stayed about an hour. Bieber and his large entourage were escorted to a closed-off section of the club. They enjoyed the dancers and ordered a large amount of bottled water, but no alcoholic beverages were sold to them, said Ricky 'Disco Rick' Taylor in a statement. 'He had a lot of fun,' Taylor said. 'We hope he returns again.' Bieber's outing to the gentleman’s club came three days before he was arrested in Miami Bbeach on suspicion of racing a rented yellow Lamborghini while intoxicated. The 19-year-old pop star is now facing possible jail time on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license. Police said they arrested a bleary-eyed Bieber with alcohol on his breath after officers saw him drag-racing before dawn Thursday on a palm-lined residential street in Miami Beach, his luxury rental traveling at nearly twice the 30mph speed limit. He was arrested along with R&B . singer Khalil Amir Sharieff, who was driving a Ferrari, after police saw . them racing just after 4am, with two other vehicles apparently being . used to block off the area. The Canadian heartthrob later admitted smoking marijuana, drinking and taking a prescription medication, police said. Meanwhile, TMZ reported . Friday that Miami Beach police officers may have lied about Bieber's . blood alcohol level, writing in his arrest report that it was much . higher than it actually was . Moonlighting: Opa-Locka officials said the officers in question were not authorized to escort the singer . Local hotspot: On Monday, Bieber was allegedly escorted by Opa-Locka police to the King of Diamonds strip joint in Miami Gardens . Legal troubles: Bieber, pictured above outside the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Thursday, was charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license . According to the gossip site's sources, the singer's blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest was only .014, while police claimed yesterday that it was .04. Legal level of intoxication in Florida is .08. However, people under the age of 21 are considered to be driving under the influence if they have a blood-alcohol content of 0.02 per cent or more - a level the 5 foot 9, 140-pound star could reach with one drink. The criminal complaint stated that on two separate occasions two different officers smelled the odor of alcohol of the singer's breath. Officials also said that Bieber failed his field sobriety test. According to the arrest report, Bieber 'had slow deliberate movements" and appeared to be in a stupor when the officer ordered him to exit his vehicle. Bieber was arrested after repeatedly refusing to put his hands on his vehicle so the officer could pat him down to look for weapons, the report said. It says he cursed several times at the officer and demanded to know why he was being arrested. At one point, Bieber said to an officer: 'What the f--- did I do, why did you stop me?' | Three officers from Opa-Locka Police Department were suspended for escorting the singer from the airport without permission Monday .
Bieber was arrested on DUI charges in Miami Beach Thursday after being caught drag-racing in a Lamborghini .
Arrest report stated his breath smelled of alcohol, even though Bieber's blood alcohol level was below legal limit . |
94,668 | 05a6539d3b26eebf46310cd0fadf7b424856b59c | Jerusalem (CNN) -- The family of one of the men who founded the Palestine Liberation Organization says they have always believed he was assassinated by Israel, and now they have proof. Israel's censor is for the first time allowing a newspaper to publish a 12-year-old interview with the now-dead Israeli agent who claimed he killed Khalil al-Wazir, widely known as Abu Jihad. Abu Jihad helped found the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, alongside the man who became the symbol of the Palestinian struggle, Yasser Arafat. Abu Jihad was killed by gunfire in Tunisia in 1988, in a villa in Tunis. His wife witnessed the assassination. Murder inquiry launched in Arafat's death . The Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth obtained access to an interview done with operative Nahum Lev, who died in 2000. For 12 years the Lev interview -- done by reporter Ronen Bergman -- was kept from the public. The newspaper initially released a few of Lev's reported quotes, including one in which he said he shot Abu Jihad with no hesitation after reading the file that Israeli intelligence had on him. He said what he read connected the Palestinian leader to horrific acts against civilians. Two bodyguards and a gardener were also shot and killed in the raid in Tunis. The newspaper said Mossad, Israel¹s famed intelligence agency, oversaw the assassination and Israel's commando unit carried it out. The account by the Israeli operative gives an extremely rare glimpse into the details of an assassination and who was involved. More details of the interview are expected to be released. A family member of Abu Jihad who did not want to be identified told CNN, "We already knew all the terrible details of his death. Knowing the name of the person who carried it out has no added value." Abu Jihad was instrumental in the first uprising against the Israeli occupation known as the first Intifada, which began in late 1987. At the time of the assassination, the Israeli prime minister was Yitzhak Shamir. Ehud Barak who is now Israel's defense minister, was Israel's deputy chief of staff. The publication of the interview comes at an interesting time. This month French investigators are expected in Ramallah to look into the death of PLO leader Arafat. Arafat's wife believes he was murdered -- questions were raised about how Arafat died after traces of polonium-210, a highly radioactive element, were found on his personal belongings. Yasser Arafat died in a hospital in Paris, France in 2004. | Abu Jihad was a co-founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization .
He was killed by gunfire in 1988, at a Tunisian villa .
A now-dead Israeli agent claimed in an interview 12 years ago that he killed Abu Jihad .
Israel's censor is for the first time allowing the interview to be published . |
117,501 | 23bc33603909f9e55cec561c7a3e4e842b923d29 | New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Police in the Indian city of New Delhi were probing an alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl, a case that sparked angry protests Friday. No arrests have been made in the act, which allegedly occurred in the municipal school where the girl studied. TV footage showed the demonstrators pelting a bus with stones and smashing its windows, with police trying to control the protests. Sexual assault on females is a hot-button issue in India. The country is still reeling from the horrific allegations against five men and a juvenile who are accused of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi in December. | Police in New Delhi were probing an alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl in municipal school .
No arrests have been made in the case that sparked angry protests in the Indian capital .
A footage showed the demonstrators throwing stones and police trying to take control . |
17,420 | 314acf1811fa5c289da0080812ddbbd2b9188b98 | Sex worker Charlotte Rose, who has slept with more than 1,000 men, is to stand as an MP in the Clacton by-election in Essex next month . A former 'Sex Worker of the Year' who claims to have slept with more than 1,000 men is to stand as an independent MP. Self-confessed 'high-class courtesan' Charlotte Rose, 34, will be going up against Ukip defector Douglas Carswell and 1980s television star Giles Watling in the Clacton by-election, in Essex. She previously appeared in a Channel 4 TV series about prostitution called Love for Sale, which starred Rupert Everett and Russell Brand. But now the sex worker, who started out in the industry at just 17 when she agreed to take part in a dominatrix-themed photo shoot, says she is ready for a life in politics. 'My main policy is about sexual freedom, taking control away from others,' said Ms Rose, who charges £180 an hour for her services. 'I also want there to be better sexual education in schools. 'Schools are not obliged to teach advanced sex and relationship education, which can deal with issues such as porn addiction and intimacy issues. 'Today's politicians have a lack of knowledge and understanding about what's really happening. 'Sex and relationships are second to survival when it comes to basic human needs. 'I'm dead against trafficking of women, but a large amount of women also choose to be sex workers - we do this work because we enjoy it. 'We want to help people learn and gain knowledge and skills.' After delving into the world of domination, Ms Rose fell pregnant and had the first of two children with her childhood sweetheart. But their seven-year relationship broke down when her partner had an affair with a neighbour. She then completed a hospitality degree at Plymouth University, where she worked in hotels, before deciding to combine two of her passions, people and sex, and become an escort. The mother-of-two joined a local escort agency but, after finding herself travelling far afield to get work, became independent. She moved to London from Exeter, Devon, after claiming she was hounded out by locals following media attention sparked by the Love for Sale TV show. Scroll down for video . The prostitute and sexual trainer appeared in Channel 4 series Love for Sale with Rupert Everett . She won a British Erotic Award for being Sex Worker of the Year 2013 and launched a sexual training franchise . Ms Rose won a British Erotic Award for being Sex Worker of the Year 2013 and has launched a sexual training franchise as part of a bid to improve people's sex lives. She said the government had failed to address issues with 'porn addiction' which had led to young men causing harm to women by trying to recreate what they have seen on the web. The aspiring politician also hit out at the authorities for failing to act over the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal. She said: 'It's appalling that people and government are too scared to take action. 'All politicians talk about family values, but how can they do that without talking about sex.' Former Conservative MP Douglas Carswell (right) defected to Ukip and will be standing against Ms Rose . Giles Watling is the Conservative candidate, best known for playing Oswald the vicar in the TV sitcom Bread . | Dominatrix Charlotte Rose, 34, is standing as an MP in Clacton by-election .
