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135,776 | 3ba75cf28051aa3c8e675a43ec8bf2f7b09e7a4e | One own goal in a match is unfortunate, to net two is unusual - but to have a total of five in a single fixture leads to disqualification. In the Indonesian First Division play-offs, PSS Sleman beat PSIS Semarang 3-2... and all five of the strikes were own goals! Incredibly, the score was 0-0 with just four minutes remaining and yet five own goals were scored before the final whistle. The Indonesian FA disqualified both PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang are five own goals were scored in a game . The goalkeeper of PSIS Semerang looks on after his side concede one of five own goals scored in the match . Sleman put the ball into their own net twice - but anything they could do, Semarang could do better as they went one better and scored three own goals. The Football Association of Indonesia disqualified both sides from the entire tournament, meaning they cannot be promoted from the First Division - which is Indonesia's third tier. An Indonesian FA committee ruled both sides had deliberately tried to lose the match in order to avoid a potential semi-final match-up with Borneo FC. Borneo FC allegedly have connections to the local mafia, so it is rumoured neither side wished to face them as a result. PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang both disqualified for scoring five own goals in final four minutes of a game . Both sides allegedly wanted to avoid a semi-final with Borneo FC, who are rumoured to be backed by mafia . | PSS Sleman beat PSIS Semarang 3-2 in Indonesian First Division .
All five strikes were own goals and scored in final four minutes of match .
Both sides disqualified by Indonesian FA for deliberately trying to lose .
Sides attempting to avoid potential play-off semi-final with Borneo FC .
Borneo FC allegedly have connections to the local mafia . |
50,311 | 8e4d86063d5008c8f3da5748799e9e24286629aa | If you haven't started your Christmas travels yet, you likely know someone who already has. This week marks the start of the holidays, with many children starting their school breaks and joining their families across the globe. As many as 116,700 passengers are expected to depart from London's Heathrow airport on Friday December 19, with 698,438 expected to fly out over the following five days. Holiday travel is in full swing as of Dec 19, when 116,700 passengers are expected to depart from Heathrow . During this time, 65 per cent of all Heathrow passengers will be travelling to visit family and friends, which is nearly double the rest of the year. And outside of London, over five million travellers will take to the skies in the next seven days to spend the festive season with their loved ones. To celebrate this incredible mass travel schedule, Heathrow has created an animation to show the movement of people from the UK across the world in the week leading up to Christmas Day - including a special journey from Santa himself on Christmas Eve. Between the 19th and 25th, 698,438 are expected to fly out of London's Heathrow airport . In the UK, more generally, over 5 million people will be taking to the skies to visit family and friends . Heathrow's animation illustrates the UK's incredible travel schedule - including Santa's journey, of course . Over the next week 43,405 flights will depart and arrive from UK airports with 22 per cent of these flights departing from Heathrow and mainly to long haul destinations. Normand Boivin, Chief Operating Officer at Heathrow said, 'Heathrow is proud to help take passengers further on their journey around the world for the festive season. 'This is such a busy and exciting time at the airport and the visualisation captures the service we provide for the world. 'As an added treat, on Christmas day we will also be offering festive flyers specially created boiled sweets in three flavours – turkey, sage and onion stuffing and Christmas pudding – so travellers don't miss out on their dinner at 30,000 feet.' | Beginning Friday, over 698,000 travellers will depart from Heathrow .
65% of all passengers will be heading to visit family and friends .
In the UK, over five million people will fly between the Dec 19 and Dec 25 . |
173,247 | 6c3498c9f8674bfc9e6630339b39d36e343e4fcb | By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 09:29 EST, 7 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:21 EST, 8 July 2013 . Torment: Bridgid Nzekwu has revealed her decision to undergo a double mastectomy . A newsreader from ITV who underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with cancer has revealed how she held a 'boobs party' to say goodbye to her breasts before going under the knife. Bridgid Nzekwu, who suffered from cancer as a teenager, was shocked to learn the disease had returned when she developed a tumour in one of her breasts. But when she received her diagnosis, she resolved to take immediate action and decided to have both her breasts removed to minimise the risk of the cancer spreading. The 42-year-old mother of one underwent her double mastectomy in April, and three months later has documented the harrowing experience in a diary published by the Sunday Times. Soon after leaving school, Ms Nzekwu was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and underwent a gruelling round of radiotherapy until she was given a clean bill of health. She went on to develop a successful career as a newsreader for Channel 4 and then ITV, and had a son, Oscar, with her husband Martin. However, last year she was told that a lump on her left breast which has previously been benign had developed into a malignant tumour. Poignantly, it seems that the cause of the cancer was the high dose of radiation she received during her lymphoma treatment two decades earlier. 'I feel an overwhelming surge of panic,' Ms Nzekwu wrote of the moment her breast cancer was diagnosed. 'I can't get cancer again. I'm a cancer survivor not a cancer victim. Chemo, vomiting, exhaustion, baldness: that was another life.' Because of her earlier radiotherapy, the newsreader had been exposed to the maximum dose of radiation considered safe over the course of a lifetime, meaning the only treatment option was the removal of the affected breast. Doctors told her that she had a 25 per cent chance of developing cancer in the other breast too - and Ms Nzekwu immediately resolved to undergo a double mastectomy. 'My right breast is perfectly healthy, but there's no guarantee it will stay that way,' she wrote. 'To me it's a ticking time bomb. I know immediately I want a double mastectomy. I feel in a state of perfect clarity. The only thing that's important is to get this cancer out of me and do anything in my power to prevent it from coming back.' Publicity: Angelina Jolie has drawn attention to the plight of women undergoing mastectomies . Ms Nzekwu was racked by fears of not being there to see three-year-old Oscar grow up, and was acutely conscious that her own mother had died of cancer aged just 59. Nonetheless, she was able to keep up a healthy demeanour, and even held a 'boobs party' with 30 of her friends, who gathered three days before the surgery. She wrote: 'We toast my "departing assets" and the girls joke about how envious they will be of the new, tummy-tucked body I'll be rocking after the operation.' The nine-hour operation at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea thankfully went without a hitch - despite her husband's trepidation - but Ms Nzekwu was still tormented by her post-surgery appearance. She wrote about her 'disturbing' torso, and her fears that Martin would find her unattractive, but when the bandages were taken off her chest she was pleasantly surprised by how she looked. Ms Nzekwu has now largely recovered from the procedure - she is able to play with her son and carry out household chores, and is planning to return to work soon. The dilemma faced by women who are highly susceptible to breast cancer was highlighted earlier this year by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, who revealed that she elected to have a double mastectomy after learning that she carried a faulty gene which often leads to the disease. | Bridgid Nzekwu suffered cancer as a teenager and disease returned in 2012 .
42-year-old underwent double mastectomy to minimise risk of new tumour .
Before nine-hour operation she held a celebratory 'boobs party' with friends . |
31,752 | 5a5179e258c4934149b97afb36a564be55c2a0ea | Bilal Bettamer is a 23-year-old student who wants to save Benghazi from those he calls "extremely dangerous people." But his campaign against the criminal and extremist groups that plague the city has put his life at risk, and he says that if he receives more threats, he will have to leave Libya. Libya can't afford to lose the likes of Bettamer. A law graduate and civil activist, he helped organize the protest against jihadist groups after the attack on the U.S. Consulate there in September, in which four Americans were killed. That protest led to the expulsion from Benghazi of the militant Ansar al-Sharia group -- whose members were suspected of involvement in the attack -- and other jihadists from the city. A month later, Bettamer says, the extremists were back in Benghazi with a vengeance. He estimates there are maybe 100 of them at large. And last week, several European governments, as well as Canada and Australia, urged their citizens to leave this eastern Libyan city immediately, with Britain speaking of an "imminent threat." One Libyan source with contacts in Western intelligence circles says the warning followed an intercepted communication that revealed a specific and concrete plan to attack British interests. Fighting a ghost . Bettamer says Ansar al Sharia has expelled its more militant members and is now helping provide security at the western entrance to Benghazi. "People describe every extremist now as Ansar al Shariah, [but] there are people more extreme and more dangerous," he says. Bettamer says he received three hostile text messages after the Save Benghazi Friday protest. "You feel the threat and feel you are being watched; they follow you and you feel something abnormal." A "religious-looking man" had approached Bettamer's uncle outside their family home in Benghazi with a message for Bilal: "Tell him to watch out." The trouble is, no one knows who the assailants are. "It's like fighting a ghost," Bettamer says. Bettamer says police and security forces are gradually getting better and that ordinary people in Benghazi are relatively safe. That's not so for activists or members of the security forces, who are often targeted for assassination. The past three months have seen several assassinations, bombings and kidnappings of police and security officials in Benghazi. Among them was the abduction earlier this month of the head of the criminal investigation division, Abdel Salam al-Mehdawi. He'd been investigating the murder of Benghazi's chief of police in October and is still missing. Last week, Naji El-Hariri, the nephew of a leading figure in the Libyan revolution, was shot in Benghazi's Al Laithi neighborhood, where a senior police officer was killed a week earlier by a bomb. And earlier this month, gunmen ambushed the car of the Italian consul in Benghazi, Guido De Sanctis. He escaped injury, but the Italians suspended their diplomatic presence. State of denial . Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a congressional hearing last week that the new Libyan government had the "willingness but not the capacity" to provide security. Bettamer doesn't agree, saying the government is in a state of denial. "The government is ignoring the problem and not confronting it," he says, by blaming everything on Moammar Gadhafi loyalists. He believes it's afraid of confronting extremist groups. Another Libyan source familiar with the situation in Benghazi agreed. "When every day you have campaign of assassinations and attacks against government, police and security facilities and nobody is arrested, you have a bad situation," the source said, adding that a group affiliated with Ansar al Shariah now controls one of the largest Gadhafi-era military camps in the city. Libyan Interior Minister Ashur Shuwail unveiled a plan last week involving the police, army and some militia to secure Benghazi -- one that may involve a nightly curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. But it's not just Benghazi. The UK Foreign Office has advised against travel throughout Libya -- apart for Tripoli and a number of towns on the coast. To the east of Benghazi, several towns are jihadist strongholds. Canada's Foreign Affairs Department warned last week of "ongoing clashes, including indiscriminate shelling, between pro-government militia and Gadhafi loyalists in Bani Walid," as well as clashes between armed groups in Sabha and Kufra in the south. An estimated 400 people have been killed in tribal clashes around Kufra over the past year. The Libyan government is aware of the urgent need to better control its borders, but they are long and desolate -- and much of Libya's air force was destroyed during the revolution. Last week, the Interior Ministry closed the Imsaed border crossing with Egypt to any foreigners, officially to discourage illegal immigration, and began air patrols over the border out of Tobruk. In the south and west, the borders with Niger and Algeria are even more beyond its control, according to regional analysts. The government is beginning to integrate some of the many militia into national security forces. It says 26,000 militia members have applied to join the police. But the process is a slow one only now gathering pace. Five things we learned from the Benghazi hearings . Foreign exodus . The public warnings last week have accelerated the exodus of foreigners from Benghazi. French doctors have quit the city's hospitals. The city's International School is closed. Just last week, the Libya Herald, an independent newspaper, reported on a conference organized by the Benghazi Chamber of Commerce to address the city's huge problems: among them its dilapidated port and collapsing water-treatment system, which pumps raw sewage into the Mediterranean. But participants said there was little foreign presence. In the wake of the terrorist attack in Algeria and the warnings about security in Libya, BP announced at the weekend it was putting its Libyan exploration plans on hold. "We had expected to restart drilling at the end of the second quarter this year, but we're currently reviewing our plans," a BP spokesman said Sunday. BP signed a $900 million agreement with Libya's National Oil Corporation in 2007 but suspended the contract when fighting broke out in February 2011. Crispin Hawes of Eurasia Group says Libyan oil production has made a strong recovery since Gadhafi's overthrow, but security issues, protests and labor disputes are putting further gains at risk. "The operating security environment continues to deter some service companies from operating in the country at all while others that have returned to Libya are still only slowly ramping up their activities," Hawes writes. Libya needs foreign expertise to invest in its dilapidated infrastructure. Former interim Prime Minister Ahmed Jibril told al-Monitor newspaper in October: "We have construction projects all over the place, all infrastructure projects -- roads, bridges, power stations, airports. They are all paralyzed." There are ambitious plans to turn Benghazi into Libya's commercial capital, with its port being upgraded to handle ships carrying 5,000 containers. But other infrastructure projects are stymied by a growing number of disputes about land ownership in the wake of the revolution, according to the Libya Herald. Daunting security challenges in North Africa . A little Gadhafi in each of us . Despite the need for qualified attorneys, some of Bettamer's fellow law graduates in Benghazi work as taxi drivers amid widespread unemployment. Even so, the freshly minted graduate is guardedly optimistic about Libya's future despite everything. He believes in greater federalism, saying Libya should comprise seven states, each with its own budget and measures to redistribute from the richer to the poorer. "After 42 years of Gadhafi, there is a little Gadhafi inside each of us. He took stubbornness from us -- and we saw that when he refused to step down. And we took tyranny from him -- trying to impose our ideas on each other." But he thinks the ghosts of Libya's past can be exorcised. "Sometimes I get very nervous about the future of this country. I get depressed. But I still see things that make me optimistic." Opinion: Libya's rich history provides hope for its future . | Law graduate Bilal Bettamer is trying to make Benghazi a safer, prosperous place .
Threats may drive the 23-year-old civil activist from this troubled Libyan city .
Assassinations, bombings and kidnappings keep progress at bay .
The ghost of Moammar Gadhafi still hangs over Benghazi and rest of Libya . |
244,478 | c867e89bb8a0c5b418bdb149d31e1bc29af8895f | By . Simon Cable . PUBLISHED: . 19:46 EST, 13 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:58 EST, 14 January 2013 . On the dancefloor, they were a picture of athleticism. Away from it, however, it is a slightly different story for the Strictly Come Dancing stars. Actresses Denise van Outen, 38 and Dani Harmer, 23 and Lisa Riley, 36, were all seen puffing away on cigarettes as they took a break from rehearsals ahead of the Strictly tour. Even professional dancers Pasha Kovalev, 32, and James Jordan, 34, snuck out to smoke with ex-cricketer Phil Tufnell, 46. Shared habit: Actresses Dani harmer, left, Denise Van Outen and Lisa Riley pictured smoking outside the studio . Taking a break: Former Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, left, and Dani Harmer chat while smoking between rehearsals for the Strictly Come Dancing tour . Puffed out: Former England cricketer Phil Tuffnell, was another of the Strictly stars pictured smoking . Kate Thornton, 39, who is hosting the live shows, nipped out for a quick smoke while chatting on her phone. And judge Craig Revel Horwood, 48, also enjoyed a cigarette as he sparked up outside the studios. The group are all preparing for the Strictly Come Dancing live tour which begins later this month. They will be joined on the tour by Tracey Beaker, presenter Fern Britton and former England Cricket captain and legend Michael Vaughan. Lighting up: Presenter Kate Thornton, left, and acerbic judge Craig Revel Horwood, right, are pictured between rehearsals . Professionals: It was not just the celebrities pictured smoking, professional dancers James Jordan, left, and Pasha Kovalev also had a smoke . Denise van Outen once claimed she didn’t smoke saying: ‘I don’t smoke and rarely drink because I hate hangovers. 'I suppose I’m a girl with no vices.’ The latest series saw Olympian Louis Smith triumph beating Girls Aloud star Kimberly Walsh in the final. The series, which finished last month, attracted an average of just under 11 million viewers. | Denise Van Outen, Dani Harmer and Lisa Riley spotted smoking in between rehearsals .
It wasn't just the celebrities spotted smoking, dancers Pasha Kovalev and James Jordan were also seen lighting up . |
176,744 | 70cdffa9d53880f2c73d256e621e0cc838325bcd | Stephenville, Texas (CNN)Even with a conviction, the "American Sniper" murder trial never answered the one question that still haunts the families of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. Why were the two men killed while trying to help Eddie Ray Routh? There have been a series of confusing and incoherent explanations for Routh's motives the afternoon of February 2, 2013. We know Kyle sensed tension as he and Littlefield drove the former U.S. Marine to a gun range for an afternoon of bonding and helping Routh cope with what his family members believed was post-traumatic stress disorder. Kyle secretly texted Littlefield, sitting next to him in a pickup, to say Routh was "straight up nuts." Kyle's wife, Taya, "could tell something was up" that afternoon when she spoke to her husband. Kyle sounded "irritated," she has testified, then he never responded to a text asking if he was OK. Yet Routh didn't reveal a clear reason in the fatal shootings. Kyle was shot four times in the back and once in the face. Littlefield was shot five times in the back. Instead, the jury heard a series of bizarre explanations for why Routh allegedly turned the guns on Kyle and Littlefield. Routh's attorneys said the former Marine suffers from psychosis, paranoia and schizophrenia. Prosecutors argued that Routh is a "troubled man" who struggles with a "personality disorder," not insanity. 'Legend' looms over murder trial . The arguments were in direct contrast to one another. While Dr. Randall Price, a forensic psychologist who testified as the prosecution's medical expert, said Routh's heavy marijuana use caused a "substance-induced psychotic disorder," Dr. Mitchell Dunn said his opinion was that Routh's "psychosis was not substance-induced." "It is my opinion that he was suffering from a severe mental disease or defect that caused him not to know his conduct was wrong," Dunn testified. One piece of evidence -- video from the police car after Routh's arrest -- shows the accused shooter complaining of mental problems and confusion. "I've been so paranoid-schizophrenic all day, I don't know what to even think of the world right now," he told the officer. "I don't know if I'm insane. Or sane. I don't know what's even sane in the world right now." Gene Cole worked as an officer in the Erath County Jail where Routh has been held since his arrest in the killings. Cole testified he heard Routh talk about the shootings four months after the tragedy. "I heard Mr. Routh say, 'I shot them because they wouldn't talk to me. I was just riding in the back seat of the truck and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn't talk to me. I'm sure they've forgiven me,' " Cole said. Family: Routh acted bizarrely for years . In May 2013, Routh did a phone interview from jail with New Yorker magazine writer Nicholas Schmidle. Portions of the recorded conversation were played for the jury. Routh described being annoyed with Kyle and Littlefield as they made the 90-minute drive from his home to the countryside gun range. Routh didn't trust the Navy SEAL and his friend after their first meeting, he told Schmidle. "That's how I felt that day," Routh said on the recording. "It was the smell in the air that morning. It smelled like s**t." Routh continued, "It smelled like sweet cologne. I guess it was love and hate, you know. I was smelling love and hate. They were giving me some love and hate." Later in the phone call, Routh complained that Kyle and Littlefield stopped to feed him at a fast-food restaurant on the way to the range. It was "strange" because he wasn't hungry, and he felt the two men were trying to "force feed" him, Routh said to Schmidle. Routh's attorneys have suggested it was the arsenal of firearms lying next to Routh that triggered his psychosis and paranoia on the car ride. "At the time of this tragedy, Eddie Routh was insane," defense attorney Tim Moore said. "Not only was he suffering from a severe mental disease or defect, not only did he not know his conduct was wrong, he thought he had to take their lives because he was in danger." Routh said that when the men started shooting pistols at the gun range, he saw it as a showdown. "So we're shooting pistols here, huh?" Routh recalls telling Kyle and Littlefield during his conversation with Schmidle. "Again, that's pretty much saying, 'Duel mother****er.' " When Schmidle asked what triggered him picking up a firearm and shooting Kyle and Littlefield, Routh replied that he was angry that Littlefield would not participate in the shooting. "I asked him a couple of times, 'Hey, are you gonna shoot?' " Routh said. "This isn't a spectator sport. It's a shooting sport. You shoot. And that's what got all, you know, wired up." After that exchange, Routh said, "I took care of business and then I got in the truck and left." After deliberating less than three hours, a Texas jury found Routh guilty of capital murder in the case. Judge Jason Cashon immediately sentenced him to life in prison without parole. CNN's Jason Morris contributed to this report. | The motive for Chris Kyle's killing remains unclear .
Routh provided a series of bizarre statements to explain the shootings . |
96,978 | 08cbf5cf8af5d3eea6a999190cb3daabad83118b | Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Northern Ireland's water supply is in a "precarious position" after several major water pipes burst, allowing 10 million liters of water to drain from Belfast reservoirs each day, the Northern Ireland Water interim chairman said Friday. The state-funded water company's response to the "unprecedented situation" was "unacceptable," Padraic White said. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have lost their supply after frozen pipes burst in a rapid thaw that followed record low temperatures last week. Many customers have been without running water since Monday, but some say they haven't had supplies for 10 days. Pipes at the country's top hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, were among those that failed, White said. Water service might not be fully restored until the middle of next week, but even then hundreds of rural homes could still be without water, he said. The water company's emergency call center was not prepared to handle "a disaster of this magnitude," but communication with customers will be improved, White said. He recommended a full investigation into the company's problems. Northern Ireland Water has been heavily criticized for its response to the crisis, with some politicians calling for top officials to resign. Chairman White said company executives were not considering resignations, since their focus at the moment is restoring water service. The company said Friday that there had been an improvement in the situation in the past 24 hours and that the number of customers without water was down to around 5,000. It added, however, that as many as 24,000 customers could experience intermittent disruption to supplies as repairs continue. Northern Ireland Water has blamed the problems on a rapid thaw, with a huge number of pipes bursting after a dramatic change in temperature -- from minus-16 to 10 degrees Celsius (3 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) "within a matter of hours." Company officials have also complained about a lack of investment in the water infrastructure over the years. The Republic of Ireland has also experienced problems with its water supplies. The government said Thursday night that most parts of the country would see a resumption of service within two days, but restrictions in the capital, Dublin, were expected to remain in place until January 10. | NEW: The water pipe to Belfast's top hospital burst .
NEW: Northern Ireland Water's response to the crisis is "unacceptable," chairman says .
Tens of thousands have been without water since Monday .
Parts of the water network may not be repaired until next week . |
191,598 | 841c1a16767711ee2cf709b99181640f1aae92f5 | A Los Angeles man who has been jailed for a crime he didn't commit since April 27 has finally been released from prison. Authorities released Gerber Guzman from LA County Jail where he's been held since his arrest on drug dealing charges. Guzman's wife, Yanira Hernadez, says this is the second time her husband has been wrongly imprisoned since his identity was stolen six years ago. Innocent: Gerber Guzman has been imprisoned for a total of one month for crimes he never committed . The first jail stint Guzman endured lasted 16 days before his name was cleared with the help of U.S. Marshals, reports CBS Los Angeles. Injustice: Gerber Guzman was finally released to be with his heavily pregnant wife and their two children after his ordeal . Hernandez says that the first time her . husband was released, U.S. marshals realized that the fingerprints they . had on file for Gerber Guzman did not match those of her husband. This time, the DEA told her it was the U.S. Marshals who were holding her husband. 'They . cannot let him go, because the U.S. Marshals are the ones that have the . hold,' Hernandez said. 'It’s really hard when you have kids, and you . have one on the way, and your kids ask you twenty-four/seven, "Where’s . daddy?"' Last month, Guzman was pulled over for an expired car registration and taken into custody when the police officer realized there was a warrant outstanding for his arrest. He was in prison for 12 days before he was released. Now, Guzman and Hernandez want to know how the same error could have occurred twice. 'The . thing is that they know it’s not him, but they still have him in there, . and that’s what’s heartbreaking,' Hernandez, who is eight months . pregnant, told CBS. 'They told us it wasn’t going to happen again, and fast-forward six years later, it happened again.' Hernandez says she tried to get her husband released to no avail, and in desperation contacted CBS with her story. Stolen identity: Gerber Guzman's identity was stolen six years ago, and since then he's twice been arrested on drugs charges that he is innocent of, says his wife Yanira Hernandez . Relief: Yanira Hernandez reacts as she learns that her husband will be released from prison imminently . The DEA confirmed Wednesday to the station that they were aware of Hernandez's claims. 'DEA is aware of claims that the man in custody is not the same person for whom the arrest warrant was issued. DEA takes all allegations of this nature seriously and is currently using ever resource at our disposal to address the matter,' read a statement released by the DEA. Guzman was released from prison Thursday night. | Gerber Guzman was arrested late April after being pulled over for an expired car registration .
The officer realized there was an outstanding warrant for Guzman's arrest on drug dealing charges .
Guzman is innocent of the crime .
His identity was stolen six years ago .
At that time, he was sent to jail for 16 days on drugs charges before his innocence was proven and he was released .
Guzman was finally released Thursday night after being in prison 12 days . |
20,818 | 3b14048c9beabf9b15bb975cdc47fe89bdf47fb2 | More than a quarter of rough sleepers in London are migrants from Eastern European countries that joined the EU in the past decade, figures reveal. Counts found that new arrivals from Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic account for 28 per cent of rough sleepers in the capital. Meanwhile, official England-wide statistics showed that the number of rough sleepers had risen by 37 per cent since 2010, as Britain has been gripped by a growing shortage of affordable housing. Romanians sleeping rough in Park Lane, London: Figures show that nearly 30 per cent of all London's rough sleepers are from Eastern European countries which have recently joined the European Union . Romanian travellers sitting on a doorway in Park Lane: The are has become a frontline in the battle between immigration officials and Eastern European migrants who sleep on the streets and beg for a living . The figures come amid concern that increasing numbers of rough sleepers from Romania and Bulgaria will put a strain on services offered by Britain's welfare state. Citizens from the two countries gained the right to take up residence in the UK on January 1, but have so far not arrived in the numbers some had feared. Notoriously, however, several camps have sprung up in high profile locations, such as the wealthy area around Marble Arch, in central London, which has become a frontline in the running battle between immigration officials and Eastern European migrants who sleep on the streets and beg or steal for a living. Citizens of the EU who do not have a job and cannot support themselves are not allowed to live in Britain - meaning that officials can deport those who are unemployed and sleeping rough. The problem of Polish rough sleepers in the London has become so bad that last year a homeless charity in the capital produced a Polish-language video warning of the dangers of moving to the city without a job or means to support themselves. It advises Poles to ‘be well prepared’ if they are coming to Britain – with a guaranteed job and back-up money. But it also shows dramatic and alarming images of a Polish immigrant, played by an actor, who loses his job and is then beaten up and burned while he is sleeping on the street. Streets not paved with gold: A file picture shows Thomas, a Pole who was living in woods near Lincoln. The numbers of Polish homeless prompted the production of a video for Polish speakers warning of the dangers . Rough sleepers include people who are 'about to bed down ... or actually bedded down in the open air', said a report accompanying the data released today. The steepest regional rises were seen in the East Midlands and the South East, areas housing campaigners say are particularly affected by high housing costs and austerity-inspired cuts to local services. In London the total number of rough sleepers dipped slightly on last year's figure, but it nevertheless accounted for than a fifth of the national total. 'Case work statistics by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) found migrants sleeping rough in the capital were most likely to be Poles, accounting for one in every ten people sleeping outdoors. That was followed by Romania, with 8 per cent, and Lithuania, with 3 per cent. In sum more than half the capital's rough sleepers were from overseas, figures showed. Around 15 per cent hailed from countries outside Europe. Rough sleeping counts and estimates split by London and the rest of England: In London the total number of rough sleepers has dipped slightly since last year, but it still accounted for than a fifth of the national total . While the number of rough sleepers in . London dipped 3 per cent since the same period last year, elsewhere in . the country saw big rises in the numbers living out on the streets. In the East Midlands, 206 people were . reported sleeping rough – a 50 per cent rise on last year, including . increases of 96 per cent in Derby and 80 per cent in Northampton. In . the South East outside London, 532 people were reported sleeping rough – . a 20 per cent rise on last year, including increases of 275 per cent in . Slough and a 58 per cent in Oxford. Other . cities and regions showing significant rises were Bristol, where 41 . people were sleeping rough, up 356 per cent; Stoke-On-Trent, with 16 . people, up 700 per cent; Coventry, with 26, up 117 per cent; and . Cornwall, with 77 people, up 54 per cent. Homelessness charity Crisis said that . many of those regions had seen deep cuts to local homelessness services. It said the numbers of rough sleepers was likely to rise thanks to a . chronic shortage of affordable housing. Leslie . Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: 'This continued rise in rough . sleeping is unacceptable – behind these statistics are more and more . real lives being devastated by the traumatic experience of homelessness. 'The Government must take . real steps to address the chronic lack of affordable housing and . urgently consider the impact its cuts are having, particularly to . housing benefit and local homelessness services.' Rough sleeping rate by local authority: The steepest regional rises were seen in the East Midlands and the South East, areas campaigners say are particularly affected by high housing costs and cuts to local services . Rough sleeping counts and estimates are single night snapshots of the number of people sleeping rough in local authority areas. Rough sleepers include people sleeping on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments, and also in buildings 'not designed for habitation', including stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or makeshift shelters made of cardboard boxes. But the definition excludes homeless people staying in hostels or shelters, people camping at holiday campsites or on organised protests, squatters or travellers. Overall the figures showed there were 2,414 rough sleepers in England in autumn last year, the latest period for which data is available. | England-wide figures show rough sleepers are up 37 per cent since 2010 .
Dramatic rise is blamed on housing crisis and benefits cuts .
But figures from London show more than half of homeless are from overseas .
Eastern European countries account for 28 per cent of those in capital . |
233,222 | b9eeb329e74ea5083c05cf7be44564a8f6d00d7b | Sami Osmakac, 25, from the former Yugoslavia, has been charged with an alleged plot to attack crowded locations in Tampa, including a nightclub . A 25-year-old Muslim man born in Kosovo allegedly developed a bomb plot to attack crowded locations in Tampa with a car bomb, machine guns and other explosives. Sami Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Kosovo - a disputed Balkan state once a part of the former Yugoslavia that declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 - was charged today with one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Osmakac, of Pinellas County, Florida, . allegedly bought explosives and guns from an undercover FBI agent, which . had been made unusable. He told the agent last month that he wanted an AK-47-style machine gun and Uzi submachine guns, investigators said. Osmakac was arrested on Saturday and is due to appear in court on Monday after being charged over the alleged bomb plot in Tampa. Shortly before his arrest he made a . video of himself explaining his motives for carrying out the planned . attack, authorities said. In the eight-minute video he is seen cross-legged on the floor with a pistol in his hand and an AK-47 gun behind him, authorities said. He said in the video that Muslim blood . was more valuable than that of people who do not believe in Islam, . according to a criminal complaint. Osmakac allegedly added that he wanted 'payback' for wrong that was done to Muslims and bring terror to his 'victims' hearts' in Tampa. A confidential source allegedly told federal officials in September 2011 - the 10th anniversary of 9/11 - that Osmakac wanted Al Qaeda flags. Two months later he talked with the source and ‘discussed and identified potential targets in Tampa’ that he wanted to attack, authorities said. Scroll down for video . Target: Osmakac allegedly said he wanted to bomb night clubs, a business and the Operations Center of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, pictured . Osmakac allegedly wanted help getting . the firearms and explosives for the attacks, and was put in touch with . an undercover FBI employee. 'This would crush everything man, they would have no more food coming in. They would, nobody would have work' 'Sami Osmakac' Last month Osmakac met with the agent and allegedly told him that he wanted to buy weapons including an AK-47-style machine gun. He also allegedly wanted Uzi submachine guns, high capacity magazines, grenades and explosive belt. Osmakac . gave the agent a $500 down payment for the items in a later meeting and . outlined his intentions to build bombs, authorities said. Arms: The former resident of Kosovo told the agent last month that he wanted an AK-47-style machine gun and Uzi submachine guns, pictured, investigators said . He . allegedly wanted to build bombs to go in three different vehicles, blow . them up remotely and conduct a follow-up attack using his other . weapons. Weapon: Osmakac met with an undercover FBI agent and allegedly told him that he wanted to buy an AK-47-style machine gun, pictured . Osmakac allegedly said at another meeting earlier this month that he wanted to bomb . night clubs, a business and the Operations Center of the Hillsborough . County Sheriff's Office. It is also believed he wanted to blow up an Irish pub and Starbucks coffee shop. He allegedly added that he wanted to . detonate a car bomb and use the explosive belt to ‘get in somewhere . where there's a lot of people’. Osmakac told the agent that he wanted to take hostages and then demand something from the 'kuffar' - an Arabic word that means infidels or disbelievers of Islam, authorities said. 'Once I have this…they can take me in five million pieces,' Osmakac allegedly told the agent, referring to law enforcement officers, reported ABC News. 'I want to do something terrifying, like one day, one night, something's going to happen, then six hours later something else,' he allegedly told the agent. 'This is going to terrify them.' The FBI believe he unsuccessfully tried to get other people to carry out attacks too, reported ABC News. The agent told Osmakac he could always change his mind about his plot. Osmakac - who was arrested in Tampa for battery four months ago - allegedly shook his head and stated: ‘We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?’ Criminal complaint: Osmakac has been charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and if convicted could be fined $250,000 and jailed for life . Authorities do not believe he planned . to attack the Republican National Convention, which will be in Tampa in . August. But they thanked the local Muslim community for assistance in . the investigation. According to the affidavit, he also told . the agent: 'Honestly, I would love to go for the Army people, but their . bases are so locked up, I have to do something else.' 'We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?' 'Sami Osmakac' Osmakac said he wanted to take down bridges that link Tampa to neighbouring Pinellas County. 'This will crush the whole economy,' authorities claimed he said to the agent. 'This would crush everything man, they would have no more food coming in. They would, nobody would have work.' He was allegedly arrested after he was shown by the agent how to arm a bomb and he connected what he believed was a detonator, preparing to drive off. Osmakac has been charged with attempted . use of a weapon of mass destruction and if convicted could be fined . $250,000 and jailed for life. See video here . | Sami Osmakac, 25, originally of Kosovo, 'caught by undercover FBI agent'
'Former Kosovan tried to get AK-47 and Uzi guns; and Al Qaeda flags'
Charged with plotting attack on crowded locations in Tampa, Florida .
Allegedly targetted crowded nightclubs, a business and sheriff's office .
FBI claims he told agent: 'We all have to die, so why not the Islamic way?' |
97,795 | 09e7da48bb7fa957d2c022ff8ee0b2ab2f300589 | By . Paul Donnelley . The little-known story of a daring British teenager who risked her life to be a spy in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War has come to light. Plucky Sonya Butt - known as Agent Blanche – was just 19 when she was parachuted into northern France to act as a go-between for Allied troops and the French Resistance ahead of D-Day. During her time with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) she met and married Guy D’Artois, a fellow spy, and the pair went on to wreak havoc on the Germans. The spy in retirement: Sonya Butt was just 19 when she was dropped into German-occupied France and began spying for the Allies against the Axis powers. Here she is enjoying her life in Canada . Sonya used her beauty to woo German soldiers for information while secretly recruiting new Resistance cells and training them in guerrilla warfare. Despite her youth, Sonya was a specialist in explosives and her expertise was much in demand in rural towns and villages in the beaten country. The intrepid youngster earned a reputation for fearlessness often sabotaging bridges and ambushing German convoys. The spy who loved me: Sonya was parachuted into German-occupied Europe (left) and with her husband Guy D'Artois, GM, DSO . Meanwhile, her husband was performing his own daring exploits several hundred miles away where he led a 600-strong army of French Resistance fighters. The combat unit disrupted the German army by destroying strategic bridges and railway lines and attacking enemy positions. Now 89 and living in Canada, Sonya, a widow, is the only female British spy from the Second World War still alive. Allo allo: The job of a wireless operator was hazardous and physically exhausting; Sonya relaxes at the Palace of Versailles . Her remarkable story has only fully emerged in a new book called The Women Who Spied for Britain. Sonya was born in Eastchurch, Kent, on May 14, 1924 but spent most of her childhood in France where she learned to speak the language. Robyn Walker, a school teacher and historian from Ontario, Canada, said: ‘The story of Sonya Butt is relatively unknown but quite amazing. ‘She was well trained in sabotage and she lived for that - she found it very exciting. ‘She liked to be part of the teams sent out to railroads and she would be right there with a gun in hand, just like the men. ‘She was up for just about anything. ‘Sonya’s incredible story is one that should never be forgotten. She was among a small number of daring women who risked their lives on the front line for the war effort. ‘What she and the others did was truly amazing. ‘I really think that celebrating our heroes or heroines is somewhat of a moral obligation that we have to the people who put their lives on the line for us. ‘To allow the sacrifices these women made to be forgotten would be to do them a grave disservice.’ When war broke out in September 1939 she returned to Britain and in 1941, aged 17, joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in the hope of seeing action. However, to her bitter disappointment, that same year women were banned from frontline duties and she was reduced to filing paperwork. Desperate for adventure, in 1943 Sonia was recruited to the SOE, a top secret organisation set up to infiltrate occupied Europe with a network of spies. Around 13,000 people worked for the SOE, including 3,200 women. During her training she met and fell in love with Canadian recruit Guy and the pair married in Scotland prior to being dropped into France on May 28, 1944, nine days before D-Day. Her mission got off to a bumpy start when a container carrying her wardrobe was intercepted by a German patrol, alerting the Nazis to the presence of a new female agent. But Sonya refused to lie low and began work immediately, training the Resistance how to make explosives. She used her beauty to get close to the German soldiers but it almost blew her cover when one evening while in a café with an officer she dropped her bag carrying her revolver. The bag landed with a clunk revealing she was carrying a gun, but she talked the officer round by showing him a forged firearms certificate signed by the Gestapo. The only way to fly: Consolidated B24 Liberator used by the RAF . A history of the women who worked in espionage for Britain during the Second World War . She had another close run-in in June 1944 when she was arrested by German soldiers and questioned. But she managed to talk her way out of the situation thanks to a precisely-planned cover story and false papers. Following the liberation of Paris in August 1944, when she was reunited with her husband, Sonia turned down the offer to go home. Instead she teamed up with the Americans and provided vital intelligence that exposed German positions. She was then captured by French troops who had seen her cavorting with German soldiers and threatened to shave her head, a punishment meted out to collaborators. But luckily the incident was spotted by Resistance members who explained who she was and she was freed. Following the war Sonya and Guy returned to his native Canada, setting up home near Montreal where they raised six children. She became a housewife, supporting her family while Guy remained in the army. Sonya was made an MBE in recognition of her services and was also mentioned in dispatches. Guy was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the Croix de Guerre and the George medal. He died in Canada in 1999 aged 81. British Second World War agent Violette Szabo . There were a number of female spies who operated in German-occupied Europe during the Second World War. The most famous probably was Violette Szabo, GC, the daughter of an English father and French mother born in Paris in 1921 as Violette Bushell. She worked in Woolworths in Oxford Street. In 1940 she joined the Land Army before working in an armaments factory in west London, the year she married French soldier Étienne Szabo. He was killed in action in North Africa in 1942. Violette joined the SOE and took part in two missions in France. On the second, she was captured by the Germans, interrogated and tortured. She was executed at Ravensbrück concentration camp in February 1945. She was 23. Szabo was the second woman to be awarded the George Cross, bestowed posthumously on December 17, 1946. Her story was told in the film Carve Her Name with Pride, starring Virginia Mckenna. Odette Hallowes GC, MBE was born Brailly in Amiens, France. When she was seven she contracted polio and spent a year blind and another unable to move her limbs. Responding to a request for photographs of the Continent, she joined the Special Forces of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and was trained by the SOE. In 1942, she went to France and worked with Peter Churchill, her handler. On April 16, 1943, she and Churchill were betrayed and arrested. She was tortured with a red-hot poker but stuck to her cover story that he was Winston’s nephew and she was taking money to him. She was condemned to death in June 1943 and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. She survived the war, divorced her husband and married Churchill. She remains the only woman to have received the George Cross whilst alive, all other female GC awards to date being posthumous. | Sonya Butt aka Agent Blanche parachuted into France when she was 19 .
An expert in explosives, she sabotaged bridges for French Resistance .
Narrowly escaped punishment as a collaborator .
Mentioned in Dispatches, she became a housewife and mother after war .
The Women Who Spied for Britain: Female Secret Agents of the Second World War by Robyn Walker (Published by Amberley at £16.99). |
276,206 | f1d9e1398b30992f7d19d71c1ae7cb5d4f8ee956 | A hazardous drug that eliminates free will and can wipe the memory of its victims is currently being dealt on the streets of Colombia. The drug is called scopolamine, but is colloquially known as ‘The Devil’s Breath,' and is derived from a particular type of tree common to South America. Stories surrounding the drug are the stuff of urban legends, with some telling horror stories of how people were raped, forced to empty their bank accounts, and even coerced into giving up an organ. Scroll down for video . Danger: 'The Devil's Breath' is such a powerful drug that it can remove the capacity for free will . Deadly drug: Scopolamine is made from the Borrachero tree, which blooms with deceptively beautiful white and yellow flowers . VICE’s Ryan Duffy travelled to the country to find out more about the powerful drug. In two segments, he revealed the shocking culture of another Colombian drug world, interviewing those who deal the drug and those who have fallen victim to it. Demencia Black, a drug dealer in the capital of Bogota, said the drug is frightening for the simplicity in which it can be administered. He told Vice that Scopolamine can be blown in the face of a passer-by on the street, and within minutes, that person is under the drug’s effect - scopolamine is odourless and tasteless. ‘You can guide them wherever you want,’ he explained. ‘It’s like they’re a child.’ Black said that one gram of Scopolamine is similar to a gram of cocaine, but later called it ‘worse than anthrax.’ In high doses, it is lethal. It only takes a moment: One drug dealer in Bogota explained how victims are drugged within minutes of exposure . Victims: One Colombian woman said that under the influence of scopolamine, she led a man to her house and helped him ransack it . The drug, he said, turns people into complete zombies and blocks memories from forming. So even after the drug wears off, victims have no recollection as to what happened. One victim told Vice that a man approached her on the street asking her for directions. Since it was close by, she helped take the man to his destination, and they drank juice together. 'You can guide them wherever you want. It’s like they’re a child.' She took the man to her house and helped him gather all of her belongings, including her boyfriend’s cameras and savings. ‘It is painful to have lost money,’ the woman said,’ but I was actually quite lucky.’ According to the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the drug - also known as hyoscine - causes the same level of memory loss as diazepam. In ancient times, the drug was given to the mistresses of dead Colombian leaders – they were told to enter their master’s grave, where they were buried alive. Devil's Breath: The drug is odourless and tasteless and can simply be blown in the face of someone on the street; their free will vanishes after being exposed to it . Dangerous: Vice's Ryan Duffy traveled to the capital of Bogota to find out more about the drug . In modern times, the CIA used the drug as part of Cold War interrogations, with the hope of using it like a truth serum. However, because of the drug’s chemical makeup, it also induces powerful hallucinations. The tree common around Colombia, and is called the ‘borrachero’ tree – loosely translated as the 'get-you-drunk' tree. It is said that Colombian mothers warn their children not to fall asleep under the tree, though the leafy green canopies and large yellow and white flowers seem appealing. Experts are baffled as to why Colombia is riddled with scopolamine-related crimes, but wager much of it has to do with the country’s torn drug-culture past, and on-going civil war. Watch video here: WARNING: CONTENT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR SOME READERS . | Scopolamine often blown into faces of victims or added to drinks .
Within minutes, victims are like 'zombies' - coherent, but with no free will .
Some victims report emptying bank accounts to robbers or helping them pillage own house .
Drug is made from borrachero tree, which is common in Colombia . |
253,480 | d41a65d71b7d3122a77e7255b38909ff10ca016f | This is the horrifying moment an out of control motorbike crashed into a cameraman who was filming nearby costing him his leg. Noel Greaves-Lord was left with a bone sticking through his skin after the powerful Ducati superbike slammed into him at speed while losing control on a bend on a road in Cannes in the south of France. The father-of-three from Worthing in West Sussex underwent multiple operations to fix a severe fracture to his right ankle, which he sustained in the collision. Noel Greave-Lord was filming the Ducati superbikes coming around the bend of a road in Cannes in the south of France . The front bike then appears to lose control after coming off the bend in the road and begin to hurtle towards the cameraman . But he contracted an untreatable form of MRSA and doctors were forced to amputate his leg to save his life. The 52-year-old, who covered sporting events for the BBC, Sky and ITV, now has to wear a prosthetic leg and has given up his job. But now he has been awarded a massive undisclosed payout from the motorcyclist's insurers following a four-year battle. Mr Greaves-Lord travelled to Cannes to carry out some filming as a favour to a friend. But while he was filming near to a road, an out of control motorbike crashed into him, with the whole incident being captured on camera. Mr Greaves-Lord was carrying out the filming as a favour for a friend and captured the whole incident on his camera . The 52-year-old said: 'The bike just slipped out and it happened very, very quickly. There was nothing I could do' The father-of-three from Worthing in West Sussex underwent multiple operations to fix a severe fracture to his right ankle. He eventually had to have his leg amputated after contracting an untreatable form of MRSA . He said: 'The bike just slipped out and it happened very, very quickly. 'You replay it in your mind and think could I have done anything different to get out of the way but there was nothing I could do. 'I just stuck my leg out to protect myself and it hit the sole of my foot and broke my ankle but luckily it pushed me out of harm’s way. 'It could’ve been so much worse. It could’ve killed me. Mr Greaves-Lord now has to wear a prosthetic leg and has had to give up his job. He has just been awarded a massive payout from the motorcyclist's insurers following a four-year battle . 'I was in extreme pain and was conscious the whole time and aware something was seriously wrong. 'I thought I’d lost my leg right then and there. 'But my friend who was a medic explained everything would be okay and an ambulance came. 'It took eight minutes apparently but it was the longest eight minutes of my life.' Mr Greaves-Lord underwent a year of operations before doctors advised that he would need to have his leg amputated. Now, four years later, he has received a compensation payout after a legal wrangle in the High Court, in London. He added: 'I am pleased and relieved that my legal battle has come to a conclusion and I can now focus completely on rebuilding my life and continue with my recovery and rehabilitation. 'The last four years have been devastating and the injuries I sustained in France have had a huge impact on my life. 'I had always been a very active and independent man but I have struggled to come to terms with the impact the injury and subsequent amputation has had on my life.' The settlement will serve as compensation for the loss of his leg and to cover the financial losses since the crash in October 2010 as well as the ongoing costs of his rehabilitation. Demetrius Danas, a lawyer for Irwin Mitchell who helped Mr Greaves-Lord receive the settlement, said: 'We are delighted that we have been able to secure a settlement which reflects Noel’s complex needs as understandably he and his family have been concerned about what the future might hold. 'Noel has been incredibly courageous throughout this most challenging time and his determination and spirit are inspirational.' | Noel Greaves-Lord was filming Ducati superbikes in the south of France .
Was filming two bikes when one lost control on a bend in the road .
The motorbike then hurtled towards the 52-year-old and crashed into him .
He sustained a severe fracture to his right ankle and underwent surgery .
Contracted MRSA and doctors were then forced to amputate his right leg .
Has now been awarded a pay-out from the motorcyclist's insurers following a four-year battle . |
140,299 | 416c9ad33c460de802db9dcf5835d4a28a69434a | New York (CNN) -- The mother of two would often drive back and forth between her suburban Scarsdale, New York, home and the bleak-looking, one-story brick warehouse in Queens. Sometimes, she drove the route in her Mercedes SUV. She probably thought about her girls, 3 and 13. Maybe she was thinking of the horseback riding lessons with her teenager, and the new horse they were hoping to buy. One thing perhaps not on her mind was being arrested and accused of living a double life: as a suburban mom and also as head of a multimillion-dollar marijuana growing operation. She faces federal narcotics charges. Federal authorities say Andrea Sanderlin, 45, ran the marijuana operation from the warehouse, where they found two rooms packed with more than 1,000 marijuana plants and large amounts of dried marijuana, along with state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation, and ventilation systems to facilitate the hydroponic growing of the plants, according to court documents. "The warehouse was filled with over $3 million worth of hydroponic marijuana and the organization covertly produced 3,000 marijuana plants," Brian Crowell, special agent in charge at the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement Tuesday. When agents raided Sanderlin's home on May 20, they found books on how to grow marijuana and how to launder money, according to the DEA. Mexican judge found video compelling in case of detained U.S. mom, marijuana . Details of Sanderlin's involvement in the case were first reported by The Smoking Gun website. Sanderlin was arrested the same day, after agents followed her to the warehouse and entered on a warrant, court documents say. She is charged with narcotics trafficking, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Sanderlin has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody pending a bond hearing. She is a "full-time mom," attorney Joel Winograd said of his client, and added she is "very concerned" about her girls. Originally from Virginia, Sanderlin was living in the upscale neighborhood of Scarsdale and driving a 2010 Mercedes SUV. According to court documents, she also had a 2004 Jeep Liberty and a 2005 Chevrolet van registered in her name. Sanderlin had recently picked up the sport of horseback riding and took lessons with her teenage daughter at Twin Lakes Farm, a riding academy and competitive show stable in Bronxville, according to owner Scott Tarter. Opinion: Why marijuana should be legal for adults . Tarter described Sanderlin as a "beginner adult rider" who came to the academy in January after buying a Friesian horse for recreational riding. Tarter said on Tuesday that Sanderlin seemed like a normal, caring, local mother who boarded her horse at his stables. Tarter said he thought Sanderlin was in the interior design business. "She was just like all the local moms here," he said. "She wasn't loud. I never saw her smoking or drinking or anything that would have made me believe this." Sanderlin participated in small horse shows at Twin Lakes, but decided to sell her horse in April. Tarter said they had planned to start looking for a new horse for Sanderlin but he hadn't seen her or her daughter since late May. Illinois, Ohio take up medical marijuana laws . Authorities said a confidential witness tipped them off to Sanderlin's alleged crimes. The witness, who has been charged with participating in a conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana, told investigators in April that a person named "Andi" operated at least one marijuana grow house in Brooklyn or Queens, according to court documents. The witness also said "Andi" lived in Scarsdale and drove a Mercedes SUV, officials said. Later, when shown a picture of Andrea Sanderlin, the witness positively identified Sanderlin as "Andi." Law enforcement agents said they contacted Con Edison about electricity accounts under Sanderlin's name. The electricity company told them about an account connected to Sanderlin's telephone number in the name of "Fantastic Enterprises" in Queens, at a location that was using "an unusually high amount of electricity." Con Edison also said bills for the account were paid in cash. Officials found that Fantastic Enterprises was a registered New York corporation from 2007 to 2011 and that the address provided for the business was an address listed under Sanderlin's name in insurance claims. Seattle's budding economy: Pot tourism . | Andrea Sanderlin pleads not guilty to federal narcotics charges .
Federal authorities say she ran a warehouse full of 1,000 marijuana plants .
They arrested her after she drove to the warehouse in Queens .
Sanderlin lives in suburbs with two daughters, 3 and 13 . |
161,091 | 5c40def48c9fcb024cde43d92c77215df321e7cd | By . Ruth Styles . Prince Charles has become the latest royal to star in a selfie photo - following in the footsteps of sons William and Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge. The prince was visiting Tregunnel Hill, a neighbourhood built on Duchy of Cornwall land in Newquay, when scaffolder Sam Wayne, 34, approached and asked for a picture. Much to Mr Wayne's amazement, not only did the heir to the throne strike a pose, he stayed around to chat after the snap had been taken. Looking good: Prince Charles beams as he poses for a selfie with scaffolder Sam Wayne, 34, in Newquay . 'He was OK,' said Mr Wayne, from Pool in Cornwall. 'I think he was a bit camera shy at first but I got one in the end.' 'I knew he was coming round the corner so I sort of like shuffled up and made sure I was there. I spoke to a site agent and I thought well, I might as well take my chances and I asked the prince for a selfie. 'He was very chatty, made me feel at ease, he didn't make me feel awkward about it or anything.' Taking selfies with members of the royal family has become an increasingly popular pastime with well-wishers at state events. Last week, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge found themselves trending on Twitter after agreeing to a selfie with internet entrepreneur Jamal Edwards during a Buckingham Palace reception. Nice moves! William and Harry pose for a selfie with entrepreneur Jamal Edwards at Buckingham Palace . Stars: The Duchess of Cambridge in a selfie taken in New Zealand and right, Prince Andrew starts the trend . Less impressed with the selfie craze was the Queen, who found herself on the end of an unscheduled photo opportunity while touring St George's Market in Belfast. The monarch, 88, was walking through the market when Jack Surgenor, 14, leaned into her path and snapped a photo - much to the horror of her security detail. Luckily for Mr Surgenor, the Queen saw the funny side and carried on with the engagement, albeit after a slightly bemused glance at the teen. Other members of the royal family to appear in a selfie include the Duchess of Cambridge, who proved a popular choice for photos during the tour of Australia and New Zealand, and Prince Andrew - the first member of the royal family to appear in a selfie. Is that me? The Queen appears in an unscheduled selfie snapped by Belfast teen Jack Surgenor . Too close: 14-year-old Jack Surgenor steps in to grab a selfie with the Queen - much to her bemusement . One royal who is yet to appear in a selfie with a well-wisher is the Duchess of Cornwall, who was at Prince Charles' side during his encounter with Mr Wayne. She and the Prince of Wales are on the third and last day of their annual visit to Devon and Cornwall, and had earlier visited Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in Watergate Bay near Newquay. The royal couple also visited businesses in Looe during the tour, including a fishmonger where Prince Charles was confronted with a supersized lobster, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage. As the royals moved onto their next engagement, Mr Wayne was busy posting his photo on Facebook, where it quickly racked up 130 likes. He added: 'I felt quite comfortable talking to him, you know. You've got to be brave. I think it will be a profile picture or something.' Seaside: Prince Charles earlier met staff at Jamie Oliver restaurant Fifteen during a visit to Newquay . Lovely! Camilla beams as she meets children at Fifteen which is managed by the Cornwall Food Foundation . Good stuff: The Cornwall Food Foundation helps unemployed youngsters begin careers in cooking . | Prince Charles was visiting Newquay when he was asked for a selfie .
Scaffolder Sam Wayne, 34, plucked up the courage to ask royal visitor .
Mr Wayne said Prince Charles was 'really chatty' and 'easy to talk to'
William and Harry appeared in a selfie with Jamal Edwards last week .
Other royals to appear in selfies include the Queen and Prince Andrew . |
78,651 | dedabafd35cb024142c7ea7e47bcf4f9552131d4 | Former Fulham captain Danny Murphy says all Felix Magath has to offer English football is a masterclass in how not to run a club. Magath was replaced as Cottagers boss by Kit Symons last week following a disastrous seven-month spell in charge, during which they were relegated from the Premier League and then left rooted to the foot of the Championship with one point from seven games. The 61-year-old has defended his reign and told German news agency DPA: 'I am convinced that English football has something to learn from German qualities.' Danny Murphy takes a penalty during his Fulham days, where he played from 2007-2012 and became captain . But Murphy hit back, telling Press Association Sport: 'All he has to offer is to show other people how not to do it.' Magath's methods have come under fierce criticism from former players, notably ex-captain Brede Hangeland who was once told by the veteran boss to treat a leg injury by rubbing cheese onto the sore area. And Murphy, a team-mate of the Norwegian defender for almost five years, revealed an even more bizarre twist to the unorthodox treatment. 'I texted Brede to ask if it was true,' he added. Felix Magath lasted just 18 games in charge of Fulham before being sacked by the Championship strugglers . Murphy has turned from player to pundit since retiring from football but could he be set for a managerial role? 'Brede told me it was, and that the cheese had to be soaked in alcohol, and that he was told to phone his mother because it would help to speak to someone who loves him while the cheese is working!' Magath said of the Hangeland reports: 'I merely suggested it could be worth trying the old wives' tale of applying quark to the injured area. I would never tell a doctor what to do.' Murphy added: 'It's sad that a club as stable as Fulham is now in such a world of trouble. 'It was a mistake to keep (Magath) in charge after they were relegated. The players I spoke to were desperate to get out because of him.' Murphy confirms that former Fulham captain Brede Hangeland (right), now at Crystal Palace, was advised to put cheese on his injured thigh to speed up the healing process by Felix Magath . Murphy has expressed an interest in taking the Fulham job, although he has not applied for it and as yet has had no contact with the Craven Cottage hierarchy. In the meantime Symons took charge for Saturday's clash with Blackburn, which they lost 1-0, and will also be in the dug-out for Tuesday night's Capital One Cup third-round clash with Doncaster. 'Kit's a very good coach,' added Murphy. 'He took over on Saturday and although they lost there were a few more smiles on people's faces. 'It's important they get a win against Doncaster to create some confidence.' Kit Symons is currently in charge at Fulham as the West Londoners look for a new manager . | Danny Murphy spent five years at Fulham between 2007-2012 .
The former midfielder has heavily criticised Felix Magath's recent tenure .
Murphy claims that many Fulham players were desperate to leave the club .
The former England international has expressed an interest in the vacancy . |
91,808 | 021b18660281a03d2d720efd5f425228781bde8d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:18 EST, 4 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:18 EST, 4 June 2013 . Damaging: Apple has been portrayed as a corporate bully that allegedly lead an illegal scheme to raise the prices of e-books . Apple has been portrayed as a corporate bully that allegedly lead an illegal scheme to raise the prices of e-books, in a civic trial today. The Justice Department’s suit claims that the Silicon Valley giant forced an end to price . competition and costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. Justice Department attorney, Lawrence Buterman, said a dramatic price increase in e-books was 'no accident or unforeseen outcome' but the result of a deliberate plan by Apple and five book publishers to eliminate Amazon's $9.99 bargain price for popular e-books. He asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who is overseeing a trial expected to last several weeks, to find that the computer company had violated anti-trust laws. Apple lawyer Orin Snyder sharply . disputed the government's claims, saying the company had been waiting . eagerly for its chance to show it had enhanced competition and improved . the e-book industry. 'Apple . is going to trial because it did nothing wrong,' he said. 'Apple did . not conspire with any publisher individually, collectively or otherwise . to raise industry prices.' He . called the government's case bizarre, saying: 'Even our government is . fallible, and sometimes the government just gets it wrong.' Buterman . said the scheme to boost prices to $12.99 and $14.99 was encouraged by . Steve Jobs, the late founder of the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer . giant. The lawyer said he would display . emails and other correspondence that showed Jobs was active in the . company's efforts to control e-book prices as Apple was preparing to . launch the iPad. Bullies? Federal prosecutors say Apple colluded with publishers to push Amazon.com out of the e-book market . The nonjury trial results from a lawsuit last year that accused the company of seeking to enter the market for e-books in 2010 in a way that would guarantee it 30 percent profits. A separate court proceeding could be conducted to quantify harm to consumers. 'Apple's conduct cannot be excused,' Buterman said. 'Consumers in this country paid hundreds of millions of dollars more for e-books than they would have.' Federal prosecutor Lawrence Buterman: 'Apple's conduct cannot be excused' But Snyder said a ruling against Apple would mark the first time in anti-trust law history in which a new entrant in a market was condemned when its presence benefited consumers. He said Apple entered an 'e-book market that was broken, lacked innovation, lacked competition and was heading nowhere good.' He said publishers fought a pricing arrangement that the government said would guarantee Apple 30 percent profits, so it defies logic to insist there was collusion. 'The government is asking your honor to proceed on a perilous path,' Snyder said. The . trial's first witness, Kevin Saul, testified that Apple knew publishers . were interested in charging higher prices for e-books when it entered . the market. He said Apple arranged a different pricing model with . publishers than Amazon.com had because Apple realized it would lose . money otherwise. He said Apple was indifferent to how its competitors dealt with publishers. 'We were focused solely on opening an e-books store for Apple,' Saul said. Five . publishers named in the lawsuit have settled. The judge had urged Apple . to do the same, though she assured Apple a fair trial Monday, saying: . 'The deck is not stacked against Apple unless the evidence stacks the . deck against Apple.' | Federal prosecutors say Apple tried to run Amazon out of business by inflating the prices of e-books just prior to the launch of the iPad .
Apple's attorney calls the government's case against the computer giant 'bizarre'
The judge in the case previously had advised Apple to settle . |
269,610 | e93747a2086b811db9da860167f4151fb6521ee8 | (CNN) -- The week started with all focus on golf's latest child prodigy, but it has ended with a former wonder kid finally fulfilling her great promise. Michelle Wie claimed her first major title Sunday, winning the U.S. Women's Open at her 11th attempt. Now 24, she triumphed by two shots from fellow American, Stacy Lewis, holding her nerve as the world No. 1 made a final-round charge. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening," an ecstatic Wie was quoted as saying by the PGA website in the aftermath of her victory. "Obviously, there are moments of doubt in there," she continued, referring to the prospect that she might never win a major."(But) I had so many people surrounding me. They never lost faith in me. That's pushed me forward." This mental fortitude was on display as Wie overcame a double-bogey at the 16th hole, bouncing back with a birdie at the next and closing with a par to sign for a level 70. Lewis also dropped a shot at 16, but finished with two birdies to card a four-under-par 66 that left her level for the tournament. She finished one ahead of Northern Ireland's 22-year-old Stephanie Meadow, who birdied her last hole to take third place in her professional debut ahead of South Korea's Amy Yang. Most of the talk at the start of the tournament, which was played at Pinehurst -- also host of the men's equivalent the previous week -- was on 11-year-old Lucy Li. The American was the youngest qualifier to start the event, but missed the halfway cut after carding two rounds of 78, though she impressed many with her mature attitude. Wie first competed in an LPGA event when she was 12, then turned pro when she was 15 and also played in several men's tournaments while still a teenager. At age 16, she made the cut at the 2006 SK Telecom Open men's event in South Korea, reportedly receiving a higher appearance fee than the winner took home. Before this week, she had won four titles on the LPGA Tour -- but her best result in a major was runner-up at the Kraft Nabisco Championship earlier this season, and as an amateur at the 2005 LPGA Championship. Red hot Streelman wins Travelers . On the men's PGA Tour, Kevin Streelman birdied his last seven holes in a row to overtake Sergio Garcia, K.J. Choi, and Aaron Baddeley and claim a sensational Travelers Championship victory at TPC River Highlands Sunday. The 35-year-old was way off the pace as he headed on to the back nine but made birdie on the 411-yard par-four 12th to signify the beginning of a red hot charge that would see him claim the outright lead on 15-under-par at the last. Streelman had to wait for Choi and Garcia to finish their rounds but the chasing pair couldn't make birdie at the 18th sealing a remarkable triumph for the American. The win marks first time a player has ever birdied the last seven holes of a tournament to win a title on the PGA Tour. "(It was) just one of those days where I felt I couldn't miss," a delighted Streelman told CBS after reaching the club house. Choi and Garcia finished joint second on 14-under-par while Baddeley ended the day a shot further back in fourth at 13-under-par. America's Brendan Steele and Ryan Moore tied for fifth at 12-under-par. Ilonen holds on in Cork . Finland's Miko Ilonen held off Italy's Edoardo Molinari to win the Irish Open at Fota Island in Cork by a single shot. Ilonen had led the tournament from the opening day but suffered a late scare on the par-five last after driving a wayward tee-shot into the trees. The 34-year-old composed himself, however, and closed out with a bogie to finish at 13-under-par and win by the slimmest of margins. Sweden's Kristoffer Broberg and English duo Matthew Baldwin and Danny Willett finished the day tied for third on 11-under-par behind second placed Molinari on 12-under. Home favorite Graeme McDowell, meanwhile, failed to secure a much desired first win on Irish soil as a poor putting display ensured he ended the tournament in sixth position at 10-under-par. | Michelle Wie wins the first major title of her career at U.S. Women's Open .
Hawaiian triumphs by two strokes at Pinehurst in North Carolina .
World No. 1 Stacy Lewis claims second place after Sunday's 66 . |
128,496 | 320ba1ad56243bc12e329905460b1789652a18ad | Andy Murray survived a test of his credentials to see off South Africa's Kevin Anderson in three sets and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Valencia Open. The world number 10, chasing his second title in the Spanish city, had endured few problems in earlier wins over Jurgen Melzer and Fabio Fognini but found seventh-seed Anderson a different prospect. Murray lost the opening set on a tie-break, but fought back bravely to claim a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4 victory which kept the players on court for two hours and 43 minutes. Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson to make it through to the Valencia Open semi-finals . Murray is in eighth position for qualification to the ATP World Tour finals in London next month . 7. Tomas Berdych (CZE) - 4,105pts . 8. Andy Murray (GBR) - 3,975 . ---------------- . 9. David Ferrer (ESP) - 3,865 . 10. Milos Raonic (CAN) - 3,840 . *Standings on Friday October 22 . The slog may yet take its toll on third-seed Murray, but his progression to the semi-finals at least bodes well for his hopes of qualifying for next month's ATP Tour Finals for the seventh year in a row. The pair exchanged breaks early in the match before Anderson gained the upper hand in game seven with a winning cross-court forehand. The advantage did not last long, though, as a double fault saw the Scot break right back, with a tie-break eventually needed to decide the opening set. And it was Anderson who seized the initiative, moving 6-3 ahead and then wrapping things up with a simple lob at the net. Playing in his fifth successive tournament, tiredness appeared to be creeping up on Murray, who at times looked heavy in his legs and reluctant to move around the court. South African Anderson won the first set but couldn't stop Murray battling back to win in three . Murray looked tired at times during the quarter-final clash as he took part in his fifth tournament in a row . The pair traded breaks once more midway through the second set but it was Murray who then gave himself a chance to edge ahead with three break points in game nine. This time the third seed did not pass up the opportunity and produced a winner down the line to take a 5-4 lead, before serving out the set to usher in a decider. That break seemed to be the energy-booster Murray needed, and he broke again at the start of the third set with a delightful lob which Anderson was unable to return. The South African dug deep to get back on level terms but to no avail, and it was eventually left to Murray to serve out the match. Unsurprisingly he did it the hard way, wasting three match points, but finally came good on the fourth thanks to Anderson's exhausted-looking forehand into the net. David Ferrer waves to the crowd after beating Thomaz Bellucci in the quarter-finals in Valencia on Friday . Murray's last-four opponent will be a most familiar foe, with Spain's David Ferrer blocking his route to the final. It will be a third clash in three weeks between the pair, with each man having one win so far in their October series. Ferrer ousted Murray in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters a fortnight ago, but the Scot took revenge by beating the world number five to take the Vienna title last Sunday. The top seed in Valencia, Ferrer sprinted to a 6-1, 6-2 quarter-final victory on Friday against Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci. | Murray fights back from set down to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 against Anderson .
The win keeps him in eighth in the race for World Tour finals qualification .
Will face David Ferrer in the semi-finals in Valencia on Saturday . |
183,314 | 7971b1af3b6374e54af80bcd6cd51101c412b885 | (CNN) -- Between the bad commercials, Beyonce's halftime gig, the Harbaugh brothers and the action on the field, the jokesters of Twitter had plenty to snicker about during Sunday's Super Bowl. But then the lights went out in the Superdome, and Twitter really heated up. The year's most-watched sporting event, interrupted by a 35-minute delay in the third quarter, may forever be known as the #Blackout Bowl. The bizarre interlude seemed to energize the San Francisco 49ers and the Twitterverse, which until then had been complaining about the one-sided game. Twitter said its volume of chatter spiked during the blackout, reaching 231,500 tweets per minute. In total, there were 24.1 million tweets posted about the game and its halftime show, said Twitter in a blog post. By the beginning of the second half, Twitter said its volume of tweets had already surpassed last year's total for the whole game. We by no means saw all of them, but here are some of our favorites: . James Burnett -- The guy refereeing Puppy Bowl IX must be thinking, "I did not get into broadcasting to call 'poopy penalty!' with a straight face." Savannah Guthrie -- Just 700 more calories til kickoff! #superbowl . Onion Sports Network -- Randy Moss placing hand on chest where he thinks human heart is located #SuperBowl . The Sklar Brothers -- No need to rush the Anthem, Alicia. #SB47 #sklarbowl . Jim Spellman -- Wait...these coaches are brothers? Someone shoulda done a story about that! #superbowl . Betch -- I am here for the butts, the biceps and Beyonce. #SuperBowl47 . Joshua Topolsky -- So annoying the way this game keeps interrupting the commercials. Rachel Sterbenz -- Well watching that GoDaddy commercial with my 95 year old grandpa was awkward...#superbowl47 . Athena -- #nodaddy #superbowl I don't know what to do with that go daddy commercial. I think I need therapy. Joel McHale -- Alright, now let's see which Harbaugh brother will finally win their father's respect and approval. #SuperBowl . FrostyFeast -- Nobody thinks the cookie is the best part. Nice try, Oreo, you're not gonna trick me into promoting your product on Twi--dammit. #superbowl . Doug and Polly White -- Our 6 yr old granddaughter just asked if the players in black were the raisins #superbowl47" lol! Evan Banned -- The man in the stripey shirt said something and half the people were happy and the other half the people were not so much. #superbowl . Hayden Black -- Jared doesn't say a word in his new Subway ad because if they'd let him, he'd have said "help me." #Superbowl47 . Ed Bott -- This is the best episode of The Wire, ever. Team Coco -- The ultimate Super Bowl commercial would feature a woman in a bikini riding a talking horse while eating a Crunchy Beefrageous Cheeserrito . Greg Miller -- They just teleported the rest of Destiny's Child to the #SuperBowl from the alternate dimension Beyonce trapped them in. Ali LeRoi -- It was nice to see #DestinyChildren in their new jobs as backup dancers #superbowl . Onion Sports Network -- JaMarcus Russell Terrier Shows Up To Puppy Bowl 30 Pounds Overweight #SuperBowl . Robert Hernandez -- Did Bane just take over the #SuperBowl or something?! Men's Humor -- Is this the #Superbowl or a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial? Jillian Bell -- I turned the lights off in my house to feel like I'm at the game. #superbowl . Lance Ulanoff -- This is a publicity stunt for Star Trek: Into Darkness #SuperBowl #Blackout . Katie Mack -- So now Daniel Craig comes over in a helicopter and the Queen parachutes down to fix the lights... wait, no, wrong event. Jason Shellen -- I assume the New Orleans police have the Animal Planet PuppyBowl team in custody. #lightsout #SuperBowl2013 . Superdome Light Crew (parody account) -- What people don't talk about is how the lights were on for the entire first half.. #smh #SuperBowl . Frank Caliendo -- Best marketing scam ever. 6 extra commercials so far. #LightsOut . Brett Foster -- Only need half the lights anyway as only half the teams are playing. #superbowl47 . Nick Toplass -- In hindsight, maybe installing The Clapper was a bad idea. Joe Randazzo -- Guys I'm AT the #SuperBowl and this power outage is no joke. Most of us have broken into small but loyal factions. I am now a doctor. Will Ferrell (parody account) -- This time, it's the rich people trapped in the Superdome. #superbowl47" Jason Dunn -- I may or may not have cried during that stupid Budweiser horse commercial. #superbowl47 . Jon Sukarangsan -- Next time my girlfriend is winning an argument, I'll just throw the circuit breaker and give it 35 minutes #superbowl47 . Cassie -- I've cried for the troops, farmers and horses. And I'm boycotting pistachios. #superbowl47 . DaynaTrisNYC -- How many blackouts does each team get per game? Baltimore better use one soon... #superbowl47 . The Sklar Brothers -- I just want to tell Jim Harbaugh that there was a lot of holding that wasn't called in the Puppy Bowl either. #SB47 #sklarbowl . Harry Knowles -- EDGAR ALLAN POE has a Super Bowl Win! Yes! Jocks never belittle the poet in your school again! . CNN's Doug Gross also contributed to this story. | The wisecrackers of Twitter were in full voice during Sunday's Super Bowl .
Many tweets poked fun at the 35-minute power outage that interrupted the game .
Jokesters also took aim at Beyonce, the Harbaugh brothers and the commercials . |
15,089 | 2adfb1085127a02a3d0756ff0748b78eb0e3de20 | The landscape for dating has changed a little since the days of Shakespeare with many of us turning to match-making websites and apps such as Tinder in hope of finding true love. However, one young singleton was determined to bring a bit of old-fashioned romance back to online dating. Lifestyle website The Debrief set one of its writers, Sophie Cullinane, the hilarious task of using some of history's greatest love letters as the script for Tinder conversations with potential new dates. Love online: Many of us now use dating websites and apps such as Tinder while looking for a relationship . Some of the letters used as the basis for conversation included those to Barbara from George Bush during World War two and entries in Frida Kahlo's diary dedicated to her lover Diego Rivera. Once Sophie had her conversations (mainly ending in being blocked) she then rated her potential suitors out of ten and gave the lessons that she learnt from each man. The results range from the completely outraged to the surprisingly charming and for some guys the clincher still remains on what football team you support. George H. Bush to Barbara Bush, 1943 . George H. Bush wrote this in a touching letter to a Barbara Pierce of Rye, New York while he was away during World War II. It is one of the many love letters George wrote to his future wife to have survived because she kept it in her engagement scrapbook – the others were lost in one of their many later moves. That's the problem with love letters – there's no backing-up system. Straight to the point: Sophie appeared to scare off her prospective date when she discussed having children so early on in their conversation . ORIGINAL LETTER: . 'This should be a very easy letter to write — words should come easily and in short it should be simple for me to tell you how desperately happy I was to open the paper and see the announcement of our engagement, but somehow I can't possibly say all in a letter I should like to. I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life. How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours some day. How lucky our children will be to have a mother like you...' TINDER CONVERSATION . James: Hi Sophie :-) Sophie: How lucky our children will be to have a father like you . J: Haha indeed . S: How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours some day . J: Ok… . Where based? You* . S: Milton, Massachusetts . J: That's quite far away lol I'm in London . S: I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life . Hopeless romantic. George Bush would write to his wife Barbara while he was away during World War two . J: Great . You sure you're not a bot . S: Fairly . J: When you coming to meet me then? S: I can't possibly say all I should like to . J: What team do you support? S: Arsenal. You? J: Spurs . [BLOCKS ME] . Rating: 6/10 . Lessons: It looks like Tinder is responsive to romance Bush-style (lol), but is definitely not OK with you supporting the wrong football team. Oscar Wilde To Lord Alfred Douglas, 1897 . Love letters between Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas were eventually read out in the court case that saw Wilde serve two years for indecency and sodomy. This letter to his lover of six years was written just after Wilde was released from prison and had fled to France. Douglas, who was known as 'Bosie' to his friends, had a tempestuous relationship and would often argue and break up, but would always reconcile. Deep conversation: The confused Tinder user tries to decipher the Oscar Wilde quotes used in this exchange . ORIGINAL LETTER . 'Everyone is furious with me for going back to you, but they don't understand us. I feel that it is only with you that I can do anything at all. Do remake my ruined life for me, and then our friendship and love will have a different meaning to the world. I wish that when we met at Rouen we had not parted at all. There are such wide abysses now of space and land between us. But we love each other.' TINDER CONVERSATION . Mike: How are you? S: Do remake my ruined life for me . M: Would love to . What's happened? S: There are such wide abysses now of space and land between us . M: How long have you been single? Old fashioned love: Oscar Wilde with his lover Lord Alfred Douglas who he used to write to, his letters were eventually used against him in court that saw him spend two years in prison for indecency . S: I feel like it is only with you that I can do anything at all . M: What would you like to do? S: Meet at Rouen? M: Where's Rouen? S: In North-Western France on the River Seine . M: Lovely . Rating: 10/10 . Lessons: We'll get back to you on that one once we're back from Rouen . Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, 1940s . This is only one of numerous love letters Frida Kahlo addressed to Diego Rivera in the diary she kept during the 1940s. It speaks of the deep and abiding bond the couple had despite several infidelities (on both sides) and a brief divorce. Confused: This potential Tinder date seems utterly baffled by the topic of conversation . ORIGINAL LETTER . 'Nothing compares to your hands, nothing like the green-gold of your eyes. My body is filled with you for days and days. You are the mirror of the night. The violent flash of lightning. The dampness of the earth. The hollow of your armpits is my shelter. My fingers touch your blood. All my joy is to feel life spring from your flower-fountain that mine keeps to fill all the paths of my nerves which are yours.' TINDER CONVERSATION . Neil: Hey you (smiley face) S: You are the mirror of the night. The violent flash of lightning. The dampness of the earth. N: Huh?! (embarrassed face) Secret love: Frida Kahlo wrote her letters to Diego Rivera in the diary she kept during the 1940s . S: The hollow of your armpit is my shelter . N: hahahahahahahahaha . Wtf are you on? S: My fingers touch your blood . [Blocked] . Rating: 2/10 . Lessons: No matter how intense and painterly you'd like your romance to become, probably best not to mention either blood or armpits within the first ten minutes of meeting someone on Tinder. Useful. Have YOU had any hilarious experiences when dating online? Get in touch and share your romantic mishaps at [email protected] . | A journalist from The Debrief conducted a social experiment on Tinder .
She used history's most famous love letters as the basis for conversation .
The reactions vary from men blocking her to others asking her for a date . |
281,101 | f824ccb679ee6c0fe08d3aec86bf99d8e6b660c7 | (CNN)After the death of King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia quickly announced that one of his younger brothers, Crown Prince Salman, was succeeding him. The man taking control of the world's top oil exporter is well established in the Gulf kingdom's corridors of power. Salman, 79, is "a stalwart of the royal family" who is "viewed as a pragmatic and cautious reformer, much like his predecessor," says CNN's Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. He has served as defense minister and deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia, a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East, for years. Like Abdullah, he's one of the dozens of sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz. Here are some of the key points about the new ruler. Salman was governor of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for nearly five decades during a period of significant change. "When he became governor in 1963, Riyadh had 200,000 inhabitants — today it has more than seven million," Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy, said in a commentary. "Salman presided over this remarkable transformation with a record for good governance and a lack of corruption." "He had to be a combination ... of a reformer, of a judge, a jury in some cases, and deal with dissent, as well as dealing with economic issues," Robert Jordan, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told CNN. "So I think he's well prepared for the task at hand." Salman's experience running Riyadh also involved keeping many of the numerous members of the Saudi royal family in line. "Since most of the royal princes and princesses live in Riyadh, he was also the family sheriff, ensuring any transgressions were dealt with smoothly and quietly, with no publicity," said Riedel, who worked for the CIA for 30 years. His national roles have since brought him wider responsibility. Salman "has been chairing cabinet meetings for several months and handling almost all foreign travel responsibilities for the monarchy since he became the heir in 2012," Riedel said. Salman's ascension to the throne is in line with the appointments put in place by Abdullah before his death. "I think that you'll see a continuation -- very similar policies, very similar dynamics unfolding," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "The kingdom is modernizing; it's changing, it's reforming and it will continue to do so over the next several decades." Riedel says the royal family "values family collegiality and harmony highly." "The two previous Saudi kingdoms in the 18th and 19th centuries were wracked by internal family squabbles, which their foreign enemies exploited," he explains. "With the Arab world facing its worst crisis in decades, the royals will want to present an image of stability and strength." Salman's first order after assuming the throne was to appoint his youngest brother, Prince Muqrin, as the new crown prince. Analysts see that appointment as an effort to ensure future stability. Abdullah had named Muqrin as deputy crown prince in March. At 69 years old, Muqrin is relatively youthful. A former head of intelligence for the kingdom, he is also reportedly well-liked by world leaders. Muqrin "has been closely linked to Abdullah and his policies of modernization and reform," according to Cordesman. But the succession plan isn't without its critics. Muqrin's mother does not have royal blood, which is a sticking point for some people in Saudi Arabia. Several of Salman's sons also hold prominent positions. They include Prince Sultan, who in the 1980s became the first Muslim astronaut and is now the president of Saudi Arabia's tourism authority; Prince Abdulaziz, the deputy oil minister; and Prince Faisal, the governor of the Medina region. Another son, Prince Khaled, was reportedly among the pilots who carried out the first airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria last year. Details about Salman's earlier life and upbringing weren't immediately available Friday. But an official biography contained one nugget about his youth: he had apparently memorized the Quran by the age of 10, it said. King Abdullah's legacy: 5 things to know . CNN's Dana Ford contributed to this report. | Salman is "viewed as a pragmatic and cautious reformer," CNN's Becky Anderson says .
He ran the Saudi capital for nearly five decades as its population grew significantly . |
119,750 | 26b7169c17b2e4531c95cc938ef1c509913e8170 | A grand jury voted to indict the parents of murdered beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey 13 years ago, but prosecutors refused to press charges, it was revealed today. The six-year-old was found bludgeoned and strangled to death in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, on Boxing Day in 1996. For years, her parents John and Patsy Ramsey, remained suspects until finally being exonerated in 2008. No-one has ever been convicted. Cold case: John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of murdered beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, were indicted by a grand jury over her death, but prosecutors refused to press charges, it has been revealed . Unsolved: Six-year-old JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled to death in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, on Christmas Day in 1996 . Now it has been revealed that a Colorado grand jury voted to indict the Ramseys in 1999 on charges of child abuse resulting in death, a felony that can carry up to 48 years in prison. But sources, including members of the grand jury, told the Boulder Daily Camera that District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign the indictment vote, apparently believing he could not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, and never revealed the result. Instead he announced the end of investigation, saying: 'I and my prosecution task force believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant a filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time.' A lawyer for John Ramsey has praised the decision. Attorney Bryan Morgan said: 'If what you report actually happened, then there were some very professional and brave people in Alex’s office.' It is unclear whether the DA acted properly in not signing the indictment. However, one expert told the paper that in her opinion proper legal procedure would have been to sign the document and file it with the court before going to open court to dismiss the charges. 'Last picture': JonBenet with her mother, apparently on the morning of her death. Her parents remained suspects in the murder until finally being exonerated in 2008 . Horrific: JonBenet was found with her wrists tied above her head and duct tape over her mouth . Hunter, who left office in 2001 after . 28 years as Boulder County's district attorney, declined to discuss the . grand jury's actions. But he released a statement last week . to the Boulder Daily Camera, saying: 'Colorado statutes, the ethical . canons which govern the practice of law, and the Boulder District . Court's oaths, instructions and orders in the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury . proceedings, are well established and absolutely clear with respect to . the various participants' legal obligations, duties and . responsibilities, including the inviolate secrecy of the proceedings and . the differing burdens of proof applicable to jurors and prosecutors. 'As the duly elected district . attorney at the time and as an officer of the court then and now, I must . respectfully decline further comment.' Defending accusations: Patsy and John Ramsey hold a picture of their daughter during a press conference in 2000 where they released the results of an independent lie detector test, which revealed they had no knowledge of who killed their daughter . Cold case: John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of murdered beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, were indicted by a grand jury over her death, but prosecutors refused to press charges, it has been revealed . Christmas Day, 1996: Parents of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey receive a ransom note demanding $118,000 . Boxing Day, 1996: JonBenet found bludgeoned to death in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado . Boulder Police quickly placed her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, under an 'umbrella of suspicion' but they were never formally named as suspects . Detectives were later . criticised for losing focus of the crime scene and other leads by . concentrating on the family . 2003: DNA taken from the victim's clothes suggests the family were not involved . 2006: Patsy Ramsey dies of ovarian cancer . August 2006: Former teacher John Mark Karr reportedly confesses to the murder while being held on child pornography charges. But no murder charge brought after his DNA found not to match that on JonBenet's body . 2008: Boulder district attorney's office clears parents of any wrongdoing and issues apology . February 2009: Boulder Police Department takes the case back from the district attorney to reopen the investigation . On Christmas Day of 1996, the family . received a ransom note saying that JonBenet had been kidnapped and were . demanding $118,000 - the amount of a bonus Mr Ramsey had recently . received - or else she would be beheaded. But it was not long before her body was found in the basement of the house. Her . wrists were tied above her head, and she had duct tape over her mouth. An autopsy report revealed that she had been strangled and bludgeoned to . death. Within hours, the Ramseys themselves . became the chief suspects of the investigation and police were later . criticised for losing focus of the crime scene and other leads by . concentrating on the family - including JonBenet's brother Burke - . instead of following up other leads. For . the next 12 years, the blame for their daughter's death - who was given . the name Little Miss Sunshine - lay largely on their shoulders as they . fought to clear their name and find the real killer. Eventually, Boulder district attorney’s office completely cleared the Ramseys of any wrongdoing in their daughter’s slaying and issued an apology in 2008. Since then, John Ramsey has kept the memory of his daughter alive, despite losing his reputation, a thriving business and Patsy to ovarian cancer in 2006. Mr Ramsey eventually found happiness through his relationship with fashion designer Jan Rousseaux, who he married at a private ceremony in Charlevoix, Michigan, in July 2011. Basement case: This 1996 police video shows the basement hours after JonBenet's body was discovered . Last year, a former detective officially broke his silence over the investigation, saying that overlooked clues like cobwebs and a child's toy could prove important in finding the killer in the high-profile cold case. In his self-published book, Foreign Faction: Who Really Kidnapped JonBenet Ramsey?, former detective Jim Kolar reveals thousands of pages worth of investigations and police reports. He said he wanted the truth to be out in the public domain, and has a theory that a children’s toy could be responsible for the marks on JonBenet’s back. Mr Ramsey, told police in 1996 that an intruder broke through a window in the basement. But in macabre police video that shows the basement hours after JonBenet was found dead, Koler pointed out that there are wispy cobwebs, moving ever so slightly. Koler speculates that an intruder would have brushed away the cobwebs upon entering the Ramsey’s residence and thus JonBenet’s killer would have already been inside the house. | JonBenet, 6, found bludgeoned to death at home on Christmas Day, 1996 .
Parents remained suspects before finally being exonerated of crime in 2008 .
Now sources reveal grand jury voted in 1999 to indict them on charges of child abuse resulting in death .
But district attorney refused to sign vote and never revealed the result . |
74,968 | d48868a59ea419495317c144a2a0e4109487eb25 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:30 EST, 30 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:26 EST, 1 December 2012 . A Wyoming community college has been hit by a tragic murder-suicide after a man killed a teacher then himself in front of students in the classroom using some sort of 'bow-and-arrow-type' weapon. The killer had previously murdered a woman in the street about two miles away before storming into a science building on the campus of Casper College. The classroom killing prompted a college-wide lockdown as police attempted to ensure that it did not spiral into yet another campus massacre. Scroll down for video . On Duty: Police officers responded in full tactical gear to the campus attack at Casper College. No Suspects: Police say they no longer have any suspects, suggesting that the attacker may have been one of the three dead. Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh said . the murder-suicide took place in a classroom with students present, but . he didn't know how many students or what the class topic was. He said investigators were still trying to determine a motive. Walsh said an 'edged weapon' was used . it at least one of the killings, but he did not offer specifics and it . was unclear if the same or a similar weapon was used in all of the . deaths. The attacker was not believed to be a . Casper College student and it appeared he knew the victims, Walsh said. No names were released. Lockdown: Casper College was put on lockdown after apparent bow and arrow attack that left three people dead. 'We're locating next of kin and working on notification absolutely as fast as we can,' Walsh said. He added authorities did not believe there was any further threat to the community. 'I want to emphasize that this is a . horrible tragedy,' Walsh said. 'And I want the city to... just feel safe . right now. There is no one at large.' The attack at the two-year community . college in Casper occurred just before 9am in a classroom on the science . building's third floor. All students and staff were evacuated from the . building. The college sent out a campus-wide . alert via text message and email within two minutes of receiving word of . the attack at 9.06am, school spokesman Rich Fujita said. The lockdown . ended at about 11am after school officials received word that police . were no longer searching for a suspect. There are fewer classes on Fridays . than any other day of the week at Casper College, so only between 1,500 . and 2,000 of the college's 5,000 students were there, Fujita added. Tragedy: Students and staff listen to a new conference discussing the apparent murder-suicide on their campus. Political science instructor Chris . Henrichsen said he was showing the film Frost/Nixon to his government . class when he stepped into the hall to get something for a student and . was told a homicide had occurred on campus. He went back to his classroom, where students were getting messages about the campus lockdown on their phones. 'We locked the door and waited for further instruction,' Henrichsen said. The students were later sent home, . but some who parked near a different campus building where the attack . occurred had to leave their cars there, Henrichsen said. About two miles away, Dave Larsen . said he was headed to the gym when he drove past a body in a gutter with . two people standing over it, one talking on a cellphone. Larsen lives about a block from the location of the body, a well-kept neighborhood of mostly single-story houses. Emergency vehicles had the street blocked off on Friday afternoon. Scene: The horrific murder-suicide took place in the science building of the community college . Walsh said 33 law enforcement . officers from different agencies responded to the college after . receiving reports of the attack. He said authorities first thought it . might have been an 'active-shooter-type situation.' 'We quickly contained the building and started a sweep through the building,' he said. Walsh said that within minutes of the . initial call, there was another report of a traumatic injury about two . miles southwest of campus. That victim was found in the street, the . Star-Tribune reported. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day at the school, one of seven community colleges in Wyoming. A meeting was held in the afternoon . for the 150 teachers and students who remained. College president Walt . Nolte addressed them, calling it the worst day of his more than 40 years . in higher education and encouraging the community to come together. 'It is particularly painful because of our size,' Fujita said of the small, tight-knit campus. Counselors were speaking to students and planned to be available through the weekend. About 450 students live on campus. Classes are due to resume on Monday. 'We agreed it doesn't do any good to . just set the students loose. It makes the most sense to have them come . back to campus, where they can get help if they need help and come to . terms with what happened,' Fujita said. Investigation: Police were concerned there could be a gunman at large on the campus or in the town . Walsh said police train for such incidents but had no warning of Friday's violence. Wyoming governor Matt Mead, who went . to the campus on Friday evening, said it was too early to assess . security precautions at the college. 'There's no sense in doing that now until we understand fully what has taken place,' he said. The governor added that the focus now . 'should be on the victims' family, the community college family, the . president, the trustees and the students, and making sure we're . attending to any of their needs.' Casper College opened in 1945 as the . state's first junior college and moved to its current site 10 years . later. The campus consists of 28 buildings on more than 200 acres. The . college provides more than 140 academic-transfer, technical and career . programs. Casper is Wyoming's second-largest . city with a population of about 56,000. Wyoming residents refer to it as . the 'Oil City' because it's a hub for the state's oil industry. Watch the press conference here . | Man kills faculty member, 'student aged' female and then himself at small Wyoming community college .