The mother-of-two claims to have slept with more than 1,000 men .
She starred in Channel 4 series Love for Sale and charges £180 an hour .
Ms Rose won a British Erotic Award for being Sex Worker of the Year 2013 .
She is campaigning for sexual freedom and better education in schools .
She will be standing against Ukip defector Douglas Carswell . |
111,957 | 1c63d67126c65dc31d50e7294dc39b8142d92e4b | (CNN) -- Tension brewed Wednesday between the United Nations and Syrian rebels after about 30 rebels detained 21 U.N. peacekeepers and refused to let them go. The U.N., in turn, is demanding they be released. The rebels contend that the peacekeepers entered a Syrian village near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an area where peacekeepers should not be and where intense fighting has been raging for days between rebels and government forces. The rebels say they suspect the peacekeepers were trying to aid their enemy, which is defending the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The United Nations confirmed the peacekeepers' detention and explained that the peacekeepers were on a "regular supply mission." The U.N. offered no further details of that mission but said it is "dispatching a team to assess the situation and attempt a resolution." Israel says it won't intervene in Syrian-U.N. incident . There are two videos rebels posted on YouTube that present the rebels' point of view. In one, a rebel insists that the peacekeepers will be held until al-Assad's forces withdraw from the village of al-Jamlah, where there has been heavy fighting. "We demand from America, U.N. and the Security Council to intervene and get al-Assad forces to withdraw, then we will release these detainees," the rebels say. The other video shows rebels walking near several U.N. trucks. "This U.N. force entered Jamlah village to assist the regime ... and (the U.N. is) claiming that they are here just to stop the clashing," a rebel says. Members of the U.N. Security Council condemned the detainment and demanded the peacekeepers be released. The 21 peacekeepers are Filipino, the Philippine government said Thursday. "The apprehension and illegal detention of the Filipino peacekeepers are gross violations of international law," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement. The peacekeepers are reportedly unharmed, and negotiations are underway to secure their safe release, the Philippine government said. The Department of Foreign Affairs said said it is coordinating efforts with the United Nations' peacekeeping agency. The rebels posted on Facebook a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States. "What is happening (is a) genocide for the Syrian people with the world watching and listening (and) will lead to the gravest consequences," they wrote. "The blood of the people of Syria will be a curse on the whole world if there" is "no effective action," it said. The letter pointed out that the city of Homs is under constant bombardment. There has been "hardly a Syrian village spared from the regime bombing" the letter said. "This might be the last message to you," it warns. "I call on you all to bear your international responsibilities before God and the people." The letter is signed by Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, the president of the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella body of anti-Assad rebels. Opinion: Syrian refugee crisis 'spiralling out of control' Deadly explosion hits rebel city . Violence continued to plague the country this week, as Syria marked the second anniversary of the war. At least 62 people died across the nation Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, a massive explosion ripped through the city of Raqqa, two days after rebels claim to have captured this provincial capital. "Honestly, I cried when I saw the bodies. It's the first time I witnessed such ugly images," said Ahmed Tayar, a writer and resident of Raqqa who saw the aftermath of the mysterious blast. Tayar, 50, told CNN he saw 19 burned bodies at the scene of the blast. An uncut, six-and-a-half-minute amateur video of the immediate aftermath of the explosion showed panicked rebel fighters and civilians racing to pick up several wounded and apparently dead men. In the video, two middle-age men lay bleeding in the street next to scattered oranges and tomatoes that they appeared to have been carrying. Smoke billowed in the distance from a burning car. The entire facade of a nearby three-story building appeared to have been blown off by the force of the blast. It's not clear what caused the explosion, but supporters of the opposition were quick to blame the Syrian government for the blast. "I thinks it's the regime who killed those people, and that is because the regime wants to take revenge against Raqqa because that it's the first province that was fully liberated," Tayar told CNN. On Tuesday, eyewitnesses told CNN residents were fleeing rebel-controlled Raqqa, as government war planes bombed targets in the city. "While we were there, there were two MiG fighter jets running above us that were throwing down missiles," said Ibrahim Olabi, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center, after he visited Raqqa on Tuesday. "There were no ground clashes," he added, "but only airstrikes from above." Read the latest news on CNN.com . CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Richard Roth, Ivan Watson and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report. | Syrian rebels are holding 21 U.N. peacekeepers near Golan Heights .
The Philippines says the peacekeepers are Filipino .
The U.N. is demanding their release, saying they were on a "regular supply mission"
A massive explosion ripped through the city of Raqqa, but the cause is unclear . |
22,179 | 3ef3084b1e46881df0456776b85f7fe822f3a7eb | An ingredient in red wine called resveratrol can lead to developmental abnormalities in the foetal's pancreas if consumed in pregnancy, a study shows . Pregnant women who have the odd drink should avoid red wine, researchers suggest. They say that an ingredient in the wine that is normally viewed as healthy could harm their unborn child's pancreas. Resveratrol has been credited with having protective effects against heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other conditions. Naturally present in red wine, red grapes and some berries, it is also available as a supplement. However, a study now suggests it can lead to developmental abnormalities in the foetal pancreas. The study was carried out by the Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and the Division of Reproductive and Development Science at Oregon Health and Science University in the United States. Lead researcher on the study Dr Kevin Gove said: 'This study has direct relevance to human health. 'Resveratrol is widely used for its recognised health benefits, and is readily available over the counter. 'The important message in this study is that women should be very careful about what they consume while pregnant, and they should not take supplements, like Resveratrol, without consulting with their doctors. 'What might be good for the mother may not be good for the baby.' As part of the study, Dr Grove and colleagues gave resveratrol supplements every day throughout pregnancy to obese macaque monkeys eating a Western diet. A second group of obese monkeys was not given the supplement, and both were compared with lean monkeys fed a healthy diet. The animals were closely monitored for health complications, and blood flow through the placenta was determined by ultrasound. The study, which was carried out on monkeys by researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University in the U.S., found that the consumption of resveratrol during pregnancy has 'a direct relevance to human health' The foetuses were analysed for developmental abnormalities, and findings showed definitive evidence of pancreatic abnormalities. The study was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal. Dr Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of the journal, said: 'We've known for a long time that resveratrol is pharmacologically active, and we're just now really beginning to understand the pros and cons of consuming high concentrations of this substance. 'As we begin to establish a safety profile for resveratrol and other dietary supplements, findings like this should come as no surprise. 'There are always negative side effects when you eat, drink, take or do too much of anything.' | Red wine ingredient resveratrol could damage unborn baby's pancreas .
Study found consumption of it could lead to 'developmental abnormalities'
Research was carried out at Oregon Health and Science University in U.S. |
204,596 | 94dfc46e47656d216e6aa15d1ac43b60152d2cca | By . Larisa Brown . PUBLISHED: . 10:29 EST, 25 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:57 EST, 26 September 2012 . Gun collector: Karl Dowling has been jailed for three years for hoarding a huge arsenal of weapons at his home . A factory worker has been jailed for hoarding hundreds of deadly weapons, including automatic machine guns, and enough ammunition to arm a battalion. Karl Dowling, 48, was found with 4,000 rounds of assorted ammunition, hand grenades and machine guns stuffed in every room in his home in Haverhill, Suffolk. The arsenal was so big Dowling was also forced to stash some of his weapons in his loft. When firearms officers discovered the lethal haul they were forced to evacuate the other homes in Dowling’s sleepy cul-de-sac. The court heard Dowling was a fanatical gun collector and held a firearms licence. But . most of the shocking weapons seized - including automatic machine guns - . were not covered by the licence and were being kept illegally. Suffolk Constabulary officers raided Dowling’s home in market town Haverhill, on February 10 this year. The Bomb Disposal Squad had to be drafted in after when police unexpectedly found a grenade in the collection. Dowling . admitted six firearms offences including unlawful possession of . prohibited automatic firearms, hand guns and rifles at Ipswich Crown . Court on Monday. He also admitted two charges of possessing ammunition without certificate and was sentenced to a total of three years in prison. A neighbour in the quiet road, who asked not to be named, said: 'We didn’t really know what was going on. The police just came and closed off the end of the street. 'It is a worry now to think that he had all those weapons in there.' Stash: Dowling kept his weapons in different rooms in his detached home in Suffolk . Ammunition seized by the police is pictured next to his pencils. Some of the weapons were being kept their illegally . Dowling admitted six firearms offences including unlawful possession of prohibited automatic firearms, hand guns and rifles . Another said: 'The Karl I know was a friendly, placid bloke. 'If there was snow on the ground he would be the first one out there with a shovel.' Allan Cole, firearms expert for Suffolk Constabulary, examined and classified 250 exhibits for the case. He said: 'We would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone who has a firearm and does not have a licence or is concerned that one or more of their firearms is not covered by a current licence to contact the Firearms Licensing Department and avoid something like this happening again.' Dowling's home Haverhill, Cambridgeshire where the gun collector kept his stock hidden . | Karl Dowling, 48, has been jailed for three years for having lethal haul .
Bomb Disposal Squad had to be drafted in after police found grenade .
Residents in other homes in the cul-de-sac had to evacuated . |
13,716 | 26db9690e0cbd875c1c9423115ea7ad6b9b84725 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporters . Construction crews in Tennessee are working to fill a sinkhole that opened at Austin Peay State University's Governor's Stadium. The sinkhole started out small, about 3 feet by 5 feet, but workers have had to dig a much larger hole - about 40 feet deep and 40 feet wide - to find stable bedrock. The hole was discovered about a month ago where the football field meets the track during a project to replace the main stadium building. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . A sinkhole that opened at Austin Peay State University's Governors Stadium started at 3 feet by 5 feet, but workers have had to dig a much larger hole to find stable bedrock and repair the track . Workers have had to dig a a hole 40 feet deep and 40 feet wide in order to begin renovating the track which will be replaced sometime in June . Mike Jenkins, superintendent for Nashville-based Bell & Associates Construction, told The Leaf-Chronicle that sinkholes are common in the area and the budget included sinkhole remediation funding. 'You . never know to what extent you’re going to run into them, but we know . that Montgomery County, and Austin Peay State University specifically, . is famous for sinkholes,' said Jenkins. A . sinkhole is defined as some sort of hole in the ground caused by the . collapse of the surface layer around which everything around it drains. Sinkholes may happen gradually or suddenly, says National Geographic. Jenkins . said workers continued to excavate on Monday while officials met with a . geo-technical engineer. He said the hole will be filled with rock, . concrete, and asphalt beneath the new track and turf. The . hole will be repaired by the end of the week and Jenkins said they . delayed the process so that it coincides with the demolition of the . track. A new surface will be installed sometime in June. Renovations . to the stands on the west side of the track are being treated as a . separate project and Jenkins said that the sinkhole with not affect the . budget nor will it delay progress. Workers . will also repair smaller sinkholes in the parking lot during the final . part of the project which will be finished in time for the Govs’ home . opener vs. Chattanooga on September 13. The sinkhole complicates the project already underway to replace the main stadium building . workers continue to excavate on Monday while officials met with a geo-technical engineer. He said the hole will be filled with rock, concrete, and asphalt beneath the new track and turf . | The hole was discovered about a month .
ago where the football field meets the track at Austin Peay State University's Governor's Stadium .
According to National Geographic, a sinkhole is defined as some sort of hole in the ground caused by the collapse of the surface layer around which everything around it drains .
The sinkhole started out small, about 3 .
feet by 5 feet, but workers have had to dig a 40 feet by 40 feet hole to find stable bedrock .