Attacker apparently used a 'bow and arrow type' weapon .
Police say all three dead knew each other but have not suggested a motive . |
164,983 | 6159446bc601815973168f172467300f1921cc4c | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Our educational system is essentially a Soviet-style government-run monopoly that could only be loved by the likes of Lenin and Stalin. HLN Money Expert Clark Howard says the American education system isn't giving taxpayers their money's worth. Now, I know that's a strong opening statement, but consider this: The government decides where your kids go to school; what curriculum they'll study; and even develops long-term educational plans just like the Communists devised five-year plans. This kind of "one-size-fits-all" approach really punishes kids. And zero tolerance policies are a symptom of the stranglehold our government has on schools. For example, the Supreme Court recently heard a case about a 13-year-old Arizona student suspected of possessing Advil back in 2003. For that crime, she was strip-searched to see if she had hidden ibuprofen pills on her body. The Arizona school system maintained it had the right to do what it did. What's more, it remained defiant through the years, constantly appealing unfavorable lower court decisions when challenged. Arizona ultimately took the case all the way up to the highest court in the land. In late June, the Supremes ruled 8-1 that the school system's actions were unconstitutional. See Clark discuss why he thinks governments shouldn't own banks » . In another instance of an insane zero tolerance policy, The Washington Post reports that a Virginia teen was suspended for two weeks last year after taking a prescription birth-control pill during lunch. This was not a religious or moral issue; the school was instead arguing that it was illegal for students to have prescription pills on the premises. That student even faced expulsion! This is what we've done by not offering school choice in our nation. I have long been a fan of vouchers, charter schools and home schooling to bust up the government monopoly on the education of our children. Do you think this whole issue doesn't affect you because you don't have kids? Think again. Huge amounts of your taxes are still spent to support schools that are failures. If this country is going to invest so much into government-run education, we should be taking a cue from a nation like Finland. Simply put, the Finns have the best public education system in the world. Their 15 year-old students are consistently excelling in standardized testing versus any other nation, according to the results of the most recent PISA exams (Program for International Student Assessment) -- a test of academic proficiency administered every three years in many countries. Finnish students ranked No. 1 in science scores, and No. 2 in both math and reading. And the United States? We come in at No. 29 in science, No. 35 in math, and a recent U.S. reading score which wouldn't even track in the top 10 countries in the world. In Finland, children begin studying algebra, geometry and statistics in the first grade. By 15, they speak three languages, which, of course, is not uncommon throughout Europe. According to The Dallas Morning News, a team of Texas educators recently traveled to Helsinki to learn from the Finns. What they found was that teachers had 100 percent freedom to educate as they saw fit. They treated their classroom like an entrepreneur would treat his or her business. Contrast that to how we do things in America with our five-year plans and giant bureaucracies determining what gets taught. Our brand of institutionalized "education lite" -- with far too few hours spent in the classroom and an antiquated summer vacation schedule from America's agrarian days -- just isn't cutting it. | HLN Money Expert Clark Howard: U.S. education system isn't adding up .
American "one-size-fits-all" approach to education really punishes kids .
Clark supports vouchers, charter schools to break up government monopoly .
Ask Clark -- Have a question or comment? Share it at iReport.com . |
186,530 | 7d9b09b7763ff20a4c3c4528361c2018b9663ff6 | By . Associated Press . and Zoe Szathmary . A Missouri death row inmate scheduled to be put to death next week has filed a motion asking that his execution be videotaped because he's afraid 'it could be painful.' Russell Bucklew, who turned 46 on Friday, is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing a man living with his ex-girlfriend as part of a crime spree in southeast Missouri in 1996. After the murder, Bucklew raped his ex-girlfriend and shot at a state trooper in a police chase. Scroll down for video . Convict: Russell Bucklew, pictured, wants his execution to be videotaped because he's afraid of how lethal drugs will affect his body . Victim: Michael Sanders, pictured, was shot and killed by Bucklew in front of his two sons. Stephanie Pruitt and her two daughters, who had been staying with Sanders, also witnessed the killing . Bucklew's attorneys filed a motion seen asking for the execution to be taped, citing Bucklew's health concern, Mother Jones reports. 'Mr. Bucklew seeks this Order so he can preserve vital evidence of the events occurring during his execution,' the motion says. 'His head, neck, throat and brain are filled with clumps of weak, malformed blood vessels that could rupture, causing coughing, choking and suffocation, or impairing the circulation of the lethal drug, causing a prolonged and excruciating execution while he struggles for air. Mr. Bucklew seeks to document these events.' Bucklew suffers from a congenital condition that causes the damaged blood vessels and tumors. He told AP in a phone interview Friday that he often bleeds from the eyes and ears. He has constant pain in the face that requires pain medication every six hours. In light of his condition and the botched April execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma, Bucklew said he's worried about what will happen to him. 'I'm worried it could be painful,' Bucklew said. 'I'm worried about being brain-dead. I understand the family (of the victim) wants closure, but we're victimizing my family here, too.' Bucklew's attorneys have also cited concerns about Missouri's secretive procurement of the execution drug. Lethal injection: Former Cape Girardeau county prosecutor Morley Swingle has called Bucklew a 'homicidal Energiser bunny' In March 1996, Bucklew tracked down his estranged girlfriend, Stephanie Pruitt, at the Cape Girardeau mobile home of Michael Sanders. Pruitt and her two young daughters were staying there with Sanders and his two young sons. Bucklew shot Sanders in front of Pruitt and the kids, killing him. He grabbed Pruitt, took her to a remote area, and raped her. When a Missouri state trooper spotted Bucklew later that night on Interstate 55, a chase began. Bucklew shot at the trooper and missed. The trooper shot back and grazed Bucklew's head. He later escaped from jail, hid inside the home of Pruitt's mother and attacked her with a hammer. She was able to get away and Bucklew was caught a short time later. Bucklew said he was remorseful for the crime, and said he plans to revise his will to provide money for a college fund for the sons of the victim. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, in a court response on Thursday, questioned why Bucklew waited until now to raise those concerns. 'There is no good reason Bucklew could not have brought his current suit six months ago, or six years ago,' Koster wrote. Former Cape Girardeau County . prosecutor Morley Swingle said he has no sympathy for him. He earlier referred to Bucklew as a 'homicidal Energiser bunny' when speaking to the Guardian. 'I . truly believe he's probably the most evil person I ever prosecuted . because he's such a pure sociopath,' Swingle said. 'When he had it in . his mind to hurt somebody, you just couldn't stop him.' Swingle said concerns about the pentobarbital used in the execution 'are grasping at straws. It's a very deadly poison and when they give it to him, he'll die.' Bucklew's execution would be the seventh in Missouri since November using pentobarbital, and there have been no apparent problems with the previous six. Botched execution: Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett, pictured, took 43 minutes to die after a lethal injection went awry in April . It would also be the first death penalty carried out in the U.S. since April 29, when Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett writhed on the gurney, gritted his teeth, and moaned before dying of an apparent heart attack 43 minutes after the start of his execution. A doctor inside the death chamber during the execution reported that Lockett's vein collapsed and some of the lethal drugs were absorbed into his tissue or leaked out. The incident prompted renewed concern about lethal injection in an era when many states, including Oklahoma and Missouri, have changed drugs they administer and refuse to disclose the source of the execution drugs. Oklahoma put on hold a second execution scheduled for the same night as Lockett's death, while the state investigates what happened. A Texas inmate was scheduled to be put to death this week but a federal appeals court granted a stay of execution so his attorneys can pursue appeals arguing that he is mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty. | Russell Bucklew, 46, tracked down his estranged girlfriend, Stephanie Pruitt, at the home of Michael Sanders in 1996 .
Bucklew killed Sanders in front of Pruitt and four children before he raped Pruitt in a remote area .
His attorneys have filed a motion asking for the execution to be taped because Bucklew suffers from 'weak, malformed blood vessels'
Bucklew bleeds from the eyes and ears and needs medication every six hours for facial pain . |
22,600 | 40237806d734e87bdddc95f8cd28fc287c5988c9 | The Libyan government today said it was struggling to cope with the number of sub-Saharan . Africans arriving in the country, and threatened to help them enter . into Europe themselves if EU countries do not 'assume their . responsibilities' and offer the country more aid. The announcement comes as hundreds of migrants are feared dead after a boat carrying a reported 400 people sank off the coast off the coast of southern Italy. The accident happened around 100 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa where more than 300 Eritreans perished last autumn, according to reports in the Italian media. The boat was around 50 miles north of Libya. Scroll down for video . African migrants at a detention center, in Zawiya, Libya. The Libyan government said it was struggling to cope with the number of sub-Saharan Africans arriving in the country . Men and boys, part of some 340 illegal migrants who were rescued by the Libyan navy off the coast of the western town of Sabratha when their boat began to take on water . An African migrant wowan breaks down at a detention center in Zawiya . A member of the Libyan security forces stands guard near some 340 illegal migrants who were rescued by the Libyan navy . Struggling to cope: Today's tragedy follows a threat from the Libyan government to 'facilitate' illegal immigrants seeking to reach Europe from the country's shores . Warning: The tragedy comes after Libya's interim interior minister Salah Mazek said the North African country could not cope under the strain of thousands of sub-Saharan Africans passing through it . At least 210 of the passengers have been rescued by the Italian coast guard following the sinking, but 15 bodies have already been pulled from the sea and more than 100 are still missing. A statement from the Italian Navy said 'A boat filled with migrants sank a few hours ago off the Libyan coast.' 'A helicopter has been dispatched and two warships are headed to the area at maximum speed to lend assistance.' The coast guard was alerted to the incident by a boat involved in offshore oil extraction in the area, Italian media said. The tragedy follows a threat from the Libyan government to 'facilitate' illegal immigrants seeking to reach Europe from the country’s shores. Past: Today's accident happened around 100 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa where more than 300 Eritreans perished last autumn (pictured), according to reports in the Italian media . A group of illegal immigrants are detained after Libyan coast guards caught them attempting to flee the coast to Europe, in Zawia, west of Tripoli . Women and children, part of some 340 illegal migrants who were rescued by the Libyan navy off the coast of the western town of Sabratha . Libya has long been a springboard for Africans seeking a better life in Europe, and the number of illegal departures from its shores is rising . Interior Minister Salah Mazek said that the North African country could not cope under the strain of thousands of sub Saharan Africans transiting through Libya insisting it was ‘Europe’s turn to pay the price.’ Libya, still mired in chaos after the failure of the Arab Spring, is the gateway for hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking a new life in Europe. Around 800,000 would-be migrants are poised on Libya’s coastline to make the crossing to Europe, ferried by gangs of human traffickers, the Italian government has warned. In the first four months of this year 25,000 migrants have landed in Italy, the closest European landfall to Libya, around ten fold last year's figure. Most plan to make their way to northern Europe. One in five eventually settle in the UK, British investigators say. Tribute: Last year, on his first official trip outside Rome, Pope Francis laid a wreath in the sea near Lampedusa in memory of those immigrants who have lost their lives in the crossing . Mr Mazek said that Libya could not cope with the 'flood' and would move the migrants on. He told a news conference at the weekend: 'I’m warning the world and Europe in particular - if they do not assume their responsibilities, Libya could facilitate the transit of this flood of immigrants towards Europe.' He said Libya was 'suffering' because of problems created by the mainly sub-Saharan Africans were spreading disease, crime and drugs in the North African nation. 'Libya has paid the price. Now it’s Europe’s turn to pay,' Mazek added. At least 38 migrants perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Tripoli at the weekend, with dozens more feared dead. The hull gave way 4km off shore because of the crush of people on board the boat which was carrying migrants from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Mali and Senegal. Sea patrols have been stepped up following the tragic drowning of more than 300 migrants off the Italian island of Lampedusa last year. Most boats are now intercepted by coastguard or Naval ships, often hundreds of miles from shore. But while the policy has saved lives, the Italian government says it has also helped traffickers by making the journey shorter and cheaper, encouraging more crossings. | Accident happened around 100 miles south of Italian island of Lampedusa .
At least 210 of the 400 passengers have been rescued, with 100 still missing .
15 bodies have already been pulled from the sea 50 miles north of Libya .
Accident comes after Libya threatened to help migrants reach Europe .
Says it is struggling to cope with the number of sub-Saharans arriving .
Warned EU it will help migrants make crossing unless it gets more aid . |
172,719 | 6b8697d501df06d6e76e18998b4574c35163ff87 | Wombats are being buried to death during logging and it needs to stop now, the director of Wombat Protection Society said. Marie Wynan and her husband Ray have been patrolling the Glenbog State Forest of south coast NSW but they are still discovering blocked burrows from excessive soil, logs, rocks or debris during logging. The Nimmitabel couple, who run a wildlife sanctuary near their property, have marked over 150 wombat burrows with a GPS, reporting on damages and negotiating with the loggers so they could avoid bulldozing over burrows. The wildlife sanctuary owner Ray Wynan saving a wombat from another collapsed burrow after the logging . The NSW Environment Protection Authority confirmed the state government-owned Forestry Corporation of NSW had agreed to ensure entrances to the burrows were not obstructed by logging debris as it felled the southern forest, according to Sun-Herald. But Ms Wynan told Daily Mail Australia that even restricting truck movements with planned out maps and markings had not been taken into consideration and were completely ignored by contractors. 'It's just heartbreaking when my husband and I find burrows that are compacted by machinery and logs. We can no longer reopen them because they're too deep,' she said. 'Wombats have not been able to dig themselves out and end up suffocating to death.' 'We can't interfere when they're logging but all we can do is go in after it's done and try to reopen the burrows again - that's all we can do for now. 'They are one of the most intelligent animals in the world and they are more clever than dogs. 'We really need to continue and push for legislation to give these wombats a second chance at life.' The burrow backfilled three times and was sitting underneath an enormous pile of logs . Mr Wynan unblocking the wombat burrow . The Wildlife Rescue South Coast members met with EPA officers from Sydney on Saturday to assure the loggers were following the agreement, as well as investigating the deaths of the wombats. But Ms Wynan said the loggers had 'deliberately' removed the GPS markings and filled burrows in again once the EPA officers had left. A Forestry Corporation spokesman said 'wombats use multiple burrows' and 'larger burrows generally have several entrances and wombats are able to re-excavate or remove obstacles at burrow entrances.' With 25 years of observing bare-nosed wombats, Ms Wynan said these claims were untrue. 'Some people believe that wombats can dig themselves out but they don't have the strength to do so. When their burrows collapse or blocked from logging, they're trapped deep down, causing significant harm or drawn out deaths,' Ms Wynan said. Marie Wynan and her husband Ray had taken their time out to mark over 150 wombat burrows with a GPS for the contractors to follow during the logging . The wombat's head and face was injured, bleeding from nose and was disoriented after the logging . She told Sun-Herald that thorough searching had not uncovered a single burrow with more than one entrance and such burrows were rare for this variety of wombat. The Australian Wildlife Society regional co-ordinator Linda Dennis said Forestry Corporation's comments were 'ridiculous.' 'The bare-nosed wombats just have one entrance in and out, so if it is ploughed over, that’s it. You are looking at a slow death with lack of food and water,' said Ms Dennis. NSW Labor’s environment spokesman Luke Foley told Sun-Herald that Forestry Corporation should honour its agreement with the wildlife groups, which had been 'an opportunity for a positive community partnership to ameliorate the impacts of logging.' 'Wildlife carers spent many hours painstakingly marking and recording wombat burrows only to return and find callous disregard had been given to these harmless and vulnerable animals,' he said. | Marie Wynan and her husband Ray have been patrolling the forest and marking wombat burrows .
Forestry Corporation of NSW are burying wombats to death during logging .
Over 150 burrows were marked but was ignored competely by contractors .
'We really need to push for legislation to give these wombats a second chance at life,' Ms Wynan said. |
47,379 | 859071eb924006a37c759d850a6891f7c8e31cfd | Whoopi Goldberg is rising to Bill Cosby's defense as claims he raped more than a dozen women begin to mount. The View star expressed skepticism today about allegations by Barbara Bowman that the 77-year-old comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1985. Ms Bowman said that she went to a lawyer, who laughed at her when she tried to say that Cosby had sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was an aspiring actress and model. Goldberg asked why Ms Bowman didn't go to the authorities for proof that she was raped. Scroll down for video . Whoopi Goldberg expressed skepticism of rape claims against Bill Cosby and wondered why accuser Barbara Bowman never went to the police . 'Perhaps the police might have believed it. Or the hospital. Don't you do a kit when you say someone has raped you?' she asked. 'But there was a settlement,' co-host Rosie O'Donnell said, referring to a suit brought by another woman, Andrea Costand, in 2006. 'So that's the thing that's curious.' Ms Bowman said she didn't tell anyone, including the police, about the alleged sexual assault for years because she believed that Cosby was too famous and too powerful for anyone to take her seriously. She said she couldn't even tell her mother about what allegedly happened. Last month, she told MailOnline in excruciating detail how Cosby allegedly drugged her after he went to his New York home and had a single glass of wine as an impressionable 17-year-old in 1985. She passed out and came to wearing only a man's t-shirt and her underwear, certain that she had been sexually assaulted. She claimed he also pinned her down and tried to rape her in his hotel suite in Atlantic City in 1987. She also said she has never asked for, nor taken money from Cosby. CelebrityNetWorth.com pegs the former 'Cosby Show' actor's wealth at $400million. Cosby, 77, has stayed literally silent about the allegations - refusing to even speak when asked about them on NPR over the weekend . Barbara Bowman told MailOnline in excruciating detail how she was allegedly drugged and assaulted by Bill Cosby as a teenage model nearly 30 years ago . Goldberg said she doesn't buy the story: 'Quite honestly, look, I'm sorry, having been on both sides of this where people allege that you do something - it doesn't matter now. The cat is out of the bag, people have it in their head. I have a lot of questions for the lady, maybe she'll come on.' In November 2006, Bill Cosby settled a civil lawsuit with Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee who claimed he had drugged and sexually assaulted her in his Philadelphia-area mansion two years earlier. Her lawyers said they had the names of 13 other women who had come forward voluntarily with similar accounts of drugging or abuse at the hands of Cosby - but the settlement was reached before the other women could testify. Last month, Barbara Bowman revealed to MailOnline that she had been drugged and raped by Cosby in 1985, when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress. She was one of the 13 women willing to support Constand in 2006. Joan Tarshis has become the latest woman to accuse him of raping her. On Sunday, she revealed she was working as a writer for Cosby in 1969, when he drugged and sexually abused her on two occasions, she said. She appeared to sympathize with Cosby, saying it was 'awkward' when celebrities were falsely accused of crimes. 'I hope that there is justice for this lady. I hope somebody gets to the bottom of this, but I’m going to reserve my judgment because I have a lot of questions, as I said. It’s crazy, but I have a lot of questions, because I know we all have friends who have gone through this.' Co-host Nicolle Wallace responded to Goldberg: 'It’s more than awkward, it’s a tragedy!' 'Either 13 women were raped by someone too powerful to face the criminal justice system or an innocent man is being falsely accused.' Thirteen women signed on to a 2005 lawsuit brought by Andrea Constand alleging sexual assault. Ms Bowman said she testified as part of that lawsuit but never received a payout after Cosby settled out of court. Cosby's lawyer has denied the new round of claims and has said that the 77-year-old wouldn't 'dignify' the claims with a response. When asked by NPR over the weekend, Cosby smiled and refused to respond. Cosby has never been charged with any crime relating to the allegations now swirling around him. Goldberg said she is not convinced by the claims against Cosby. And the fact that he settled a 2005 lawsuit brought by another sex assault accuser, should not be seen as an admission of guilt. 'You have to really take a minute and follow the evidence - follow what happened,' she said. 'We'll know when we know. That's what I know.' | Whoopi Goldberg wondered on 'The View' why Cosby accuser Barbara Bowman never went to the police .
Ms Bowman told MailOnline that she didn't even tell her own mother about the assault for years .
She came forward in 2005 following a lawsuit brought by another rape accuser . |
191,295 | 83b24aa6bb32f4116ef26537b0329889ed6f3400 | The sister of a U.S. citizen sentenced to 15 years in a North Korean labor camp defended her brother Thursday, asking leaders of both nations to "please, just see him as one man." Pae Jun Ho, known as Kenneth Bae by U.S. authorities, was found guilty of unspecified "hostile acts" against the reclusive Stalinist state, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. KCNA said the Korean-American was arrested November 3 after arriving as a tourist in Rason City, a port in the northeastern corner of North Korea. North Korean law allows up to 10 days of processing before a sentence is enforced, so it wasn't immediately clear when Bae would report for hard labor, or where he was being held in the meantime. "We just pray, and ask for leaders of both nations to please, just see him as one man, caught in between," Terri Chung, Bae's sister, told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. "He's a father to three children, and we just ask that he be allowed to come home." She said her family has spoken to Bae once in the last six months. Sounding "incredibly calm under the circumstances," he called last week and tried to reassure family members, but they are devastated, Chung told Cooper. "You know, Kenneth is a good man; he's not a spy. He has never had any evil intentions against North Korea, or any other country for that matter," she said. Bae is the owner of a tour company and was in North Korea for work, according to Chung. "He didn't have any problems going there last time, last year five times, so he didn't have any reason to suspect that there would be any trouble this time around," she said. Her brother's case raises the possibly of another delicate diplomatic dance over an American captive. In previous instances, North Korea has released Americans in its custody after a visit by some U.S. dignitary -- in recent cases, former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. But Bae's case could get caught up in the recent tensions between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the North is formally known, and the United States. "You all are aware of the history and how this has happened in the past with U.S. citizens," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters in Washington. "But what we're calling for and we're urging the DPRK authorities to do is to grant him amnesty and to allow for his immediate release, full stop." Ventrell said the State Department is still trying to confirm details of the case through Swedish diplomats who visited Bae last week. Sweden represents U.S. interests in North Korea because Washington has no diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. "We've had longstanding concerns about the lack of transparency and due process in the North Korean legal system," he said. "So now that Mr. Bae has gone through a legal process, we urge the DPRK to grant him amnesty and immediate release." U.S. officials have struggled to establish how exactly Bae fell afoul of North Korean authorities. The North Korean statement on his conviction provided no details of the allegations against him. "This was somebody who was a tour operator, who has been there in the past and has a visa to go to the North," a senior U.S. official told CNN on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue. Read more: The North Korea we rarely see . The news comes on the heels of weeks of superheated rhetoric from North Korea, which conducted its third nuclear test in February and launched a satellite into orbit atop a long-range rocket in December. Washington responded by deploying additional missile interceptors on the West Coast, dispatching a missile defense system to the Pacific territory of Guam and bolstering annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises with overflights by nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52 bombers. But the intensity of the North's rhetoric appears to have subsided recently, and the U.S.-South Korean drills finished this week, removing another source of friction. Read more: Why I fled North Korea . Previous situations involving Americans arrested in North Korea have usually been resolved with a red-carpet appearance by a prominent former official. In 2010, former President Jimmy Carter secured the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a former English teacher who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labor for entering the North from China. In 2009, the North freed American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to former President Bill Clinton. Ling and Lee had been arrested while reporting from the North Korean-Chinese border and sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp. Analysts say high-level visits are a show of respect toward Pyongyang, a propaganda boost for the North that gives it a face-saving way to release a captive. In 2009, North Korean officials rejected several lower-level envoys before settling on Clinton, who sat for three hours of dinner and photos with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. In one recent case, however, North Korea released an American prisoner without any apparent U.S. intervention. Robert Park had been arrested after crossing into the North to bring "a message of Christ's love and forgiveness" to Kim Jong Il in December 2009; he was released the following February, after what the state-run news agency KCNA called an "admission and sincere repentance of his wrongdoings." CNN iReport: Our global fear and fascination . But a visit to Pyongyang in January by a delegation led by Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt didn't appear to make any breakthrough in Bae's case. The State Department had objected to the delegation's trip, saying it was ill-timed. The visit took place about a month after North Korea had launched a long-range rocket that put an object in orbit and prompted condemnation from the international community. North Korea is considered to have one of the most repressive penal systems in the world. Human rights groups estimate that as many as 200,000 people are being held in a network of prison camps that the regime is believed to use to crush political dissent. The United Nations Human Rights Council said in March that it would set up a commission of inquiry to examine what it called "grave, widespread and systematic" violations of human rights in North Korea. North Korea reacted to the move with indignation, saying it had "one of the best systems for promotion and protection of human rights in the world." Why is North Korea cooling it? | Terri Chung asks leaders of both nations to see her brother as just "one man"
He is known in the U.S. as Kenneth Bae and is referred to as Pae Jun Ho by North Korea .
The U.S. State Department demands Bae's release, "full stop"
North Korean state media report he committed "hostile acts" against the state . |
190,565 | 82b6c22e31cbde6d0acf525b2126402007fd5666 | By . Meghan Keneally . PUBLISHED: . 15:37 EST, 13 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:12 EST, 13 March 2014 . Joan Rivers has shared a sneaky selfie that she took with an unknowing Eliot Spitzer in an airplane lounge. The comedienne posted a photo on her Twitter account on Thursday that shows she is standing feet away from the disgraced former New York governor. 'In the airport lounge. Eliot Spitzer in the red shirt behind me. Didn't recognize him with his pants on,' she wrote, poking fun of the prostitution scandal that led to his resignation. Familiar faces: Joan Rivers posted this photo on Thursday and considering how she tried to be stealth while taking the photo, it seems unlikely that she went on to chat with the disgraced governor afterwards . Rivers' spokeswoman Judy Katz confirmed to MailOnline that the run-in took place at JFK on Friday morning. It seems unlikely that they chatted given the stealth nature of her photo. Rivers, who most recently identified as a Republican during a January interview, is known for her barbed critiques of fashion so it comes as no surprise that she used his clothing as a way into an insult. Spitzer has been seen on a regular basis in recent months after his relationship with his former campaign manager Lis Smith was revealed, leading to his formal split from his wife Silda. Spitzer, 54, and Smith, 31, were photographed sneaking into her SoHo apartment before he filed for divorce and then were later seen visiting her mother on Christmas. More interested in each other: Eliot Spitzer and his girlfriend Lis Smith attended their third Knicks game in as many months on Monday (pictured) as they watched the home team play the Philadelphia 76ers . They have since put their relationship on even more public display by attending a number of Knicks games at Madison Square Garden over the past two months. For her part, Rivers isn't above using a photo stunt to help generate some publicity. She mysteriously stormed out of a QVC pre-Oscars party with her face covered in cake. It was revealed later that Miss Piggy, the Muppet, was behind the gag as the two got into a staged fight over their competing lines that landed the 80-year-old comedienne in a strategically placed wedding cake. Stunt: Rivers, 80, ran out of this QVC pre-Oscars party on February 28 minutes after arriving because Miss Piggy pushed her into a wedding cake . Rivers has carried the feud over to Twitter. Christie's auction house just announced that they will be selling a lot of furniture, fine art and decorative objects from Rivers' country home in Connecticut. She sold the 760-acre estate for $4.4million last year and now she is unloading more than 150 items that once filled the house. An unspecified portion of the sale, which will take place on April 1 and 2nd, will be donated to God's Love We Deliver, a charity that provides meals for homebound and ill New Yorkers. | Comedienne ran into the disgraced former Governor at New York's JFK airport on Friday .
Spitzer resigned from office in 2008 after being caught in a prostitution scandal, .
He has been seen out often with his new girlfriend, Lis Smith, recently .
The pair attended their third Knicks game in as many months on Monday . |
227,658 | b2c825fe23ab886cddb5a935ad26d29cae299477 | Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. "30 rock" actors Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan. After a long day's work, workers often look forward to a relaxing evening at home, enjoying their favorite TV shows to escape the chaos that they (hopefully) left at the office. But what happens when the workplace follows us into the TV? These days, more and more shows are set in work environments, making it easier for viewers to relate to realistic characters and storylines. In a recent CareerBuilder survey, when asked which TV show reminds them of their work environment, 15 percent of workers said "The Office." "Deadliest Catch," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost" trailed with 3 percent each, and "CSI," "Rescue Me" and "Ugly Betty" followed with 2 percent each, respectively. Here are some of our favorite TV workplaces and why: . 1. "30 Rock" Work environment: TV network Why we love it: Because it's entertaining (to say the least). Summary: Set behind-the-scenes of a fictional, live sketch-comedy show, its characters are beyond hysterical. Between Kenneth, the overeager, quirky, entry-level studio page; Jenna, the conceited, flirtatious and often flighty actress; and Tracy, the unpredictable, self-centered and "crazy movie star," we barely have time to focus on Jack Donaghy, the interfering network executive and Liz Lemon, the narrator and head writer for the show. 2. "The Cleaner" Work environment: Drug intervention Why we love it: Because it's inspirational to workers and people everywhere. Summary: William Banks, an extreme interventionist, is inspiring in his passion and dedication for his work, referring to it not as a job, but as a calling. "The Cleaner" focuses on Banks and his small team, all of whom are recovering addicts. Together, they use unconventional, often extreme measures "by any means necessary" to get rock-bottom addicts on the road to recovery. 3. "Glee" Work environment: Secondary education Why we love it: Because it portrays the ups and downs of what it takes to be a great educator. Summary: Will Schuester is an optimistic teacher who takes on the difficult task of restoring the formerly awesome glee club. Despite opposition from his co-workers (specifically, the hilarious gym teacher), Schuester demonstrates that with a little determination, even the toughest tasks at work can be handled. 4. "HawthoRNe" Work environment: Hospital Why we love it: Because it teaches workers to stand up for themselves and others at work. Summary: Whether she's your boss, your colleague or your nurse, chief nursing officer Christina Hawthorne encourages workers everywhere to make a difference. Compassionate and headstrong, Hawthorne fights for her patients to the death (no pun intended), defends her staff and stands up to authority if necessary. 5. "In Treatment" Work environment: Psychotherapy practice Why we love it: Because it touches on an industry that isn't always talked about, but has become a staple of American society. Summary: A show about a psychotherapist (and his psychotherapist), the drama captures Dr. Paul Weston and his sessions with his patients. We think it gives the oft-unrecognized psychotherapist some well-deserved credit. 6. "Lie to Me" Work environment: Various Why we love it: Because it's unique, honest and contributes to the greater good. Summary: If your boss is Dr. Cal Lightman, you can forget about feeding him a line about your alarm clock not going off this morning. Lightman is the world's leading deception expert and can detect the truth by analyzing a person's body language, facial expressions, voice intonations and speech patterns. (Talk about an intimidating boss.) Lightman and his team help federal law enforcement, government agencies and local police with their most difficult cases. 7. "The Listener" Work environment: Paramedics Why we love it: Because it focuses on a (cute) 25-year-old paramedic who can read people's minds, and therefore, solves crimes. How's that for good qualities in a co-worker? Summary: Toby Logan can listen to anyone's most intimate thoughts, a secret he shares with only one other person. He tries to use his gift to help as many people has he can, personally and professionally, but struggles with his own inner demons. 8. "Parks and Recreation" Work environment: Local government, specifically the parks and recreation department Why we love it: Because everyone can relate to a character on this show as it pokes fun at how seriously -- or in some cases, lightly -- some people take their jobs. Summary: Documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope, mid-level government official, as she tries to advance her career by helping turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park with no thanks to one colleague who "cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain," and her boss, "who is philosophically opposed to government in any form." If nothing else, this workplace is pure comedy. 9. "Rescue Me" Work environment: New York City firehouse Why we love it: Because it pulls on our heartstrings watching the camaraderie and relationships among colleagues. Summary: Focusing on the men in a New York City firehouse -- the crew of the fictional Firehouse 62 -- the show mainly follows Tommy Gavin, a veteran firefighter and relapsed alcoholic. We also get a peek into the lives of his crew, and the day-to-day struggles firefighters face personally and professionally every day. 10. "True Blood" Work environment: Local diner/small town Why we love it: Because of its character storylines -- especially the cute vampire coupled with a telepathic waitress. Summary: Realistically, this "workplace" isn't realistic at all, what with the selling and dealing of vampire and synthetic blood; anti-vampire movements and the general idea of the co-existence of humans and vampires. But Merlotte's is your typical small business... Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority . | Survey asks people which TV show workplace reminds them of their own .
15 percent identified with "The Office" about coworkers at paper company office .
"Deadliest Catch," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost" were the choice of 3 percent each .
"30 Rock," "HawthoRNe" and "Rescue Me" were also favorites . |
65,289 | b9640a5c0955b80a5c9c12867f055a634ebc7bc3 | By . Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 10:49 EST, 21 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:45 EST, 22 July 2013 . Marine conservation campaigners have offered a £2,000 reward to anyone who turns in the hit-and-run killer of a young dolphin. The calf was fatally injured by the propeller of a boat after up to 20 vessels were accused of ‘harassing’ an inshore pod of dolphins off the Cornish coast. Police are now investigating the death. The cash reward for information leading to an arrest has been put up by the charity Sea Shepherd UK. Killed: Police are investigating how a young dolphin was mown down and killed by boat users in a Cornish estuary (file photo) Witnesses said powerboats raced into . the Camel estuary near Padstow and surrounded a pod of protected . bottlenose dolphins swimming close to the shore. It is thought one of . the boats collided with the calf by accident. Yesterday, Abby Crosby, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: ‘A bottlenose dolphin was killed. It’s a massive tragedy. ‘Inshore pods are so rare and special. There are only three recognised inshore pods resident around the coast . in the UK and one of them is in Cornwall. 'There are only between eight . and a dozen dolphins in this pod and to lose one is drastic. We need to . educate powerboat owners about how special this species is. ‘I believe everyone was alerted that . the pod was out in the estuary and they went out. I think some speedboat . owners were very excited to see them. Attraction: Powerboat and speedboat users raced into the Camel estuary on Saturday afternoon to see a rare pod of inshore bottlenose dolphins in the water. But a calf was fatally injured by one of the motorboats (file photo) ‘These dolphins are protected by the . Wildlife Act of 1981 and you cannot plead ignorance of the law. You . cannot follow a pod because that is harassment. They can follow boats, . but boat owners should turn their engines off. ‘These creatures are insanely intelligent. They will mourn a calf – they are not like wild animals with little intelligence.’ 'I understand it was not a deliberate . act but an accident but we need to educate power boat owners about how . special this species is' Abby Crosby, Marine Conservation Officer with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust . Faye Archell, of British Divers Marine . Life Rescue, said: ‘There were a number of private, commercial and . sightseeing vessels in the area at that time. 'Padstow sightseeing . vessels are all trained how to behave responsibly around wildlife. However, passengers may have witnessed the harassment by other vessels.’ A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman . said: ‘Specialist wildlife crime-trained police officers are . investigating reports of a dead bottlenose dolphin which was seen in the . Camel estuary, Padstow, on Saturday. ‘It is believed a pod of dolphins . entered the estuary at about 1.30pm. They were followed by up to 20 . boats until about 4.45pm when they left the estuary. ‘A pleasure boat running cruises area then saw the body of a dead dolphin.’ The pod belongs to a sub-species of . bottlenose dolphins that spend their lives inshore. Bottlenose dolphins – . which have regional accents, with the whistles made by those off Wales . different to those living off the Irish coast – are altruistic and will . go to the aid of humans in distress. Prosecution under the Wildlife Act can lead to a £5,000 fine and six months’ jail. | Rare pod of .
inshore bottlenose dolphins in Camel estuary on Saturday .
The appalling incident was witnessed by sightseers who contacted police .
Investigation carried out because the dolphins are a protected species . |
56,995 | a16f1fcc107d3aee5ab49f45b2834658f96fb24b | An 11-year-old Oregon boy was killed Thursday and his mother seriously injured after a tree collapsed on top of their car during the wild storms that battered the west coast. William Graham, a junior at Lake Oswego Junior High School, and his mom were trapped inside their vehicle following the accident in southwest Portland. Emergency crews were called to Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard near Castleridge Lane at 5.30 pm after a cyclist riding past saw the car. The boy's mother, Susan Graham, 50, of Lake Oswego, was rushed to a Portland hospital with injuries described as traumatic and possibly life-threatening, according to KPTV. Killed: William Graham died Thursday night after an old cedar tree collapsed onto the car his mother was driving in southwest Portland, trapping both in the vehicle. He died at the scene. William died at the scene. Police say a dead cedar tree fell on the car. Police say that, after being hit by the tree, the car traveled about 50 feet before crashing into another tree. Mrs Graham was found conscious and bleeding from the nose. She kept saying 'my son is very ill', the man who found the two told Oregon Live. 'She was doing what she could,' the man said. 'She was very brave.' Scene: The car was crushed by the tree along Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard near Castleridge Lane at 5.30pm Thursday . Police and fire crews arrived at the scene to find both mother and son trapped in the vehicle . The mother, Susan Graham, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive . The passenger side of the car was almost completed flattened by the impact of the tree. The Lake Oswego School District sent additional counselors to the school Friday, and parent volunteers have also gone to the school to support the students. A family friend told Oregon Live that the Graham family had moved to the US . | William Graham, 11, of Lake Oswego, died Thursday night in Portland .
Police say an old cedar fell onto the car and caused it crash it into a nearby tree .
Mother Susan Graham, 50, was taken to hospital with 'traumatic' injuries . |
96,018 | 077937909ba924c7e4f2bad97bcd21ce29b734d7 | (CNN) -- Serena Williams will return to competitive tennis after nearly a year on the sidelines in the WTA tournament at Eastbourne, which starts Saturday. The former world number one has endured a torrid time since being sidelined with a foot injury after winning her fourth Wimbledon crown last July. Several aborted attempts at a comeback were followed by a major health scare in February as she suffered a blood clot on her lung. It led to speculation that her glittering career could be over, but Williams has recovered to take her place as a wild card in the grass court event at the south coast of England resort. "I am so excited to be healthy enough to compete again," she told the tournament's official website. "These past twelve months have been extremely tough and character building. I have so much to be grateful for. I'm thankful to my family, friends, and fans for all of their support. Serena's back!" Serena will be joined in the traditional pre-Wimbledon warm-up tournament by her older sister Venus, who is also returning to action after an extended injury layoff. Venus has been sidelined since injuring her hip at the Australian Open in January. They will take their place in a top-class line-up which has 13 of the top 20 players in the WTA world rankings, including new French Open champion Li Na of China. 13-time grand slam champion Serena returned to practice in April, but decided against returning for the second grand slam season of the season in Paris. Eastbourne tournament director Gavin Fletcher said she would be guaranteed a warm welcome at their event. "Eastbourne has always had a huge soft spot for Serena, and people here will be absolutely thrilled that she's back playing world class tennis," he said. The 29-year-old has slipped to No.25 in the world rankings in her absence but should she come through Eastbourne unscathed, Wimbledon organizers could seed her higher due to previous performances on grass. Meanwhile, top seed Roger Federer has pulled out of this week's grass court tournament in Halle, Germany. Federer, beaten in the final of the French Open Sunday by Rafael Nadal, was due to play Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the first round but did not want to risk a groin injury ahead of his Wimbledon challenge. Hewitt, who beat Federer in last year's final at Halle, will now play a lucky loser in the first round. | Serena Williams to return to competitive tennis at Eastbourne tournament .
Williams has been sidelined for nearly a year through injury and illness .
Serena's sister Venus also returns to action in same tournament .
Roger Federer pulls out of grass court tournament in Halle . |
226,204 | b0e862feb1befd1dd14d95c711d7b54e05457a29 | (CNN) -- He has one eye, a thick beard streaked with henna and has lost a finger. He wears thick aviator-style dark glasses. At least we think so. There are very few photographs of 40-something Ilyas Kashmiri. But to counterterrorism officials on three continents, he is one of the most dangerous men in the world. Kashmiri is a veteran jihadist who in his early years fought the Indians in the disputed territory of Kashmir and the Russians in Afghanistan -- which is where he lost his eye. He famously escaped from an Indian jail and then fought with a unit of Pakistan's special forces. And he is ruthless. Ten years ago, Indian troops carried out a raid into Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Pakistani officials said 14 civilians, including several children, were slaughtered. The next day, Kashmiri led a retaliatory raid. He and his fighters kidnapped and beheaded an Indian army officer -- and later paraded his head through the bazaars of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. But then, Kashmiri fell out with his sponsors in the Pakistani military. At one point, he was arrested in connection with an attempt to assassinate Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in 2003. For reasons unknown, Kashmiri was released a short time later. And that was where the trouble really started, when a local jihadist went viral, moving his base of operations from Pakistani Kashmir to North Waziristan. As commander of "Brigade 313," part of Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami (Movement for an Islamic Holy War), Kashmiri formed a close relationship with al Qaeda in the wild frontier territory of Pakistan. Kashmiri's No. 1 enemy is still India. His group was thought responsible for the bombing of a bakery popular with foreigners in Pune in 2009. But there is plenty of evidence that he has ambitions beyond South Asia. David Coleman Headley, the U.S. citizen who confessed to helping scout targets for the Mumbai attack in November 2008, said after his arrest that he had twice met Kashmiri. During questioning by India's National Intelligence Agency, which was given access to him in Chicago, Illinois, in June, Headley said he'd been taken to Pakistan's tribal territories to meet Kashmiri early in 2009. A copy of the interrogation obtained by CNN reveals that Kashmiri sent Headley on another trip to survey targets in India. One place he said he videotaped was the bakery that was later attacked in Pune. He also said Kashmiri had encouraged him to attack the offices of the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. According to the indictment of Headley, Kashmiri told him he could "provide manpower, weaponry and funding for the Denmark operations." Headley says Kashmiri gave him $1,500 and told him to "concentrate on the Denmark attack at the earliest." Headley travelled to England, Sweden and Denmark to refine his plans, before being arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International airport in October 2009 as he tried to leave for Pakistan. In a plea deal this year, Headley confessed to his involvement in both the Mumbai and Danish plots. Now intelligence sources on both sides of the Atlantic believe Kashmiri is trying to get teams into Europe that would launch coordinated Mumbai-style attacks in several cities. In those attacks, gunmen raided several buildings, including hotels, simultaneously, leaving 164 people dead. The British Home Secretary, Theresa May, said last week that police were receiving special training to handle such an attack. In a rare interview with Asia Times Online last year, Kashmiri boasted of those plans. The newspaper's Islamabad reporter, Syed Saleem Shahzad, says he was taken to a secret location in North Waziristan in October 2009 for the interview. Kashmiri apparently wanted to use the occasion to refute claims that he'd been killed in a drone strike near the town of Mir Ali the previous month. Shahzad describes meeting a tall, well-built man with a firm handshake. He asked him whether the world could expect more "Mumbai-style" attacks. "That was nothing compared to what has already been planned for the future," Kashmiri replied. European intelligence officials are now anxious that "the future" may be imminent, with al Qaeda looking to use people with Western passports in attacks -- Europeans and North Africans, for example. There are plenty of foreign fighters in Pakistan's tribal regions -- as many as 10,000, according to a Pakistani military commander. One of those fighters, Ahmed Sidiqi, was detained in Kabul, Afghanistan, last July and interrogated by U.S. forces at the Bagram Airfield. According to European counterterrorism sources, Sidiqi said he had met Kashmiri, though there is no confirmation that he did. Another man alleged to have sought out Kashmiri is Chicago taxi driver Raja Lahrasib Khan, who travelled to Pakistan in 2008 and 2009. He was arrested this year in the United States and charged with attempting to provide support to al Qaeda. Court documents say Khan met Kashmiri, who had told him that he "wanted to train operatives to conduct attacks in the United States." The documents include a conversation Khan is alleged to have had with an unidentified conspirator about Kashmiri's relationship with al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Khan told the unidentified conspirator that bin Laden gives orders to Kashmiri, and then Kashmiri transmits the orders to the mujahedeen. Khan has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Intelligence officials say that besides being an experienced operator, Kashmiri has also managed to navigate the often perilous waters of jihadist rivalries, attracting members of other Pakistani groups to his "313 Brigade" and retaining a measure of autonomy despite pledging allegiance to al Qaeda. That's probably in part because of his operational prowess. If bin Laden is al Qaeda's "spiritual" leader and Egyptian cleric Ayman al Zawahiri its philosopher, Kashmiri is the organization's military brain. As one U.S. official puts it, Kashmiri is "the key ingredient in the bad stew of senior terrorists who are planning operations in the region and beyond." | Few photographs exist of Ilyas Kashmiri .
He's forged a close relationship with al Qaeda .
A U.S. citizen who helped scout targets for the Mumbai bombings met with Kashmiri . |
23,064 | 4174c082d2ce08ffd24c358debc10f435924cd3f | A nine-year-old boy got through airport security and onto a plane without a ticket, it emerged last night. Security officials at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport screened the boy, whose exploits echo the Leonardo DiCaprio film Catch Me If You Can, at the airport shortly after 10.30am on Thursday. But the unidentified child from Minneapolis, Minnesota, slipped through a security checkpoint and then boarded Delta Air Lines Flight 1651 - which left for Las Vegas, Nevada, at 11.15am. Leaving: A 9-year-old runaway passed through this security checkpoint at Minneapolis airport without a ticket . The flight crew became suspicious and . contacted Las Vegas police, who met the boy upon landing and gave him to . child protection services, a Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman . said. A security video also showed the boy at the airport terminal on Wednesday, the day before his trip, officials said. He . took a bag from the carousel that did not belong to him and ordered . lunch at a restaurant outside of the security checkpoints, MAC spokesman . Patrick Hogan said. He ate and then told the server he had to use the bathroom, left the bag and never returned to pay. The owner of the bag was identified . and the bag was returned to him, Mr Hogan said. At this point, this is a . Delta and [Transport Security Administration] issue,' he added. 'This . is a rare incident.' In a statement to Minneapolis TV station KARE-11, Delta officials said: 'We are investigating the incident and cooperating with the agencies involved.' Leaving: The runaway boy flew to Las Vegas from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport on a Delta plane like this one, pictured. It was only discovered mid-air that he had no ticket . KARE-11 reported that authorities believe the nine-year-old boy is a runaway from the Twin Cities. 'He had to pass three levels of security,' said Terry Trippler, an air travel expert with ThePlaneRules.com, to the TV station. 'He had to pass three levels of security. You have the TSA, the gate agents, and the flight crew and a child comes through without even a seat assignment' Terry Trippler, air travel expert . 'You have the TSA, the gate agents, and the flight crew and a child comes through without even a seat assignment.' Mr Tippler said that security introduced after 9/11 obviously still has major flaws. 'While we are safer in the air, this proves there are still gaping holes,' he added. According to a surveillance video, . at 10.37am, the unaccompanied boy arrived at the airport on a . southbound light-rail car, the New York Daily News reported. The . boy was then screened at Terminal 1 and granted access to its nine . airlines despite appearing to have never produced a required ticket. Destination: Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, with the 'Strip' in the background. The nine-year-old flew here from Minneapolis without a ticket . In . an apparently well-thought out plan that has similarities to the Steve . Spielberg-directed movie, at one point the boy is believed to have . blended in with another family traveling through the airport to evade . detection. 'Fortunately, the flight crew took appropriate actions to ensure the child's safety, so the story does have a good ending' Patrick Hogan, Metropolitan Airports Commission . The boy's parents told Minneapolis Police they 'hadn’t seen much of him today' when officers arrived at the missing child's residence on Thursday after he was reported having run away, according to CBS Minneapolis. Catch Me If You Can was based on the . real-life exploits of Frank Abagnale, a teenage con-artist who, among . many other scams, traveled the world posing as a Pan Am pilot. 'The . fact that the child's actions weren't detected until he was in flight . is concerning,' said Mr Hogan, who added that producing identification . for children is not a requirement of travel. 'More . than 33million people travel through Minneapolis-St. Paul International . Airport every year and I don't know of another instance in my 13 years . at the airport in which anything similar has happened. Comparison: Leonardo DiCaprio (centre) starred in Catch Me If You Can, a film based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, who posed as a Pan Am pilot. The movie echoes the Minneapolis runaway who flew to Las Vegas . 'Fortunately, the flight crew took appropriate actions to ensure the child's safety, so the story does have a good ending,' Mr Hogan said. 'If it hadn't been for alert airline employees on our end, he probably never would have been discovered' Bill Cassell, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police . Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesman Bill Cassell told ABC News the boy was 'more worldly than most nine-year-old kids.' 'He was able to get onto an airline where he didn't have a ticket and made it five states across the U.S.,' Mr Cassell said. 'If it hadn't been for alert airline employees on our end, he probably never would have been discovered.' The station reported that Las Vegas police, Hennepin County authorities and the boy's parents were working together. A statement on the TSA's website said that the federal funding shutdown meant no information on the incident would be immediately available online. | Boy took Delta flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas on Thursday morning .
He passed three levels of checks before flight crew got suspicious mid-air .
Minneapolis official says 'rare incident' is an issue for the airline and TSA .
Nine-year-old was spotted on airport security camera the previous day .
Was filmed stealing bag and even left terminal restaurant without paying . |
92,291 | 02b5ee53d0e7127d221f121071ce9343d37cf5ea | By . Jason Groves . Senior Labour party officials are said to be overhauling Ed Miliband's geeky image and presenting him as dull but competent . Labour is to present Ed Miliband as a ‘Mr Normal’ figure at the next election – in a bid to make a virtue of his lack of charisma. Senior party lieutenants concede that efforts to overhaul the Labour leader’s geeky image have largely failed, and are now drawing up plans to promote him as a dull but competent alternative to David Cameron. Opinion polls show Mr Miliband trails Mr Cameron badly when voters are asked who is more suited to the job of Prime Minister. The Conservatives have made no secret of the fact they plan to make the 2015 general election campaign a presidential-style fight, in which they will highlight Mr Miliband’s perceived weaknesses. His public image is so bad that one Labour frontbencher told the Daily Mail he should be replaced by animated characters in party political broadcasts. But aides believe Mr Cameron’s ‘flash’ personality can be countered if Mr Miliband adopts an ‘authentic’ approach. His wife Justine Thornton is expected to be given a much higher profile during the campaign to boost his image as a family man. A senior Labour source said: ‘He has to be authentic – there’s no point trying to pretend he’s something he’s not. Ed is a family man who loves spending time at home with his wife and kids. He’s just very normal. ‘We tried this kind of approach with Gordon Brown, but Ed is an easier sell than Gordon.’ Mr Miliband's wife, Justine Thornton is to be given a higher profile to boost her husband's image as a family man . Labour is studying the 1977 New York mayoral race, in which the then little-known Democrat Ed Koch successfully ran on the slogan: ‘Eight years of charisma ... why not try competence?’ But the party’s past efforts to portray Gordon Brown as ‘Not Flash, Just Gordon’ in 2010 were not enough to save him from a crushing defeat at the general election. In an interview with Labour Uncut website yesterday, former party leader Lord Kinnock acknowledged that Mr Miliband comes across as ‘weird’. He said: ‘Well yes he’s weird, but then so were Churchill and Wilson, and Thatcher was the weirdest of the lot ... he’s brave, he’s brainy and he’s measured.’ Meanwhile Mr Miliband was warned to avoid being humiliated like Neil Kinnock if he visits the US. The Labour leader is said to be ‘very keen’ to meet Barack Obama to show voters he has the bearing of a prime minister. The Labour leader is said to be 'very keen' to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in the run-up to the next election . His dream may even have come a step closer after he hired former Obama strategist David Axelrod. But Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s former chief of staff, said a Washington trip was ‘the nearest the leader of the opposition gets to a job interview for prime minister’, adding: ‘If it goes wrong there are serious consequences. Neil Kinnock proved that.’ After Mr Kinnock went to see President Reagan in 1987, Labour put it out that the meeting had gone very well. But the trip turned to disaster when the White House revealed Mr Reagan’s concerns about Mr Kinnock’s desire for unilateral nuclear disarmament. In 2009, Mr Obama refused five requests for a meeting with Gordon Brown. | Labour to present Ed Miliband as a dull but competent alternative to David Cameron .
Party official concede that efforts to overhaul his geeky image have failed .
Wife Justine Thornton to be given bigger profile during election campaign . |
107,534 | 16b075c465d46aba6e041c11b10883b607d4f471 | (CNN) -- North Korea's longtime leader Kim Jong Il, the embodiment of the reclusive state where his cult of personality is deeply entrenched, has died. He was believed to be 69. Regarded as one of the world's most-repressive leaders, Kim Jong Il always cut a slightly bizarre figure. His diminutive stature and characteristically bouffant hair have been parodied by some in the West. "He's a mysterious person -- I think by design," said Han S. Park, director of the Center for the Study of Global Issues at the University of Georgia and a frequent visitor to North Korea. "Mystery is a source of leverage and power. It's maintaining uncertainty." But for the citizens of his Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim was well regarded. This Just In: Up-to-the-minute news on the death of Kim Jong Il . His father, Kim Il Sung, founded North Korea with Soviet backing after World War II. Kim Jong Il was just a little boy when the Communist North invaded the American-backed South, sparking the Korean War in 1950. After the fighting ended, Kim became steeped in his father's philosophy of "juche" or self-reliance -- the basis of North Korea's reclusive nature. North and South Korea never formally signed a peace treaty and remain technically at war -- separated by a tense demilitarized zone. North Korea gives Kim's official birthplace as sacred Mount Paektu. The peak, on the northern border with Chinese Manchuria, is the highest on the peninsula and the site where Korean legend says the nation came into existence 5,000 years ago. Cause of death reported to be "overwork" Researchers who are more objective place Kim's birth in the Far Eastern region of the Soviet Union on February 16, 1942. His father had fled to the Soviet Union when the Japanese put a price on his head for guerrilla activities in occupied Korea. The family returned to the northern part of the peninsula after the Japanese surrender in World War II, and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin anointed Kim Il Sung as the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Timeline: Kim Jong Il . Kim Jong Il's younger brother drowned as a child and his mother died when he was 7 years old. Shortly after, when the Korean War broke out , he was sent to Manchuria, returning three years later when it ended. Despite these hardships, Kim Jong Il was presumably surrounded by luxury and privilege for most of his upbringing. As the first-born son of an iron-fisted dictator, "the doors were likely opening for him from a very young age," according to Dae-sook Suh, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii who specializes in the Pyongyang government. TIME: The iconography of Kim Jong Il . Gradually Kim Jong Il was groomed for the top position, making public appearances in front of cheering crowds. In 1980, Kim Il Sung formally designated his son as his successor. Kim Jong Il was given senior posts in the Politburo, the Military Commission and the Party Secretariat. He took on the title "Dear Leader" and the government began spinning a personality cult around him patterned after that of his father, the "Great Leader." In 1991, Kim Jong Il became commander-in-chief of North Korea's powerful armed forces, the final step in the long grooming process. Three years later, when Kim Il Sung died suddenly from a heart attack at 82, most outsiders predicted the imminent collapse of North Korea. The nation had lost its venerated founding father. Just a few years earlier, its powerful alliances had evaporated with the fall of the Soviet bloc and China's move toward a market-based system. The economy was on the rocks and energy and food were in short supply. A series of weather disasters, combined with an inefficient state-run agricultural system, further eroded the food supply, leading to mass starvation. The timing could not have been worse for replacing the only leader North Korea had known. "Heaven didn't smile on Kim Jong Il," said the University of Hawaii's Dae-sook Suh. After his father's elaborate public funeral, Kim Jong Il dropped out of sight, fueling rumors, but he soon managed to consolidate power. Zakaria: Will the North Koreans rise up? Under his newly organized government, his father's presidential post was left vacant and Kim took the titles of general secretary of the Workers Party and chairman of the National Defense Commission -- a group of 10 men that includes the heads of the air force, army and navy, who are now considered the most powerful in the country. "It's a peculiar government to say the least," Dae-sook Suh said. "He honors the legacy of his father, but the new government is a Kim Jong Il government. It's quite different from his father's." Kim Il Sung's unique style of Stalinism was subordinated to the more militant theme of Kim Jong Il's "Red Banner" policy, introduced in 1996. The changes afoot were dramatically illustrated in 1997 by the defection of Hwang Jang Yop -- the architect of the juche philosophy and the first high-level official to seek asylum in South Korea. In a news conference after his defection, Hwang warned of a growing possibility that his homeland might launch an attack. "The preparation for war exceeds your imagination," he said. Many outsiders viewed the flight of Hwang as another sign that the North Korean regime was on its last legs, but once again it weathered the storm, perhaps even benefiting from the fears of war heightened by Hwang's warning. Despite sending a test missile over Japan in June 1999 and other such incidents, North Korea under Kim Jong Il also sent signals that it is open to new alliances after decades of isolation. Billions of dollars in international aid poured into North Korea during the 1990s, which did little in return. Many analysts conclude that Kim Jong Il has played a poor hand of cards skillfully. "I tend to disregard rumors that he's irrational, a man that nobody can do business with," said Alexander Mansourov, a longtime Korea scholar and a former Russian diplomat who was posted in Pyongyang in the late 1980s. "I believe that he is smart. He's pragmatic. And I think he can be ruthless. He's a man who will not loosen his grip in any way on the people around him." His obsession for movies led to one of the strangest incidents associated with him: The 1978 kidnappings of South Korean actress Choi En-hui and her director husband Shin Sang-ok. The couple's account of their ordeal, given after they escaped North Korea in 1986, sounds like a B-movie script. They said Kim Jong Il held Choi under house arrest and imprisoned Shin for four years for a failed escape attempt. Kim then forced them to work in the North Korean film industry, paying them handsomely while keeping them in the gilded cage of his artistic and social circles. Although the country was having problems paying its debts, Kim lived extravagantly and spent tens of millions of dollars on their film productions, according to Choi and Shin. The couple told Washington Post reporter Don Oberdorfer that Kim was a "micro-manager" who made all the major decisions in North Korea because of his father's ailing condition. Shin described Kim as "very bright," but said that he had no sense of guilt about his misdeeds "due to his background and upbringing." While the Dear Leader is said to have indulged his appetite for the finer things, his people were literally starving to death. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s hit North Korea hard when guaranteed trade deals with Moscow came to an end. And then devastating floods compounded the famine. The North Korean regime admitted almost 250,000 people perished between 1995 and 1998, but some outside groups believe it was more like ten times that figure. Nevertheless, an artifice of a successful state was maintained in the capital, Pyongyang, including an opulent subway -- proof that Kim would say reflected North Korea's progress under his and his father's leadership. In 2000, there appeared to be a thaw in North-South relations leading to the first-ever summit meeting between Kim Jong Il and his then counterpart from the South President Kim Dae Jung. South Korea's so-called "sunshine policy" of engagement seemed to be bearing fruit. But Kim Jong Il pressed ahead with his nuclear weapons program and then-U.S. President George W. Bush labeled North Korea as part of the "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address. A year later, North Korea withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. In 2006, the North conducted a nuclear test and test fired missiles adding extra urgency to the six-party talks designed to deal with North Korea's nuclear program. A breakthrough came in 2007, when Kim Jong il finally agreed to disable the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon in return for fuel and better relations with the U.S. But despite dramatically blowing up Yongbyon's cooling tower, North Korea seemed to backtrack afterwards and the deal appeared to be jeopardy. In August 2008, Pyongyang halted the disabling of the plutonium-producing plants in after a stalemate over verification measures. Months later -- as Bush wrapped up his final term in office -- the U.S. government agreed to take North Korea off its list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The move was a turnaround from the Bush administration's previous refusal to drop North Korea from the list until Pyongyang agreed to set up an internationally recognizable mechanism to verify it was revealing all its nuclear secrets. Analysts say it is easy for outsiders to demonize Kim Jong Il, a dictator who spent an estimated 25% or more of his country's gross national product on the military while many in his country went hungry. But in North Korea, closed off from outside influences, fearful of threats from its neighbors, and subjected to decades of political socialization on top of a long tradition of a strict hierarchical system, Kim Jong Il is viewed positively by most people, said Han Park of the Center for Study of Global Issues. "The level of reverence for Kim Jong Il in North Korea is quite underestimated by the outside," Park said. "He is regarded by many as not only a superior leader but a decent person, a man of high morality. Whether that's accurate is not important if you want to deal with North Korea. You have to understand their belief system. Perception is reality." But to the outside world, Kim Jong Il will be remembered as one of the worst despots in history, according to Andre Lankov, an author on Korea's history. "He will be remembered as a person who was responsible for awful things: for the existence of one of the worst dictatorships in not only Korean history but the world history at least in the 20th and 21st centuries," Lankov said. "Yet he did not create this dictatorship -- it was his father's but he took responsibility, and he made sure it continued for many more years." CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report. | Kim Jong Il took over when his father died of a heart attack in 1994 .
He will be remembered as one of the world's most repressive leaders .
Kim was well regarded within North Korea .
He played a poor hand of cards skillfully, analysts say . |
56,304 | 9f8f279b3f175a7614a8cb5c0c8eaf8ed572093b | The children of a 48-year-old stroke victim have been forced into a lengthy battle with the NHS after doctors placed a controversial ‘do not resuscitate’ order on their father. Days after Paul Scoble was admitted to Basildon Hospital in Essex, doctors applied to put the DNR notice on his medical notes – meaning they would let him die if he suffered a cardiac arrest. The orders are controversial because they can be applied despite strong objections from relatives if doctors think they are in a patient’s ‘best interests’. Since August, doctors have applied four times to put a DNR on Mr Scoble, who has extensive brain damage. He is immobile, confined to an intensive care bed, reliant on a ventilator and largely unable to communicate. Support: Danielle with her father, Paul, who is being treated at Basildon Hospital after he suffered a stroke . But his son Leon and daughter Danielle believe he could recover – and want him moved. They claim Basildon Hospital has ‘given up’ on him, and an independent specialist brought in by the hospital to assess the case said he should be resuscitated, if needed, adding: ‘It is my opinion that full active treatment is in Paul’s best interests.’ Dr Chris Danbury found there had been ‘considerable improvement in his neurology’, and he was ‘noticeably more awake and interactive’. He said he had seen similar patients recover to ‘a reasonable functional state’ – although others had died. The hospital ‘categorically refutes’ any allegation it has ‘given up’ on the case. A spokesman said: ‘We would not deny Mr Scoble the opportunity of life-saving treatment if that was a realistic option.’ But Leon Scoble, 28, from Harlow, Essex, claimed he and his sister had been forced to battle doctors from the start. He said: ‘I’m not going to let him go without fighting my hardest. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. ‘That’s my dad. But the doctors at Basildon – they can’t understand that. Their attitude was, “We are going to give up”. But they never thought that we would actually fight it. ‘If you believe something’s wrong, don’t you fight it?’ He claimed his father understood and had mouthed ‘Don’t stop’ to him. Miss Scoble, 29, said last month one doctor advised them to ‘seriously consider’ what their father’s life would be like if he lived on. The hospital, based in Essex, 'categorically refutes' any allegation it has ‘given up’ on the case . If he is to survive, Mr Scoble must have an operation to fix two leaky heart valves and be ‘weaned’ off his ventilator. Dr Danbury believes it is ‘more likely than not that he will die’ due to this treatment. But Miss Scoble said: ‘We’ve got to give him that chance.’ Doctors first applied for a DNR on August 20, then again on September 9. It was finally imposed on October 14, but was rescinded the next day after the siblings got lawyers involved. On October 22, doctors reactivated the DNR, said Miss Scoble. It is now suspended while the family wait to hear if the Royal Brompton Hospital in London will admit Mr Scoble. Doctors there say he ‘definitely should be considered for surgery’ but the risk of death is ‘extremely high’. They want to assess him in person. A Basildon Hospital spokesman said last night: ‘We categorically refute any allegations that we have neglected Mr Scoble. We have done everything we can to deliver the best possible care in very difficult circumstances.’ He said NHS England officials agreed the hospital was ‘offering the most appropriate care’ based on the independent review. He added that doctors were awaiting Royal Brompton’s decision, and insisted: ‘We haven’t given up on him.’ | Days after stroke victim Paul Scoble, 48, was admitted to hospital, doctors applied to put a Do Not Resuscitate notice on his medical notes .
Orders are controversial as they can be applied against relatives' wishes .
His children claim Basildon Hospital has 'given up' on their father .
But the hospital in Essex 'categorically refutes' the claims made . |
151,917 | 50541ccb7c6c2a4b686fde7c369bb30bfcb388ab | Many consider it a joke although others are scared we might never live to see next year thanks to the Mayan calendar’s ‘apocalyptic’ prediction. But Mayan expert Leonzo Barreno, of Saskatchewan, Canada, says the ‘apocalypse’ concept is a false interpretation of the Long Count calendar. The University of Regina journalism professor said Mayan elders taught him that December 21 this year simply marks the start of a new calendar. Prediction: Mayan expert Leonzo Barreno, of Saskatchewan, Canada, says the 'apocalypse' concept is a false interpretation of the Long Count calendar . Mayan calendar: The University of Regina journalism professor said Mayan elders taught him December 21 this year simply marks the start of a new calendar . Mr Barreno, who immigrated to Canada from Guatemala 23 years ago, was trained by Mayan elders to read the calendars, reported CBC News. ‘There are two sides to the story,’ he told CBC. ‘The one that we know is this apocalyptic meaning that has been given to the Long Count. ‘The other side of the story is the Mayan side, which you rarely see on media articles, because they never interview my own people.’ He said Mayan people are featured for just five seconds of the film 2012, starring John Cusack, which is loosely based on their 'predictions'. Ancient: The Mayan Inscriptions' Palace in Chiapas, Mexico, is pictured. Many Mayans dismiss the apocalyptic predictions as largely a Western idea . ‘When I grew up during my training I never hear the word “end of the world” from the elders or spiritual leaders,’ Mr Barreno added. The inscription describes the return of mysterious god Bolon Yokte at the end of a 13th period of 400 years, known as Baktuns, on the equivalent of December 21 2012. It is believed to refer to the end of a cycle of 5,125 years since the beginning of the Mayan Long Count calendar in 3113 B.C. The fragment was a prophecy of ruler Bahlam Ajaw, who wanted to plan the passage of the god. ‘For them it’s a joyous event, not an apocalyptic event. What is coming is the end of a calendar and the beginning of a new one. ‘It’s cyclical,’ he told CBC. ‘This has happened before. According to the elders it’s the fifth time it’s happened.’ Inscriptions in Tortuguero, Mexico, refer to Bolon Yokte 'descending from the sky' in 2012 - a god associated with war and the underworld. Last month German expert Sven Gronemeyer said it may be a misreading and added he also believes it is simply a calendar change. Portrayal: Mayan people are featured for just seconds in the film 2012, starring John Cusack and Morgan Lily, which is loosely based on their 'predictions' Mr Gronemeyer said his decoding of a Mayan artefact with a reference to a 2012 date shows a transition to a new era in the 5,125-year calendar. 'For them it’s a joyous event, not an apocalyptic event. What is coming is the end of a calendar and the beginning of a new one' Leonzo Barreno . Bolon Yokte is a figure also associated with change. Many Mayans also dismiss the apocalyptic predictions as largely a Western idea. In November Mexican anthropologists said a second inscription with the 2012 date was found on a brick at the Comalcalco ruin, near the Tortuguero site. But experts doubt the second inscription was a definite reference to the date cited as the possible end of the world, as it has no future tense. | Leonzo Barreno trained as timekeeper by Mayan elders .
Many believe its calendar marks end of world on Dec 21 .
But professor says it just marks start of new calendar . |
42,857 | 78e151028f7ed492626a304e7c779d1a880807ca | By . Emma Innes . Everyone knows that too much sunbathing can cause skin cancer. But now research suggests that, in moderation, sunbathing could actually be good for people’s health. A new study has revealed that it could prevent heart attacks. Sunbathing could reduce the risk of heart attacks, new research suggests . It shows that cardiovascular disease is more severe in patients deficient in vitamin D, known as the 'sunshine vitamin'. Although people are advised not to overdo it because of the risk of skin cancer, the latest finding backs up previous studies suggesting sunshine is good for the heart. In the largest analysis to date, vitamin D deficiency was identified in seven in ten patients undergoing coronary angiography - an imaging test used to see how blood flows through the arteries in the heart. It was associated with higher prevalence of coronary artery disease, with a 32 per cent higher occurrence in those with the lowest levels. There were also almost 20 per cent more severe cases affecting multiple vessels among those with less of the nutrient. A progressive increase in heart disease was found according to the severity of vitamin D deficiency. People who are deficient in the sunshine vitamin - vitamin D - are more likely to have severe coronary artery disease . Patients with the lowest levels of vitamin D had nearly double the rate of clogged arteries as those with normal levels. Cardiologist Dr Monica Verdoia, of Eastern Piedmont University in Novara, Italy, said: ‘Present results suggest vitamin D deficiency to be the cause rather than the consequence of hardening of the arteries. ‘Although evidence of benefits with vitamin D supplementation in cardiovascular outcomes are still lacking, strategies to raise natural vitamin D should probably be advised in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.’ Presenting her work to an American College of Cardiology meeting in Washington, she said vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart disease. But it is still not clear whether adding vitamin D supplements may help reduce that risk. Her researchers evaluated amounts of the nutrient in 1,484 patients who were considered to have heart disease. The extent and severity of their heart disease was measured by a scanning procedure that determines the degree of artery blockage. Dr Verdoia said eating foods rich in vitamin D such as fish, cereal and eggs and moderate exercise outdoors should be advised in healthy people as well as those with heart disease. This is because the nutrient boosts the immune system as well as reducing inflammatory processes that lead to illness. The researchers estimate more than half of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient, with the highest rates among African Americans and Hispanics. In the UK vitamin D deficiency is likely to affect at least half of white adults, up to 90 per cent of the multi ethnic population and a quarter of all children. Vitamin D is being studied for its possible connection to several diseases and health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune conditions, bone disorders and some types of cancer. | Vitamin D could be good for heart health, a new study has revealed .
Coronary artery disease is 32% more likely in people deficient in the vitamin .
They are also more likely to have a severe case of the disease .
But experts urge moderation because of the risk of skin cancer . |
26,610 | 4b91ca45a13a654bdee6c2c0acf1426390359573 | These pictures show the scorched remains of priceless historical documents torched by Islamist fighters before they fled French troops as they closed in on Timbuktu. The extremists set fire to a library containing thousands of priceless historic manuscripts as they fled French and Malian forces. Without firing a shot, 1,000 French soldiers backed by 200 Malian troops descended on the ancient desert trading post, as they tried to cut off the escape of al Qaeda-linked fighters. But before they could be rounded up, the rebels scattered into the desert, torching homes, mosques and libraries, including parts of the city's £16-million Ahmed Baba Institute, home to some 20,000 ancient documents on culture, science and geography, as they left. Scroll down for video . A museum guard displays a burnt ancient manuscript at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu. The majority of the ancient manuscripts appear to be safe and undamaged after fears the site was gutted by fire . A local man, Abdoulaye Cisse, holds a book for photographers. Jihadists claimed they burned most of the holy books, but the damage is not as bad as feared . French President Francois Hollande visited the Djingarei-ber Mosque and the Ahmed Baba Institute, yesterday. He said it was essential that Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, should be properly protected so that it could 'shine' as a cultural treasure for the world. Built by the South African government in 2009, the Ahmed Baba Institute was named after a . Timbuktu-born contemporary of William Shakespeare and holds thousands of priceless manuscripts in its climate-controlled, underground vaults. During their rule, the militants have systematically destroyed UNESCO World Heritage sites in Timbuktu. A spokesman for the Al Qaeda-linked . militants has said that ancient tombs of Sufi saints were destroyed . because they contravened Islam, encouraging Muslims to venerate saints . instead of God. Among the tombs they destroyed is that of Sidi Mahmoudou, a saint who died in 955, according to the UNESCO website. Relief: The majority of Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts appear to be safe and undamaged after the Saharan city's 10-month occupation by Islamist rebel fighters . One of the manuscripts. They are so culturally and historically significant they have been compared to the Dead Sea Scrolls . Erasing history: Ancient manuscripts displayed at the library in the city of Timbuktu. Many such priceless manuscripts were feared burned by the fleeing Islamist fighters . Owners . have succeeded in removing some of the manuscripts from Timbuktu to . save them, while others have been carefully hidden away from the . Islamists. With its cultural treasures, Timbuktu had previously been a destination for adventurous tourists and international scholars. Extreme Islamist movements across the world have developed a reputation . for the destruction of historic artifacts, monuments and buildings, such as the Bamiyan buddha statues in Afghanistan. Speaking by phone earlier this week, city mayor Ousmane Halle said: 'They torched all the important ancient . manuscripts. The ancient books of geography and science. It is the . history of Timbuktu, of its people.' France's President Francois Hollande (sixth from right) visits the Ahmed Baba Institute yesterday . A museum guard picks up boxes holding ancient manuscripts, which were partially damaged by Islamist rebels . Despite the carnage seen here, the majority of Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts appear to be safe from harm . Battle ready: Malian soldiers arrive at Gao airport, north of Mali as they joined French forces in a push toward the fabled desert town of Timbuktu . Tough job: But despite facing little of no resistance so far, French and Malian troops face a tough job of combing through the labyrinth of ancient mosques, monuments and mud-brick homes between alleys to flush out any hiding Islamist fighters . Ground forces backed by French . paratroopers and helicopters took control of Timbuktu's airport and . roads leading to the desert town in an overnight operation. The institute moved to a new, state-of-the-art home in the centre of Timbuktu in 2009, built by the South African government at a cost of £16.5 million. Its . underground, climate-controlled storage rooms were home to some 30,000 . priceless manuscripts documenting centuries of African culture, science, . geography and more. Most . of the manuscripts are in Arabic script, but contain many local . languages, and provide unique insights into Timbuktu's emergence as a . trading post, and by the 1500s as a famous university town, full of . students and scribes. But despite facing little of no . resistance so far, they face a tough job of combing through the . labyrinth of ancient mosques and monuments and mud-brick homes between . alleys to flush out any hiding Islamist fighters. 'We have to be extremely careful. But . in general terms, the necessary elements are in place to take control,' French army spokesman Lieutenant Thierry Burkhard said in Paris. Timbuktu member of parliament El Hadj Baba Haïdara told Reuters in Bamako the Islamist rebels had abandoned the city. 'They all fled. Before their departure they destroyed some buildings, including private homes,' he said. The move marked the latest inroad by . the two-week-old French mission to oust radical Islamists from the . northern half of Mali, which they seized more than nine months ago. The . RAF has already provided two heavy-lift C17 transport planes and a . Sentinel surveillance aircraft to assist France's operation, and . National Security Adviser Sir Kim Darroch was today in Paris to discuss . what further help may be offered. Mr . Cameron has said the UK is ready to offer logistical, intelligence and . surveillance help to France, as well as troops for a proposed EU mission . to train the Malian army - although he has ruled out a combat role for . British personnel. During its Golden Age, Timbuktu was a . haven of wealth, business and culture to which travelers from all . corners of the world would travel to trade their wares. Founded by nomads in the twelfth century, it was named the City of 333 Saints and soon became a centre for spreading Islamic culture throughout Africa. As more people settled, it became one of the world's busiest trading posts specialising in salt, gold, ivory and slaves. It was enveloped by the Mali Empire early in the 14th century, ruled by the fearsome warlord Mansa Musa I. With Mansa its ruler and Timbuktu at its heart, Mali became the richest empire in the world, known as The African El Dorado and a city made of gold. As the centuries . drew on, Timbuktu became a center of Islamic study and the home of . Sankore Madrasah university and extensive libraries. They contain thousands of priceless manuscripts recording . genealogies and scientific theories, as well as intellectual arguments . between scholars, teachers and commentators. The world was shocked by its capture . on April 1 by Tuareg desert fighters whose separatist rebellion was . later hijacked by Islamist radicals who imposed severe sharia law. Provoking international outrage, the . Islamist militants who follow a more conservative Salafist branch of . Islam destroyed dozens of ancient shrines in Timbuktu sacred to moderate . Sufi Moslems, condemning them as idolatrous and un-Islamic. They also applied amputations for thieves and stoning of adulterers under sharia, while forcing women to go veiled. Many women among the . thousands of Gao residents who came out to celebrate the rebels' expulsion made a point of going unveiled. Other residents smoked . cigarettes and played music to flout the bans previously set by the . Islamist rebels. The . French and Malian forces so far have met little resistance from the . Islamists, who seized northern Mali in the wake of a military coup in . the distant capital of Bamako, in southern Mali. 'Little by little, Mali is being liberated,' French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France 2 television. At Gao, more than 300 km (190 miles) east of Timbuktu, jubilant residents danced to music in the streets on . Sunday to celebrate the liberation of this other ancient Niger River . town from the sharia-observing rebels. A third northern town, the Tuareg seat . of Kidal, in Mali's rugged and remote northeast, remains in the hands . of the Islamist fighters, a loose alliance that groups AQIM with Malian . Islamist group Ansar Dine and AQIM splinter MUJWA. Fierce: Chadian soldiers secure Gao airport on Saturday. When they got to Timbuktu, the Islamist rebels fled, torching homes . Chad support fighter: But despite facing little of no resistance so far, they face a tough job of combing through the labyrinth of ancient mosques and monuments and mud-brick homes between alleys to flush out any hiding Islamist fighters . | Pictures show damaged priceless manuscripts at the Ahmed Baba Institute .
But earlier reports that £16m institute was destroyed are unfounded .
Site contains 20,000 ancient books of culture, geography and science .
Mayor Ousmane Halle: 'It is the history of Timbuktu, of its people' |
230,427 | b6661f2fbda579a1cd938bb256155c7d8747e0af | A Colorado nursing student was arrested yesterday after telling his therapist of his desire to shoot children, kill people on Halloween and assassinate President Obama, court records show. Mitchell Kenneth Kusick, 20, of Westminster, was being held on suspicion of a federal charge of threats against a president. He identified himself as a student at Colorado Mesa University in western Colorado, investigators said. Scroll down for video . Murderous intent? Mitchell Kenneth Kusick, a nursing student from Westminster, Colorado, was charged with making a threat against the president . Plot: Court papers say Kusick wanted to be known as 'the guy who killed President Obama,' pictured on Sunday at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery . According to KUSA-TV in Denver, Jefferson County court records show he told his therapist about wanting to shoot children at a trick-or-treat event at Standley Lake High School. Federal court records say Kusick said he took a shotgun from his aunt's house and tried to buy ammunition. Is a doctor sworn to secrecy when a patient plans to commit a crime? It’s up to the doctor. Doctors can sever the physician-patient confidentiality if they become concerned, as the doctor of Mitchell Kusick did. The American Medical Association admits that its code of ethics are not bound by law. The issue was brought in another Colorado case, when Aurora theater gunman James Holmes's doctor went to police because she had become concerned about her patient. However, she did not give his name, citing doctor-patient confidentiality. The court will decide whether to allow a notebook believed to detail Holmes' plans, which he mailed to the psychiatrist, Dr Lynn Fenton, before the shooting. For members of the clergy, there is priest-penitent privilege in which a priest is bound by secrecy during church confessions, but there have been exceptions in court. The documents said that he claimed to . have owned a .22 caliber rifle and an assault rifle, but his parents . made him get rid of the weapons. He . told his therapist on October 29 about his plan and allegedly said he . wanted to go down in history as the 'guy who killed Obama.' His comments came just days before the president held a campaign rally in Boulder. Kusick . also said he was obsessed with the deadly shootings at Columbine High . School and Virginia Tech, as well as the Dark Knight Rises theater . massacre earlier this year, according to court records. Among Kusick’s interests on his Facebook . page are 'American conspiracies,' the Call of Duty video games and the film . Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The same document quoted Kusick of saying: 'Some people just want to watch the world burn down, and I’m one of them.' The therapist notified police, and Kusick was placed on a mental health hold at a hospital. A detention hearing is scheduled Friday. Violent interests: Kusick's therapist said he was obsessed with the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, and the Aurora theater massacre, in which James Holmes, pictured, was charged with killing 12 . Massacre on the mind? Federal court records say Kusick, pictured during a recent triathlon, revealed he took a shotgun from his aunt's house and tried to buy ammunition for it . Watch video here . | Mitchell Kenneth Kusick, 20, was arrested yesterday and held on a charge of threats against a president .
Kusick allegedly told therapist of plans to kill children at a Halloween event and President Obama with a shotgun he 'stole from his aunt' |
165,933 | 629247ddf0bc06f9b322f01e6651cf925051910f | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 11:01 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:43 EST, 11 July 2013 . The taxpayer has picked up the bill for private contractors to spend hours trying to persuade ducks to leave the Treasury, it emerged today. The extraordinary farce of how Labour’s £1billion PFI deal to refurbish the ministry reveals how the firm which now owns the building is crippled by bureaucracy while trying to rid a fountain of their feathered friends. A logbook of 24 hours in the bizarre world of Whitehall includes conflicting advice about whether an order can be given to scare the ducks and who is responsible for removing bird's mess. Duck bill: The taxpayer is paying for the private finance contractor who spent 24 hours trying to remove two birds from the Treasury . Quackers: The £1billion PFI deal signed by Labour put the Treasury building in the hands of a contractor . Chancellor George Osborne revealed the absurd contract signed by the Labour government was still tying the Treasury up in knots. ‘It all started eight years ago when two ducks landed in the fountain, do what ducks and there was suddenly nine ducklings,’ the Chancellor said. At the time a whole team of PFI contractors, civil servants and the RSCPA were called to remove the ducks from the Treasury’s ‘rather expensive water feature’ and take them to Surrey. In June last year the ducks returned, sending the Facilities Management Help Desk into meltdown. To much laughter, Mr Osborne proceeded to read the detail of the logbook to a press gallery lunch for journalists in Westminster. The logbook details the extraordinary level of detail and effort the Treasury staff went to, before discovering that the ducks had removed themselves more successfully than any contractor could manage. Dismay: Chancellor George Osborne told journalists: 'That ladies and gentlemen is how your money is spent' Bird's eye view: The Treasury's 'rather expensive water feature¿ has been plagued by ducks for up to eight years . The Facilities management help desk logbook for incident number 177853 on 20 June 2012 reveals that at 9.02am the initial request was created: ‘Ducks in the courtyard garden. Request presence of an operative.’ By 9.22am an ‘operative was attending incident’. At 10.11am the contractor reported: ‘I attended area and confirmed this is a male and female duck. Issue has been discussed previously with RSPCA, they won’t attend the building for ducks, and I called Royal Parks but they also won’t come remove ducks as it may cause injury to the duck and people in this area. ‘They have advised us to put signs requesting that people do not feed the ducks, and also to frighten them frequently so they don’t feel comfortable here, they should then leave of their own accord. Advised seniors of the above.’ The problem then seemed solved, but by 10.40am there was a u-turn. ‘Please ignore previous,’ the logbook stated. Nest: Eight years ago two birds arrived in the Treasury, and before long nine ducklings had appeared . ‘Have been advised that signs should not be put up yet without permission, and that the birds should not be frightened – we are responsible for guano only, not removing the birds. Awaiting further instructions.’ Several hours later the situation escalated, with a plan to remove the ducks altogether. ‘Have been advised that previous instances required the ducks to be caught and removed as there is insufficient space in the courtyard for ducks to take off,’ the contractor wrote at 1.10pm. ‘Message left for operative to contact the Help Desk.’ The drama rolled into the next day, when an update was posted at 9am. ‘No ducks in the pond and disturbed all the bushed. No ducks present. Seems they have left on their own.’ To huge laughter, Mr Osborne told journalists: ‘That ladies and gentlemen is how your money is spent.’ Soon after the coalition was formed in 2010, the Chancellor revealed that the PFI deal meant that a Christmas tree for the Treasury had cost £800. PFI schemes allow governments to put off raising upfront money for new buildings. Instead, a private company is given a lengthy contract to build a school or hospital and then provides related ‘services’ to the public sector. The Government leases the building for the length of the contract before it reverts to public ownership. Earlier this year it emerged the contractor which owns the Treasury building had rented it out for a scene in Fast and Furious 6. Cinemagoers did not realise that the supercars and scantily-clad partygoers in Fast and Furious 6 were partying at the heart of the Treasury . The owner of the building hired it out to producers as a location for the Hollywood blockbuster, featuring fast cars and dancing girls . The circular court of the Treasury building was transformed into an underground nightclub in the latest movie in the series starring Vin Diesel. Producers used it as a dramatic location for the Hollywood blockbuster, featuring fast cars and dancing girls. Official figures show that 544 PFI projects such as new school and hospital buildings were launched since 1997. The original capital cost of the projects agreed under the Labour government was £51.5billion. But repayments for these will have rocketed to an eye-watering total of £245billion by 2047/8, according to the Treasury. | Health and safety rules leave private firm in charge of building floundering .
Taxpayer picks up the tab for 24 hours spent attempting to scare birds off .
Chancellor George Osborne said it was a reminder of Labour waste . |
85,830 | f364ca732bfd14d1f85b9efefc25483214f28feb | By . Freya Noble . and Daniel Mills . Haunting footage has been released of the moment a Gold Coast home become a sickening crime scene with animal blood scrawled on a garage door and a car set alight during the early hours of Tuesday morning. The grainy security footage, filmed from a fixed CCTV camera across the street, is the best hope police have of identifying those responsible for the early morning attack on the Hazel Court home at Arundel. Despite it's poor quality and a lack of light, the video manages to show at least two people loitering at the front of a garage door presumably scribbling the message: 'Whers (sic) my money? Tik Tok!' in cat's blood. The silhouetted figures make it difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are in the footage but police have confirmed it is more than one. Scroll down for video . In the rear of the image, at least two people can be spotted loitering in front of the garage door where it is presumed a message is being scrawled in cat's blood. The silhouettes are lit up by the flame which is later used to throw into the car parked right to the right of the screen . A burst of bright light fills the screen the moment the flame is thrown at the car . The culprits can then be seen moving towards the car holding a flame fueled by an accelerant, before throwing it inside. The car is quickly engulfed in flames before the footage ends with it still burning. A Queensland police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the pivotal moments of the film are at 2.17am and 2.19am in real time where the footage starts and car is set alight. 'At 2.17am you can clearly see people in front of the double garage door, and to the right you can see the small black square which is the car later set set alight.' Detectives have described the grisly slaughter of the cat, and the message which it was used to write, as 'abhorrent.' The RSPCA has offered its own $5000 reward to anyone that offers up information that leads to an arrest. A 19-year-old man was taken into police custody on Tuesday but released without charge. A message was left on a garage door at a Gold Coast home in the early hours of this morning while their car was set on fire . Senior Sergeant William Lithgow from Southport Station told MailOnline the incident appears likely to be an ongoing matter with the occupants. 'It's not a random act, the home was targeted specifically,' he said. The cat had been 'decapitated and otherwise dismembered', though the animal did not belong to residents at the home, Senior Sergeant Lithgow said. 'Police are continuing to investigate and the occupants are cooperating.' RSPCA Queensland CEO Mark Townend confirmed that no missing animal report had been filed but investigations in to the owner of the animal were ongoing. 'At the moment there is no lost report for a cat of that description.' 'It is microchipped but the data unfortunately is linked to a few owners back.' Rhonda Gibson, who lives a few doors down from the targeted house on Hazel Court in Arundel, said the Gold Coast suburb is usually very quiet as most of the residents are either retired or young families. 'It's a really quiet area and there's lots of retired people in the area.' 'Nothing much ever really happens here.' When news that a cat had been mutilated a few houses down reached the Gibsons, as cat owners they were very upset. Residents were seen cleaning the horrific graffiti off their wall alongside their burnt car . 'Of course that makes you feel ill, but thankfully it wasn't our cat,' Mrs Gibson said. She also said residents in the house next-door to the targeted home told her they felt the force of the fiery car when the explosion rattled their windows and shook their home. There had been no previous trouble in the street, and the residents of the house involved were not known to Mrs Gibson or her husband. Residents and neighbours were woken by a loud explosion around 2.45am and police found the severely mutilated cat near the burning vehicle. The cat's head was left at the front door of the house. People thought to be the homeowners were seen cleaning the graffiti off the garage door later on Tuesday morning. Detective acting Inspector Greg Aubort said the occupants were disturbed by the message. However, he would not say whether they had an idea who was responsible or if there were likely to be organised crime links. 'We're interviewing the occupants and looking for motives of any persons of interest that might be involved,' he told said. Police were called to the Arundel address after reports of an explosion . Insp Aubort said given the nature of the incident, police were eager to catch the culprits as soon as possible. 'It's an abhorrent attack on an animal,' he said. 'I think any case where you have the intentional killing or maiming of an animal is a disgusting act and we'll certainly be looking to prosecute those responsible to full extent of the law.' RSPCA Queensland has offered a $5000 reward to help catch those responsible for the incident. 'They cannot get away with this,' CEO Mark Townend said. 'This is one of the worst acts of animal cruelty that the RSPCA has seen.' Mr Townend said he feared the offender would strike again. 'It's a stepping stone to violence against people,' he said. Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information have been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. | CCTV shows at least two people loitering outside garage of Arundel home at 2.17am Tuesday .