Stadium renovations should be completed in September and the new track will be installed sometime in June . |
107,213 | 16476bdf90584296ab4e9d277600f6037a9e1d0e | A bride's big day became even more memorable when an elephant invaded the wedding ceremony and put her head in its mouth. After the Australian woman tied the knot in the Thai resort of Phuket, she walked up to the exotic uninvited guest. But when she was a few feet away, the three-year-old Indian elephant wrapped its trunk around her and pulled her towards its mouth. Scroll down to watch the video . Shock: An Australian woman getting married in Thailand ended up getting too close for comfort to a watching elephant . Intimate: The three-year-old creature grabbed the bride with its trunk and took her into its embrace . Munch: The elephant put the woman's head in its mouth in a moment captured by filmmaker Abraham Joffe . The surreal moment was met with screams of laughter from guests and other bystanders. And it did not do the bride - who had travelled from Melbourne for her wedding - any damage other than a dose of bad breath, as the elephant soon let her go. The comic scene was captured on camera by Australian filmmaker Abraham Joffe. Shock: Guests and bystanders screamed with laughter at the elephant's unexpected gambit . Scary: But although the bride was hit by a blast of bad breath, she was not seriously hurt by the encounter . 'She wasn't injured,' he said. 'It just licked her face and breathed down her throat. 'She just got this horrible elephant breath in her lungs. Everyone was laughing. She was a bit shaken up. 'She was a little bit embarrassed but they were all pretty laid back, being Aussies. It wasn't a prim and proper sort of day.' Escape: She managed to disentangle herself and get away from the overly friendly pachyderm . Raucous: Mr Joffe said that the Australians' wedding 'wasn't a prim and proper sort of day' Video courtesy Untitled Film Works. Visit them on Facebook. | Bizarre encounter came as the Australian woman was tying the knot in Phuket, Thailand . |
108,222 | 178c7e755044cf761012cb127a980d07c420b6a9 | (CNN) -- Manchester City's pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri appears to be coming to an end after the two clubs agreed a fee for the French international. Nasri had just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract and City's offer, believed to be in the region of $32 million, has persuaded the London club to cash in, despite manager Arsene Wenger's reluctance to lose the player he signed from Marseille in 2008. The transfer was thought to have hit a stumbling block last week, resulting in Nasri appearing for Arsenal in their 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Saturday. What now for Arsenal and Fabregas? However, Nasri has been left out of Arsenal's squad for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Udinese, meaning he will not be cup-tied for City's own Champions League campaign. The move, which is now dependent on Nasri passing his medical, will see the 24-year-old become the second player to join City from Arsenal since the end of last season, following defender Gael Clichy's switch, while Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor have also made the same move over the last two years. Nasri follows captain Cesc Fabregas, who completed his transfer to Barcelona last week, out of the Emirates exit door, leaving Wenger with a massive influx of money available to him to reinforce his Arsenal squad by the close of the transfer window on August 31. And Fabregas used his personal Twitter account to say: "Good luck to my friend Nasri at his new club. One of the best players around." The Gunners have had a shaky start to the English Premier League season, with just one point and no goals from their opening two matches, leaving Wenger under more pressure than he has ever faced since becoming Arsenal manager 15 years ago. "The summer was difficult because we had Fabregas and Nasri on permanent transfer negotiations and that is draining in the end," Wenger told the official Arsenal website. "We lost two great players and that's sad, but at some stage it has to be over because we want to focus on the future. "Overall what you do not want is to have players who play and think they go the next morning, that is not ideal. You want players who are completely committed to the long term," he added. Wenger must also take his depleted squad to Italy for Wednesday's crucial match against Udinese, with the Londoners holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg. However, UEFA have confirmed that Wenger will be allowed to sit on the bench for the match after Arsenal appealed against a two-match touchline ban for breaking the terms of his one-match suspension during the first leg against Udinese. In other transfer news, Premier League side Blackburn Rovers have completed their fourth signing of the transfer window, with 25-year-old Montenegro winger Simon Vukcevic joining from Sporting Lisbon on a three-year contract for a fee of $3m. | Arsenal and Manchester City agree a fee for the transfer of Samir Nasri .
The Frenchman had just one year remaining on his contract with Arsenal .
Nasri's departure follows the sale of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona . |
265,619 | e40232f0c218105dc36ae0c06c84612aa628198a | COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Five members of the Sri Lanka's Civil Defense Force (CDF) were killed in a suicide blast in Sri Lanka at a church outside the capital of Colombo Sunday morning, police said. Sri Lankan police officers investigate Sunday's suicide bombing near Colombo. Eight other CDF officers and two civilians were wounded, police said. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels. There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tiger rebels to the incident, which, police said, occurred at St. Anne's Church in the Colombo suburb of Wattala, located on a roadway to the country's only international airport about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the capital. The attack happened during a weekly festival that usually draws a large crowd shopping for vegetables and household goods. The suicide bomber walked into an area where CDF officers were stationed and detonated his explosives, police said. Investigators suspect the bomber targeted the area because 150 police officers who help patrol the road to the airport are billeted there. Government forces have engaged rebels in heavy fighting for more than a year in the Kilinochchi region, once the center of political power for the Tamil Tigers. The 25-year civil war between ethnic Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan government has left more than 65,000 people dead. The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1976, and the U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the country's Sinhalese majority. Earlier Sunday, Sri Lanka's navy said it had destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel boat allegedly attempting to smuggle in military supplies through the northern coast. Commander D.K.P. Dissanayake, a navy spokesman, told CNN that four rebels were killed in attack after the boat was engulfed in fire. He said the incident occurred just after midnight Sunday but gave no other details. There was no immediate response from the Tiger rebels to that incident. CNN could not independently verify the government's claim because media is debarred from Sri Lanka's battle zones. In the past, both sides in the conflict have exaggerated accounts of military operations. On December 20, the Navy said it destroyed a similar rebel boat trying to smuggle military supplies through the coast near the northeastern coastal village of Mullaitivu. However, a second supply boat was caught on Air Force aerial surveillance cameras unloading along the coast. "They included assorted ammunition, artillery shells, mortar shells and other items," a senior Air Force official told CNN. He spoke on grounds of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media. | NEW: Attack coincided during a weekly festival that draws a large crowd .
NEW: Police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels .
No immediate response from Tiger rebels on church blast, destroyed boat .
Four rebels killed in boat attack after midnight Sunday, Navy says . |
112,734 | 1d743d8dce4ee3bb679a00ae35afdf1c3e868c1b | The man who performed fake sign language during a memorial service to Nelson Mandela has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Thamsanqa Jantjie's wife Siziwe also revealed her husband was supposed to attend a mental health check-up but postponed the appointment so he could be at the ceremony. The 34-year-old stood just a few feet from from President Obama and other leaders who spoke during the ceremony that was broadcast around the world. Scroll down for video . Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, a South African sign language interpreter accused of making up his own signs . Mr Jantjie, 34, stood just a few feet from President Obama and others who spoke at the ceremony . His actions were questioned when it was claimed he was signing words like 'prawns' and 'rocking horse'. Jantjie's explanation was that he had suffered a schizophrenic episode in which he had 'seen angels and heard voices'. But in a television interview, his wife showed a bag full of medication he takes for his condition. She said she took her husband to Sterkfontein Hospital in Krugersdorp for a check-up where it was suggested that he be admitted immediately. Mr Jantjie gesticulates at his home during an interview in Johannesburg, South Africa . 'I would like to tell everybody that if I've offended anyone, please, forgive me,' Mr Jantjie said . 'The past few days have been hard. We have been supportive because he might have had a breakdown,' Siziwe said. Jantjie was supposed to attend a check-up at Sterkfontein on December 10. However, . when he was offered the job to interpret at the memorial service, . Siziwe called the hospital on his behalf and asked that he be given . another date. South African news website eNCA . reported that Mr Jantjie has faced charges for rape (1994), theft . (1995), housebreaking (1997), malicious damage to property (1998), . murder, attempted murder and kidnapping (2003) charges. The . website said it was unclear if the 2003 murder case was ever concluded . as the court file was found to be empty during their investigations. Mr Jantjie said that his hallucinations began while he was interpreting and that . he tried not to panic because there were 'armed policemen around me.' When Mr Jantjie was shown video footage of him interpreting on stage at the Mandela memorial service he said 'I don't remember any of this at all' He added that he was once hospitalised in a mental health facility for more than one year. Jantjie said he worked for a company called SA Interpreters which had . been hired by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for the ceremony at Johannesburg's . 95,000-seat Soccer City stadium. He said he was paid 85 dollars (£52) for interpreting the event. But he also apologised for his performance that has been dismissed by many sign-language experts as gibberish. 'I . would like to tell everybody that if I've offended anyone, please, . forgive me,' Mr Jantjie said in his concrete home in a low-income . Johannesburg neighbourhood . 'But what I was doing, I was doing what I believe is my calling, I was doing what I believe makes a difference.' 'What . happened that day, I see angels come to the stadium ... I start . realising that the problem is here. And the problem, I don't know the . attack of this problem, how will it comes. Sometimes I react violent on . that place. Sometimes I will see things that chase me,' Mr Jantjie said. 'I was in a very . difficult position,' he added. 'And remember those people, the president . and everyone, they were armed, there was armed police around me. If I . start panicking I'll start being a problem. I have to deal with this in a . manner so that I mustn't embarrass my country.' Asked how often he had become violent, he said 'a lot' while declining to provide details. Mr Jantjie . said he was due on the day of the ceremony to get a regular six-month . mental health checkup to determine whether the medication he takes was . working, whether it needed to be changed or whether he needed to be kept . at a mental health facility for treatment. Claims: Braam Jordaan, a deaf South African and board member of the World Deaf Federation, claimed the man was simply making up his own signs . Address: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the crowd while the interpreter stands next to him . Mis-matched: The man's movement's did not match that of the official interpreter, left . He . said he did not tell the company that contracted him for the event for . about $85 that he was due for the checkup, but said the owner of SA . Interpreters in Johannesburg was aware of his condition. Jantjie . said he received one year of sign language interpretation at a school . in Cape Town, and insisted that he has previously interpreted at many . events without anyone complaining. When footage was shown to Jantjie of him interpreting on stage at the Mandela memorial service, he said: 'I don't remember any of this at all.' A South African deputy cabinet minister admitted 'a mistake happened' in hiring Mr Jantjie. Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said that government officials have tried to track down the company that provided Mr Jantjie but that the owners 'have vanished into thin air.' Deputy Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities Bogopane-Zulu apologised to deaf people offended around the world by what they say was Jantjie's incomprehensible signing. She says an investigation was under way to determine how Jantjie received a security clearance. South Africa's leading deaf association claimed he was a fake and said he was inventing signs. The ANC has also denied knowing about him although footage from two large ANC events last year showed him signing . on stage next to President Jacob Zuma. Mr Jantjie has apologised for the incident and said he did not know what triggered the attack, saying he took medication for his schizophrenia . | Thmsanqa Jantjie, 34, performed fake sign language during memorial .