Movements show message being scrawled on garage, before car torched .
Witnesses urged to come forward, RSPCA has offered a $5000 reward .
Neighbour Rhonda Gibson said she was shocked to hear of the incident in such a 'quiet area'
A threat scrawled in the animal's blood was painted on a garage door .
Police describe the grisly incident as 'an abhorrent attack on an animal' |
96,758 | 0885d8aafc47a0f8aea1cd60125aaf6db0373e33 | By . Helen Pow . and Associated Press . Clayton Lockett spent forty minutes writhing in agony before dying of a heart attack . The White House says a botched execution of a death row inmate in Oklahoma fell short of the humane standards required when the death penalty is carried out. Officials halted Clayton Lockett's execution Tuesday when he convulsed violently and tried to lift his head after a doctor declared him unconscious. He later died of an apparent heart attack after spending 40 minutes writhing in pain. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that President Barack Obama believes evidence shows the death penalty doesn't effectively deter crime. That said, Carney reiterated that Obama believes some crimes are so heinous that the death penalty is merited. He said the crimes in Lockett's case are indisputably heinous. But Carney says the U.S. has a fundamental standard that the death penalty must be carried out humanely. He says everyone would recognize that this case fell short. The White House statement comes after the parents of Lockett's victim, Stephanie Neiman, released a note via the local NBC affiliate, which they are believed to have written before the execution. 'God blessed us with our precious daughter, Stephanie for 19 years. Stephanie loved children. She worked in Vacation Bible School and always helped with our Church nativity scenes. She was the joy of our life. We are thankful this day has finally arrived and justice will finally be served,' the handwritten note reads. It was signed 'Susie and Steve Neiman, 4-29-14' though it has not been confirmed whether or not they wrote the note before or after the botched execution. Scroll down for video . The victim's parents: Lockett was executed for killing Stephanie Neiman and her parents are believed to have written this note- dated on the same day as his death- before the execution . Remembering Stephanie: Her religious parents praised the charity work she did with children during her too-short life . Attempts to reach the Neimans, whose listed phone number has been disconnected, were not immediately successful. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin is calling for an independent review of the state's execution protocols after an inmate had an apparent heart attack 43 minutes after his execution began. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Fallin said Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Thompson would lead the review of the lethal injection protocol. Lockett, 38, who was found guilty of shooting a woman and watching his friends bury her alive, was declared unconscious ten minutes after the first of the state's new three-drug lethal injection combination was administered. Three minutes later, though, he began breathing heavily, writhing, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow. It later emerged his vein had ruptured. Oklahoma Department of Corrections director Robert Patton, left, called off the failed execution. Lockett was sentenced to death for shooting Stephanie Neiman, right, and watching his friends bury her alive . The blinds were eventually lowered to . prevent those in the viewing gallery from watching what was happening . in the death chamber, and the state's top prison official eventually . called a halt to the proceedings. Local media present said Mr Lockett sat up and said 'something’s wrong' 13 minutes into the procedure. 'It was a horrible thing to witness. This was totally botched,' said Lockett's attorney, David Autry. Witness Ziva Branstetter told broadcaster MSNBC Lockett was thrashing about and appeared to be in pain. 'His . body was sort of bucking. He was clenching his jaw. Several times he . mumbled phrases that were largely unintelligible,' she said. Republican Gov. Mary Fallin ordered stay of execution for Charles Warner who was scheduled to die two hours after Lockett . A Tulsa World newspaper claimed that Lockett was 'still alive,' and lifted his head as prison officials lowered the blinds. Tuesday was the first time Oklahoma used the drug midazolam as the first element in its execution drug combination. Other . states have used it before; Florida administers 500 milligrams of . midazolam as part of its three-drug combination. Oklahoma used 100 . milligrams of that drug. 'They should have anticipated possible problems with an untried execution protocol,' Autry said. 'Obviously . the whole thing was gummed up and botched from beginning to end. Halting the execution obviously did Lockett no good.' Republican . Gov. Mary Fallin ordered a 14-day stay of execution for an inmate who . was scheduled to die two hours after Lockett, Charles Warner. She . also ordered the state's Department of Corrections to conduct a 'full . review of Oklahoma's execution procedures to determine what happened and . why during this evening's execution.' Robert . Patton, the department's director, halted Lockett's execution about 20 . minutes after the first drug was administered. He later said there had . been vein failure. The execution began at 6:23 p.m., when officials began administering the first drug, the sedative midazolam. A doctor declared Lockett to be unconscious at 6:33 p.m. Once . an inmate is declared unconscious, the state's execution protocol calls . for the second drug, a paralytic, to be administered. The third drug in the protocol is potassium chloride, which stops the heart. 6.23pm - The injection process begins. Lockett has heavy, slow blinks, laid still . 6.29pm - Consistently closed his eyes . 6.30pm - First check of consciousness; still conscious . 6.33pm - Announced Lockett was officially unconscious . 6.34pm - Lockett started to move his mouth . 6.36pm - Lockett began convulsing and mumbling . 6.37pm - Lockett sat up and said 'something's wrong' 6.39pm - Prison officials lowered the blinds . 7.06pm - Lockett dies of massive heart attack . Patton . said the second and third drugs were being administered when a problem . was noticed. He said it's unclear how much of the drugs made it into the . inmate's system. Lockett began writhing at 6:36. At 6:39, a doctor lifted the sheet that was covering the inmate to examine the injection site. 'There . was some concern at that time that the drugs were not having that . (desired) effect, and the doctor observed the line at that time and . determined the line had blown,' Patton said at a news conference . afterward, referring to Lockett's vein rupturing. After an official lowered the blinds, Patton made a series of phone calls before calling a halt to the execution. 'After . conferring with the warden, and unknown how much drugs went into him, . it was my decision at that time to stop the execution,' Patton told . reporters. Lockett was declared dead at 7:06 p.m. Autry, . Lockett's attorney, was immediately skeptical of the department's . determination the issue was limited to a problem with Lockett's vein. 'I'm . not a medical professional, but Mr. Lockett was not someone who had . compromised veins,' Autry said. 'He was in very good shape. He had large . arms and very prominent veins.' Bailey Elise McBride, who reports for the Associated Press in their Oklahoma bureau, tweeted immediately after the botched execution . 'After weeks of Oklahoma refusing to . disclose basic information about the drugs for tonight's lethal . injection procedures, tonight Clayton Lockett was tortured to death,' said Madeline Cohen, an attorney for Warner. Adam . Leathers, co-chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death . Penalty, accused the state of having 'tortured a human being in an . unconstitutional experimental act of evil,' reported CNN. In . Ohio, the January execution of an inmate who made snorting and gasping . sounds led to a civil rights lawsuit by his family and calls for a . moratorium. Nightmare: Patton said the inmate was writhing on the gurney, pictured, and shaking uncontrollably about 13 minutes into the execution . Tuesday was the first time Oklahoma . used the drug midazolam as the first element in its execution drug . combination. Other states have used it before; Florida administers 500 . milligrams of midazolam as part of its three-drug combination. Oklahoma . used 100 milligrams. The . problems with the execution are likely to fuel more debate about the . ability of states to administer lethal injections that meet the U.S. Constitution's requirement they be neither cruel nor unusual punishment. That question has . drawn renewed attention from defense attorneys and death penalty . opponents in recent months, as several states scrambled to find new . sources of execution drugs because drugmakers that oppose capital . punishment - many based in Europe - have stopped selling to prisons and . corrections departments. Defense . attorneys have unsuccessfully challenged several states' policies of . shielding the identities of the new sources of their execution drugs. Missouri and Texas, like Oklahoma, have both refused to reveal their . sources, but both of those states have since successfully carried out . executions with their new supplies. The state has stood by the execution but said Monday that it's boosting the dosages of its lethal injection drugs. A . four-time felon, Lockett was convicted of shooting 19-year-old . Stephanie Neiman with a sawed-off shotgun and watching as two . accomplices buried her alive in rural Kay County in 1999 after Neiman . and a friend arrived at a home the men were robbing. Warner had been scheduled to be put to death two hours later in the same room and on the same gurney. The 46-year-old was convicted of raping and killing his roommate's 11-month-old daughter in 1997. He has maintained his innocence. Lockett . and Warner had sued the state for refusing to disclose details about . the execution drugs, including where Oklahoma obtained them. The . case, filed as a civil matter, placed Oklahoma's two highest courts at . odds and prompted calls for the impeachment of state Supreme Court . justices after the court last week issued a rare stay of execution. The . high court later dissolved its stay and dismissed the inmates' claim . that they were entitled to know the source of the drugs. By . then, Fallin had issued a stay of her own - a one-week delay in . Lockett's execution that resulted in both men being scheduled to die on . the same day. Warner was served a final meal Tuesday of 20 boneless chicken wings, potato wedges, cole slaw, two fruit cocktail cups and a 20-ounce soda. Lockett's request of steak, shrimp, a large baked potato and a Kentucky Bourbon pecan pie was denied because it exceeded the $15 limit. He declined a separate offer from the warden for a dinner from Western Sizzlin', prison officials said. Oklahoma changed its execution protocols twice this year, leaving State officials with five options for lethal injections, including a new three-drug mixture that was used for the first time Tuesday. Two of the drugs used carry warnings that they can suppress the respiratory system and the third warns that cardiac trouble can occur at high but non-lethal doses, and lists specific steps to take if a medical patient receives too much of the drug but doesn't die. | Clayton Lockett execution halted 20 minutes after first drug administered .
This cocktail of injections had not been tried in Oklahoma before .
Lockett sat up 13 minutes in and said 'something's wrong'
President Obama's spokesman said that the White House does not believe the execution was done in a humane way .
Oklahoma governor is calling for an independent review of the execution .
Lockett's victim's family put out a statement- presumably written before the execution- saying they are 'thankful this day has arrived'
Inmate finally suffered a massive heart attack and died at 7.06pm . |
222,136 | ab897b094eb8a1342c05c896871e2cd92a26fbd0 | South Korea overcame the loss of star winger Lee Chung-yong to move to the brink of reaching the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Kuwait on Tuesday. The South Koreans made seven changes from the line-up that opened with a 1-0 win over Oman, with injuries and illness forcing a reshuffle. Nam Tae-hee’s first-half header was enough to give two-time champions a second win and six points in Group A. The Koreans had a setback before kick-off when it was confirmed Lee, who plays for English club Bolton, had fractured his shin and would fly home. Lee was injured in the win over Oman last weekend. VIDEO Scroll down for the highlights as South Korea edge past Kuwait . South Korea's Nam Tae-hee celebrates scoring the winner as Kuwait were beaten 1-0 at the Asian Cup . Nam Tee-hee's goal proved decisive but the Koreans made hard work of beating Kuwait . The Korean players applaud their fans after a win that takes them to the brink of the quarter-finals . Korea's narrow win in Canberra, their second of the group stage, takes them to the brink of the last eight . South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu; Cha Du-ri, Jang Hyun-soo, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su; Park Joo-ho, Ki Sung-yueng; Nam Tae-hee (Han Kook-young 86), Lee Myung-joo (Cho Young-cheol ht), Kim Min-woo (Lee Jeong-hyeop 76); Lee Keun-ho . Substitutes not used: Jung Sung-ryong (GK); Kim Ju-young, Kawk Tae-hwi; Han Kyo-won . Scorer: Nam Tae-hee 36 . Booked: Jang Hyun-soo, Nam Tae-hee, Cha Du-ri . Kuwait: Hameed Youssef; Amer Al-Matoug, Mesaed Al-Enzi, Fahad Awad, Fahad Al Hajeri; Ali Al Maqseed, Sultan Al-Enzi (Al Mutawa 64), Fahad Al-Ebrahim, Abdullah Al-Buraiki (Faisal Zayed 75); Aziz Mashaan, Yousef Naser (Faisal Al Enzi 76) Booked: Fahad Awad . Referee: Alireza Faghani . It is unlikely he will participate in the rest of the tournament, which finishes with the final on January 31. Right-back Kim Chang-soo also failed to recover from his injury, while attacker Son Heung-min, midfielder Koo Ja-cheol and goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyun were all kept off the team due to sickness. The replacements made heavy work of Kuwait, defeated 4-1 by Australia four days previously. The only goal of the game came eight minutes before half-time when Nam headed home a perfect Cha Du-ri cross. The second half was a tough one for the Koreans, who were on the back foot for the majority of it. A shot from Ali Al Maqseed hit the post early in the period and was a signal for an extended period of Kuwaiti pressure. Despite plenty of possession, pressure and chances, Kuwait couldn’t find a way past South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. Kuwait are almost certainly out of contention at the tournament following back-to-back defeats. South Korea now move to Brisbane to face hosts Australia in the last group game on Saturday, when Kuwait meet Oman in Newcastle. Bolton star Lee Chung-yong is carried off on a stretcher during Korea's win over Oman on Saturday . Korea's Kim Jin-su jumps over Amer Almatoug Alfadhel of Kuwait during the match in Canberra . Kim Jin-su tries to run between two Kuwaiti players during Korea's slender win . Ki Sung-yueng leaps to clear the ball during his team's second win of the group stage . | South Korea moved to brink of Asian Cup quarter-finals with 1-0 win .
Nam Tae-hee scored a first-half header to sink Kuwait in Canberra .
It was confirmed pre-match that Bolton's Lee Chung-yong has suffered a fractured shin and will travel home .
Lee had been injured in their opening 1-0 win over Oman on Saturday . |
82,631 | ea4d18e799707f9015f5283afc32bd1112ba948f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:09 EST, 26 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:00 EST, 26 November 2013 . A search has started to find the cute couple who got engaged on Monday in the most romantic of ways. Like a scene from a cheesy romantic comedy, California residents were transfixed on the blue sky across west Los Angeles thanks to a grand gesture marriage proposal that was written in the clouds. The group of messages could be seen all the way from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica, spawning hundreds of Twitter and Instagram photos from well-wishers. The first message read: 'FOREVER LOVE.' Scroll down for video . Circle of love: This incredible Instagram photo shows hows the proposal played out across West Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. However the Twitter question of the day remains: Exactly who are the lucky couple? The second said: 'LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY.' For the lucky woman at the center of the grand gesture, one can imagine reading the first two messages not knowing they were for her ... until the third arrived . And saving best for last, the thirs beckoned: 'MARRY ME MICCO.' And they say the city of love is Paris: The pristine Los Angeles was lit up on Monday afternoon with an extravagant marriage proposal . Shmaltzy? Maybe just a little. But not many can say they were proposed to via a sky-written message . Those staring at the sky watching the proposal were left wondering the outcome. 'I hope she said yes! Who wouldn't when he does THAT?' one Twitter user wrote. However, within moments, the groom-to-be managed to get a message to the pilot. All of a sudden the final message in the series came. It read: 'MICCO SAID YES!' Yay: The 'confirmation' was the last message to be scrawled . However the big question of Twittersphere that remained was: Who is Micco? And who is the man willing to do this for her? Skeptics were quick to question whether the proposal wasn't actually someone asking for a hand in marriage but start of some social media stunt. Others such as Hollywood website Laist, said it set a very high precedent for L.A. locals thinking about prosing anytime soon. 'Future fiancees of L.A. are probably angrily rethinking their own marriage proposals right about now,' the blog said. | Sweet - and somewhat cheesy - sky-written proposal in west Los Angeles sparks search for the man and woman who will soon be husband and wife . |
175,467 | 6f1ad58be762d39dd08b5fc7591684de21a6e049 | (CNN) -- What happens on social media doesn't always stay on social media. That may be the unfortunate lesson for those who've recently had private photos accessed and shared due to a privacy gap on the photo-sharing website Photobucket. Nude, explicit, and R-rated images uploaded on the social media site were in some cases made available to view on public Web forums dedicated to exploiting Photobucket's privacy settings. The breach was first reported last week by BuzzFeed. The breach of privacy "is a very rare occurrence that has affected only a small number of Photobucket's users," said Photobucket spokesman David Toner. But the forums, some filled with stolen racy pictures and others with instructions on how to access more, have drawn thousands of viewers. While users who post unencrypted photos on Photobucket can make their albums password protected, individual photos, even in a private album, can be shared with others through a direct web link or URL. Hackers versed in Photobucket's privacy settings can access unencrypted pictures in password-protected albums by using software that deduces the direct web link, a practice commonly known as "fusking." With a Photobucket username and a list of common titles for photos, fusking software can extract images from private albums by finding patterns in the posted pictures. For instance, if an album has an image titled IMG_03, hackers may deduce that there is an IMG_06 and IMG_07. They can then access the images by guessing the direct link, even if the photos are in a password protected album. Photobucket says it's aware of fusking and has made efforts to limit the number of accounts hacked. "Scrambled URLs have been an option for the past two years and will be the default for all new uploads," Toner said. "The company is in the process of reminding users about the option to scramble URLs to prevent fusking." The scrambled URLs make it more difficult for hackers to guess sequences of images and find those meant to be kept secret. But if users have not applied the encryption, photos may remain vulnerable. "There are additional technical flags and safeguards in place when we suspect that fusking is being attempted; however, we have also taken several actions that will plug any existing holes that allow this activity," Toner added. "Privacy settings on social media sites just can't keep up with how fast technology is adapting," said Ethan Wall, a social media attorney in Miami. "As sites get more private, hackers and people who want to get more information will continue to get more sophisticated." The responsibility, however, ultimately rests with the user. "What you say and do on social media can be used against you and it can be found," Wall added. "If you don't want someone else to see it, don't post it." | Some private photos on Photobucket were improperly accessed and shared .
Hackers using a practice known as "fusking" to gain access to images .
Photobucket to start using scrambled URLs to combat fusking .
"Social media sites just can't keep up" with hackers, social media attorney says . |
261,366 | de7cd95c76efe9b6db14008a8dee0032a38ce0e2 | (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama offered an outline of his economic recovery plan Saturday, and jobs were the top priority. President-elect Barack Obama talks about his economic plan Saturday on a video on his Web site. American workers will rebuild the nation's roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy, Obama said in the weekly Democratic address, posted on his Web site. "The plan will mean 2.5 million more jobs" by 2011, Obama said. His Web site clarified that the plan would "save or create" that many jobs. "These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis," he said. "These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long." Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to implement the plan shortly after taking office January 20. Listen to Obama's economic plan » . He referred to figures out this week showing that new home purchases in October were the lowest in 50 years and that 540,000 new unemployment claims had been filed, the most in 16 years. iReport.com: How are you making yourself layoff-proof? "We must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again," he said. More than a million jobs have been lost this year, he said, and "if we don't act swiftly and boldly, most experts now believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year." The plan will be aimed at jump-starting job creation, Obama said, and laying the foundation for a stronger economy. "We'll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges; modernizing schools that are failing our children; and building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technology that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years head," he said. He noted that he will need support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass such a plan and said he welcomes suggestions from both sides of the aisle. "But what is not negotiable is the need for immediate action," he said. "Right now, there are millions of mothers and fathers who are lying awake at night wondering if next week's paycheck will cover next month's bills. "There are Americans showing up to work in the morning, only to have cleared out their desks by the afternoon. Retirees are watching their life savings disappear, and students are seeing their college dreams deferred. These Americans need help, and they need it now." Throughout history, he said, Americans have been able to rise above their divisions to work together, he said. "That is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we must rise to in the days to come," Obama said. "It is time to act. As the next president of the United States, I will." | President-elect proposes rebuilding roads, bridges, schools .
Plan would save or create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, Obama's office says .
Republicans and Democrats will need to work together, negotiate, he says . |
165,342 | 61cf47e79a0bccf260c79b8aa61715505943d853 | The parents of an eight-year-old schoolboy in remission from cancer are facing a school holiday fine for going on a charity-funded trip to Center Parcs. Max Davies, from Beighton in Sheffield, has been battling cancer for more than a year and was offered the free trip, which is taking place this week, along with his 11-year-old sister Lily and their parents. But school chiefs refused permission to allow the youngsters to be absent from classes and have threatened the family with a £60 fine. Scroll down for video . The parents of cancer survivor Max Davies, aged eight, (pictured) face holiday fines after school bosses refused permission to take Max and his sister on a charity trip to Center Parcs this week . Max (pictured above with his mother Sarah) is now in remission from combat non-Hodgkins lymphoma . The trip has been paid for by Amy's Retreat, a Sheffield-based charity which pays for breaks for families affected by cancer. Max is currently in remission following intensive treatment for combat non-Hodgkins lymphoma after being diagnosed in March last year. Parents Sarah and Craig Davies say they were 'delighted' when they were invited on the trip to Center Parcs, in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. Last winter, during his treatment, the family were given permission to take the children out of school for a dream trip to Lapland. Max, pictured with his parents Sarah and Craig Davies, in hospital while undergoing intensive cancer treatment . The family face fines for taking their children on a charity trip to Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest (pictured) The trip has been paid for by a Sheffield-based charity which pays for breaks for families affected by cancer . Now, the children's schools - Brook House Juniors and Westfield secondary school, both in Sheffield - say no final decision has yet been made on whether to impose the penalty. But Mrs Davies said the schools are failing to show any compassion by refusing to give permission for the holiday. She said: 'Max was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his bowel in March last year, and has fought really hard and is now in remission. 'It's great that Amy's Retreat have offered to pay for this break, which they want us to take in term time as it uses up less of their funds. 'But when we approached Brook House they initially refused the time off, saying Max had already enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip in school time when he went to Lapland for a day last year.' Max won a SuperKids award last year from his local newspaper for his bravery while battling cancer . Mrs Davies says if the fine is imposed for Max and Lily she and her husband will refuse to pay it . Mrs Davies said she knew schools were potentially left with no room to manoeuvre due to tough Government guidelines, which only allow extra time off in 'exceptional circumstances'. She added: 'I just wish they'd use their common sense more than anything and show a bit of understanding. We are going to refuse to pay the fines if they are imposed.' Brook House headteacher Mark Hinchliffe and Westfield headteacher Andy Ireland issued a joint statement on the case. In it, they said: 'We take the welfare and health of all our children seriously and are thrilled that Max is now in remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 'Max and his family have been supported by his friends and teachers at Brook House during his treatment and we were happy to approve time out of school last year when Max was offered a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Lapland. Max and his family went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Lapland last year during his cancer treatment . Brook House Junior school (pictured) says it has not yet decided whether to impose the fine for Max's absence . 'No decision has yet been made by both schools about whether the family will incur a fine for an unauthorised school absence following their trip to Center Parcs. 'However, both schools are guided by the Government regulation relating to term-time holidays, and we would support the principle that all children should attend school consistently so they can benefit from the learning we provide.' Max won a SuperKids award, run by his local newspaper The Star, last year for his bravery while fighting for his life against cancer. Since Michael Gove introduced the holiday ban in September last year, more than 60,000 families have been fined by councils for taking children out of school without approval. Under new guidelines parents are able to take their children out of school during term time for special occasions in a relaxation of the holiday ban introduced by Michael Gove in September last year. After a string of controversial cases, the new guidelines drawn up by head teachers make it clear when families can take children away from classes The rules have been backed by new Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, and will allow children to attend family weddings or funerals, recover after a personal or family crisis, attend a religious event or visiting a relative who is seriously ill . Under the new guidelines parents will still be prevented from taking advantage of cheap holiday breaks in term time Until September 2013 heads could grant up to 10 days leave a year for family holidays in 'special circumstances' But under Mr Gove head teachers could grant absence outside school holidays only in 'exceptional circumstances' It leaves parents facing fines of £60 per pupil if they take children out of school for a cheap term time holiday and those who refuse to pay can be fined up to £2,500 by the courts and could even be jailed for up to three months . The rules are aimed at preventing youngsters missing vital chunks of their education, but became one of Mr Gove's most unpopular policies . In the year before the new legislation was introduced, the number of parents hit with fines soared by nearly 70 per cent . Some 63,837 penalties were issued to parents in the academic year to July 2014 in England, compared with 37,650 fines throughout the previous 12 months . | Max Davies, eight, is in remission after fighting non-Hodgkins lymphoma .
He and sister Lily, 11, were offered free charity trip to Centre Parcs .
But school bosses refused permission to take children out of school .
Government ban on term time holidays leaves parents facing £60 fines .
Mother Sarah Davies says they will refuse to pay the fine if it is imposed . |
153,431 | 523e8b1b37233cd70f0a2b839bd2253d3415691d | The pilot of one of the Wisconsin planes that collided at 12,000 feet - almost killing a group of skydivers - has recounted his death-defying leap from the burning Cessna and shared the selfie he took of his bloody face after he landed. Matt Fandler was at the controls of one of two single-engine planes that were flying over Superior, Wisconsin, last Saturday with a group of experienced skydivers who were making their last jump of the day. But what was supposed to be a moment of perfectly-timed . air acrobatics and exhilarating free-falls turned into a terrifying . jump-for-your-life situation when Fandler's Cessna suddenly sandwiched on top . of the other. Speaking about the moment he said: 'And all of a sudden I hear this loud bang. I didn't see . anything...I just heard a bang and the windshield immediately . shattered.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Bloody: After Fandler landed safely on the ground, he took a 'selfie' to document his injuries, his face covered in blood from where the windshield shattered in his face after the planes collided . Survivor: Matt Fandler was at the controls of one of two single-engine planes that were flying over Superior, Wisconsin, and tells Matt Lauer for NBC's Dateline about his death-defying leap . Special program: The still from the helmet cam shows Matt Fandler's plane, bottom, on fire shortly after impact. He talks to Dateline about his experience . The crash tore off the wing of the plane and the gas tank blew up underneath and caught fire, causing the plane to go into an 'uncontrolled descent'. 'I was staring straight ahead. And the first thing I remember thinking . is that I need to regain control of this airplane,' the 23-year-old told Matt Lauer . in an exclusive Dateline interview airing tonight at 8pm. 'And I . immediately pulled the yoke back to my chest and pulled it back as far . as I possibly could. And there was no reaction from the airplane. 'I began to pick up more and more airspeed. And I realize that I have no . control of this aircraft. And probably thought it was in my best . interest to not be in this aircraft.' Fortunately he was wearing a parachute and though he had only done two tandem jumps before, he had to recall everything he learned as he jumped head first from the gap where the wing used to be. He got himself into the proper arched position for a free fall and . withstood the temptation to open the chute immediately, waiting until he . was at the recommended 4,000 to 5,000 feet, NBC reports. He landed hard somewhere near the runway and somersaulted to a stop. When he realized he was OK he decided to take a picture of himself to document his injuries. Had he not, then the 23-year-old would not have believed he had done what he did, he reveals on the Dateline special. Impact: The skydivers were perched on the edge of the plane ready to jump as the other one hit, causing a massive fire bomb . Impact: This is the moment the two planes hit, sending divers who were preparing to jump flying out of the aircraft and causing the wing of the other to come off . Incredible: Five of the skydivers involved in the Wisconsin plane crash can be seen freefalling and the plane Matt Fandler was flying on flames and hurtling to the ground . The photo shows his face covered in blood from the shards of . glass that flew at him when the Cessna's windshield shattered on impact. He also had serious cuts on his hands not seen in the picture that took 25 stitches to repair. 'I didn't have a mirror or anything, so I asked the police officer if he . wanted to take a photo of me,' he told NBC's Dateline. 'He gave me a really weird look, so I decided to take it myself.' When he saw the other pilot safely land his plane and then each skydiver parachute to the ground unhurt, he called it a miracle. And just like the others said the whole terrifying experience has not put them off skydiving, Fandler says he also plans to get back into the air, with the goal of one day flying bigger and faster planes. 'I really feel confident in my ability to be safe as a pilot. And I know what I can control. And I know what I cannot control,' he said. Wisconsin skydivers: When asked by Matt Lauer if they would get back into a plane again after their miraculous escape, all nine put up their hands with one women admitting she is more afraid of spiders . Amy Olson, left, remembers the pilot screaming at them to 'Go!', ordering them to jump. 'That's probably the worst, was hearing him scream,' she said through tears. 'It's pretty raw.' Brave: This skydiver describes how me made his way over to the plane that was on fire (while free falling) to see if the pilot was OK . Calm under pressure: Blake the pilot describes flying his plane after the collision and landing it safely which, they joked, was one of his better landings . One of the skydivers Barry Sinnex told Matt Lauer on the Today show this week that he tried to chase Fandler's plane that was on fire as he was free-falling to see if the pilot was OK. When he saw him jump from the plane, he chased him to make sure he could open his chute. 'Everybody else had parachutes on, so they were kind of on their own, so I chased the plane. I think Dan did too, he came down with me,' he said. 'We chased the airplane to see if the pilot got out. Once I saw the pilot bail out, I made sure he was going to open the parachute because he was a student.' Patricia Roy said: 'I thought it was a joke at first. Obviously not a very funny or appropriate one. But it was all so surreal. 'I thought oh my God they're getting closer. I expected the other plane to move away.' Daniel Chandler, who became wedged in between the two planes and almost collided with the propeller said: 'It was unpleasant. I had no time to react....The sound . behind me, I'll never forget. 'And that's all I could do was try and stay . forward and try not to move because I knew I was going to live where I . was, or thought I could.' Amy Olsen could not contain her . emotions while recounting the collision. Through tears she said she . remembers the pilot screaming at them 'Go!', ordering them to jump. 'That's probably the worst, was hearing him scream. It's pretty raw.' Blake Weldan, who managed to fly one of the planes to safety and land perfectly at Richard I. Bong Airport in Douglas County, joked that it was one of his better landings and said he has no idea how the crash occurred. 'Everything was as it should have been,' he said. 'We were just kind of lucky that we were at the point where we were out of the airplane,' said 64-year-old flight instructor Mike Robinson, who was in the lead plane. 'If we'd been back in the rear of the airplane when they collided it might have been a little bit different.' Once out of the plane, the skydivers had to carefully maneuver their chutes to stay out of the path of raining debris. 'We're . in free fall, so we're falling about 120 miles miles an hour vertically . down,' Mr Robinson said. 'But then we open our parachutes, and now all . of a sudden they're falling faster than we are...Fortunately, everybody . kept it together so they just avoided (the debris).' Split apart: Both wings of the lead plane became detached and Robinson said he watched it crash to the ground in three pieces . Falling pieces: Several people in the Superior area reported seeing the plane falling to the ground but no one was injured by the debris . Miraculously, no one on the ground was injured by the falling wreckage - but plenty saw them crash to the ground. Mike Plaunt lives in the area and often hears and sees the skydivers, but he noticed something was off about yesterday's jump. 'I . went outside and looked and could see parachuters and a drop plane, and . then there was something spiraling down. I couldn't identify what it . was..it had a trail of smoke and I had never seen that before,' he said. Happy to be alive: Two people hug after all 11 aboard the two planes landed safely . Quick thinking: The pilot of the tracking plane was able to land it safely, but the lead plane was not so lucky. It crashed to the ground in several piece. The pilot of that airplane escaped by parachute as well . While . Mr Robinson still doesn't know why exactly the two planes collided, he . believes the lead plane may have created unstable air for the tracking . plane. The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash today. It's . still uncertain what will happen to the skydiving company, since they . only owned the two planes. But it is the end of their season anyway. Mr . Robinson says the crash yesterday happened during the fourth jump of . his day, and that he's done over 900 jumps in his lifetime. 'I'll remember this one more than most,' he said. | Matt Fandler spoke to Matt Lauer for Dateline about the moment he lost control of the plane .
Interview will be aired on Friday at 8pm on NBC .
Suffered a number of cuts to his face where the windscreen shattered and had to get 25 stitches in his hand .
The only person involved in the two-plane crash with any injuries .
Footage emerged earlier this week showing nine skydivers make emergency jumps from their planes after a collision .
Fandler's plane can be seen from a helmet cam hurtling to the ground as a fireball . |
156,605 | 567b2cb99747a37a65783b562a882b4e2b1e51e0 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:33 EST, 15 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:04 EST, 15 August 2013 . The lawyer for one of the two 18-year-olds charged with circulating rape pictures of a teenage girl who later hanged herself says his client is being persecuted by a 'cyber-lynch mob.' The tragic suicide in April of Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old high school student from Nova Scotia, Canada, brought international attention to her claims that she was gang-raped when she was 15 and then relentlessly tormented by classmates who called her a 'slut' and harassed her for sex. Much of the bullying was a result of a photo the circulated at her school that showed Parsons being assaulted by a teen boy while throwing up out a window. The two 18-year-olds are charged with child pornography. One is accused of taking the picture, both are accused of circulating it. Because the alleged crime took place when the men were 16, they are charged as juveniles and their identities cannot be revealed. 'Victim': She was labelled a 'slut' after she was allegedly gang raped by four teenagers in 2010 . Protection: The two teenage suspects, now 18, cannot be identified under Canadian law because they were 16 when the alleged crime took place . They were both in court today with their parents for a brief appearance. The judge set a trial for September 19. Josh Arnold, the attorney for one of the men, told CTV News that his client has already been convicted in the court of public opinion. 'The Internet mavens and some members of the media have acted like a lynch mob in relation to this matter. They've tried and convicted this person without any due process whatsoever,' he said. Rehtaeh's heartbroken parents say that she hanged herself in their bathroom two years after the alleged attack because she could not bear to bullying and torment at school. Her uncle was furious about the attorney's allegations. 'This man's saying that these boys have been prosecuted in the media.That hasn't been the case. That's not true,' Michael Parsons said. A handful of protestors turned out to the courthouse where the suspects in the Rehtaeh case were due to appear . 'This case has been brought forward in the media. Because, it was only through the media participation that this case is even being looked at today.' He also said he is praying for the two accused. 'I have to pray for these boys. I have to pray for them to become good men. That's the hardest thing for me to do. But it's something I have to do. That's what's hard. If you want to know the truth that's the hardest thing to do,' he told the CBC. 'I have absolutely no faith in the RCMP or the Halifax city police or the Crown prosecutors because they totally dropped this case, they totally dropped the ball.' Retaeh's death led to an outcry because no one was charged or even reprimanded at the school - either for her rape or for the bullying. Tragedy: Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, took her life in April after enduring months of bullying after an alleged gang rape . Four boys, aged 14, 17 and two aged . 16, allegedly took it in turns to sexually assault her on November 12, 2011, after plying her with . alcohol, she told her mother days after. Her . mother said she saw an image of the alleged attack which showed her . daughter being raped by a teenage boy as he gave a 'thumbs up' sign while she vomited out of a window. Police initially concluded there were no grounds to charge anyone after a year-long investigation. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl Scott MacRae said they arrested two . males today. Investigators said they are being questioned and no . further information will be released at this time. 'Due to the sensitive nature around this investigation, the . investigators do want to ensure that no court process is affected,' MacRae said. The arrests came after someone came . forward in April and provided new information and said they were willing . to verify who the suspects are. 'We're just hopeful there's charges laid and others to arrest, hoping . that they're finally willing to tell their side of the story,' Leah . Parsons, Rehtaeh's mother, said. Innocence: Rehtaeh is pictured as a baby with her parents, Leah Parsons and Clen Canning . Distraught: Rehtaeh's mother chokes back tears at the teenager's funeral in April after she hanged herself . 'A sense of relief came over me that at least they're going to be questioned.' Last month Leah and her husband spoke to People magazine about their daughter's tragic death. 'When Rehtaeh was born, I promised her the world. Now my beautiful girl is gone,' Leah said. She started smoking pot to 'numb her emotions' and deal with Facebook messages and texts that came through by the dozen. They read things like: 'Sluts are not welcome here' and 'everyone knew exactly what you have done'. Rehtaeh . eventually closed down her Facebook page because there were so many men . asking her to have sex with them. They would say: ‘You had sex with my . friend, so why not me?’ The response from the school was, apparently, to do very little. Halifax school board spokesman Doug Hadley has said that none of the boys were spoken to. Her father, Glen Canning, told People: 'My . daughter wasn't bullied to death, she was disappointed to death. Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the . police.' Left behind: Her father said she killed herself out of disappointment in her . school, her former friends and law enforcement officers who failed to . help her . Rehtaeh's death prompted the Nova Scotia government to launch reviews of . the RCMP's original investigation and the school board's handling of . the matter. An . independent review released in June concluded the Halifax Regional . School Board could have done a better job, but it was hindered by the . fact that Rehtaeh was often absent from class. 'No help': Cole Harbour High School staff failed to speak to the boys involved and Rehtaeh left . | Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, hanged herself in April .
Told her mother she was gang-raped two years before then taunted about it after classmates saw a picture from the assault .
Two men were arrested earlier this month and charged with taking and circulating the picture her being raped .
Lawyer for one of the men says his client has already been convicted in the court of public opinion .
Rehtaeh's uncle says he is praying for the two suspects . |
109,629 | 195033df8fa1edd59f975785a6f0a47f11742756 | A British soldier who has joined a Kurdish military unit fighting Islamic State is in grave danger of being kidnapped and beheaded, experts have warned. Concerns have been raised for the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment squaddie now thought to be fighting deadly jihadists on the frontline in Northern Syria. The 19-year-old soldier – who once shared a barracks with murdered fusilier Lee Rigby – was based in Cyprus before his shock disappearance. Fears: The 19-year-old British soldier, right, who once shared a barracks with murdered fusilier Lee Rigby, left, is believed to have joined Kurdish forces in Syria . It’s believed he has joined a Kurdish unit called the YPG. Fears for his safety are based on postings on Facebook suggesting a member of the unit has defected to IS. A post appeared on a Facebook page of YPG spokesman Zagros Cudi claiming that one of his comrades had joined IS and that it was now ‘forbidden’ for anyone to contact this individual. A Western source inside the YPG said: ‘If the defector still has contacts in YPG, he could offer them a lot of money to give us up or the British soldier, who would carry the highest price. 'Wherever he goes, there will be a huge price on his head.’ The source added: ‘The British soldier will be sent straight to the frontline in Rojava where there is fierce fighting against IS. 'Unwittingly, perhaps, he has put himself in much more danger than he could have imagined.’ Kurdish expert Professor Gareth Stansfield said: ‘If captured he would be treated as a mercenary and face almost certain death. The publicity value would be enormous.’ | Concerns raised for the Pincess of Wales’s Royal Regiment squaddie .
The 19-year-old once shared barracks with murdered fusilier Lee Rigby .
It's believed he joined a Kurdish unit called the YPG to fight terror group .
Fears for his safety are based on Facebook posts suggesting a member of the unit has defected to IS . |
131,452 | 35f9ebfef240a4d7d54d74436bf52384c7c21282 | By . Anna Pursglove . This year, 41-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow let slip a little beauty secret. Her famously flawless complexion is not just the result of good genes and an organic diet but has been given a helping hand by a cosmetic procedure called Thermage. Dubbed ‘the ironing treatment’, Gwynnie says the procedure has taken years off her face and suits her much better than rival wrinkle-busting treatment Botox which the actress claims made her look 'crazy, like Joan Rivers'. Designed to tighten and smooth skin by promoting collagen production in its lower layers, Thermage smooths out wrinkles, tightens saggy jowls and reduces hooding around the eyes. Furthermore the treatment has no down time. Fans say it is the ultimate lunchtime beauty fix. BEFORE: Anna Pursglove complained she had deeper wrinkles since turning 40 . AFTER: Anna has noticed that her skin is less crepey and more elastic after two sessions of Thermage . I am almost exactly the same age as Gwyneth Paltrow and share her blonde hair and pale skin (although sadly that’s where the similarity ends). I figure if Thermage can take years off Gwynnie then it might work for me too. Since turning 40 I have noticed that the skin of my neck and eyelids has got slacker while the folds running between my nose and the corners of my mouth have deepened. The skin under my chin is also beginning to sag. I would give anything for Gwyneth’s dewy complexion. And so I present myself at the Knightsbridge clinic of Dr Rita Rakus. Trusted by stars including Amanda Holden, Nancy dell'Olio, Lisa Butcher and Karen Brady, Dr Rakus, it is a leading light in the world of ‘non-surgical facial rejuvenation’, in other words she can make you look younger without using a knife. 'The demand for Thermage is massive since Gwyneth talked about it,' she confirms. 'I’ve got people flying in from all over the world for it.' As Dr Rakus prepares the treatment room, she tells me that Amanda Holden (a year older than me yet looking a least a decade younger!) is a fan of Thermage. 'She is part of that generation of women who want to look their best but don’t want that very "done" look,' she explains. 'What women tell me time and time again after having Thermage is that people comment on how well they look but never guess that they’ve had any kind of cosmetic procedure.' As Thermage fan Linda Evangelista puts it: 'For me, it’s for enhancement, like hair colour or make-up.' I confess, however, that I am nervous about the treatment. Friends who have undergone the procedure tell me that it is very painful and Gwyneth herself describes it as “a laser” that feels as though 'someone’s smacking your face with a rubber band that has an electric shock in it.' That doesn’t sound good. Dr Rakus starts off by tackling the science bit. Gwyneth, she tells me, is in fact wrong about Thermage being a laser. Gwyneth swears by 'Thermage' and says that Botox makes her look 'crazy' The treatment actually uses radio frequency (RF) energy. When the RF pulse from the hand-held Thermage tip hits the skin, the energy travels into its deepest layers where the plumping collagen is found. The energy actually damages the collagen making it recoil, tighten and then repair. The effect at the surface of the skin is both a tightening and a plumping one. And yes, acknowledges Dr Rakus, early forms of Thermage were quite painful because of the heat produced. It did indeed feel a little like being shocked or burned. However a new tip for the hand-held device through which the RF is delivered (called a ‘Comfort Pulse Technology’ tip) means energy can be delivered very effectively to the lower layers of the skin without any associated discomfort. I lie back in the treatment chair. Before we begin, a grid is drawn on my face (I look a bit like an extra from The Matrix), which allows Dr Rakus to make sure the heat is spread evenly. To begin with, she says, we will use a low setting and once she establishes how sensitive I am to the treatment, she can up the intensity. As the treatment begins, repeated passes are made over each area of my face and with each pass of the hand-held tip I feel heat followed by cold (the cold is from cooling gas built into the treatment head). I can honestly say that Dr Rakus is right - the procedure is almost completely painless (other than a sensitive spot reaching from my jaw line down my neck). In fact I’m so relaxed that as she glides the Thermage device across my face, we begin discussing the many benefits of the treatment. In addition to having no recovery time, Dr Rakus tells me, in some people the treatment produces a tightening effect immediately, which then develops over the following six months. The effects of the procedure can still be seen two and even sometimes three years later particularly if a top up treatment is given at around six months. 'I have been variously told that I look . slimmer, fitter, younger and more rested. However, . none of my friends suspects that I have had cosmetic assistance' She does, however, add that the effectiveness of Thermage very much depends on the condition of the skin in the first place. Heavy smokers or those with excessive sun damage are likely to see less satisfactory results as the tone and elasticity of the skin is so compromised. Moreover, says Dr Rakus, Thermage works as well on the body as on the face. Aged hands, baggy knees, saggy tummies, drooping bottoms and wobbly cellulite can all be improved using the technique. It is also suitable for use on any skin tone whereas some rejuvenating lasers cannot be used on darker skins. So why isn’t everyone having Thermage? After all Botox now seems to be available at virtually every beauty salon and dentist’s surgery. Dr Rakus explains that not only would a Thermage machine be extremely dangerous in non-skilled hands (incorrect use could result in facial burns and scarring) but also the technology itself is very expensive. Consequently a session of Thermage (lasting around an hour depending on the surface area of skin involved) costs £2,990 for the lower face and neck and £3,990 for full face and neck. And yet, says Dr Rakus, her clinic is not simply filled with an endless stream of actresses, TV stars and footballers’ wives. Ordinary women with modest incomes are coming to her in greater and greater numbers seeking facial rejuvenation. 'Yes these treatments are expensive but you’ll get results lasting years . 'Many women will save hard and spend the money that they would have spent on face creams, cosmetics and the like each month on Thermage instead. If you think of it as less than £100 a month then you begin to see where women find the money.' And nine months later (after one top up session at six months) can I see a difference? Well, everyone else certainly can. In fact I got a very satisfactory tightening effect in the days immediately after the treatment but it has been over the last few months that the effects have really started to show with my jaw line and jowls much improved and my skin less crepey and more elastic. I have been variously told that I look slimmer, fitter, younger and more rested. As Dr Rakus promised, however, none of my friends suspects that I have had cosmetic assistance with my newly freshened appearance. None of them has compared me to Gwyneth Paltrow yet but I live in hope. | Gywneth Paltrow uses 'ironing treatment' to stop wrinkles .
Other celebs such as Amanda Holden swear by the trend .
We put 'Thermage' to the test and see a real improvement . |
148,904 | 4c8caf6b5211dcc7aadaff15582c84f0667cde06 | A grandmother has been dubbed 'Rambo' after pulling out a gun to fight off two alleged armed robbers who attacked her in her Detroit driveway. Paris Ainsworth, 51, was shot four times in the late-night attack, but was able to return fire with eight bullets from her licensed .45 caliber handgun. The health worker said her weapon saved her life. 'If I wouldn't have had my gun I would be dead today,' the grandmother-of-four told WDIV. 'This is ludicrous, the way that they are just robbing and trying to take stuff from people, and killing people.' Survivor: Grandmother-of-four Paris Ainsworth, 51, said she fired at two robbers who shot her four times outside her Detroit home on the weekend . Tough: Paris Ainsworth, 51 (pictured left and right) said she had just returned to her Detroit home when two men threatened her with guns . Ainsworth said she was returning home to the 15400 block of Beaverland from a double shift on the weekend, when she saw two men approaching her. She said she slipped her handgun into her pocket before she got out of the car. She said one of the men then shot her four times - three in the side and once in the hand. 'He said, 'Don't pull it,' and he shot immediately',' Ainsworth said. Ainsworth then pulled out her gun and fired. 'I said, 'You mother (expletive),' and pulled out (my gun) and started shooting. One, he was right in the middle of the street. The other one was right here on the (side of the street),' she said. When the alleged attackers fled, Ainsworth waited on a neighbor's porch until EMS arrived. 'I kept applying pressure to my side and where the blood was coming from,' she said. Scene: Paris Ainsworth was shot four times in the driveway of her home on the 15400 block of Beaverland in Detroit (pictured) Treatment: Paris Ainsworth was taken to Sinai-Grace Hospital in west Detroit (pictured) for treatment, the same place where her two alleged attackers showed up and were arrested . The Detroit resident was rushed to Sinai-Grace Hospital for treatment - the same place where her alleged attackers were arrested. One of the attackers was shot in both legs. 'The victim told officers that she fired her handgun at the suspects when they attempted to rob her and did not know if the shots took effect,' Detroit police said in a statement, according to UPI. 'While at the scene, another police run was called in from the hospital stating that a male was shot. The officers went to the hospital and the male that was shot matched the description given by the victim.' Ainsworth said the attack brought back memories of being hit with a gun by a mugger 10 years ago. Two years ago, she got a concealed weapons permit, believing that people have a right to protect themselves with guns. 'He (the weekend attacker) didn't shoot me because he felt that I was going to shoot him. He didn't care. He just shot. He didn't look like, 'Oh my God I shouldn't have.' He just had the devil in him,' she said. 'I thank God that I'm here with my family. It was horrible. I never want to see anything like that again.' 'No man, no law, no war can stop him': Grandmother-of-four Paris Ainsworth, 51, has been dubbed 'Rambo' - the gun-toting character played by Sylvester Stallone - for fighting off two alleged attackers with a pistol . | Paris Ainsworth said two men tried to rob her outside her Detroit home on the weekend .
The licensed gun holder fired at them eight times after they shot her .
The grandmother-of-four was hit in the side and hand .
Police arrested both alleged attacks at a hospital where one with gunshot wounds was being treated . |
235,967 | bd7bc19452939f1e45ae636af2b7b01e76d0d986 | Evidence emerged on Monday that President Barack Obama's transition team was notified five years ago that Veterans Affairs medical centers' official wait-list times bore little resemblance to reality and were sometimes denying military heroes critical health care. The Washington Times discovered through a Freedom of Information Act that waiting times at veterans' medical facilities were known to . be wildly inaccurate at the end of the George W. Bush administration. By the time Obama's transition team got a post-election briefing from . the VA at the end of 2008, scheduling failures were already reaching a . critical point.' 'This report and prior reports indicate . that the problems and causes associated with scheduling, waiting times . and wait lists are systemic throughout the VHA,' the briefing said. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that the White House 'learned about' the growing VA scandal 'through the reports' in the news, contrary to a report released on Monday that shows Obama has known about the scandal since he was elected . First of many flashbacks: Facing revelations that his IRS had played political favorites and intentionally hamstrung tea party groups, Obama said that he 'first learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this.' That was also the White House's excuse today for not acting to improve veterans' care sooner . The American Legion and other veterans advocacy groups are hopping mad about an under-the-table waiting list scandal that appears to have cost dozens of lives in just one Phoenix medical center . Suicides: Psychiatrist Margaret Moxness told Fox News on Monday that she believes a West Virginia VA hospital?s appointment system was so dysfunctional that at least two veterans took their own lives . Obama's . transition team was told that nine of the VA Inspector General's . recommendations from 2005 to 2007 had not been implemented. 'Although . VHA has recognized the need to improve scheduling practices and the . accuracy of wait times data, no meaningful action has been taken to . achieve this goal today,' officials said. The briefing stopped short of saying managers and VA hospitals were lying about wait times, while admitting that they were manipulating the data they sent to officials in Washington. White . House Press Secretary Jay Carney wound up with egg on his face Monday as . he told reporters that President Obama first learned from a TV . news report that his Veterans Administration was denying medical care to . vets with secret off-the-books-waiting lists. A CNN reporter asked Carney on Monday when the president was 'first made aware ... of these fraudulent lists that were being kept to hide the wait times' at VA medical centers. 'You mean the specific allegations,' Carney asked, 'that I think were reported first by your news network out of Phoenix, I believe?' 'We learned about them through the reports. I will double check if that is not the case. But that is when we learned about them and that is when I understand Secretary Shinseki learned about them, and he immediately took the action that he has taken.' Obama has . come under fire before for saying he was made aware of scandal-worthy . shortcomings in his own administration by watching television, including . the IRS tea party-targeting scandal that rocked Washington 12 months . ago and the Operation Fast and Furious saga that has tainted his Justice . Department for years. After the Operation Fast and Furious scandal broke, Obama responded to national outrage in an interview broadcast by CNN's John King on October 12, 2011, similarly saying he was out of the loop until he turned on his television. 'There have been problems, you know,' the president said then. 'I heard on the news about this story that – Fast and Furious, where allegedly guns were being run into Mexico, and ATF knew about it, but didn't apprehend those who had sent [the guns].' A few months into his presidency, Obama's White House approved an unannounced New York City flyover by Air Force One, with a fighter jet following closely, in order to capture a photograph of the iconic plane over the Statue of Liberty. Some buildings were evacuated and emergency phone lines were jammed as panicked New Yorkers feared a terror attack was imminent. 'It was a mistake,' the president said on April 28, 2009, the day after the flight. 'It was something we found out about along with all of you. And it will not happen again.' Last year on May 14, Carney told reporters that Obama had learned about his Department of Justice seizing two months' worth of Associated Press journalists' phone records 'from news reports yesterday, on the road.' 'We don't have any independent knowledge of that,' Carney insisted. That punt came just one day after Obama himself told the Washington press corps during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister David Cameron that he was in the dark – until it hit news reports – that the Internal Revenue Service had targeted . conservative nonprofit groups for special inquisitions when they applied . for tax-exempt status. 'I first learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this,' he said in the East Room of the White House on May 13, 2013. 'I think it was on Friday. And this is pretty straightforward.' 'I've got no patience with it,' Obama said moments later. 'I will not tolerate it. And we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this.' Human face: This month Army veteran Kryn Miner was buried in Essex, Vt. His widow Amy Miner, third from left, believes the Veterans Affairs health system should have done more to help him as he struggled with PTSD. He was shot to death by one of their children in April after he threatened to kill the entire family . In 2011 Obama told CNN that he first 'heard on the news about & Operation Fast and Furious, where allegedly guns were being run into Mexico, and ATF knew about it' The president told reporters in 2009 that he found out along with reporters that his administration has approved an unannounced Air Force One flyover in NYC that spooked commuters and lit up 911 phone lines with terror-attack fears . White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer told Sunday . morning talk show audiences the following weekend that Obama was first informed 'when it came . out in the news.' A year later, accused IRS targeting instigator Lois Lerner has been held in contempt of Congress and her fate rests with Attorney General Eric Holder. A criminal investigation in the Department of Justice, which has issued no findings, is being managed by an attorney who donated thousands of dollars to Obama's political campaigns. Obama's reputation for using the news media as his own coal-mine canary reached comic proportions that week when 'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart carped that 'I wouldn’t be surprised if President Obama learned Osama bin Laden had been killed when he saw himself announce it on television.' Some Republicans are fearing déjà vu as the VA medical scandal gathers steam. 'This is becoming a pattern,' a senior Republican Senate aide told MailOnline on Monday. 'The president supposedly learns about it while channel-surfing, tells us how outraged he is, and then what? Buries it?' Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is under fire as his agency's health system seems to be coming apart at the seams and the White House claims it didn't know . 'That might wash with the tea party, but not with veterans. No one around here is inclined to let that happen.' The Veterans Affairs Department briefing given to Obama's transition team after his first presidential election victory warned specifically that its own medical appointment scheduling practices were putting lives in danger. 'This is not only a data integrity issue in which [Veterans Health Administration] reports unreliable performance data,' the transition report read; 'it affects quality of care by delaying – and potentially denying — deserving veterans timely care.' It also recommended a series of tests that would compare doctor appointments in veterans' official medical records with appointment times recorded in the VA's computer system. As the VA scandal gathers momentum, doctors are beginning to put a human face on the tragedy. Dr. Margaret Moxness, a whistle-blowing psychiatrist, told the Fox News Channel on Monday that she believes a West Virginia VA hospital where she once worked had an appointment system so dysfunctional that at least two veterans took their own lives. Bureaucrats, she said, 'don't really experience what the doctors and nurses are experiencing, which is the suffering and the pain and the death.' Moxness explained that her patients often had to wait months for follow-up appointments after she prescribed antidepressant medications that require check-ups after 10 days. Some couldn't wait out their psychological pain and committed suicide. VA Undersecretary for Health Robert Petzel resigned on Friday a day after telling a congressional committee that he was aware of a 2010 memo warning about the problems, which materialized in a Phoenix, Arizona VA medical center when as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting critical care. Computer records indicated that the vets were not on a waiting list at all. Carney hinted Monday that Obama is likely to address the new scandal. 'I'm sure you'll hear from him at some point on this issue soon,' he said. | VA .
medical centers stand accused of keeping secret off-the-books waiting .
lists in order to boost performance stats .
As .
many as 40 veterans died in Phoenix when they were denied critical care .
because their names didn't appear on official waiting lists .
A report emerged on Monday showing the VA warned President Obama's transition team about the secret waiting lists after the 2008 election .
Yet, White .
House Press Secretary Jay Carney says president Obama didn't know about the .
explosive Veterans Administration scandal until he saw recent news reports .
Obama and his surrogates have claimed he learned of several other scandals from broadcast or print news stories .
They include Operation Fast and Furious, the IRS's targeting of tea parties and a DOJ seizure of two months of Associated Press phone records . |
121,061 | 287a59f5bc0ab8f9d81f05e493c8175737ebd8ce | By . Robert Hardman . Some predicted death from ‘sulphurous’ fumes, others that the capital would collapse. Many warned of ruinous costs which would never be recouped (they weren’t wrong on that point). But thanks to a handful of indefatigable, high-minded Victorians, one of the most ambitious engineering projects in history not only went on to shape London, it has since been copied by almost every major city on the planet. More than that, the London Underground has become part of the DNA of Britain, a symbol of national creativity and resilience. In war, it protected hundreds of thousands. In peace, it created the suburban dream for millions of families. Scroll down for video . A Victorian steam train, typical of those used in the Tube, was driven through Baker St Station to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first London Underground journey in January this year . And, tomorrow morning, an international crowd of VIPs will assemble to recreate the very first Tube journey as the Underground marks its 150th birthday. Led by Mayor Boris Johnson, they will board an original London Underground train — leather and velvet in first class; benches in third — and travel three and a half miles from Paddington Station to Farringdon Street. But what makes it an even more historic journey is the workhorse at the front — an original Undergound steam locomotive. There hasn’t been a steam-powered passenger journey on the Underground since Edward VII reigned. Victorian: Robert Hardman takes a late night journey on the underground steam engine which will carry a group of VIPs on Sunday . Of course, anyone who has actually used the Tube — and a record 1.17 billion people did so last year — will immediately ask themselves the same question: how on earth did the Tube cope in the age of steam? It can be fetid enough today in a modern electric carriage. Funnily enough, it is not that unpleasant. There’s plenty of white wispy smoke, of course, but I’d rather breathe this than the exhaust fumes at a busy road junction. I have managed to secure a seat for the trial run ahead of tomorrow’s big occasion. Clouds waft in through the open windows of my eight-seat compartment, but there’s just a scent of bonfire. I have shared Tube carriages with more objectionable takeaway meals. What is overwhelming, though, is the atmosphere. It is getting on for 2am. Transport for London can only test all this renovated rolling stock on an empty network. So the only onlookers are a few diehard steam enthusiasts. None of them has seen anything quite like this, though. What a gloriously incongruous feeling it is to chuff-chuff through familiar London landmarks, past advertisements for airlines and wi-fi and mobile phones, in a maroon first class carriage built for Victorians, with adverts for soap and day trips to Middlesex. By day, these stations are heaving. Now, they are closed, half-lit, eerily silent. It’s as if a ghost train from Dickensian Britain has sneaked back to revisit old haunts. We trundle through Baker Street. The very same lightwells which poured daylight and fresh air down on that original Tube line are still in the walls. Pure Sherlock Holmes. We clatter through Euston Square — or Gower Street as it was called back then — and on through King’s Cross. Shiny signs on shiny walls direct passengers to Eurostar trains heading for the Continent. Yet the Battle of Waterloo was still in living memory when this track was built. Here and there, maintenance workers stop to give us a standing ovation or film it on their phones. The capital is fast asleep but the driver of Metropolitan Steam Locomotive Number 1, Geoff Phelps, 45, cannot resist the odd blast on his whistle. ‘You’d have to be completely heartless not to be excited by this,’ says Sir Peter Hendy, London’s wide-eyed Transport Commissioner, as we stop at Moorgate to take on water and check the dials. It’s taken years to restore this train. Back in time: The Metropolitan Locomotive No. 1 will pull the Metropolitan Railway Jubilee carriage No 353 . Some of the volunteer helpers have been invited along for the ride, so excited they can hardly speak. At around 3am, a whistle orders us all back on board for the return. I sit next to Sam Mullins, director of the London Transport Museum and co-author of ‘Underground’, an absorbing new history of the Tube. Tonight’s speed is around 20mph but Sam points out that everything was much slower on opening day, 1863: ‘It was chaos and the journey took about two and a half hours.’ The story of the Tube is full of pioneers and crooks, but it had a nobility of purpose from the start. For that, we can thank Charles Pearson, the City of London’s solicitor, who argued passionately that the lot of the ordinary Londoner would be much improved with a subterranean railway (he died before he could see the result). Another Tube author, Emily Kearns, recounts hostility to the idea in her new book, Mind The Gap. ‘The forthcoming end of the world will be hastened by the construction of the railways burrowing into infernal regions and thereby disturbing the Devil,’ wrote the Rev Dr John Cumming in 1860. Yet there was only one notable absentee from the euphoric opening on January 9th 1863. The Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, explained that, at 79, he would prefer to remain above ground a little longer. The new Metropolitan Railway was an instant hit. Opened to the public, it carried nearly 40,000 on its first day. But with so many steam engines operating in a confined space, the cumulative effect was alarming. That same day, a porter was hospitalised due to the ‘vitiated atmosphere’ and several people were left ‘insensible’ from fumes. Ticket to ride: An early Metropolitan Railway third class ticket . Legacy: This Victorian steam-powered vehicle remained in service until the 1960s . Still, a rival soon emerged. The Metropolitan District Railway — known as the District Line — started taking shape from Westminster to Kensington. Eventually, the two railways linked up to create the ‘Inner Circle’ around central London, while both companies furiously maintained their independence. As they stretched further out to London’s rural fringe, an explosion of housebuilding followed. But another player really shook things up in 1890. The new City and South London line, running under the Thames to link the southern suburbs with the City, had only one class, to the dismay of papers like the Railway Times: ‘We have scarcely yet been educated to that condition of social equality when lords and ladies will be content to ride alongside Smithfield butchers’. More important, the new line ran on electricity. The death knell for steam was the dazzling new Central Line, opened in 1900. It had snazzy new electric carriages, a fixed fare and it opened up London’s great shopping and theatre districts. It also had the Daily Mail to thank for an immortal phrase — ‘the Twopenny Tube’. Thereafter, the entire Underground would be known, for ever, as ‘the Tube’. Everyone wanted to be a part of the new line. When American retailer Gordon Selfridge opened his Oxford Street store in 1909, he fought — in vain — to get Bond Street station renamed ‘Selfridge’s’. Then and now: A traveller at Baker Street Station this week - the station shares the 150th Anniversary of its opening on January 10th, 2013 with the London Underground . By 1905, the Metropolitan and District Lines had surrendered to electricity. There would be no more steam-powered passenger trains —until this week (although some steam engines continued to haul goods). Within a year, the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines completed a huge Edwardian electric network. But it was still something of a disjointed mess until the arrival of one of the most pivotal figures in British transport history. Frank Pick was the master of detail who gave the Tube its own identity, from station design to lettering to posters to its eternal symbol: the red and blue ‘roundel’. He also paid ten guineas to a draughtsman called Harry Beck for a new map. The result, first printed in 1933, remains a masterpiece. In a 2006 BBC poll, the Beck map was beaten only by Concorde as the greatest British design of all time (and Concorde was half-French). Yet Beck’s name was removed from the map in 1959 and he died a bitter man in 1974. There is an equally unhappy ending to the Frank Pick story. At the outbreak of war, he was masterminding London’s evacuation strategy but fell out with his colleagues and with Winston Churchill and left. He died from a brain haemorrhage two years later. In charge:The Queen's visit underground in 1969 was her second time experiencing the Tube. Her first trip came as a 13-year-old in 1939 with Princess Margaret and her governess Marion Crawford . Going underground: The Queen was pictured riding on an escalator in the British Pathe footage filmed at Green Park station in 1969 . The war was, arguably, the Tube’s finest hour. Yet, at the start of the Blitz, the management tried to stop people sheltering from bombs, fearful that they would never leave and frustrate the Underground’s sacred duty: keeping the capital moving. By October 1940, the authorities relented. Beds, sanitation and refreshments were introduced. At its peak, there were 177,000 sleeping in the Underground. Tragedies were glossed over: 79 blown apart at Sloane Square, 68 drowned at Balham after a bomb ruptured a water main. Worst of all was a crush at Bethnal Green which killed 173, mostly women and children, in 1943. With peace came nationalisation, decay and division. It took the 1987 King’s Cross fire to reverse the long-term culture of decline. The advent of the London mayoralty and colossal public/private partnerships would help revivify the network to the point that it is busier than ever, carrying 4 million a day, double the 1982 number. It remains an endearing paradox. We love to complain about the Tube. And yet, we love it dearly. We’re like an old married couple, bickering yet devoted. ‘You’re not running a rail network,’ says managing director Mike Brown as we chug along. ‘You’re looking after an institution.’ It’s been quite a journey. Happy 150th, you smelly old thing. Old-fashioned: The interior of an all-steel London underground train is pictured around 1920 . Busy: Six underground railway tunnels run under the Earl's Court Exhibition building which is pictured under construction near Earl's Court Station in 1936 . Underground by David Bownes, Oliver Green and Sam Mullins (Allen Lane, £25); Mind The Gap by Emily Kearns (Summersdale, £9.99) | Crowd of VIPs will travel between Paddington Station and Farringdon Street .
Transport system is described as one of the greatest ever feats of engineering that inspired cities across the world .
Our writer climbed aboard for a test ride on the steam locomotive . |
238,693 | c0fecdd553034d1a0c05a3821bed92e4d188004d | Editor's note: Look for the Martha Stewart Halloween special issue, on newsstands now, and download the digital edition from the App Store. It's loaded with hundreds of ideas from the silly to the spooky (and every mood in between). (Martha Stewart Living) -- I love getting dressed up in fantastical costumes for Halloween—and luckily for me, most years I get to do it not once but twice. In addition to whatever I wear on October 31, I also undergo a complete transformation for our Halloween special issue (on newsstands now). In order to have this edition available in time for the holiday, we create costumes, carve pumpkins, bake treats, and make all manner of scary and unusual and bewitching decorations months in advance. Martha Stewart Living: 15 kitchen shortcuts that will change the way you cook . I thought you might like to go "behind the scenes" to find out a little about how we dream up these costumes. The notion of a "Fairy GrandMartha" first came about in March, when our special-projects group was planning the Halloween issue. I met with crafts director Marcie McGoldrick and told her that, this year, I wanted my costume to be something sweet and nice. (Some years I want it to be dark and mysterious.) The editors had already been planning a story inspired by classic fairy tales, so a fairygodmother character came to us naturally. I suggested a costume made of tulle, because it is so readily available and economical yet lends itself to beautiful and ethereal effects. Marcie began sketching ideas for a "low-sew" gown, requiring little stitching, and we discussed all the details: whether it should have a hood or a collar (we went with a dramatic collar), how my makeup should look (very sparkly), and how to wear my hair (up, with ringlets and tendrils). Martha Stewart Living: 19 tips for perfect laundry every time . On the day of the photo shoot, in June, I was very pleased to see the wooded wonderland the team had created in our studio—complete with moss and tree stumps from my farm. It took two and a half hours for me to get into full costume; I took a break about halfway through and walked the halls of our offices and test kitchens with my Fairy GrandMartha makeup on and my hair in curlers. (Funnily enough, colleagues were not too surprised to see me that way!) Martha Stewart Living: Instant organization: Get it together in 15 minutes or less . After all that, the photographs, shot by the very talented Fadil Berisha, took 25 minutes. I hope you try this costume—or maybe the Rapunzel or the Red Riding Hood or the Ogre in the special issue is more your style, or perhaps your kids would like to be elves or sprites—and enjoy the process of transformation as much as I did. Martha Stewart Living: 20 super-efficient, super-effective ways to clean all the things . The Fairy GrandMartha gown . Make this elegant gown from soft fine-gauge tulle— the same whisper-weight fabric used in wedding veils. (Thicker, coarser tulle might feel scratchy.) Martha Stewart Living: No-mess one-bowl desserts: 12 recipes for lazy bakers . Supplies: . 15 yards pink tulle, full (108-inch) width Sewing machine and sewing supplies 4 yards pink gros-grain ribbon, 2-inch width Safety pin . 1. Make ruffles for neck: Cut 6 layers of 5-inch-by-108-inch tulle. Sew to-gether layers along one long edge. gently pull thread at end to gather layers into a ruffle (this one is approximately 16 inches wide). Repeat with six 7-inch-long lay-ers of tulle. Hand-stitch ruffles together length-wise, near gathers. 2. Stack 6 layers of tulle that are as long as your desired gown. Sew them at one 108-inch end in same manner as ruffles, pulling thread to gather to the same width. 3. Hand-stitch neck ruffles to gown. Sew a 12-inch piece of grosgrain ribbon to end of stitching on each side. 4. To wear, tie ribbon behind neck. Leave top 3 layers of tulle loose in front of body, and pull other layers around waist, forming a skirt shape. Pin them together in back; tie ribbon around waist as a sash. Wear the gown over a pink unitard. Tulle won't unravel when cut—no hemming required. Martha Stewart Living: Curb your food cravings with yoga . | Over the years, Martha Stewart has worn spooky and delightful Halloween costumes .
This year, for Halloween, Martha Stewart is a "Fairy GodMartha"
You can make and wear the same costume: See the instructions, below . |
201,545 | 90f63fc8d96a2f189ace742179b1edbc72c0f338 | Seventy years after the Allied forces firebombed Dresden, the country remembers the tens of thousands who were burned alive by holding a sombre church service and forming a silent human chain across the city. 10,000 people joined hands along the river Eibe and across bridges in the east-German city, which has seen Europe's biggest neo-Nazi marches on February 13 in recent years. Delegates from Coventry, Breslau, Ostrava and St Petersburg - cities that also suffered brutal air attacks in the Second World War - lit candles at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in the presence of those who survived the deadly bombings. Scroll down for video . Solidarity: 10,000 people joined hands to form a giant human chain in Dresden to symbolise peace on the 70th anniversary of the Dresden bombings . Together: In recent years, neo-Nazi's have descended on the city on February 13 to march against Islam . Peace: This year, tens of thousands of 'anti-fascists' gathered on the square outside the church carrying a green banner which read: 'Fight for a humane society' Leaders: Germany's President Joachim Gauck (second from right) joined the peaceful protesters . Symbolic: The tens of thousands who formed the silent human chain commemorated the people who were 'burned alive' during the bombing of Dresden in 1945 . Dresden has recently become the beacon for an anti-Islam movement where as many as 25,000 protesters have marched against what they perceive as the growing influence of the religion. But tonight, 'anti-fascists' gathered on the square outside the church carrying a green banner which read: 'Fight for a humane society. Take action against the Nazis.' Germany's president spoke at the church which was left in ruins for years to symbolise the destruction of the Second World War, before being rebuilt. Joachim Gauck said: 'Bombs and fire indiscriminately annihilated both guilty and innocent, party members and small children, war criminals and nuns, guards and forced labourers, combat soldiers and refugees who had left their homes to save their lives and believed themselves to be in a safe place.' British and US bombers killed up to 25,000 people in the bombing of Dresden between February 13 and February 15 in 1945, in a bid to crush German morale in the final months of the war. They dropped at least 3,900 tonnes of explosive and incendiary bombs - unleashing an inferno that melted people where they stood and reduced vast areas in the city to rubble. Remembrance: A church service was held at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), which was left in ruins for years to symbolise the destruction that befell Dresden . Connected: The candles this young boy placed on the mantle were lit by delegates from other cities who suffered similar bombings . Tribute: After bells rang out from the church, German President Joachim Gauck said: 'Bombs and fire indiscriminately annihilated both guilty and innocent, party members and small children' Deceased: President Gauck also remembered the thousands of Jews who died during the war, saying: 'We know who started this murderous war... so we'll never forget the victims of German warfare' Sombre: The church service commemorated the 25,000 people killed in the Dresden bombings between February 13 and February 15 . Anniversary: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivering a speech during a memorial service at the Frauenkirche cathedral . Helga Skoczowsky, who was nine at the time, described how she took refuge in the cellar of their apartment building and heard the haunting sound of approaching planes - and the bombs that followed. Struggling to hold in her tears, she said: 'The noise was dreadful... the light went out... the chimney tops blew off. 'We were covered in black, we had no eyelashes left, our lips were all crusty from the soot and we were all dirty and in the dark.' When they emerged, there was nothing left of their fourth-floor apartment. 'Everything was glowing and burning. People were running and screaming,' she added.' The six million Jews who died in the Holocaust were remembered alongside the Germans killed during the raids. Holocaust: Survivors of the bombings laid white roses at Neustadt station - where Jews were packed onto trains and sent to Riga to be shot dead . Powerful: The white roses laid at Neustadt station have become a symbol of the anti-Nazi resistance . Memory: The six million Jews who died in the Holocaust were remembered alongside the Germans killed during the raids . Fighting fascism: Mayor Helma Orosz said the neo-Nazi protests in recent years give this anniversary added importance . Survivors of the bombings laid white roses at Neustadt station - where Jews were packed onto trains and sent to Riga to be shot dead. Germany remembered the victims of Nazism and of German bombing according to President Gauck who said: 'We know who started this murderous war... so we'll never forget the victims of German warfare.' For several months the 'Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West' (PEGIDA) has held marches in Dresden. Mayor Helma Orosz believes those protests gave this anniversary added importance. She said: 'February 13, more than any other date in the history of our city, warns us that we must show solidarity with those who flee war, violence and terror around the world.' Terrifying: Helga Skoczowsky, who was nine at the time, described how she took refuge in the cellar of their apartment building and heard the haunting sound of approaching planes . Left behind: Helga - who survived the Dresden bombings - said: 'The noise was dreadful... the light went out... the chimney tops blew off' Innocent: German president Joachim Gauck said the bombs killed 'guards and forced labourers, combat soldiers and refugees who had left their homes to save their lives and believed themselves to be in a safe place' Offensive: The bombing of Dresden - carried out by British and US bombers - was a bid to crush German morale in the final months of the war . Destruction: British and US bombers dropped at least 3,900 tonnes of explosive and incendiary bombs and reduced vast areas in the city to rubble. | Neo-Nazi's have staged angry protests in Dresden in recent years but today, 10,000 formed a peaceful human chain .
Delegates from other bombed cities - Coventry, Breslau, Ostrava and St Petersburg - lit candles at a church service .
British and US bombers killed 25,000 people in Dresden bombings in 1945 and reduced east-German city to rubble .
'Everything was glowing and burning. People were running and screaming,' said one woman who survived the raids . |
51,059 | 907954ea3cbf1afd25e19e654019b2d213feb4cb | History will show Wayne Rooney to be a certain starter for any all-time Manchester United XI anyone cares to draw up. And whether people like it or not, he will edge Sir Geoff Hurst out of an all-time England XI to start up front alongside Gary Lineker in our traditional 4-4-2. Rooney currently sits third in United’s all-time goalscorer list, behind Denis Law who played less games, and record holder Sir Bobby Charlton, who played far more games. The Scouser is well on course to become the No 1. It should happen in the next couple of years, if Rooney’s return in recent seasons is anything to go by. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Wayne Rooney: We came to Switzerland with a game plan . One of the best: Wayne Rooney stands on the brink of breaking records for club and country . Rooney has his detractors – as do Manchester United – but if and when he does sit proudly at the top of United’s list of all-time scorers, it will take some twisting and distorting of facts from those detractors to make that sound meaningless. Rooney’s goals have been scored in an era of unprecedented success for Manchester United. Up until recently United dominated domestically and with three Champions League finals in four years were second only on the continent to Barcelona, arguably the best team European club football has ever seen. Rooney’s goals were crucial, and helped United achieve trophies and glory. Leading the way: Only Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law are ahead of Rooney in United's scorers list . The Rooney-sceptics will point to the transfer requests, but that stuff doesn’t affect legend status. The great Bobby Moore once wanted a move to Tottenham, but that doesn’t stop him being a West Ham legend, does it? Rooney is on course to have more goals and more medals at club level than Charlton, Law and George Best. Only an unwillingness to face facts could lead anyone to suggest when he finally breaks the record at Old Trafford, Rooney will be a Manchester United legend, and arguably their greatest player of all time. For his country Rooney’s story is different. He hasn’t scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final like Sir Geoff Hurst – in fact he hasn’t ever scored a hat-trick for England. Rooney hasn’t won a World Cup Golden Boot like Gary Lineker. Opening up: Rooney scored a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut against Fenerbache . But Rooney is on course to be England’s all time record goalscorer, and I loved to hear him talk at the weekend about his desire to be the No 1 for England. That’s passion for your country! It would be a huge achievement and if it happens, will make him an England great. Lineker and Charlton are the top two, and they scored their goals for England during periods of great success. Charlton won the World Cup on home soil, Lineker played in a World Cup semi-final as well as a quarter-final. Leading the way: Rooney has been named England captain and could break all records . Third on the list, and the only other player above Rooney, is Jimmy Greaves. He was in the 1966 squad of course, but his record at World Cups isn’t good at all. Just 1 goal in 7 appearances in the finals, no goals in the ‘66 tournament, and not considered vital enough to the team for him to return for the final against West Germany when fully fit. In 1962 in Chile his main contribution was to pick up a pitch-invading dog during England’s defeat to Brazil. The animal then urinated all over Greaves’ England shirt. You can add your own punchline. Hat-trick hero: Gary Lineker is ahead of Rooney in the England goalscoring lists . Good record: Jimmy Greaves has a good goalscoring record for England - but not at World Cups . Greaves did score six hat-tricks for England, but as will as sitting only third in the list, that lack of impact at World Cups – at a time when England lifted that trophy – holds Greaves back from being a true international great, although at club level his statistics are incredible. Rooney’s lack of goals has been part of England’s problem at World Cups of course, but he has been our main striker during a period of relative failure, which makes the number of goals he has chalked up for his country all the more remarkable. For some players to achieve greatness on the international scene they have to do it at a World Cup. That’s the real test. But it’s not the only way to become a great for your country. Sitting on top of the all-time record goalscorers list will make Rooney an England great. He’s already scored more goals in competitive games than any other England player in history. Only injury will stop Rooney from breaking the record and achieving greatness. VIDEO England players stepped up - Hodgson . | Wayne Rooney is behind Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law in United's all time scorers list .
Rooney is also near the top of the England goal scoring list .
Only injury can prevent Rooney being considered a great of the game . |
90,840 | 00d0ba4f7790cdfd63fa7ed7e3e33964d50a5d72 | (CNN) -- More than a quarter-million American women served honorably in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. These brave women sacrificed much to keep us safe. Now that they are home, or soon to be home, our country has a solemn obligation to help them transition back to civilian life. Yet there is mounting evidence that America is not fulfilling this obligation. Based on data gathered by the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments, a recent report by Disabled American Veterans finds it clear that our country isn't fully meeting the unique physical, emotional and employment needs of women who served in uniform. Although they served in equal capacities in combat environments, when they return home they receive less support than their male counterparts from government programs primarily designed for men. Today, nearly one in five women who are veterans have delayed or gone without necessary health care in the past year. One in 11 is unemployed. Former servicewomen experience homelessness at between two to four times the rate of their civilian counterparts. It's unacceptable that the women who honorably served our country—our mothers, spouses, sisters and daughters—are at risk. The DAV report finds that the federal, state and community programs to support women making the transition out of military service have serious gaps that put some of them in jeopardy. Consider medical care. Today, one-third of the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers lack a staff gynecologist and 18% of VA clinics have yet to hire at least one doctor specializing in women's health. Mental health services for women are severely lacking. Twenty percent of female patients in the VA health system have been diagnosed with a condition resulting from military sexual trauma, which can have devastating, long-term consequences. Nonetheless, one in three VA health centers does not have enough sexual trauma specialists on staff. Sadly, we are not doing much better when it comes to helping women gain post-military employment. Former servicewomen are highly skilled, with unique life experiences that give them valuable leadership qualities and the know-how to operate effectively in high-stress situations. Yet the unemployment rate for female veterans has steadily climbed for most of the past decade, and is now higher than for male veterans. What's more, two-thirds of women report that the career service help offered by federal agencies has been sub-par. These problems could soon get worse. The military has started on a major drawdown of personnel. As a result, more than 200,000 servicewomen are expected to rejoin the civilian workforce in the next five years. Now is the time for action. In our report, "Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home," DAV outlines 27 key policy and program recommendations that Congress, the administration, VA and the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development can take to strengthen the safety net for female veterans. For starters, veterans' health centers must meet their obligation to provide specialists in women's health. At a minimum, every VA medical center must hire a gynecologist. And efforts to treat and help stamp out sexual assault within the military need to be expanded. Officials must intensify their efforts to change any remnants of a culture that comes at the expense of women's dignity and safety. To help combat unemployment among female veterans, the Department of Defense must take a hard look at the primary program designed to help veterans go into the civilian labor force: the Transition Assistance Program. The department does not collect data on participation, satisfaction, and outcomes by gender and race. Simply put, the Department of Defense cannot tell us if the Transition Assistance Program actually helps female veterans find jobs. Also, the VA and Defense Department need to develop career guidance programs specially designed for women. Finally, as the VA and Defense work to strengthen services to servicewomen, these agencies need to invest in improved child care options. Inadequate child care is proving to be a major obstacle for many women transitioning home. For example, many are unable to take part in specialized mental health services, such as post-traumatic stress disorder support groups, because child care is unavailable. Thousands of women answered the call of duty and put themselves at risk to preserve our nation's security. They served this country faithfully. Serving them with greater respect, consideration and care must become a national priority. | A quarter-million U.S. women served in Iraq, Afghanistan and are returning to civilian life .
Garry Augustine: They served in combat like men, but get less support than men do .
He says female vets go without health care, many are jobless, many are homeless .
Augustine: VA and DoD need to strengthen services for women, improve child care options . |
76,299 | d86431eb187370641358b4d1853f9c5efdc5cfb4 | Tunis (CNN) -- When artist Nadia Jelassi exhibited work in Tunis last year, she hoped the piece would prove a talking point. But when ultra-conservative Salafist Muslims took an interest in her installation at a spring arts festival in Tunisia's capital, the reaction was much stronger than she bargained for. Deeming a number of artworks in the exhibition heretical, Islamist extremists vandalized the gallery, issued death threats to Jelassi and fellow exhibitors, and rioted in the streets in some of the most serious unrest since the 2011 revolution. Along with fellow artist Mohamed Ben Slama, she now faces charges of harming public order and morals through her work -- charges that could see them sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted. "I never imagined this could happen, not even in my worst nightmares," said Jelassi. The clash highlights growing tensions between liberal and religious forces over the limits on free speech, as they jostle to define the identity of the new Tunisia following the ouster of dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. One of the pieces that triggered the protests was Jelassi's installation "Celui qui n'a pas ... (Anyone who has not ... )," which featured mannequins of traditionally veiled women, positioned amongst a pile of stones, with text written on both the female figures and the stones. The work, Jelassi told CNN, was about "trying to show two different ways to practice Islam -- one spiritual, and one closed." But some of the protestors, alerted to the exhibition by postings on social media, interpreted the artwork as implying traditionally dressed women should be stoned. Ben Slama's artwork, which was also singled out by the protesters as indecent, depicted a line of ants emerging from a child's schoolbag to spell the word "Allah." Read more: Inside Tunisia's former dictator's palace -- fake diplomas, sports cars, and a stuffed leopard . After festival organizers refused a request from the aggrieved Salafists to remove the offending works from view, thousands of hardliners took to the streets, leaving the walls of the gallery scrawled with graffiti reading: "Non-believers have no place in Tunisia" and "You are enemies of God." This is not the only flashpoint Tunisia has seen. In late 2011, religious conservatives also protested against a Tunis television station and attacked a theater for playing films deemed un-Islamic, while there have also been reports of conservatives attempting to enforce Islamic dress codes. The group behind the protests are the Salafists -- ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims who are becoming an increasingly strident political force across the Arab world in the wake of the Arab Spring. Having suffered repression under the rule of Ben Ali, they now seek a greater voice in the new Tunisia, pushing to impose a stricter vision of Islam than that championed by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which runs the interim government. One Salafi cleric, Sheikh Adel Elmi, told CNN he believed art should promote religious virtue, and he had opposed the exhibition because it contained nudity. "We are against violence, and for dialogue," he said. "But we act in response to provocation, and I consider nudity to be violent." Read more: Arab women take a stand on sexual violence . But other Tunisians, particularly those of a secular, liberal persuasion, hold a different view of their country's future. While Islam has always been the main religion in Tunisia, politics have long been secular. Mounir Letaief, a 52-year-old painter from Tunis, says the views of those who value freedom of expression, artistic or otherwise, must also be taken into account as the country attempts to rebuild itself. "I respect them," Letaief said of the Salafists. "But they have to respect me and the other people who think different." Tunisia's interim government says it is against censoring art -- but that a red line exists when it comes to blasphemy. A proposal has been tabled to criminalize blasphemy in Tunisia's new constitution, due later this year. "Even in the most modern societies, there are limits -- whether it's security or religious," Culture Minister Mehdi Mabrouk told CNN. "In order to protect freedoms, we need to set these limits." Meanwhile, Jelassi is waiting to see what will become of the charges against her, with international groups such as Human Rights Watch calling on Tunisian authorities to drop them. The charges were being used to stifle the freedom of expression of "artists, journalists, and other citizens who voice criticism of religion," Amna Guellali, a Tunis-based researcher at Human Rights Watch, told CNN. But Jelassi said she would continue to resist any attempt to impose a new culture of censorship in Tunisia. "Freedom of expression is not something we invented, its limits are well known," she said. "But the sacred is something personal, and no one should intervene in that." | Art has become a target for hardline Islamists in Tunisia after the revolution .
Salafists rioted last year over an exhibition containing artworks they considered heretical .
Tunisian artists and liberals say they will not be cowed by an intolerant minority .
Tunisia's moderate Islamist government is attempting to walk a line between the two . |
82,519 | e9faeda7d98934500a803ebb9e1947581e53c108 | (EW.com) -- Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Kristen Wiig is returning to her old stomping grounds to make her debut as host of the show on May 11, NBC has announced. Rounding out season 38 of the legendary sketch show will be Ben Affleck, who will make his fifth appearance on "SNL's" May 18 finale. Zach Galifianakis to host 'SNL' NBC has also confirmed the widespread rumor that Kanye West will make his fifth appearance as the show's musical guest on the May 18 episode, though it remains unclear whether the rapper, who has been in Paris working on his next album, will premiere any new music. Vampire Weekend will provide the tunes during Wiig's hosting gig. Both Wiig and Affleck have a busy few months ahead. Ben Affleck takes poverty vow: Eat on $1.50 a day . Wiig has multiple projects hitting theaters in the next few months, beginning with the summer's animated sequel "Despicable Me 2." Later this year, we'll see her in the flesh in "Girl Most Likely," "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." 'Arrested Development': Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig to guest . Affleck, whose most recent turn behind the camera "Argo" took home the Oscar for Best Picture earlier this year, is on screen now in "To the Wonder" and can next be seen in the September drama "Runner, Runner." See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Former 'SNL' star Kristen Wiig is returning to host on May 11 .
It will be her debut turn as host of the show .
Ben Affleck will host the May 18 finale .
Vampire Weekend will perform May 11, and Kanye West will perform May 18 . |
132,712 | 379bceba73e0d808a379ab83506b45ddc8c62981 | (AOL Autos) -- Old cars don't die, they just get resold. Check out a vehicle history report to make sure your new used car won't blow smoke down the highway. If you're buying a used car, whether from a dealer or someone who put an ad in the paper, you'll want to know as much about it as you can. Even without anyone trying to deceive you, the vehicle may have problems you can't see from a simple visual inspection or even a short test drive. A vehicle history report prepared by a third party is one way to know what you're getting. Combining information from state DMVs (Departments of Motor Vehicles) and RMVs (Registry of Motor Vehicles) as well as police reports and other sources, a vehicle history report can give you a comprehensive overview of where the car's been. Here are some things to look for -- or look out for -- when you get a report on a vehicle. None of these things is necessarily a reason not to buy a car, but you shouldn't make a decision without asking about anything you see on a vehicle history: . Many owners . The more garages a car's been in, the less likely it's been lovingly cared for all its life. Not everyone is as responsible about car care as you are. Rental cars and former taxis, for example, will often have undergone a lot of abuse, although they tend to be quite inexpensive. Location, location, location . Some parts of the country are more car-friendly than others. Winter storms (with their accompanying salted roads) can be rough on cars, as obviously can floods, excessive heat or even sea air. Cars that have been where these are common may have hidden damage. Name and description . Be sure the car in the report is the same as the car you're looking at. Carefully reviewing the vehicle description is one way to avoid various types of vehicle fraud, like VIN cloning. A cloned vehicle involves using a vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned, non-stolen vehicle to mask the identity of a similar make/model stolen vehicle. Reports, should include detailed descriptions of the vehicle, so you can make sure the car you're reading about is the same as the one you're looking at. Suspicious markings . Keep an eye out for records of body work that might indicate a prior unreported incident. Vehicle history reports, like those from CARFAX, can be very comprehensive. In the case of CARFAX, the company's database contains more than five billion records from thousands of public and private sources, including all DMVs in the United States and Canada and thousands of vehicle inspection stations, auto auctions, fleet management and rental agencies, automobile manufacturers, and fire and police departments. | If a car has a lot of previous owners, it's more likely to be not-well cared for .
A car from the north would be more affected by damaging winter storms .
VIN cloning is a type of fraud where stolen cars use fake legitimate numbers .