His wife Siziwe said he has been admitted to Sterkfontein Hospital .
She also revealed he was supposed to attend a check-up on December 10 .
Jantjie said he started hearing voices and saw angels during the service .
He has apologised and said he did not know what triggered attack .
It has been claimed he repeatedly signed the words 'prawns' and 'donkeys'
Company which hired him has 'vanished into thin air' |
89,589 | fe681ec2a5effe4d4191c938d78b948083d677df | (CNN) -- Unemployed, single and apparently fed up with criticism from her mother, a 29-year-old Orangeburg, South Carolina, woman suffocated her two toddlers with her bare hands before strapping them into car seats and submerging her car in a river, authorities said Tuesday. Shaquan Duley is facing two counts of murder in the deaths of her sons, ages 1 and 2, said Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams. She is set to appear in court Wednesday. "She was a mother that was unemployed. She had no means of taking care of her children," Williams told reporters. "She lives with her mother and her mother was a very, I guess, firm individual. ... She often talked with her daughter about, I guess, maybe being more of a mother or being more reliable." Mother and daughter argued the night before the children's bodies were found early Monday in Duley's Chrysler sedan, submerged in the Edisto River, he said. "We believe this is a direct response (to the argument) from Ms. Duley," he said. "I believe she was just fed up with her mother telling her she couldn't take care of the children and she wasn't taking care of her children and she just wanted to be free." However, he said, "this wasn't a hardened criminal. This was a young lady in trouble, in trouble in more ways than she realized." Duley has no previous criminal history, he said. Duley's third child, a 5-year-old daughter, was at the home of Duley's mother. Police identified the dead children as Ja'van T. Duley, age 1, and Devean C. Duley, 2. Under questioning, Duley told authorities she smothered the boys by putting her hand over their mouths at the Trumps Inn in Orangeburg, Williams said. She drove them to the river while "trying to find a way to discard the bodies," he said. "She just wanted to get rid of the children, as sad as it may be," Williams said. Authorities do not know how long the boys had been dead before they went into the water, he said. Duley initially reported that she had lost control of the car and it had rolled into the river. But authorities from the outset believed her story didn't add up, Williams said. Her clothes were dry, he said, and there were no skid marks or other indications of an accident at the scene. In addition, Duley reported she had walked a mile before flagging down a motorist to call for help, Williams said previously. The sheriff told CBS' "The Early Show" that she could have run to residences nearby. Authorities responded to a report of a car accident near a boat landing on the river Monday, and divers found the children's bodies. Williams said Monday he couldn't confirm reports that the key was still in the car's ignition, but he said the car apparently was in neutral. Ramona Milhouse told CNN she lives next to the boat landing, and her house and a neighbor's house are clearly visible from the road. She said she was at home around the time Duley told authorities she lost control of her car. "I don't know why the young lady would walk that far when we are here, that's easy to see, and we have phones so we could have called someone for her," Milhouse said. In addition, she said, the road near the landing is a busy one. "It's not a quiet country road," she said. "There's a lot of people driving up and down, all parts of the day and night." She said she did not see the car go into the water, but heard sirens as authorities responded. "When I heard what happened, I just couldn't go to sleep at all, thinking about those two little boys," she said. It wasn't immediately known whether Duley had retained an attorney. Williams described Duley as distraught, but said she showed no signs of remorse. "I don't believe she woke up and said, 'I'm going to the Shillings Bridge Road to get rid of my children,'" he said. "Of course, that hasn't been determined. I believe she was just angry, upset and for some reason found the boat ramp, but mind you the children were deceased ... so (she was) trying to find a way to discard the bodies." The father of the two children has not been found, Williams said. Duley "was more or less being mother and father for the children," he said. "The mom has basically been a good mom," he said, but was just unable to financially support the children. "For whatever reason, this was her weakest moment," he said. The South Carolina Department of Social Services has no record of prior involvement with Duley, department spokeswoman Marilyn Matheus said. The incident has striking similarities to a 1994 case, also in South Carolina. The bodies of Michael Daniel Smith, 3, and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith were found in their mother's car, still strapped into their car seats, in John D. Long Lake in Union, South Carolina. Their mother, Susan Smith, was convicted on two counts of murder, but jurors opted to spare her the death penalty and she was sentenced to life in prison. The case inflamed racial tensions in Union, because Susan Smith claimed at first she had been carjacked by an African-American man. She stuck to that story for nine days, issuing tearful pleas for her sons' return on national media outlets, before confessing to authorities. Prosecutors alleged she killed her children after being rejected by a man she was dating who did not want children. Duley spent two years as a cashier at a Dairy-O fast-food restaurant a couple of years ago, said assistant manager Grace Simpson. "She was such a good-natured person, very friendly, but quiet," Simpson recalled. "Never disciplined. Never in trouble with our boss. She left because she chose to. We don't have health insurance here, and she wanted to just move on and up with her life maybe." At the time Duley worked for Dairy-O, she did not have children, Simpson believes. Simpson did not know if she was married at the time. "Whatever compelled Shaquan to do what she did ... Lord please be with her," said Simpson. "I cannot judge Shaquan. I will not judge her. But God, be kind to her." HLN's Natisha Lance and CNN's Ashley Fantz contributed to this report. | Authorities say the children were dead before they went into the water .
Sheriff says a South Carolina mother admitted she suffocated two of her kids .