Body work could indicate an unreported accident . |
216,102 | a3c1f31cf881670ee0f8a3e1c307fb27e3cdc6a7 | By . Katy Winter . A teenage ballerina forced to give up dancing and modelling after a gravy burn left her needing a skin graft has recovered to become a beauty queen. Harriotte Lane has set her sights on becoming Miss Teen Great Britain later this month, after she was crowned Miss Teen Newcastle in the beauty pageant’s regional heats. The 13-year-old schoolgirl severely burned her calf when she spilled hot gravy onto her leg volunteering at a local riding school for disabled children in June last year. Scroll down for video . Now happy and confident once again, Harriotte has her sights set on becoming Miss Teen Great Britain later this month . A keen ballet dancer, the damage the freak accident caused to her leg tragically meant Harriotte was forced to give up . Harriotte suffered a severe burn to her calf after spilling boiling hot gravy onto her leg . Keen fundraiser Harriotte was forced to give up ballet dancing and was left feeling too embarrassed and ashamed to continue modelling after the freak accident. But her mother Sarah, 41, was determined to help her teenage daughter regain her confidence and secretly entered the young beauty into the Miss Teen UK competition. Harriotte said: 'After the skin graft I felt too ashamed to model again, and I was embarrassed to show my legs. 'I stayed in hospital for a few days, and couldn’t really do anything for quite a while. It was about three months before I was back on my feet. 'And I can’t dance at all anymore, there was too much damage to my right leg and muscle.' Harriotte, from Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, was hospitalised after the fat burn ‘ate through her leg to the muscle’ leaving her in need of a skin graft, taken from her hip. After the skin graft on her leg Harriotte initially felt too embarrassed to continue modelling . Her mother Sarah, left, was determined to help her teenage daughter regain her confidence and secretly entered the young beauty into the Miss Teen UK competition . Sarah rushed her to their local walk-in centre, but the severe burn was misdiagnosed as a scald and drastically deteriorated, leaving Harriotte in need of emergency care. The youngster - who started modelling at the age of three - is now modelling again and is looking forward to taking part in her first pageant competition at the end of August. She said:'I have had a lot of support, and my mum has really helped me. Harriotte was was crowned Miss Teen Newcastle in the Miss Teen Great Britain regional heats . 'I had no idea she had entered me into the pageant. I never would have done it myself. 'And when the letter arrived to say I was Miss Teen Newcastle, I was so confused. 'But I am so happy she did it for me. I am really excited about taking part in my first official pageant. I can’t wait.' Proud mother Sarah, a marketing director said: 'When Harriotte burned her leg it really affected her, she just wanted to hide away. Harriotte says she never would have entered the pageant herself but it has made her more confident . 'She was absolutely in bits, thinking she had done one stupid thing that might have ruined her future. 'It was horrific, the walk in centre said it was a scald and sent her home but her leg got stuck to the bedding and pulled off her skin. 'Up until the accident she had always modelled so I entered her into the Miss Teen GB competition. 'The burn has healed amazingly, and I am so proud of her.' | Harriotte burnt her leg with gravy while volunteering .
Originally misdiagnosed, the severe burn had gone through to the muscle .
Harriotte ended up in hospital and needing a skin graft .
Forced to give up dancing and was too self-conscious to model anymore .
Her mother secretly entered her into pageant to boost her confidence .
Crowned Miss Teen Newcastle and hopes to win Miss Teen Great Britain . |
58,419 | a5a2e5b1c4ee17815b18ba198813cc9d5ac9905d | By . Kieran Corcoran . It was a conflict which would engulf millions of lives, end empires and change the face of the world - and war itself - forever. One hundred years ago yesterday the first shots rang out of what would later be called the First World War - though at the time it would have been hard to predict that the conflict between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia would spread like wildfire across Europe and beyond. Armies of the great powers - the British Empire, Germany, France and Russia - had been swelling their armed forces, still made up of cavalry units and gleaming bright uniforms, for years. But a new era of trenches, artillery and machine-guns would consign these relics to the past as fighting men from across the globe dug in for years of protracted combat which would also see the birth of chemical weapons, tanks and fighter planes. As these evocative archive pictures show, the Great War took a bleak and heavy toll from the lands it touched, both on its landscape, settlements and - most of all - the fighters who never returned or came back scarred and crippled, who are still remembered today. Scroll down for video . No-man's land: This U.S. soldier, who lies dead, entangled in barbed wire between rival trenches in northern Europe, was one of millions whose lives were claimed by war . Ecstasy of fumbling: Crippling chemical weapons including chlorine and mustard gas were used in a military context for the first time in the First World War, leading to soldiers on the front being issued with masks to counter the effects. Here British Machine Gun Corps soldiers bunker down during the first Battle of the Somme . Blasted to smithereens: A pensive soldier stands in the ruins of a religious building in Verdun, France, which was a heavily-contested battlefield . Waste and ruin: Pictured above are food stores deliberately burned to the ground. The First World War impacted the lives of civilians directly and painfully . Poignant: A rifle and a helmet are the only memorial which can be seen to a French soldier who died in the trenches at Verdun . Shelling: The war was dominated by artillery fire, which battered towns and trenches for years on end. Above is pictured a German Howitzer firing on Paris . War effort: Pictured are women at a munitions factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, producing shells for artillery batteries on the front lines . Swamped: Soldiers spent years manning a network of trenches which snaked across Europe. Pictured above is an abandoned trench at Ypres in Belgium . War in the skies: Fighter planes were deployed for the first time during the war. Above a dogfight can be seen between fighters branded with the RAF logo and members of the German Luftstreitkräfte . Over the top: Pictured above are British soldiers leaping over a trench with bayonet rifles as they charge towards their enemy - probably lying in wait with machine guns . | One hundred years ago today first shots were fired as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia .
Conflict would engulf all major world powers, consume millions of lives and change the world forever . |
57,926 | a421f441e09437a7b0848d2bd471eeff70933191 | (CNN) -- Rapper T.I.'s furlough from prison was cut short last week because prison officials objected to his manager and a reality TV producer riding with him on a trip to a halfway house, according to a prison document. "Such people were not authorized to travel with him in the conditions of his furlough," says a Bureau of Prisons report obtained by CNN. "He further indicated he was discussing a new reality series and a book with those individuals." The two men whose presence was questioned by prison officials each said they and T.I. believed they were allowed to ride with him since they were on the prison's approved list of visitors. Prison officials, who escorted T.I. to his bus the morning he was released, never told him only his wife could travel with him and he was never asked to list those who would be on board, said his defense lawyer, Steve Sadow. U.S. marshals removed T.I. from an Atlanta halfway house and placed him in the federal prison in Atlanta a day after his release from the Federal Correctional Center in Forrest City, Arkansas. It was initially believed prison officials objected to his use of a luxury tour bus for the trip from Arkansas to Georgia, but the furlough agreement T.I. signed specified only that he would travel in a "POV," a privately-owned vehicle. The popular hip-hop artist, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., is serving an 11-month sentence for violating his parole on a gun conviction. Unless prison officials conclude he did not violate his furlough agreement, he is expected to stay locked up until that sentence is complete on September 29, documents indicated. Bureau of Prisons officials are expected to review the suspension of his furlough, but it is not known when a decision might come, Sadow said Thursday. T.I.'s manager, Brian Sher, sent a statement to prison officials explaining that he had no idea it was a violation of the furlough for him to accompany his client on the trip. "It was clear to me that Mr. Harris believed that I was permitted to be with him on the trip back to Atlanta because I had been authorized to visit him and have contact with during his time in Forrest City," Sher said. "During my time with him on the ride back to Atlanta, no business was conducted with Mr. Harris." Cris Abrego, a reality TV producer who was on the bus, wrote to prison officials that he also believed it was allowed since he "was on the authorized visitor list, and had visited with Mr. Harris a couple of times prior to his release." A book and a VH1 series, which publicists announced the day of T.I.'s release, had been negotiated months before, his entertainment attorney, Jonathan Leonard, said in another letter to prison officials. In case prison officials were miffed that their inmate was traveling in luxury, T.I.'s wife sent a letter explaining that his attorneys believed it was safer than a car because of expected media attention to his release. "We felt this could cause an accident and jeopardize our and other travelers' safety," Tameka "Tiny" Cottle-Harris wrote. "We knew we had a long trip and did not want to create an unsafe situation as we traveled so we thought it was a good idea to travel by bus." When T.I. walked out of prison on August 31, he tweeted, "The storm is over & da sun back out." He had been expected to complete the last weeks of his sentence in a community service center, or halfway house, in Atlanta. VH1 announced the reality TV show soon after he boarded his bus. The as-yet-untitled 10-episode series, which will premiere in December, will show T.I. "as he re-adjusts to life as a free man after being incarcerated for nearly a year in a federal prison in Arkansas," VH1 said. He was locked up behind the high walls of the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta the next afternoon. The rapper served two stints in the Arkansas prison. He served seven months there in 2009 as part of an unusual sentence negotiated two years ago to resolve federal gun charges. Those charges followed his attempt to buy three machine guns in the parking lot of an Atlanta grocery store. His latest time behind bars was triggered by his arrest, along with his wife, after a motorcycle officer stopped their car on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, a year ago. A police report said suspected drugs were found in the couple's car and they were both arrested on drug charges. While the charge against the rapper was later dropped, he failed a drug test given by his parole officer. | NEW: Prison officials never told the rapper only his wife could ride with him, his lawyer says .
A prison report says T.I. violated his furlough by having his manager with him .
A reality TV producer's presence on T.I.'s bus also was unauthorized, a document says .
Prison officials are reviewing the incident that put the rapper back in prison, his lawyer says . |
167,716 | 64eac6334cf090a8a662d07908e7f5ca9032d4a4 | By . Kerry Mcdermott . Haunting images of the exclusion zone around the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant reveal a land 'full of suffering and sorrow'. A Ukrainian photographer has spent five years documenting the exclusion zone that still surrounds the scene of the worst nuclear disaster in history - and the defiant residents who refused to leave. Arthur Bondar, who was just three-years-old when a catastrophic explosion at the power plant sent clouds of radiation into the atmosphere over Europe in April 1986, says he has been witnessing the consequences of the tragedy his entire life. Shadows of Wormwood: Photographer Arthur Bondar, who was three-years-old at the time of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in 1986, has spent five years photographing the areas around the exclusion zone and the people that live there . 'I want to show the mystical aspects of this land, where every inch is full of suffering and sorrow,' said the photographer, who has said he embarked upon the series out of 'sympathy and respect' for the people who worked and lived in and around the exclusion zone. Soviet authorities evacuated 350,000 residents from the area around the plant amid the enormous battle to contain the contamination. But a small minority of people refused to leave, and recent years have seen older residents drawn back to the exclusion zone to live closer to family graves. The official Soviet death toll of 31 victims has been disputed, and the long-term impact of the radioactive fallout - from cancers to deformities - has still not fully come to light. They choose to remain in and around the zone despite the warnings of scientists who estimate the area - much of which has reverted to forest in the decades since the disaster - will not be safe to inhabit for another 20,000 years. Mr Bondar named his project Shadows of Wormwood, a reference to the Wormwood star mentioned in the Bible. A passage in the Book of Revelation describes a burning star that fell upon rivers, and reads: 'The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.' See more of Arthur Bondar's work at www.arthurbondar.com. Consequences: The photographer, who is based in Kiev, Ukraine, has said that while he does not remember the night of the disaster 27 years ago, he has witnessed the consequences of the tragedy throughout his life . Tragedy: Radioactive particles released into the atmosphere after the explosion and fire at the nuclear power plant spread over much of Europe and what was then the western USSR . Tragedy: The fallout from the nuclear disaster was so dangerous Soviet authorities evacuated 350,000 residents, establishing an exclusion zone extending 19 miles out from the plant in all directions . Fenced-off: The area within the exclusion zone, which is still in place 27 years on from the disaster, is largely uninhabited but for a few residents who refused to leave, and it has reverted to forest in places . Abandoned: The rusted remains of a boat are seen among the bare branches of the trees within the exclusion zone that surrounds the abandoned Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine . Suffering: The photographer said he wanted to reflect the 'mystical aspects' of the land within the exclusion zone, where 'every inch is full of suffering and sorrow' Bleak outlook: Mr Bondar has criticised the decision to open the area around the Chernobyl exclusion zone to tourists, and claims those who continue to suffer as a result of the disaster are being forgotten . Living in no man's land: The area is sparsely populated by residents who refused to leave in the wake of the tragedy 27 years ago, and older people who have returned to the zone in recent years to be close to family graves . Surviving: The long-term effects of the catastrophe, which occurred when a systems test at the power plant near the city of Pripyat went disastrously wrong, are still being seen today . Desolate: The photographer said he was fascinated by the people living in and around the exclusion zone, and asked them whether they were afraid of radiation . Wormwood: The photographer named his project Shadows of Wormwood - a reference to the burning star in the Bible that fell upon rivers and made the water 'bitter' Contamination: Mr Bondar made several visits to the zone over a period of five years to capture the lasting effects of the disaster almost 30 years ago . Monochrome: Mr Bondar's photograph of the desolate area of Ukraine are all devoid of colour, but he has said the zone is 'more alive than people think' Accident: A systems test at the power plant went disastrously wrong in 1986, triggering the worst nuclear disaster in history . Sense of normality: A small minority of residents decided to continue living in the shadow of the abandoned nuclear power plant . Fallout: The exclusion zone extends 19 miles in all directions from the abandoned plant . | Catastrophe at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in 1986 sent clouds of radiation into the atmosphere .
Worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred when a systems test went disastrously wrong .
Kiev-based photographer Arthur Bondar has captured eerie shots of exclusion zone surrounding abandoned plant .
Exclusion zone is largely uninhabited but for a few residents who refused to leave their homes .
Mr Bondar said he wanted to capture 'mystical' aspects of a land where 'every inch is full of suffering and sorrow' |
234,234 | bb3c0e3a496b39b560061a4a6fb43a293327bf93 | (CNN) -- The fourteenth suspicious fire in a month's time hit a small community near Philadelphia before dawn Sunday. A huge fire spread through more than a dozen homes Sunday outside Philadelphia, authorities said. The seven-alarm fire in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, damaged more than a dozen homes and caused nearly $2 million in damage, according to city spokeswoman Kristin Geiger. No residents were injured, she said. It took 150 firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control, and one firefighter broke his ankle, CNN affiliate WPVI reported. Watch a town fearful of what's next » . Authorities in the city announced a state of emergency on Sunday. In a statement, Coatesville City Manager Harry Walker said the declaration would allow him to "promulgate whatever special rules and regulations necessary to protect" citizens. It would also let him request assistance from other municipalities and "enter into contracts, employ temporary personnel, rent equipment, purchase supplies without regard to the normal procedures and formalities prescribed by law," Walker wrote. Authorities have been imploring residents to remove anything flammable from outside their homes -- including porch furniture and trash. Standing outside the latest blaze early Sunday, resident Janet Jackson said it had broken out just behind her house. "I woke up and everything was in flames," she said, adding, "It's really scary. ... I mean we're all afraid to even be in our houses right now." Francis Dorsheimer said he had just arrived home when his family told him they needed to leave right away because a neighbor's house was on fire. He ran outside and saw flames "shooting off the roof." "Must have been like 15-foot flames or higher," he said. "It was just unbelievable. All the smoke in the air -- you could hardly breathe." Watch the flames eat away at homes » . Beverly Rivera watched firefighters put out the blaze at the home that she had recently moved out of. She still had possessions inside. "Whoever's doing this, this is just absolutely ludicrous," she said. Referring to suggestions that the fires may be the result of gang activity, Rivera said, "If it's a gang, please stop, and find something else to do. Because this is, this is terrible. This is absolutely unreal." "I never thought Coatesville would be on the map for something like this," she added. "It's just awful. Just awful." Thirteen previous suspected arsons have occurred since the start of the year in Coatesville. Fifteen suspected arsons happened in 2008 -- including one that killed an 83-year-old woman, Geiger said. The fires do not appear to follow a clear pattern, she said. Three suspects were arrested in December, and confessed to some of the fires, said Geiger. The suspects -- two adults and one juvenile -- are still in custody, she said. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to whomever has been setting the latest fires. Federal officials have joined the investigation, WPVI reported. Two homes were first spotted in flames at 11:30 p.m. The blazes spread and burned 15 homes, causing damage estimated at about $120,000 per home or a total of $1.8 million. City officials expect a huge turnout at a city council meeting Monday when the fires will be discussed. Coatesville, about 45 miles west of Philadelphia, has about 11,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. | NEW: Authorities in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, declare state of emergency .
Since start of year, 14 suspicious fires have happened in a town near Philadelphia .
WPVI: Federal investigators are now part of a probe into the possible arsons .
No residents were injured in a fire Sunday that damaged 15 homes, authorities said . |
112,380 | 1cf66e41c8ba00524ffd4901366547013443cb8a | Moviegoers at a screening of the new Batman film were left fearing for their lives when a cinema attendant burst into the theatre dressed as super-villain Bane, just hours after a gunman in the same costume opened fire on an audience in the US. The prank took place at the Vue cinema in Worcester on Friday, less than 24 hours after the massacre at the Aurora, Colorado, screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The stunt has been condemned by 'appalled and sickened' audience members who have written to Vue demanding an apology. Scene: The incident took place at the Vue cinema in Worcester on Friday . Schoolteacher Elizabeth Atkinson, 24, was at the screening with brothers James, 27, . and Leo, 19. She said: 'In light of the recent . and tragic event during the screening of the new Batman film in Aurora, . Colorado, I was shocked and appalled by the attitude displayed by the . staff at the Vue cinema here in Worcester. The prankster was dressed as Bane, Tom Hardy's character in The Dark Knight Rises . 'While the trailers were in progress, . one of the cinema attendants entered the screen room wearing a gas mask . and stood to the side looking at the audience. 'This . is exactly as the gunman in Colorado was reported to have been dressed. 'I was not the only one who found this to be extremely disconcerting and . inappropriate. 'I . raised my concerns to other staff members outside, explaining that this . attendant was causing discomfort. 'The response I received was one to . suggest that they were either unaware of the recent shooting, or they . were indifferent to it. 'I . was told simply that he was "Dressed as the villain, Bane". It was only . when I explained further that the Colorado gunman was also dressed in . this way, that the attendant was spoken to and the mask removed. 'One . would have expected that the management of the Vue cinema would have . been sensitive to this issue and dissuaded the staff members from . dressing up. This incident was at best in poor taste, and at worst a . sickening lack of respect.' Her brother James has written a letter of complaint to Vue. Mr Atkinson, a freelance film maker, . wrote 'Even though I knew he was meant to be dressed as the character . Bane from the film, I felt it was incredibly insensitive indeed in light . of the recent shootings in America by a man wearing a gas mask.' Massacre: James Holmes, 24, left, is accused of opening fire on an audience at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, right . A spokesman for Vue cinemas said: 'Our . staff are passionate about movies and often wear fancy dress on the . opening day of blockbuster films. 'On this occasion a staff member started his shift in fancy dress, but removed it within minutes of being on site. 'We in no way meant to cause offence and wholeheartedly apologise for this misplaced enthusiasm. 'Everyone at Vue Entertainment has been deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic incident that took place in Denver. 'Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who have been killed and injured.' James Holmes, aged 24, appeared in . court in the US yesterday, with his hair dyed red, accused of the shooting, which claimed the lives of 12 people, including that of a . six-year old girl. The . gun attack during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in . Aurora, near Denver, left 59 others wounded, many critically. | Stunt took place at Vue cinema in Worcester on Friday, July 20 .
Moviegoers left terrified of a copycat attack . |
276,864 | f2ace9db8511cf2ddad57daba4710dd6b77fef3b | When Sam Faiers stepped into the Celebrity Big Brother house last week, she showcased a toned new figure in a flattering white jumpsuit. The TOWIE star lost a staggering 23lbs in the build-up the the Channel 5 show - but not without hard work. The 23-year-old, who reveals she piled on weight by comforting eating when in a relationship, has lost almost two stone on a gruelling diet and exercise regime. Sam has slimmed from 10st 2lbs at her . peak to 8st 7lbs - losing three inches off her waist and shrinking from a . size 10 to a size 8. She's the biggest loser! Sam Faiers slimmed from 10st 2lbs to 8st 7lbs - losing three inches off her waist and shrinking from a size 10 to a size 8 - in preparation for her appearance in Celebrity Big Brother . Revealing new bikini pictures taken just before she went into Big Brother, Sam said she had piled on the pounds when she was with former boyfriend Joey Essex because she enjoyed the 'comfort' of being in a relationship. In an interview with Heat magazine, Sam said: 'He was super skinny and could eat what he wanted and not put on any weight. As she was: Sam, pictured (L) in March 2012 and (R) entering the house on Friday, said she comfort ate when she was in a relationship with Joey Essex and decided to lose weight after seeing bikini shots of herself . 'It was completely different for me because the weight does quickly show on me. I've always had chubby cheeks and when I put on weight, it goes to my face, neck and tummy. My face goes a bit puffy.' She revealed the trigger point that sparked her new healthier regime was the split with Joey and some bikini pictures of her taken in Marbella in the summer. She said: 'I looked so horrible and didn't feel comfortable about my body at all. I remember seeing one picture of me eating a cheese sandwich and I just cried. I thought: "I want to lose that tummy." I feel like I let myself go a little bit. 'It happens when you are in a relationship - they do make you put on weight. I was very comfortable in a relationship and I guess that affected my weight. 'We'd both eat the same things and I'd end up putting on weight and he wouldn't. Comfort: Sam said she and Joey (pictured together, left) would eat lots of takeaways but he'd never put on weight. She was speaking in an interview with Heat magazine, out now . 'My weak points were Chinese takeaways - particularly my favourite chicken chow mein - and crisps and biscuits. I could easily have three digestive biscuits with a cup of tea.' Sam's heartache diet combined no carbs, little alcohol and punishing interval training three times a week with her personal trainer. She switched to healthier meals such as porridge, chicken salads and prawn stir-fries. And she has also cut out all that damaging snacking by taking Forza Supplements’ Raspberry K2 diet pills. The 5ft 6in star said: 'If I start reaching for the biscuit tin or the crisps, I just take one of the Forza K2 capsules and it satisfies my craving. They give me that little bit of extra help in getting in shape - they are like a diet in a bottle. Popular housemate: Sam is 7-2 second favourite to win Celebrity Big Brother behind Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke whose odds are 7-4 . 'They are great when you are feeling a bit peckish in the hour before lunch or in the middle of the afternoon.' Sam - recently voted Best Bikini Body - is thrilled with her new figure. Speaking just before she went on Big Brother, Sam said: 'I just feel so much better and have lots more energy. I guess there are some good bits about being single! 'I didn't need to lose a lot of weight - I just needed to tone up my body and put a bit of muscle on. I'll always be a curvy girl and I will never be skinny. I am quite happy with that.' But her waist isn't the only thing that has shrunk. Sam has revealed how her boobs have got smaller since losing the weight, shrinking from 32DD to a 32C. Sam is 7-2 second favourite to win Celebrity Big Brother behind Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke whose odds are 7-4. No Carbs - not just before Marbs but any time at all. No potatoes, bread and pastaCut back on the booze – I ditched drinking my favourite Sauvignon Blanc . in favour of gin or vodka with slimline tonic. No more shots like . Sambuca - they are just full of sugarAttack the snacks – no more crisps of biscuits. If I have a snack attack, I take a Forza diet pillTakeaway the takeaways - I've quit my favourite Chinese food in favour of low-fat mealsThree sessions a week of interval training with a personal trainer . Before weight loss After weight lossWeight: 10st 2lbs (64kg) 8st 7lbs (54kg)Dress size: 10 8Waist: 28 inches (70cm) 25 inches (65cm)Bust: 32DD 32C . | Star shed 23lbs following split and lost 3 inches off her waist .
Previously put on weight because she enjoyed 'comfort' of relationship .
Admits she'd 'let herself go' and the added weight made her face 'puffy'
Sam's diet combined no .
carbs, little alcohol and punishing interval training . |
102,483 | 100ef0cf3a86907a746123a7ca2535c6ed6cca9c | President Obama has reiterated that he stands by the decision to exchange five Taliban prisoners for the release of Bowe Bergdahl and 'would do it again' as sources have revealed that the American soldier was physically abused while in captivity. The latest insight into the five years Bergdahl was held as a prisoner by the Taliban comes from an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as the 28-year-old is treated in an American military hospital in Germany. The unidentified official told CNN that Bergdahl tried to escape from his captors but was caught and forced into a cage or box as punishment. Making a break for it: Bowe Bergdahl was physically abused during his captivity and tried to escape twice during the five years he was held by the Taliban . The Daily Beast revealed that Bergdahl attempted to escape twice in his five year ordeal, and once in 2011 he was briefly successful because his captors had stopped paying close attention to him. He reportedly was on his own for three days after fleeing their hold, though he was eventually found in a trench that he had dug with his bare hands. 'He fought like a boxer,' a Taliban source told The Daily Beast, who added that he was eventually overpowered and then dragged back to their compound in shackles. President Obama has repeatedly defended his administration's decision to strike a deal with the terror group in order to orchestrate Bergdahl's release. 'We have a rule, a principle, that when . somebody wears our country’s uniform and they’re in a war theater and . they’re captured, we’re gonna do everything we can to bring ’em home and . we saw an opportunity and we took it,' he told NBC's . Brian Williams during an interview that was held at the World War II . cemetery in Normandy, France on the anniversary of D-Day. 'I make no apologies for it. Standing by his decision: President Obama said that the Bergdahl exchange came as a result of American principles that dictate that no soldier should be left on the battlefield . Opening up: The President was interviewed following the D-Day anniversary celebrations in Normandy . 'It was a unanimous decision among my principals in my government and a view that was shared by members of the joint chiefs of staff. 'This is something that I would do again and I will continue to do wherever I have an opportunity. If I have a member of our military is in captivity- we're going to try to get 'em out.' One of the biggest criticisms of the approval process was that a key group of congressional leaders who are typically notified before such significant international deals are struck was kept in the dark about the Bergdahl negotiation. 'The main concern was that we had to act fast in a delicate situation that required no publicity,' Obama said. 'The fact is we are ending the war in Afghanistan. We have released- both under my administration and previous administrations- a large number of former Taliban fighters, some of whom returned to the battlefield. But by definition, you don't do prisoner exchanges with your friends, you do them with your enemies.' | Bowe Bergdahl was forced into a box or cage when he was caught after trying to escape .
He was on the run for three days and was found in a trench he dug with his bare hands .
President Obama defends the decision to negotiate his release in exchange for five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay .
'When somebody wears our country's uniform... we're gonna do everything we can to bring 'em home,' Obama said . |
189,043 | 80d18ff6a83fed41cb593eae5d360f8a3a789d15 | St. Petersburg, Florida (CNN) -- Crippled by the brutal wind and waves of Hurricane Sandy, the HMS Bounty was sinking. Capt. Robin Walbridge had ordered his crew of 15 to abandon ship in the early morning of October 29, 90 miles off North Carolina. Searching the ship a final time before escaping to a waiting lifeboat, a crew member peered through the captain's rarely opened door. There she noticed that Walbridge's treasured framed photograph of his wife, Claudia McCann, was missing from its place on his desk. During the escape from the 50-year-old wooden ship, the captain clearly had taken his prized picture with him. Now, four months later, that story about her husband's final moments still touches McCann. "Of all the things he could have grabbed, I guess a picture wasn't going to weigh him down," she said last week from her 1930s historic home in St. Petersburg. "But it was going to be with him." Wearing a medallion carved with the image of the Bounty, McCann, who never took her husband's name, shared stories she's been hearing from survivors of the shipwreck. As the U.S. Coast Guard begins hearings Tuesday in Portsmouth, Virginia, to determine if negligence was involved, McCann is defending Walbridge against criticism that his decisions somehow put the ship at risk. On October 29, the three-masted replica of an 18th-century ship -- which starred in classic movies such as Marlon Brando's "Mutiny on the Bounty" and Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Carribean" -- was threatened by a real-life drama as it took on water and lost power. At one point when Walbridge was below deck, enormous waves tossed the vessel, slamming the captain into a table, said McCann. Walbridge, 63, was so seriously injured that he needed help putting on his rescue suit and life jacket as he prepared to abandon ship. McCann said crew members' accounts conflict about whether or not the captain ever was able to escape the Bounty before it went down. Related: Sandy claims 50-year-old tourism attraction . Remembering that terrible time, McCann, sitting in her sunroom, stared out across her backyard. One of his last e-mails to her, she said, was saying he was going to abandon ship. It said "not to worry" because the Coast Guard knew where he was. Eventually, the Coast Guard rescued all but two crew members: Walbridge and Claudene Christian, 42. Related: Shipwreck victim inspired by mutineer . McCann always believed her husband was going to be all right. She said he always had a "silver lining" floating over his head, protecting him from harm. For 90 hours, the Coast Guard searched 12,000 square miles in hopes of finding the captain. Then, four days after the shipwreck, McCann received a call from the Coast Guard. "It was just as hard for them to say it as it was for me to hear it -- that they were going to abandon the search," she said, pausing for a moment. "But I knew they did their best." Of all the terrifying moments and heartbreaking news surrounding the Bounty disaster, the hardest part for McCann is that her husband's body was never found. Her sadness comes in waves. "Interesting -- yeah, yeah it comes in waves," she said with a grin. Walbridge was quite a sailor, his widow recalled -- a breath of fresh air filled with positive energy. He was highly respected in his industry, and everyone wanted to sail with him, McCann said. He had some qualities associated with sailors, friends and family said, like enjoying a drink or two now and then with other seafarers at "scuzzy" bars in various ports of call. He also had traits that clashed with the cliche of the rough-and-tumble sailing life. "I never heard a curse word come out of his mouth -- he was so even-keeled," said McCann's daughter, Shelly McCann, Walbridge's stepdaughter. Criticism . Some sailors in the tall ship community have been critical of Walbridge's decision to leave safe harbor in New London, Connecticut, for St. Petersburg as Sandy was steaming up the East Coast. That frustrates McCann and her adult daughter, Shelly. People "who were not there" have no right to pass judgment, the McCanns said. The facts surrounding Walbridge's decisions may come out during the weeklong Coast Guard hearing. "The point of the investigation is to determine the cause and to see if there are any changes that could be made, industry- or regulatorywise, to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future," said Chief Petty Officer Nyx Cangemi, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman. WAVY-TV: Coast Guard begins hearings into shipwreck . McCann said she never questioned her husband's decision to leave port. "I would never even think twice about telling him to do something against his decision. Who am I -- I know nothing about that." The captain's close friend Ralph McCutcheon, sitting across from McCann at the table in the sunroom, quickly chimed in: "We'd been through two other hurricanes -- ones with higher seas -- in '96." "The ship was in the best shape it ever been since it was built," McCutcheon said. It had just completed a mandatory inspection required by the Coast Guard every two years. While not questioning Walbridge's decision, Shelly McCann said she wishes her stepfather had never left port. At one of the two memorial services held for Walbridge, surviving crew members presented the McCanns with a handmade card, signed by all of them. The cards and e-mails from survivors have been a comfort -- evidence once again of that "silver lining." 'Robinisms' Wrote one past crew member: "I think Robin has become a surrogate father for some of us ... to have a consistent and reliable man who encouraged us and gave us responsibility -- changed lives." Claudia McCann said she "didn't realize the magnitude or the enormity of people that he touched." One of the memorial services took place in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Shelly McCann recalled little sayings Walbridge was known for. Crews called them "Robinisms," including, "Wakey wakey, little guppies" and "Wakey wakey, little snakies." Claudia McCann remembers the couple working as extras in some of the films the Bounty appeared in. She scrolls through photos on her computer of herself and her husband dressed in costumes. It all brings back bittersweet memories. Thousands of other irreplaceable photos were on the captain's computer and hard drive which she said went down with the ship -- lost forever. But it's just stuff, she said. "Missing Robin, I can't put that in perspective at all. There's just emptiness in my soul because he was my soul mate," Claudia McCann said, as tears filled her eyes. "I hear it fills in. And I hope it does." She believes her husband went down with his ship, likely trying to help his crew member Christian escape. Many sailors have told Claudia McCann that -- for lovers of the ocean -- there's no better final resting place. That's a thought that comforts her, although she would have preferred placing his remains in the sea herself. "I guess silver linings ... come to an end," she said. "But he had his share of silver linings." CNN's John Couwels reported this story from St. Petersburg, Florida, and CNN's Thom Patterson contributed from Atlanta. | HMS Bounty and its captain, Robin Walbridge, were lost at sea during Hurricane Sandy .
Coast Guard hearings Tuesday aim to answer questions about possible negligence .
Widow Claudia McCann says her husband, Walbridge, had a lucky "silver lining"
She disputes critics who say Walbridge put the 50-year-old wooden ship at risk . |
186,457 | 7d867691119c6d2679443ea85f7e99253c59f3ad | (CNN) -- We celebrate Veterans Day this week, but we have been riding a crest of war remembrance for months now. World War I's centenary alone has brought forth new books -- histories of that war, based on historical documentation and letters unearthed in family and state archives. We look anew at the inscriptions on tombs of known and unknown soldiers and posters from the past whose propagandistic messages shout at us across the divide of time. Opinion: How a century-old war affects you . But in the midst of this flood of words, an equally significant, and telling, aspect of the Great War has been largely overlooked: the place of silence in and around the conflict. World War I may call to mind the written word -- the harrowing verses of Wilfred Owen or the prose of Erich Maria Remarque, whose "All Quiet on the Western Front" rendered war's raw brutality. But the experiences of the years 1914-1918 in fact enshrined the notions that language cannot adequately express the experience of combat, that the veteran will often remain silent about war, even to his or her own family, that the speech of soldiers -- the euphemisms and slang used on the battlefield, the coded communications used after, among veterans -- leaves out as much as it reveals. Opinion: When the flu wiped out millions . This notion of war as an inaccessible space may seem almost antiquated today, when civilian smartphones and video cameras produce a continual feed of chaotic combat situations. But much of what goes on in military operations remains unknown to those who were not there. The connections between silence and war still hold among soldiers-- for reasons of security, censorship, military culture and enduring mechanisms of human psychology. Opinion: The mighty women of World War I . In 2014, as in 1914, many veterans keep quiet about what are their most life-changing experiences. There is, for one thing, the trauma; there is also the desire to protect one's family. There is guilt over killing -- and guilt over surviving. And there is the sheer difficulty of how to explain it: how to put an exceptional state into everyday language. Opinion: How World War I gave us 'cooties' World War I was a watershed in this regard, modeling, during the course of the conflict, what could and could not be said about war by combatants. Some silences were strategic: Soldiers knew their communications home would be censored, and it was unwise to appear defeatist or unpatriotic by conveying the horrors of the battlefield. Opinion: The promise World War I couldn't keep . Others refused speech as a way of respecting the war experience of fallen comrades. War poetry is vocal on the need for restraint to counter the rhetoric of heroism produced by those far from the front. In his 1915 poem "When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead," Charles Hamilton Sorley scorned the use of "soft words" about those who could not speak back: "Say only this, 'They are dead.' /Then add thereto, /'Yet many a better one has died before.'..." Opinion: The 'bionic men' of World War I . Most combatants could not come up with the words, soft or hard, to communicate to those back home what lay around them: carnage on an unprecedented scale. With many new weapons, and others used on a mass scale for the first time in history, World War I inaugurated a new human experience of battle and devastating new injuries. Even the educated felt that language failed them to convey the sights and smells of bodies rent by machine gun fire, devastated by bombs from the air, blistered from gas or paralyzed by shell shock. "I cannot find words to translate my impressions. Hell cannot be so terrible," wrote the French lieutenant Alfred Joubaire in his diary, unable to draw comparisons with any known reality. Opinion: War: What is it good for? Art! The writings, drawings and other artifacts that flowed from the front grappled not only with the question of how to rise to these expressive challenges, but whether it is even possible to communicate this new reality to the noncombatant. Opinion: Should nations pay the price for their leaders' misdeeds? Henri Barbusse reflected on this futility in his 1916 novel "Under Fire," which originated from notes taken during his time at the front. "It'll be no good telling about it, eh? They wouldn't believe you ... no one can know it. Only us," remarks one soldier. "No, not even us, not even us!," another responds. "We've seen too much to remember ... We're not made to hold it all." Traumatic repression, the veterans' despair at being understood, the affirmation of a special bond of knowledge and experience among comrades -- all familiar struggles from our modern wars. They are all here, in 1916 -- violence of a scope that exceeded comprehension. Indeed, Barbusse's scene ends with the rueful reflection that this war was something "you can't give a name to." Opinion: The promise World War I couldn't keep . Both the modern figure of the literary witness and the modern figure of the mute veteran emerged from this early 20th-century conflagration -- as with Barbusse, they were often one and the same - and with them the notion of war as something too overwhelming to tell. Opinion: How World War I gave us drones . Of course, this situation was not unique to the Great War. A study released in August by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, which reveals the prolonged post-traumatic stress among Vietnam veterans -- home from war for 40 years now -- reminds us of that. Opinion: How World War I gave us drones . And so it's fitting that from 1919 onward, World War I's November 11th Armistice has been marked in many countries through two minutes of silence and has been expanded to include the veterans of all wars. The words of World War I can enlighten us about the conflict 100 years later. But the spaces of silence around the din of all wars can tell us much about war's toll on those who wage it -- in 2014 as in 1914. Photo blog: WWI: The Golden Age of postcards . | Ruth Ben-Ghiat: Veterans Day brings words of remembrance. For many, words don't work .
She says vets keep quiet about their life-changing experience; others would not understand .
She says WWI enshrined this notion. The horrors, and guilt over killing, too great to describe .
Ben-Ghiat: It's fitting Veterans Day calls for 2 minutes of silence -- to quietly mark the din of war . |
79,302 | e0cc08d97289e13b107b03e0d8be03b35bacd03b | Five students at Seattle high school between the ages of 14 and 15 are accused of sodomizing an 18-year-old special education student with a broomstick in October. The students, all football players at Juanita High School, were charged on Friday with second-degree rape. They will be arraigned in juvenile court on February 20. The Seattle Times reports that the special education student was allegedly lured into the shower of the locker room on October 22.. Alleged rape: Five students at Juanita High School in Seattle all between the ages of 14 and 15 are accused of sodomizing an 18-year-old special education student with a broomstick in October . It was there that three of the boys are accused of holding him down and pulling down his pants and underwear while one student attempted to sodomize the boy with a broomstick. One of the players recorded the incident on his cell phone. Kirkland police were called to the high school on December 22 when the victim's aunt claimed her nephew was sexually assaulted with a broomstick, according to court documents. Police say one of suspects soon said, 'this isn't funny anymore' and the teens halted their attack, reports Komo. The victim claims he was contacted that night by head football coach Shaun Tarantola, who said he was 'sorry that happened.' The victim was a volunteer football team manager, and the boys were football players, reports Fox. Students who witnessed the attack reported the incident to the Kirkland Police Department. 'Although the incident does not appear to have been sexually motivated, the charges reflect that the attack involved an attempted or threatened penetration with a broom handle while one student was restrained by several others,' the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Football players: All of the alleged attackers were football players at the school who allegedly targeted the victim in the locker room . All five of the students were expelled from school and because they were tried in a juvenile court, their names will not be revealed. Detectives interviewed the five suspects and all but one of them tried to place the blame on another student. Only one player admitted to the alleged rape and said 'I was going to stick a broom up (the victim's) a**,' according to court documents. In addition to the students' expulsion two of the Juanita football coaches were put on administrative leave in November while the assault was being investigated. They were able to return to their jobs in January. Principal Gary Moed wrote an email to students' parents following the incident saying that locker rooms would be supervised and locked if an adult is not able to be present. 'Five students have been charged with a very serious crime,' Moed wrote. 'The possibility that an incident of this nature could occur at Juanita High School has been devastating to this school and our community. This incident is not reflective of what we all know that Juanita High School represents. Our school has worked hard to make every student feel welcome and safe.' | The students, all football players at Juanita High School, were charged on Friday with second-degree rape .
One of the five students admitted to the alleged rape saying, 'I was going to stick the broom up the victim's a**'
The special-ed student, 18, was supposedly lured into the locker room where five students pulled off his clothes and jabbed him with a broom . |
154,771 | 5401906aa76256b8d357ad328a9e477d18307bbf | By . Nick Enoch . PUBLISHED: . 07:49 EST, 31 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:17 EST, 31 July 2012 . The young pair were publicly executed in the remote town of Aguelhok in Mali. Pictured, the type and size of rock that would have been used to stone them to death . A couple accused of engaging in extramarital affairs have been stoned to death by an Islamic militant group in control of northern Mali. The young pair were publicly executed in the remote town of Aguelhok, near the vast West African nation's northern border with Algeria, on Sunday, a spokesman for the Ansar Dine ('defenders of the faith') group said. 'These two people were married and had extra-conjugal relations. 'Our men on the ground in Aguelhok applied sharia [Islamic law],' Sanda Ould Bounama said on Monday. 'They both died right away and even asked for this application. 'We don't have to answer to anyone over the application of sharia,' he said. Most people living in northern Mali have long practised Islam, but frustrations with the strict form of sharia being imposed by Islamists have sparked several protests in recent months. Ansar Dine and well-armed allies, including Al Qaeda splinter group Mujwa, have hijacked a separatist uprising by local Tuareg rebels and now control two-thirds of north Mali's desert - including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu. Western and African governments are struggling to muster a response to the crisis as politicians in the capital Bamako continue to squabble over how the country should be governed after a March coup removed the country's president. Amnesty International’s Deputy Africa Director Paule Rigaud said: 'Amnesty condemns this gruesome and horrific act of stoning. Most people living in northern Mali have long practised Islam, but frustrations with the strict form of sharia being imposed by Islamists have sparked several protests in recent months . 'This killing is yet another human rights abuse committed by the combatants who control the north of Mali, and illustrates the climate of fear that armed opposition groups have created within the areas they control. 'Amnesty International has documented incidences of abuses carried out by armed groups in Mali on people to change their behaviour in accordance with their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. 'The new behaviours being enforced include dress codes for both women and men, the banning of all music except religious music and forbidding of people of opposite sexes if unmarried to sit next to each other on a bus or to walk the streets together. 'The imposition of these new behaviours has been accompanied by intimidation and physical violence including deliberate and arbitrary killings.' | Amnesty condemns gruesome killing by Islamists . |
11,267 | 200b3c51c6ab13f2e549483d87dd3d5b5686a421 | The parents of the model shot dead by Oscar Pistorius have attacked the 'volatile' and 'trigger-happy' athlete saying 'sooner or later he would have killed someone'. They have sat through an agonising seven-month trial, but June and Barry Steenkamp said justice for their daughter Reeva, 29, has not been served as the 'Blade Runner' could be out in 10 months. Mrs Steenkamp, 68, said she did not believe the athlete's story, describing him as 'vague, evasive and shifty' after he claimed he shot Reeva thinking she was an intruder. 'It was Reeva's bad luck that she met him, because sooner or later he would have killed someone. I do believe that,' she said in an interview with The Times Magazine. Scroll down for video . June and Barry Steenkamp said justice for their daughter Reeva, 29, has not been served as Pistorius could be out in 10 months . 'I wasn't happy with the sentence at all. I don't think that was justice for Reeva at all.' They have a recurring image of Reeva, terrified and alone in the small toilet cubicle, pleading for her life or screaming in agony once she had been shot. 'Both of us are haunted by the same nightmare. The vision of Reeva suffering this terrible trauma. Her terror and helplessness. Her yells for help piercing the silent night air,' said Mrs Steenkamp. Her husband imagines her begging for her life. 'He agonises over what was going through her mind: 'Where is anyone? Who is going to save me?' ' Mrs Steenkamp said she he did not believe Oscar Pistorius' story, describing him as 'vague, evasive and shifty' after he claimed he shot Reeva (left) thinking she was an intruder . Pistorius told the court they were planning a life together, but Mrs Steenkamp thinks Reeva had 'nagging doubts about their compatibility'. 'She had confided to me that she hadn't slept with him. They'd shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level … She wouldn't want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn't sure,' she said. 'I believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her heart of hearts, she didn't think it was making either of them happy.' In her book, titled Reeva: A Mother's Story, Mrs Steenkamp describes Pistorius, 27, as a 'pathetic figure'. Her parents have a recurring image of Reeva, terrified and alone in the small toilet cubicle, pleading for her life or screaming in agony once she had been shot, pictured as a toddler (left) and during a family Christmas . The extract focuses on the athlete's public apology during the televised trial. 'It was an extraordinary moment. You could cut the atmosphere in the courtroom with a knife: silence, but for the sound of journalists tapping on their screens. It put me in an awkward position. 'Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology. I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done. 'He was in the box trying to save his own skin after he had killed my daughter and I was sitting in that courtroom wanting to hear the factual truth.' The model (centre) with her brother Adam and mother June (right) who has written about her daughter's death in her book titled: Reeva: A Mother's Story . Pistorius told the court they were planning a life together, but Mrs Steenkamp thinks Reeva had 'nagging doubts about their compatibility' Miss Steenkamp's parents said their daughter's death in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year remained shrouded in mystery, and 'only Oscar knows' the truth . The five-year sentence given to the double amputee athlete has been criticised by some as too lenient. But Miss Steenkamp's parents told ITV's Good Morning Britain they accepted the sentence and 'don't want revenge'. They said their daughter's death in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year remained shrouded in mystery, and 'only Oscar knows' the truth. Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled the state had failed to prove Pistorius knew it was Reeva when he opened fire through the locked toilet door of his apartment in Pretoria. Throughout the trial, he said he mistook his girlfriend of three months for an intruder. 'He said pulling the trigger was 'an accident'. What? Four times an accident?' Mrs Steenkamp said in her book. 'He said Reeva did not scream, but she would definitely have screamed. I know my daughter and she was very vocal.' Pistorius, who the court heard has no income and no property after selling it during the trial, was driven away in a police van with barred windows after his sentencing on Tuesday. He is expected to be held in the hospital section of a prison in Pretoria. Mrs Steenkamp's book is to be published on November 6. Paralympic athlete Pistorius (centre) leaves the courtroom after being sentenced to five years in prison . | Barry and June Steenkamp said justice has not been served for Reeva .