Shaquan Duley, 29, will be charged with murder, sheriff says .
The bodies of Duley's two children were found in South Carolina's Edisto River . |
134,498 | 39f59bd96daa6d2495b0c5b9535db2d17622bfaf | (CNN) -- In a little more than three months, Manti Te'o probably will be drafted by an NFL team and sign a multimillion dollar deal. Before teams sink that much money into players, they have questions. With the revelation that the football feel-good story of the year centered on the Notre Dame linebacker's love for a woman who never existed, many people have questions for Te'o -- a lot of questions. And as each question in the saga gets answered -- none publicly by Te'o --- it seems another one, or two, or three, crop up. For instance, why did Te'o tell reporters before the Heisman Trophy presentation on December 8 that he "lost both my grandparents and my girlfriend to cancer," when two days earlier the woman he thought was dead called him on his cellphone? Why did he tell a Sports Illustrated reporter in October that Kekua came to one of his games then issue a statement this week that he never met her? Who is now behind the one of the Twitter accounts associated with Lennay Kekua, a woman who apparently never lived, let alone died, in September before Te'o, who called her his girlfriend, played one of the biggest games of the young season? The Te'o hoax in 30 posts . A tweet Thursday purportedly from the fictional girlfriend promised she would have a big announcement that would help sort out details of the story, but the tweet was merely a joke about Te'o. Two other tweets on the page were retweets from the verified account of Te'o. "@LennayKay I miss you!" a November 6 tweet from Te'o said. On September 12, Te'o tweeted "@LennayKay you will always be with me wherever I go!" It was unclear Thursday whether the person Te'o tweeted to in September used it again after reports broke of a hoax or whether someone created a new account with the same user name. The airing of the bizarre story began Wednesday, when sports website Deadspin published a piece dismissing as a hoax the existence of Te'o's girlfriend -- the one who he said died around the same time as his grandmother while his team marched toward the BCS National Championship Game. Then Wednesday, the university held a news conference saying Te'o was the victim of a "elaborate hoax." And Te'o, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, released a statement saying he was embarrassed that he was the victim of a "sick joke." The bizarre developments left many wondering if they, instead of Te'o, were led on. "Te'o's story that he is completely innocent in this does not really ring true to us," Timothy Burke, co-author of the Deadspin article, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night. Pete Thamel, the Sports Illustrated writer who published a transcript of his interview with Te'o, said he thinks the star linebacker was duped. "If he was acting he deserves an Oscar nomination," Thamel said. "The depth and the detail of this scam is mindboggling, but I do think Te'o ... he caught the wave of this story, maybe exaggerated the depths of their relationship a little. But at the end of the day, we need to hear from Manti Te'o." Doubters wonder if Heisman Trophy a factor in hoax . The hoax . The story of the girlfriend came to light in September as Notre Dame continued its improbable undefeated season, and Te'o, a relentless tackler, was beginning to emerge as a front-runner for the prestigous Heisman Trophy. He led the Fighting Irish, amassing double-digit tackle games and becoming the face of one of the best defenses in the nation. In September and October, Te'o told interviewers that his girlfriend and grandmother had died within hours of each other. The girlfriend, a 22-year-old Stanford University student, died of leukemia, he said. The twin losses inspired him to honor them with sterling play on the field, Te'o said. He led his team to a 20-3 routing of Michigan State after he heard the news. "I miss 'em, but I know that I'll see them again one day," he told ESPN. Opinion: Te'o tale a mirror to our gullibility? It was indeed a gripping interest story of determination. And the media ran with it. No one bothered to seek out Kekua's family until Deadspin, acting on an anonymous e-mail received last week, started poking around. "What do you do when you first want to know something? You Google it, right?" Burke said on CNN. "And Google searches for 'Lennay Kekua' only showed up articles about her dying, and inspiring Manti Te'o. "There's no evidence of her existing in any way, other than, you know, after she had allegedly died. And we thought that was a little weird." Te'o's grandmother died in September, Deadspin said. But there was no Social Security Administration record of Kekua's death. The Birth and Death Registration Office in Orange County, California, told CNN it had no record of Kekua, nor does the county coroner. Deadspin called mortuaries and funeral homes in Carson, California, where Kekua was reportedly buried -- but came up empty. The website sought out the person whose picture had been presented as that of Kekua and tracked her down. Timeline: How the story unfolded . She was alive, didn't have leukemia and had never met Te'o. "That sort of opened everything up," Burke said. The revelation prompted the Notre Dame athletics director to call a news conference Wednesday. There was no way for Te'o to know the relationship was a hoax because it had been conducted strictly online and on the phone, said director Jack Swarbrick. The pair had set up several meetings, including in Hawaii, where Te'o grew up -- but Kekua never showed, Swarbrick said. The university said it did not know how many people were in on the ruse. According to Swarbrick, Te'o received a call from a woman claiming to be his girlfriend on December 6, telling him she was not dead. Those calls continued, but Te'o did not answer, he said. The Heisman Trophy was awarded two days later, and Te'o made comments about losing relatives to cancer before he finished second in the award voting to quarterback Johnny Manziel of Texas A & M. The Stanford University registrar's office told CNN that it has never had a student registered in Kekua's name or using an alternate spelling. "Outside of a few Twitter and Instagram accounts, there's no online evidence that Lennay Kekua ever existed," Deadspin contends. "There was no Lennay Kekua." Te'o in his own words . Her 'soulful eyes' So, how did the two fall in love? According to the South Bend Tribune in Indiana -- the newspaper of Notre Dame's hometown, the two met -- yes, met -- after a football game in Palo Alto, California, in 2009. "Their stares got pleasantly tangled, then Manti Te'o extended his hand to the stranger with a warm smile and soulful eyes," the paper gushed. "They could have just as easily brushed past each other and into separate sunsets. Te'o had plenty to preoccupy himself that November weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., back in 2009." The article went on to say: "Lennay Kekua was a Stanford student and Cardinal football fan when the two exchanged glances, handshakes and phone numbers that fateful weekend three seasons ago." Te'o's father, Brian, was quoted in the article: "They started out as just friends. Every once in a while, she would travel to Hawaii, and that happened to be the time Manti was home, so he would meet with her there. But within the last year, they became a couple." The newspaper said Wednesday it based Teo's story on information from the linebacker, his family members and coaches -- and moved the story to its archives. But as Thamel reported Thursday, Te'o said they met through a cousin. "The only time he didn't speak with confidence was when I asked how they met," he wrote. I didn't press him, as it was clearly something he didn't want to share. I suspected they may have met online, understood he wouldn't have wanted that public and moved on." Media reports indicate the parents never met Kekua. Social media jump all over story . Te'o was in Florida training for the NFL Scouting Combine, where draft prospects showcase their abilities for teams. He didn't meet with reporters or answer phone calls to his room on Thursday. He tried to clear things up with a statement Wednesday saying he "developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online." "We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her," he said in the statement. "To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating," the statement continued. "It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life." Share your online dating experience with CNN iReport . Who's who on the Internet? Who knows . CNN's Phil Gast and Amanda Watts contributed to this report. | Manti Te'o is a hoax victim, Notre Dame says, but questions continue to pop up .
A sportswriter thinks Te'o may have embellished his relationship .
An NFL football player says he has met a woman he thought was Kekua . |
208,295 | 99aada65c0cead21396d8d31d89b9c711e997d4a | The United States offered extensive assistance beyond drone strikes during a massive anti-terror operation in Yemen, including flying Yemeni commandos to a site where they killed scores of suspected al Qaeda members, a U.S. official said. U.S. Special Operations troops wore night-vision gear and flew Yemeni forces to a remote, mountainous spot insouthern Yemen, according to a senior U.S. official. The Yemeni helicopters that the U.S. personnel flew were Russian-made, which helped to minimize the U.S. footprint during the operation. Once there, Yemeni commandos engaged suspected members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the U.S. official said, who added that no Americans took part in actual combat on the ground. This same official identified the American personnel involved as special operations members, who are among the most elite and clandestine in the U.S. military. The official said the United States aided Yemen's government in other ways as well during the multiday operation, which resulted in the deaths of at least 65 suspected terrorists. CIA drones are suspected to have targeted al Qaeda fighters, weapons locations and a training camp. The latter is near where about 100 suspected members of the terrorist group met recently, according to video that's appeared on jihadist websites and produced worries that the group could be plotting new attacks. In the middle of that video, the man known as al Qaeda's crown prince, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, appears brazenly out in the open, greeting followers in Yemen. Al-Wuhayshi is the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda globally and the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which is considered the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate. In a speech to the group, al-Wuhayshi makes it clear that he's going after the United States, saying: "We must eliminate the cross. ... The bearer of the cross is America!" On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby declined to detail the U.S. government's involvement in this and other aspects of the latest anti-terror operation, though he did highlight its partnership with Yemen. "We continue to work with the Yemeni government and the Yemeni armed forces to help them improve their counterterrorism capabilities inside the country," said Kirby. "That work continues, and it will continue." DNA tests are being conducted to determine if one of the most well-known members of that group -- bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri -- is among the dead, according to Yemeni officials. A high-level Yemeni government official told CNN that al-Asiri is among those suspected to have been killed in a firefight Sunday between militants and Yemeni forces. DNA test results are not due for several days, the official said. These comments are the first public acknowledgment that al-Asiri could be among the dead. Even as that possibility is being examined, U.S. officials said they have no confirmation that al-Asiri is among those killed in an operation that didn't directly target him. Yemen strikes may target top al Qaeda leaders . Opinion: Obama's high-stakes drone war in Yemen . | Official: U.S. special operations forces flew Yemeni commandos via helicopter .
The Yemeni forces went to a remote spot in south Yemen to engage terror suspects .
At least 65 suspected al Qaeda members were killed in the overall operation .
Yemeni officials: DNA tests are being done to see if Ibrahim al-Asiri is among dead . |
125,230 | 2de188aa0a75fa02de0fddd95918563d9c1e3747 | By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 08:15 EST, 7 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:29 EST, 7 March 2014 . A mother has accused a private girls' school of 'barring' her daughter while she was recovering from anorexia because they feared she might inspire 'copycat' cases. Lottie Twiselton, 16, has spent the last two years battling with the severe eating disorder - enduring a year in and out of hospital as her weight plummeted to just six stone. But when it came to rejoining her classmates at the fee-paying Northamption High School to finish her GCSE studies, she was told her inclusion 'would be too disruptive', according to her mother. Accusation: Claire Twiselton and her daughter Lottie have accused Northampton High School of 'abandoning' the 16-year-old because of her eating disorder . Support: Claire and Lottie Twiselton said they were devastated when they were told the 16-year-old could not rejoin her friends at Northampton High School . 'Without a doubt one of the main . reasons Lottie was not allowed back to school was because she was . someone who lots of people looked up to. In the head teacher's eyes, she . may well have inspired copycat disorders,' Claire Twiselton told the Times. Lottie left the school to get intensive treatment for her disorder from a specialist London clinic after developing the potentially lethal disorder aged 14. After being discharged from hospital last year, she had hoped to go back to school on a part-time basis until she fully . regained her strength. But . her hopes of fitting back into school life were dealt a blow when the . school said it did not want her to return until she was well enough to . come back on a full-time basis. Care: Lottie Twiselton, pictured, left Northampton High School to get treatment for anorexia . Barred: Lottie Twiselton nearly died from anorexia which she developed when she was 14 but was asked not to return to her old school until she had fully recovered . Lottie, who is now a pupil at Quinton House School, in Upton, said the rejection was devastating. Describing . the upset at not being able to immediately rejoin her friends, she told . the Northampton Chronle: 'I was very upset about it. I almost died and . without the support of my friends I would not have pulled through. Alumna: Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, former Director General of MI5, is a former pupil of Northampton High School . 'I . was completely ready to go back and be with them and just get back to . normal but I was told the school weren’t able to have me back. It would . have given me such a boost to my progress.' Lottie's father, Robert, 46, who divorced from her mother several years ago, has also attacked the school - whose past . pupils include Baroness Marcia Matilda Falkender, former private . secretary to Harold Wilson, and Baroness Manningham-Buller, former . director general of MI5 - over its treatment of his daughter. He said: 'The school's response to Lottie coming back was pretty poor. People . suffering from anorexia are encouraged to work towards a particular . goal and Lottie was working towards getting back into school and to be . with her friends. 'This was . all taken away from her when the head teacher made it clear she was not . welcome back. Lottie has shown remarkable courage and determination to . get this point. 'Anorexia, particularly amongst teenage girls is not as uncommon as people think and schools need to be aware of that.' Mr Twiselton told how he feared the eating disorder would kill his daughter at one stage. Upset: Lottie Twiselton says she was distraught at not being able to rejoin her classmates . Exclusion: Lottie Twiselton said she was devastated when she was told she could not rejoin her classmates . 'At its worst, we thought this might be it for Lottie. She needed to be forcibly fed through a tube and she went from a happy, healthy teenager to nothing at all. 'Claire and I divorced a few years ago and we have considered whether this had an impact on Lottie.'She . became obsessed with her weight and appearance. She would look at . pictures of celebrities in magazines and on the internet and was . convinced she was fat and ugly.' The school has rejected the criticism . leveled at it by Ms Twiselton and disputed the version of events given by the pupil's mother. Critical: Mother Claire Twiselton has criticised Northampton High School, pictured, for not allowing her daughter Lottie to return on a part-time basis . Rebuttal: Northampton High School, left, and headmistress Sarah Dixon, right, have refuted the Twiselton family's version of events and said pupil health and wellbeing was 'at the heart of everything we do' A . statement issued by the school said: 'The . school responded to say that they were very keen to support Lottie’s . integration but remained of the view that it would be preferable to wait . until Lottie was well enough to return on a full-time basis. 'The health and wellbeing of our pupils is at the heart of everything we do... The professional view of the head and her team was that an interrupted part-time programme in a crucial year would not be in the interests of Lottie’s welfare or education. 'To say that Lottie was excluded is simply not true as is the assertion we were concerned about copycat issues. 'In school our approach is very pro-active and open in talking about and raising awareness of such issues through a variety of means including PSHCE lessons, tutorial support, extra-curricular sessions where guest speakers address the girls and parent talks/workshops, as well as having a full time nurse and the services of a school counsellor.' | Lottie Twiselton, 16, weighed SIX stone when hospitalised with anorexia .
She was force-fed and admitted to a psychiatric unit during illness .
Mother Claire claims Northampton High School 'abandoned' her daughter .
Father attacks the school over his daughter's treatment .
Fee-paying girls school told her not to return until she had fully recovered .
School rejected the Twiselton's version of events .
Statement said returning on a part-time basis was not in her best interests . |
109,853 | 19991a4a694f564ce344730edd048bcc0092190a | By . Wil Longbottom . Last updated at 4:51 PM on 21st December 2011 . Syrian armed forces have carried out live firing exercises as a show of strength after 111 people were killed in one town yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops using heavy machine guns and artillery carried out the killings in the town of Kfar Owaid, in the northwestern province on Idlib. Security forces pursued anti-government activists and army defectors through the town as troops shelled areas where they were thought to be hiding. Show of strength: The Syrian army fired test missiles during a live fire exercise broadcast on state television as it continues to crackdown on its people . Bravado: The display of military manoeuvres was meant to deter international action similar to that which took place to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi . The country's main opposition group the Syrian National Council (SNC) said 250 people had been killed in total on Monday and Tuesday in 'bloody massacres', and that the Arab League and United Nations must intervene to protect civilians. It comes as state television showed pictures of military manoeuvres and said they were meant to show Syrian forces were ready to 'repulse any aggression the enemies of our nations might think about'. The 111 people were killed at the same time Syria agreed to allow in foreign monitors under an Arab League plan aimed at stopping bloodshed in the country after weeks of stalling. Around 70 of those shot dead were believed to be army defectors. Critics are deeply sceptical that the agreement to allow the monitors in is anything other than further stalling as international pressure on President Bashar Assad grows. The high toll for two days of violence, among the highest since March, has reinforced that scepticism. Force: Military helicopters take part in the exercise as the contrail of a missile passes them . Force: Surface to air missiles like this were fired in the exercise. The move follows some of the worst bloodshed seen in the nine months of unrest in Syria . The conflict in Syria has become increasingly militarised in recent weeks, with clashes nearly every day between army defectors and troops. Some of the most intense violence has occured in the province of Idlib, with another 70 army defectors killed as they deserted their posts near the Turkish border. The SNC has demanded 'an emergency U.N. Security Council session to discuss the (Assad) regime’s massacres in Jabal al-Zawiyah, Idlib and Homs, in particular' and called for 'safe zones' to be set up under international protection. It also said those regions should be declared disaster areas and urged the International Red Crescent and other relief organisations to provide humanitarian aid. The Arab League plans to call for the removal of troops and heavy weapons from city streets, the start of talks with opposition leaders and allowing human rights workers and journalists into the country. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said yesterday that an advance observer team would go to Syria on Thursday to prepare the way for 150 monitors due to arrive by end-December. Mr Assad's regime agreed to allow monitors into the country after Arab leaders warned they would turn to the UN Security Council to try and end a brutal crackdown that is believed to have killed at least 5,000 people since March. Manoeuvres: The Syrian army has been ordered to attack civilians as the brutal regime ignores international calls to end the bloodshed . Defiance: Demonstrators protest against President Bashar al-Assad in the al-Midan district of Damascus . Autocratic: Syrian troops using heavy machine guns and artillery killed 111 people in Kfar Owaid in just 24 hours . Brutal: Supporters wave flags in front of a mural of President Bashar Assad. He has finally allowed international monitors into the country after weeks of stalling . The advance team of monitors will be led by Arab League assistant secretary-general Sameer Seif el-Yazal. Eventually, around 500 observers will be deployed around the country. State TV footage showed warplanes and helicopters firing missiles at targets in an undisclosed desert area. It said: 'The manoeuvres aim to test the capabilities of the air force and air defence to repulse any aggression the enemies of our nation might think about.' Two weeks ago, Syrian forces conducted a similar drill. The exercises appear to be meant as a deterrent against any international action similar to the Nato air campaign that helped oust Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Yesterday, President Assad issued a new law under which anyone found guilty of distributing weapons with the aim of committing 'terrorist acts' would be sentenced to death. The Syrian government claims armed gangs and terrorists are behind the uprising. | Heavy machine guns and artillery fired on town of Kfar Owaid .
Army defectors shelled as they leave their posts .
Syria finally allows international monitors into country after weeks of stalling .
Opposition group claims 250 killed in two days and appeals for UN intervention to protect civilians . |
34,948 | 634f8e7d63a3003f7895d327c9c10f76ae2c1c6e | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 11:08 EST, 22 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:25 EST, 22 May 2012 . A grieving mother whose son was brutally murdered by a gang as he played football has pledged to sell her family heirlooms to give his killers a better life when they leave jail. Forgiving Fatemah Golmakani, 56, will 'hug them and kiss them and hold their hands, and tell them that someone loves them,' despite the four attackers stabbing her son Milad to death in north London last year in a tit-for-tat gang attack. Sean Hutton, Sean Ferdinand, Mohammed Hashi, all 19, and Lij McSween, 17, were all jailed last month for life, and must all serve between 19 and 22 years before release. Happier times: Fatemah Golmakani and her beloved son Milad, who was stabbed to death by a violent gang his mother has now pledged to help . But through a charity set up in her son's memory Mrs Golmakani says she will then take them 'to Europe, to eat good food, wear nice clothes, show them what life is really about.' 22-year-old Milad had been playing football last April with friends on an estate basketball court in West Hampstead, London, when his killers, all wearing black jackets with hoods pulled over their faces, arrived by minicab. In the space of three minutes they knifed Milad 14 times in the neck, back and buttocks and stabbed another youth in the shoulder. The gang then left in the same taxi they arrived in and returned to a church barbecue on their own territory in Kentish Town. Killers: Lij McSween, top left, Sean Hutton, top right, Mohammed Hashi, bottom left, and Sean Ferdinand, bottom right, were all jailed for life for murdering Milad Golmakani in April last year . More than a year after her son’s murder, his room remains untouched. 'I can’t bring my son back but what I can do is forgive his murderers to begin to take the weight off myself. It’s the only way I can start coming to terms with it,' she said. 'What these men didn’t realise was that when they murdered my son, all their hopes and dreams were buried in Milad’s grave with him. All that went away when they killed my son, so really when we buried Milad we buried these murderers too. Attacked: Milad, pictured, was stabbed 14 times all over his body by a gang intent on killing him . 'Those boys would have been at work, and then by the time they were back their minds and bodies would be too tired to kill. This charity will be a present to the killers. I want to help them look for jobs, and I want to make dinner for them like their own mothers should have done. 'Maybe then they’ll go back home and teach their own parents what they should have been taught years ago.' Her son was taken to hospital with a punctured lung but was pronounced dead hours after the attack. His friend Zain Salahuddin was stabbed twice in the right shoulder when he tripped and fell trying to escape the gang. He managed to get up and find safety in the basement of a nearby food and wine store. Speaking during the court case, Prosecutor Neil Moore said: ‘Despite the warm weather they were all wearing jackets with their hoods up over their heads and they had at some stage concealed about their persons at least two knives. ‘The purpose of their trip was to seek out and attack Milad Golmakani and his friends.' | Grieving parent Fatemah Golmakani pledges to 'hug them and kiss them and hold their hands, and tell them that someone loves them.'
The gang stabbed Milad, 22, 14 times, all over his body, as he played football near his home . |
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