They said Oscar Pistorius would have killed someone 'sooner or later'
He has been jailed for five years, but could be out in 10 months .
Mrs Steenkamp described him as 'pathetic' in book Reeva: A Mother's Story .
Both parents have a recurring image of the model screaming in agony . |
89,246 | fd54d86b6321149e56454f72af4c50139d143dca | BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday. China's He Kexin kisses her gold medal last week after winning the Olympic women's uneven bars. The committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation, said spokeswoman Giselle Davis. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation. The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions. Yet commentators, bloggers and others have raised questions about whether about half the members of China's team were old enough to compete -- athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place. In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames. "We have asked the gymnastics federation to look into what have been a number questions and apparent discrepancies on this case," Davis said. A top Chinese Olympic official said questions regarding the ages of the athletes have been dealt with previously. "The eligibility of the athletes has already been investigated and authorized by the international federation and, if they hadn't been cleared, they wouldn't have participated in the games," said Wang Wei, executive vice president of the Beijing Olympic Committee. Chinese officials provided the Olympic committee with passports, showing that team members were of legal age, but numerous challenges have been made. The latest came from a blogger known as "Stryde Hax." The blogger claims to have uncovered proof that Chinese gymnast He Kexin is only 14. Watch bloggers question China's gymnasts » . In Internet searches, "Stryde Hax" allegedly uncovered Web pages showing lists complied by China's General Administration of Sport that show a 1994 date of birth for He. That would make her 14 -- too young to compete in the Olympic Games. CNN has not been able to independently verify the information, but snapshots of the Web pages appear to back up the claim. Other bloggers have joined the search and reported similar results. The New York Times conducted its own investigation, producing similar results that seem to implicate He and two other members of the team. The Times uncovered a 2006 biography on He that lists her birthday as January 1, 1994. "According to online sports registration lists in China, half the team - He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan - would be under age," the Times reported in July. The International Gymnastics Federation, however, has said that those gymnasts were eligible and that the ages on their passports were correct. Chinese gymnastics coaches defended their team Friday. "Our athletes participating in these games all conform to the age regulations of the Olympics," said Huang Yubin, head coach of the men's and women's teams. "Asians have different figures than people from the West, so that's what caused their suspicion," Huang said, referring to media inquiries. "They shouldn't be suspicious." CNN's John Vause contributed to this story . | Probe into Chinese gymnasts' age sought by International Olympic Committee .
Gymnasts must be at least 16 years of age to compete in Olympics .
Chinese officials defend team, have shown passports proving athletes are eligible .
Speculation intensified following team gold medal won by China's women . |
119,433 | 26470ef5f815d6f29448a076859252eca9cd8c29 | (CNN) -- Wondering where to go for your next holiday? Experts explain which destinations we should be checking out in 2014. Brazil: The World Cup . The modern game of football, or soccer, may have been born in England's public schools, but many will claim its soul has settled in Brazil. It has the world's most successful international team, winning the World Cup five times. It calls what many claim to be the world's greatest player, Pele, one of its own. And company managers and bosses are known to demand their employees skip work to watch the big games. The World Cup next year then, to be hosted over June and July in 18 cities across the country, is likely to be memorable, to say the least. Throw in the rest of the country, which includes rainforests, beaches and a party culture that makes most New Year's Eve soirees look decidedly po-faced, and you have the makings of an epic trip. Daisy Parker from ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) suggests visiting some of the country's more remote areas. "The Brazilians' love of a party is going to make it a must-visit long haul destination for 2014," she says. "Once fans have flown that far we predict many will stay on to check out areas like the Amazon basin and the amazing Iguazu Falls. Brazil's beaches are also some of the best in the world." Explore offers a 14-day Pure Brazil tour, which starts from $5,913 per person (not including flights). Panama: Canal's 100th birthday . The Panama Canal's 100-year anniversary arguably is not, in and of itself, a top five reason for visiting the country in 2014. But the events surrounding the big day and Panama's other attractions certainly are. "August 2014 marks 100 years since the completion of the Panama Canal, and that's likely to attract more attention to the destination," says Mary Moses, general manager at PEAK South America. "However, Panama has a lot more to offer travelers than just the canal -- volcanoes, rainforests, coffee plantations and beautiful beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts." Peregrine Adventures offers a 10-day Panama Highlights tour. Prices start from $2,171 per person (excluding flights). Myanmar: Tourism 'Master Plan' Myanmar has been touted as "the next big tourism destination" for a few years already, but getting around the country has proved tricky. ATMs have been absent or limited to locals only, the Internet was something nobody appeared to have heard of and travel was restricted to places the government was happy for you to see. That's started to change already, and next year it's going to accelerate. "The Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism has prepared a 'Master Plan' and 'Responsible Tourism Policy' to map out the future of tourism in the country," says Professor Donald E. Hawkins, Eisenhower Professor of Tourism Policy at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "The goal in 2014 is to maximize tourism's contribution to national employment and income generation while ensuring the social and economic benefits of tourism are distributed equitably." Explore offers a 14-day Myanmar highlights tour. Prices start from $2,324 per person (excluding flights). Lake Myvatn, Iceland: Best Northern Lights for years . "With NASA scientists predicting that an 11-year cycle of solar activity will peak this winter, for the first few months of 2014 the Northern Lights are expected to put on their most spectacular display for the next decade," says David Phillips, operations manager for Explorers Astronomy Tours. "Although a viewing of the aurora borealis can never be guaranteed, you can boost your chances by heading to the beautiful and more remote areas such as northern Iceland so that you are well away from light pollution." Discover the World offers a range of Iceland-based tours, with prices starting from $329 per person (excluding flights). Ecuador: Becoming a 'tourism powerhouse' In the last few months Ecuador's new Minister of Tourism, Vinicio Alvarado, announced a $600 million investment in tourism over the next four years, a hike of more than 300%, as part of a plan to become a "tourism powerhouse." Earlier this year a new international airport opened in Quito. A new luxury train just started operations and the country continues to be the world's best place to retire, according to International Living. In short, it's probably the best vacation spot you haven't yet considered, unless your name's Julian Assange. "Ecuador is evolving fast, and a visit to this Andean nation has never been more tempting," says Rough Guides editor Eleanor Aldridge. " "The re-launch of the Tren Crucero, a century-old railway between Guayaquil and Quito, garnered one of the British Guild of Travel Writers' top awards for 2013." GA Adventures offers an eight-day Ecuador Quest tour. Prices start from $1,067 per person (excluding flights). New Zealand: 2,500-kilometer cycle trail . If doing more exercise is one your 2014 resolutions (and this time you mean it), an extended trip to New Zealand could provide the means. In 2014 the country will complete its enormous Nga Haerenga cycle trail, designed to showcase the best of the country's landscape, culture and heritage. The 2,500-kilometer network is made up of 23 shorter trails covering both the North and South islands, and the final two will be completed in January. The New Zealand government threw $50 million into the construction of these trails, which snake through lush rainforests, glacial-fed lakes and along old railway lines once used by miners during the Gold Rush. New Zealand-based tour operator Natural High offer a 17-day cycle tour from Auckland on the North Island to Christchurch on the South island. Prices start from $4,223 (excluding flights). Playas de Nosara, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: Officially approved beaches . If you're the type that likes awards and official stamps of approval before buying your vacation, the beaches in Nosara in Costa Rica just winked at you. They're likely to become popular in 2014, thanks to the recent award of a Blue Flag -- an international certification awarded to beaches that offer top quality and environmentally friendly experiences. Alvin Rosenbaum, an expert in tourism and senior visiting scholar at George Washington University's International Institute of Tourism Studies, says: "Its pristine beaches are responsible for the introduction of an array of new activities for families with children, ranging from toddlers' programs to educational and volunteer programs for older children. "Nosara prides itself on its beaches and wildlife refuges and is now one of the most environmentally-aware communities in Latin America." Hands Up Holidays offers a 10-day Nicoya Explorer tour. Prices start from $3,745 per person (excluding flights). Japan: Brand new festivals . The 50th anniversary of the bullet train, several new festivals (in a country already in possession of some bizarre ones), a new luxurious cruise train called Seven Stars offering visitors a spectacular new way to explore the prefecture of Kyushu -- there are plenty of reasons to visit Japan in 2014. "The first official International Cool Japan Awards and POP Matsuri (festival), will take place in Osaka between March 21 and 30, 2014," says Kylie Clark from the Japanese National Tourism Organisation. "Categories will include manga, anime and gaming, and during the festival numerous events will be held throughout the city tied to Japanese pop culture." Inside Japan Tours offers a 14-night Best of Japan tour. Prices start from $3,104 per person (excluding flights). East Africa: One visa, three countries . Spotting gorillas in Uganda and rhino in Kenya will become a less complicated affair in 2014 after changes to visa regulations come into effect. "Visiting the mountain gorillas in Rwanda is a trip of a lifetime, but the magical experience itself lasts just one hour once you get up close to them," says Brad John-Davis, general manager for PEAK Africa. "From January 1, travelers to East Africa will be able to visit Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda on a single visa, which will make it much easier to combine gorilla viewing with other incredible wildlife experiences across East Africa, such as tracking chimps in Uganda and spotting the big five in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park." Intrepid offers four-day gorilla safaris starting from $4,120 per person, excluding flights. San Sebastián, Spain: A future 'world's best city'? It's already tied in fifth place on one list of the world's best cities, and it's likely to get even more popular soon, as San Sebastián will be the European Capital of Culture in 2016. "I think it's important to get there before the masses discover this destination," says Daniel Fesenmaier from Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. "It's next to France and some of the best wine regions, including Rioja, located just to the south, and Bordeaux in France, just to the north. The food is San Sebastián is also fantastic." If you don't know what a pintxo is, or how it tastes, now's the time to find out. Intrepid Travel offers an eight-day Northern Spain Overview tour. Prices start from $2,543 per person (excluding flights). Tallinn, Estonia: Tunnels and Titanic meals . Tallinn's beautiful old town is reason any year to head to this under-visited city, but in 2014 its most popular tourist attraction will become significantly more accessible, thanks to plans to complete excavation of the tunnels beneath the famous bastion walls. The city also has a number of relatively new attractions, including the Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour Museum, where visitors can check out several seaplanes housed within spectacular hangars. The museum has recently opened a Titanic Artefact exhibition that examines the history of the doomed ship; in early 2014, the museum will host several gala dinners inspired by the last night in the first-class area of the ship. Baltic Tours offer a two-night city break in Tallinn. Prices start from $225 per person. | New Zealand government threw $50 million into the construction of the Nga Haerenga cycle trails .
Nosara in Costa Rica recently awarded a Blue Flag -- a certification awarded to world's best beaches .
First few months of 2014 best period for Northern Lights for years, as NASA scientists predict a peak in solar activity . |
19,453 | 372bb9ed7f027f9b752e4aba161772c3a06e0088 | When three divers set out to film the amazing sea-life off the coast of an island in the French Polynesia they captured more than they hoped for. Despite beautiful footage showing them swimming among some of the ocean's most dazzling inhabitants, it was a humpback whale who turned up to make a surprising starring appearance. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . The divers were filming in the French Polynesia when they caught sight of this humpback whale in the distance . Out of the blue, the majestic beast swims up the divers just in time for its close up. The incredible four minute clip has been uploaded on YouTube which has had more than 100,000 hits. The divers were filming off the coast of Moorea, in the French Polynesia. You can even hear the sound of the whale as it approaches. Humpback whales are known for their magical songs which travel for great distances through the world's oceans. Ready for its close up: The whale swam up to the divers who were on hand to film the magnificent beast . The divers couldn't believe their luck when the humpback whale made an appearance . These sequences of moans, howls and cries are complex and often continue for hours on end. Scientists have studied these sounds to decipher their means. It is most likely that these humpbacks sing to communicate with each other and to attract mates. The incredible four minute clip has been uploaded on YouTube which has had more than 100,000 hits . Beautiful creatures: The divers were filming off the coast of Moorea, in the French Polynesia . A diver enjoys swimming among fish before he has a close encounter with a humpback whale . Humpback whales are normally found near coastlines feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton and small fish. They migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding waters closer to the Equator. | The divers were swimming off an island in the French Polynesia .
Incredible four minute clip has been uploaded on YouTube and has had more than 100,000 hits . |
208,060 | 995f7dca2cde140912e514212edec397ebda7ed1 | By . Stuart Woledge . PUBLISHED: . 12:25 EST, 28 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:44 EST, 28 September 2013 . They have become synonymous with middle-class chique, with the likes of David Cameron and Carole and Michael Middleton said to be fans of the 'kitchen supper'. And now it seems the kitchen is replacing the lounge as the room of choice for families to spend time in up and down the country. The craze for the giant kitchen - or 'multifunctional living space' - complete with widescreen TV, DVD box sets and sofa, is becoming ever more popular, according to a report in The Times. Super-size: Families are now gathering in extra large kitchens known as 'multifunctional living spaces' Kitchens are now being extended outwards and even downwards to create what was once called a kitchen-dinning room. Often these extra large kitchens, also known as 'family rooms' are accompanied with sliding glass doors that lead to an outside area, such as a patio. Copper pans either hang from overhead racks or line brightly coloured walls coated with the highest quality paint. The all-important island remains central to the overall effect. In some London homes, there are now two islands, one for the hob and another for the sink. Trend: Often sliding glass doors will lead from the super-size kitchen to outside areas such as patios . Food for thought: TV show The OC has been credited with sparking an increase in demand for larger kitchens . Normally makeover shows are credited with sparking the latest fashions in interior design, but US TV series The OC has played its part this time, for it is around the island of the super-size kitchen that the majority of the dramatic scenes were filmed. Th Brothers and Sisters drama has also influenced the trend. But while the days of families gathering in the living room may be over, for now at least, in the deluxe sector the separate dining room is said to be making a comeback. Living space: Families are now preferring to gather in their extra large kitchens . Utensils: Pots and pans are often found hanging from overhead racks while widescreen TVs adorn walls . | US TV dramas are behind a growing demand for super-sized kitchens .
Widescreen TVs and sofas are to be found among the usual pots and pans .
Giant kitchens, or 'multifunctional living spaces' are replacing lounges . |
33,594 | 5f8f04f375c257373e788743a5f33676e4da4d87 | (CNN) -- Inter Milan survived an early sending-off and a Barcelona onslaught to reach the final of Europe's Champions League, where they will meet Bayern Munich. The Italian champions were reduced to 10 men when Thiago Motta was dismissed after 28 minutes, but defended resolutely and clung on for a 1-0 defeat in the Nou Camp which gave them a 3-2 victory on aggregate. Defending champions Barca dominated possession throughout the match but did not break through until the 84th minute when Gerard Pique's goal gave them a lifeline. But Inter, who have not won Europe's premier club competition since 1965, held on to set up a meeting with German side Bayern at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on May 22. Can Mourinho beat Van Gaal to become king of Europe? The victory was a personal triumph for Inter coach Jose Mourinho, who once worked as a translator at Barca and taunted the Spanish side in the build-up to the game over their "obsession" with winning the Champions League at the home of their arch-rivals. Mourinho greeted the final whistle by sprinting across the pitch with one arm raised. He shrugged off an attempt by Barca keeper Victor Valdes to restrain him and celebrated in front of the Inter fans. Mourinho made a late change to his line-up shortly before kick-off with defender Christian Chivu replacing injured striker Goran Pandev. Barca were on the attack from the start but did not create a clear opening until midway through the half, when Dani Alves crossed for Pedro, whose low shot fizzed narrowly wide. Five minutes later, Inter were reduced to 10 men when Motta was shown a red card for pushing his hand into Sergio Busquets's face. Barca went close again when Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar pulled off a spectacular one-handed diving save to keep out a curling shot from Lionel Messi. The second half began with Barca camped in the Inter half and the Italians getting all 10 players behind the ball. Roared on by their 91,000 crowd, Barca were almost permanently in possession of the ball but did not create a clear opportunity until the 82nd minute when Messi lifted a cross into the path of Bojan Krkic, who glanced his header wide from just six yards. Two minutes later, Xavi slipped a pass through to center-half Pique, who - pushed up front as an emergency striker - turned and slotted the ball home. Barca pressed hard for the second goal that would have won them the game and thought they had it in stoppage-time when Bojan slammed into the net, but the effort was ruled out for a handball by Yaya Toure earlier in the move. That proved to be the last chance of the game as Inter were left to celebrate their first appearance in the European Cup final since 1972. "We defended very well with 10 men for so long," Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder told ITV television. "We fought for every meter and we gave everything. We made it and we will go to Madrid." Meanwhile, Bayern will appeal against a three-match ban imposed on Franck Ribery, which rules him out of the final. The French winger was shown a red card in the first leg of the semifinal victory over Lyon and was suspended for the second leg on Tuesday. | Inter Milan reach Champions League final with 3-2 aggregate victory over Barcelona .
Italy's Inter reduced to 10 men after 28 minutes by the sending-off of Thiago Motta .
Holders Barcelona score late goal but cannot find a winner at their Nou Camp stadium .
Inter will play Bayern Munich in the final on May 22 in Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium . |
12,768 | 242cf9c79e9d3efc14f5bf3e80d97c644d114980 | Paris, France (CNN) -- Thousands of travelers in France were stranded after lightning shut down a main train station on Saturday, the first day of the summer holiday for students. Lightening struck an electrical facility in Bretigny-sur-Orge, on the outskirts of Paris, forcing the closure of the Austerlitz station and affecting 40,000 travelers, a French National Railway official told CNN. However, traffic at Austerlitz station had resumed as of 6 p.m. (noon ET), CNN affiliate BFM reported, citing officials with railway agency. Electronic repairs on the railway had been completed by the evening, and traffic was expected to run smoothly by Sunday. Earlier, railway officials had warned of delays and encouraged passengers to postpone their trips. Passengers who were unable to take trains Saturday will be issued refunds, BFM reported. The station is used by trains leaving for southern France and Spain as well as commuter service to other parts of Paris. | NEW: Report: Traffic at Austerlitz station resumes .
Lightning strikes electrical facility in Bretigny-sur-Orge, outside Paris .
Forces closure of Austerlitz station in capital .
The station is used by trains leaving for southern France and Spain . |
179,941 | 74fbfb128b6bff67dc4a0d34b3605597692013da | By . Louise Eccles . PUBLISHED: . 03:45 EST, 20 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:50 EST, 21 May 2012 . For the ‘unsung heroes’ chosen to bear the Olympic flame on its journey around Britain, the torch they carry is meant to be a proud keepsake to show to future grandchildren. Yet hours after the relay began on Saturday, the souvenirs were already appearing on eBay. Some runners put their torch up for sale even before they had carried the flame, offering to post them to the highest bidder immediately after their leg of the event. Former England footballer David Beckham lights the Olympic torch as it arrives in Cornwall at the start of the mammoth relay . Others offered to include the white-and-gold torchbearer uniforms. Several runners asked for a minimum of £100,000. When contacted by the Mail, some said they planned to donate the proceeds to charity, but others admitted they were simply cashing in. The majority of the 8,000 torchbearers were selected after being nominated by friends and family for their work in the community. The 70-day relay started in Land’s End on Saturday and will finish on July 27 at the opening ceremony of the Games. It cost £495 to make each torch, but runners were offered the chance to buy them for just £215 while those who won their places through sponsors such as Coca-Cola were given them free. Yesterday, readers flooded Mail Online with their views. One wrote: ‘I am so incensed by this total lack of respect for anyone including us folk who were so proud to see you carrying it.’ Bids for the prized torches have reached in excess of £150,000 on eBay, although it is not clear if the auctions have been targeted by hoaxers . The Olympic torch has been greeted by crowds of people since the start of its tour of the UK . Another suggested that the torches should have been issued with a covenant that they could not be sold for at least ten years. Torchbearer Andrew Bell, 32, who ran his relay leg in Marazion, Cornwall, on Saturday, took down his eBay advertisement after receiving criticism. He said: ‘I understand some people may find the idea of selling an Olympic torch offensive but we could genuinely use the money. ‘Without giving you a sob story, we’ve a lovely baby boy and my wife has just gone back to work after maternity leave. Also, the torch is nearly a metre long, and looks weird on the mantelpiece.’ Community gardener Sarah Milner Simonds, 38, from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, will run through Dunster today. Her torch has already attracted bids of up to £7,000. She said she would donate any proceeds towards her organisation, the People’s Plot, which helps community gardening projects. ‘I was wondering whether it was right to sell the torch and so I asked my dad, who is in his eighties. He said that one could create much more of a legacy using that funding than one could by using a bit of shiny bling that 8,000 other people have.’ Yesterday, more than a dozen torches were up for sale on eBay. One lot advertised ‘a souvenir to collect and treasure’. A spokesman for Olympic organisers Locog said: ‘The majority of people will want to keep their torch, but ultimately it’s their property and for them to decide what to do with it. We hope the torches and uniforms find good homes.’ Today, 100 days from the opening of the Paralympic Games, the remaining one million tickets go on sale. Organisers announced yesterday that Coldplay will headline the Paralympics closing ceremony. The relay has already seen its first disruption attempt, as pictured here when a man was tackled to the ground by police after trying to reach the torch . The route of the Olympic torch relay which will involve 8,000 runners on its route around the UK . | Just a day after the epic flame relay begins runners are trying to sell off their Olympic torches .
Online auction site lists several attracting six-figure bids .
One seller has posted up torch for sale despite being yet to complete their leg of the relay . |
92,575 | 031093bd3e12681425e82b90bfab20413d68676b | Quito, Ecuador (CNN) -- Voters in Ecuador might have a chance to weigh in on a high-profile case of sibling rivalry. Fabricio Correa, 52, filed paperwork to register a new political party Wednesday. His aim, he said, is to defeat his younger brother, incumbent President Rafael Correa, in elections next year. "There is no legal security. There is too much corruption. Today, drugs are rampant. Crime has doubled. There is no investment. There are no jobs. The number of poor people has increased 50%," Fabricio Correa told CNN en Español on Wednesday. Court ruling in a libel case a victory for Rafael Correa . Ecuadorian government officials declined to comment on those accusations. The spat between the two brothers has played out publicly for years, with each accusing the other of corruption. "The Big Brother," a book published by two journalists in 2010, has fueled the feud. The investigation alleged that companies connected with Fabricio Correa had received preferential treatment, with more than $167 million in government contracts. The president denied that he knew about the contracts, called them unethical and terminated them. He also filed a libel lawsuit against the journalists who wrote "The Big Brother," but he pardoned them earlier this year. Fabricio Correa has contended that the contracts were terminated because one company, Cosurca, refused to pay a $1.5 million bribe to the government. On Wednesday, he repeated criticisms of his 48-year-old brother and other government officials. "I have been taking care of my younger brother since he was little, and I have always know that he was like this. I thought that he had matured, and maybe he had, but the drug of power is very powerful, and even worse when he is surrounded by a perverse circle," Fabricio Correa said. While the elder Correa has become a vocal member of Ecuador's opposition, one political analyst said critics must do more to find common ground among opponents of the current administration. "The opposition has not been able to assemble an appropriate team and create a unified party that can oppose Rafael Correa," analyst Vladimir Serrano said. Looking toward the 2013 presidential elections, Fabricio Correa said Wednesday that ideology would not be an obstacle for him to gain supporters from different political backgrounds. "I am like an archer. I stand in the center, and if they throw me one way, I fly to the right, and if they throw me to the other side, I fly to the left," he said. Fabricio Correa said Wednesday that he had filed more than 200,000 signatures with election authorities Wednesday requesting approval for his political party, known as EQUIPO (the Spanish word for team) -- which he said stands for equality, progress and order. Election authorities have a month to evaluate the application. | Fabricio Correa files paperwork to register his political party .
The 52-year-old businessman says he wants to run for president .
His brother, Rafael Correa, is the incumbent .
The siblings have publicly accused each other of corruption . |
134,186 | 397dcf033fbcabdd34f9bad2614cd19a8076018a | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned U.N. delegates Monday not to overlook the threats posed by Iran and Hamas in their zeal to defeat the terror group ISIS. "Ladies and gentlemen, would you let ISIS enrich uranium? Would you let ISIS build a heavy-water reactor? Would you let ISIS develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Of course, you wouldn't," Netanyahu said. "Then you mustn't let the Islamic state of Iran do those things either, because here's what will happen," he said. "Once Iran produces atomic bombs, all the charms and all the smiles will suddenly disappear. They'll just vanish. And it's then that the ayatollahs will show their true face and unleash their aggressive fanaticism on the entire world." Netanyahu praised the growing effort to defeat ISIS, the militant group that has seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq, but simultaneously chastised many of the countries joining that coalition for failing, he said, to recognize that ISIS and Hamas "are branches of the same poisonous tree." "For the militant Islamists, all politics is global," he said. "Because their ultimate goal is to dominate the world. Now that threat might seem exaggerated to some, since it starts out small, like a cancer that attacks a particular part of the body. But left unchecked, the cancer grows, metastasizing over wider and wider areas. "To protect the peace and the security of the world, we must remove this cancer before it's too late," he said. He also compared militant Islamists to the Nazis who led Germany in World War II, saying extremists today seek world domination, as did Adolf Hitler's minions. "The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith," he said. "They just disagree who among them will be the master of the master faith. That's what they truly disagree about." Netanyahu's speech was a "blatant manipulation of the facts," Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said in statement issued shortly after the speech. "Blaming the victim has always been the failed policy of the politically and morally bankrupt, and Netanyahu is no exception," Ashrawi said. | World must contain Iran and Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister tells United Nations .
ISIS and Hamas "are branches of the same poisonous tree," Benjamin Netanyahu says .
Netanyahu also compares militant Islamists to the Nazis .
PLO official calls Netanyahu's speech a "blatant manipulation of the facts" |
88,010 | f9b8e1bd9742c0a2311e76b79518fc5b71005c32 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:26 EST, 29 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:51 EST, 29 April 2013 . 'Undervalued': Horticulture is not prioritised by government or recommended as a career in schools, Mr Titchmarsh said . The future of British gardening is under threat because of a lack of interest from celebrity-obsessed young people, Alan Titchmarsh warned last night. The TV gardener said that unless more youngsters were encouraged into horticulture, the Chelsea Flower Show could end up as ‘little more than a wistful memory’. Young people grew up idolising celebrities, such as boyband One Direction and James Bond actor Daniel Craig, as well as hi-tech gadgets. ‘It’s time we reconnected them with apples rather than Apple Macs, plant cells rather than cell phones and raspberries as well as BlackBerrys,’ he said. He warned that the young do not consider a future in horticulture because ‘careers advisers never even think of it’ and little is done to champion the industry. Mr Titchmarsh said: ‘There is much to learn and, as anyone who has been involved with horticulture will tell you, it can be tremendously challenging. 'And yet our role is undervalued by government, by the population and by young people in particular – in every instance because they just do not understand the breadth of what we do and its importance in terms of the wellbeing of the planet and its population.’ Citing a recent survey that showed that 70 per cent of horticulture businesses could not fill skilled vacancies, and another 90 per cent saying the industry ‘lacks career appeal’, Mr Titchmarsh predicted a bleak future for British gardening unless attitudes are changed. He said: ‘If this situation continues, British horticulture will dwindle and become a pale shadow of its former self, and Chelsea Flower Show little more than a wistful memory.’ Mr Titchmarsh was speaking at the launch . last night of the RHS Chelsea Centenary Appeal, a fundraising drive to . find £1million to support the next generation of horticulturists. Next generation: Alan Titchmarsh is concerned that not enough young people are interested in horticulture . He said: ‘The centenary of Chelsea Flower Show gives us an opportunity that is not to be wasted – a chance to demonstrate that those of us involved in horticulture are not thick, or dull, or unadventurous or simply incapable of doing anything else. ‘Without [horticulture] we would be hungry, uninspired, artistically stunted, unhealthily house-bound, pale of skin and unsound in body. ‘Our wildlife would be deprived of habitats, birds would go hungry, bees would be short of nectar and frogs would fail to find sufficient places to spawn.’ | Young people obsess about 'celebs and gadgets' not the outdoors .
Events like the Chelsea Flower Show could become 'a wistful memory' |
187,301 | 7e8fac0e74503a18afd1359e0dd495f7b3035d50 | By . Mike Dawes . Lewis Hamilton prepared for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix by hitting the gym. The 29-year-old didn't finish in Canada just over a week and ago and needs to get back to winning ways if he is to wrestle the drivers' championship away from Nico Rosberg. Hamilton is currently 22 points adrift of his Mercedes team-mate after the first seven races of the season. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Hamilton and Rosberg show feud is behind them in funny video . Putting in the effort: Lewis Hamilton has hit the gym ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend . Selfie: The Mercedes driver said he has been losing weight in order to gain an edge in the title race . And he told his instagram followers that he is ready to launch an assault on the title. 'I've been training hard, fighting hard to win this championship! 67kg down from 73 last year,' he said, before hashtagging '#nevergiveup #letsgo #austriangp'. Hamilton hasn't always seen eye-to-eye over the course of this season so far, but the pair looked to be in better spirits as he photobombed Rosberg earlier this month. In a light-hearted gesture the British racer gatecrashed Rosberg's photograph with two fans in Montreal. The picture amused the Mercedes team, who posted it to their Twitter account with the caption: 'Best... #photobomb... EVER!!! @LewisHamilton @nico_rosberg #F1 #TheMontREALdeal.' Focus: The British driver is 22 points behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg after seven races . Say cheese: Lewis Hamilton (second right) photobombed Nico Rosberg's (second left) photo with two fans . | Mercedes driver is 22 points behind Rosberg after seven races .
Hamilton did not finish in Canada 10 days ago . |
12,668 | 23f11666c315bc32e9e365e4dad4ff44cc1be5c4 | By . Aaron Sharp . PUBLISHED: . 09:38 EST, 8 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:13 EST, 8 October 2013 . A roundabout in a quaint country village has been crowned the best in Britain after it was identified as the only one in the country to boast its own duck pond. The idyllic traffic island in the village of Otford, near Sevenoaks, Kent is also only circular junction in the UK to have been granted listed status. It was spotted by roundabout fan Kevin Beresford, who travels the country to judge entrants in the competition. Quirk: The Otford roundabout in Kent, pictured, is the only one of its kind which has listed status in the UK . Winner: The picturesque Otford junction, above, scooped the 'Roundabout of the Year' prize thanks to its unusual duck pond . Kevin, who is president of the Roundabout Appreciation Society admitted he travels the length and breadth of the UK seeking out the best circular roads that Britain has to offer. He described the winning roundabout as 'bizarre' but declared his love for the five-exit junction because of its classic green appearance. He said: 'I love this roundabout because it is so quintessentially English. 'I have travelled from Land’s End to John O’Groats looking at roundabouts and thought I had seen them all, but I’ve never seen one with a duck pond before. 'Normally I describe a roundabout as an oasis on a sea of asphalt but this has turned that statement inside. 'We’ve got an island made up of water surrounded by land, which is bizarre.' Community: Locals work on the Otford roundabout, pictured in 1952, ahead of the festival of Britain eight years later . Water feature: Residents enjoy the newly installed duck house which was built in 1960 . The pretty pond, which is circled by willow trees, is thought to date back to Anglo Saxon times, when it was possibly used as a drinking hole for local livestock. In 1951 it was repaired by villagers for the Festival of Britain and in 1960 a duck house was placed on the pond, which is fed from a spring by the village station. The pond was granted grade two listed status in January 1975 after plans to concrete it over were met with protest from villagers. The Holgate Windmill in York, pictured, dates back to 1770 and is a past winner of the prestigious roundabout award . In 2008 the pond, which forms a natural roundabout in the centre of the village, was repaired and strengthened after the toll of years of heavy traffic going around it. Parish council chairman John Edwards-Winser said he was 'thrilled' the village roundabout had won the award. 'Otford is a beautiful place to live and the duck pond is the jewel in our crown. It’s a talking point and everyone who visits the village stops to look at the pond roundabout as it’s totally unique.' 'It doesn’t matter which way you drive into the village, you’re greeted with outstanding views. Modern: The BFI IMAX roundabout in London, pictured, is one of the newer additions to the roundabout hall of fame . Exotic: The Pagoda roundabout, above, may have a Far Eastern name, but it's actually in Birmingham . Runner-up: This junction at Chepstow racecourse came in for a notable mention but pipped at the post in the best roundabout stakes . 'A lot of work goes into keeping the duck pond and it even has its own pond keeper. 'The pond is a real source of pride for the village. Sometimes you take these things for granted but every once in a while something like this happens to remind you how lucky you are to live here.' Previous roundabouts to be awarded the society’s accolade are the BFI Imax roundabout in London, the Shepherd and Flock roundabout in Farnham and the Holgate Windmill roundabout in York. The award means the roundabout will now feature on the front cover of the Roundabout Preservation Society’s 2014 calendar. Other roundabouts given a notable mention in the enthusiasts list of Britain's best included a junction outside Chepstow racecourse, the BFI IMAX roundabout in London and the Pagoda roundabout in Birmingham. 1. Duck pond roundabout, Otford in Kent2. Holgate windmill in York3. BFI IMAX roundabout in London4. Shepherd and Flock roundabout in Farnham5. Magic Roundabout in Swindon6. Spaceships roundabout in Blackpool7. Regency roundabout in Bath8. Laser and light show in Haverhill, Suffolk9. Pagoda roundabout in Birmingham10. Chepstow racecourse roundabout . | The junction was chosen by the Roundabout Appreciation Society .
It is the only one in the UK to have been granted listed status .
Experts believe it is the only roundabout in the UK with its own duck pond . |
238,315 | c0796b1258858c3da01d29fd06ee2bf039114d2e | Telstra will text customers within seconds when they've reached their mobile download limit. The telco is the first in Australia to roll out real-time alerts to help customers avoid bill shock. Presently, alert texts are delayed by up to 48 hours. 'Our real-time alerts will deliver our customers the information they need about their mobile data use when they need it,' said Telstra mobile chief Scott McGibbony. Telstra will text customers within seconds when they've reached their mobile download limit to avoid bill shock . Telstra is the first in Australia to roll out real-time alerts to help customers avoid bill shock. Presently, alert texts are delayed by up to 48 hours . 'It will allow people to grab a data pack or switch to wi-fi if they are nearing the end of their monthly data allowance.' Complaints about excess data charges rose by a third in the latest financial year as other mobile phone complaints fell, according to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Excess data is costly, with customers frequently complaining to the ombudsman about bills in the hundreds and thousands of dollars. The service, which will also tell users when they've used 50 and 85 per cent of their included data, will be rolled out by the end of November. Complaints about excess data charges rose by a third in the latest financial year as other mobile phone complaints fell, according to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman . One of the telco's biggest competitor, Optus still have delays on their alerts and said their postpaid mobile customers receive SMS alerts once they’ve reached 50%, 85% and 100% of their voice, SMS and data usage. 'We began introducing SMS usage alerts to postpaid mobile plans in September 2012,' said an Optus spokesperson. '48 hours is the maximum delay time permitted by the TCP code for sending SMS data usage alerts; however Optus aims to notify its customers as quickly as possible and aims to have customers receive alerts in less than 24 hours.' 'The 48 hour time frame accounts for systems requirements, such as collecting, matching and rating the data from the billing systems and passing that through to our messaging systems, they said. '48 hours is the maximum delay time permitted by the TCP code for sending SMS data usage alerts; however Optus aims to notify its customers as quickly as possible and aims to have customers receive alerts in less than 24 hours,' said an Optus spokesperson . | Telstra will text customers in 'real time' alerts when they've reached their mobile download limit .
Presently texts from the communications giant are delayed by up to 48 hours .
Complaints about excess data charges rose by a third in last financial year .
Optus said its customer will still experience delays up to 24 hours . |
191,128 | 8382afe8d6ee111f4c89bf95917853d7a1e63dc5 | Four-year-old filly Treve defied her critics and the starting odds to secure back to back wins in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps Sunday. Given the perfect ride by jockey Thierry Jarnet, 11-1 shot Treve stormed to the front in the final furlong to win from Flintshire and favored English filly Taghrooda. Unbeatable as a three-year-old, Treve had been winless after being kept in training, until giving a timely reminder of the old sporting adage that form is temporary, class is permanent. It was a fairytale victory for her trainer Criquette Head-Maarek, who has twice beaten life-threatening illnesses, and knew her horse had similar fighting qualities. She controversially took the decision to take famous jockey Frankie Dettori off the filly, replacing him with Jarnet, who rode Treve to the 2013 success and was winning his fourth Arc. "This is a great personal satisfaction for me," said the 66-year-old from the famous Head racing dynasty, who have secured a string of Arc victories over the years as jockeys and trainers. Her grandfather William Head and father Alec trained two and four Arc winners respectively, while brother Freddie won three as a jockey. Head-Maarek has now trained three winners, the first back in 1979 before Treve's double triumph, but she believes this is her greatest achievement. "It is the best race I have ever won with all the problems with her back and hoof and criticism aimed at her. This is brilliant, I'm not yet back down to earth yet! It is my best day," she added . Treve is only the seventh horse to win successive Arcs and the first since the Vincent O'Brien-trained Alleged was ridden to a 1978 success by legendary English jockey Lester Piggott. Andre Fabre's Flintshire rode a strong race, ahead of Oaks and King George heroine Taghrooda and St. Leger winner Kingston Hill. But the three-pronged Japanese challenge never materialized with Harp Star the best finisher in sixth place. The autumn showdown in Paris has the richest prize purse in the sport of flat racing at $5 million and attracts the leading Thoroughbred horses in the world to the French capital. | French-trained Treve wins Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe .
First horse in 40 years to win back to back Arcs .
11-1 shot Treve given perfect ride by jockey Thierry Jarnet .
Japanese challenge never materializes . |
224,159 | ae4056fc70b9d1e7b560fae6b68bf9431d583979 | (CNN) -- Around 30,000 Syrians have fled to Iraq's Kurdistan region in the past five days, and the influx is continuing, the United Nations' refugee agency said. It started Thursday, when Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government opened a temporary pontoon bridge. Since then, thousands have swarmed into the country to escape the fighting and economic calamities of the Syrian civil war. Previously, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees had registered 155,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq. The agency says the latest "exodus" is "among the largest we have so far seen during the conflict." The U.N. refugee agency and its partner teams are working to provide shelter and distribute food, water and supplies, such as tents and portable latrines. The agency said last week there were more than 684,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 516,000 in Jordan, 434,000 in Turkey, and 107,000 in Egypt, the agency said. U.N. inspectors in Syria to assess if chemical weapons used in civil war . Syria is a '10-year issue,' top general says . | Around 30,000 people have fled to Iraq in recent days .
The U.N. refugee agency calls the flight an "exodus"
Many refugees are also in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt . |
250,380 | d008ee8be6950fc1d219390d6552ccfa648b39ba | By . Rik Sharma . PUBLISHED: . 07:29 EST, 4 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:29 EST, 4 November 2012 . Nearly two-thirds of young people were unable to say that the First World War ended in 1918, as shown by a new survey. The poll results, released in the run up to Remembrance Day, discovered 54 per cent of the same age range, 16-24, also did not know the war began in 1914. Astonishingly 12 per cent of young people thought that the battle of Waterloo, fought in 1815 as part of the Napoleonic Wars, was part of the Great War. Lack of knowledge: Too many of us do not know our history - one person even thought the First World War began in 1800 . The teenagers also seem less interested in history than previous generations, with only 48 per cent visiting their local war memorial, whereas 59 per cent of respondents across all ages had done so. Although the survey arranged by British Future showed up how ignorant the nation's youth is of history, they are not alone. When asked by YouGov, members of the public hazarded guesses as wildly out as 1800 and 1950 for the start of the Great War, and 1910 and 1960 for the end date. One in three of the public could not name the year that the war started. The best informed age group were the over 60s. What year did the First World War start? What year did the First World War end? Don't know: . All ages: 21% . 31% . 16-24: 30% . 37% . Wrong answer: . All ages: 13% . 13% . 16-24: 24% . 23% . Right answer: . All ages: 66% . 56% . 16-24: 46% . 40% . 'We've found that it's not just kids, but their parents too, who don't know some of the basic facts about World War I, about the thousands of troops from Kenya and India who fought for Britain, and even the year the war started,' said Sunder Katwala, director of British Future. 'The centenary (of the war) is a huge opportunity for schools and museums to do more to help our kids and all ages learn more about our nation's history. 'That's why British Future and the Citizenship Foundation hopes to work with schools on how to use 2014 to make history matter. 'Remembrance helps us to learn about our shared history, and that includes people across faith and ethnic backgrounds. 'There's no point in having a shared history if we forget about it.' Great War heroes: Picture from 1916 with British soldier keeping watch on 'no-man's land' while his comrades sleep . The poll also found that 12% of 16 and 17 years olds thought that under 10,000 British and Commonwealth military personnel died during the First World War, far less than the 20,000 British deaths on just the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Overall two thirds of the public said they did not know roughly how many British and Commonwealth troops died in the Second World War. About 1.1 million British and Commonwealth troops died in the war. British and Commonwealth forces were calculated to have lost 419,654 at the Somme. The poll was undertaken online in late October and sampled 2,998 people in Great Britain. | Poll in Remembrance Day run up showed over half of youngsters didn't know when it began either .
12 per cent thought the battle of Waterloo was part of the First World War . |
285,388 | fdcf49f732fc4b028e9a6a7b7c4a9ae472fb2019 | By . David Mccormack . A Good Samaritan who followed a drunk man out of a Chicago bar and attempted to reason with him not to drive was tragically killed as a result of attempted good dead. Shane Stokowski, 33, was enjoying drinks with friends at the Aberdeen Tap on Saturday at 5pm when he noticed another man – clearly inebriated – start to leave after being refused further drinks. Stokowski followed Timothy McShane, who had a suspended driver’s license and previous DUI arrests, into the bar’s parking lot. Shane Stokowski, 33, was tragically killed after he tried to prevent a drunk driver from leaving the car park of a Chicago bar in his vehicle . He watched as McShane, 42, got into his girlfriend's black SUV and hit several parked cars trying to leave, according to court documents. Stokowski approached the SUV and leaned into the driver's side window to stop McShane but he kept driving, carrying Stokowski along for nearly a block before he fell and struck his head on the pavement, prosecutors say. He was rushed to hospital, but died less than an hour later of blunt trauma to the head and abrasions from the pavement, reports the Chicago Sun Times. Instead of stopping or contacting police, McShane, a construction worker, drove to his girlfriend’s house, parked her Nissan Murano and fell asleep for three hours. Timothy McShane, 42, had a suspended driver¿s license and previous DUI arrests. He told police that Stokowski had tried to attack him and that he fled in fear . When police found him at 10pm, McShane told them that Stokowski had tried to attack him and that he fled in fear, according to a police report. McShane, a father of one, also told officers that Stokowski tried to rob and beat him and made a mark on his neck, the report said. The man was taken to a local police station and even at 1:06 am on Sunday McShane’s blood-alcohol level was still .225, more than twice the state’s legal .08 limit. McShane is being held in lieu of $350,000 bail for reckless homicide, aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. He has a list of prior DUI offenses dating back to 1993. Stokowski, who was engaged to be married, worked as an animator and illustrator for a health care company. His funeral will take place on Friday. The incident started in the car park of the Aberdeen Tap in Chicago's West Town neighborhood . | Shane Stokowski, 33, tried to stop a drunk man from leaving the Aberdeen Tap in Chicago on Saturday afternoon .
Timothy McShane, 42, drove off with Stokowski leaning in his passenger window .
After a block Stokowski fell and hit his head - he died an hour later .
McShane drove off without contacting police and when they found him he was still more than twice the state's legal drinking limit .
He tried to claim that Stokowski attacked him, but has been charged with reckless homicide, aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident .
Stokowski, who was engaged to be married, will be buried on Friday . |
269,663 | e945b12e52e630be53c1475dc4416d16b78383f2 | A couple who had tried to have a baby for five years were delighted to finally become parents - thanks to an unusual diet. Hannah Cope, had almost give up hope of becoming a mother after undergoing five unsuccessful rounds of IVF, each of which costs £5,000. But the 34-year-old became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy after being drip fed a mixture of egg yolk extract and soya bean oil. Delight: Hannah and Simon Cope with baby Noah who was born after Hannah had intralipid infusion therapy . Mrs Cope, an auditor for United Utilities, said: 'I didn't believe it when I found out I was pregnant. 'We did this last treatment to make peace and to know we had tried everything before facing a life without children. It took a while for it to sink in and we were in fear that it would all be taken away from us. But then we had the heartbeat scan and we had to believe it.' Mrs Cope, from Littleborough, near Rochdale, gave birth to her son Noah Parker at the Royal . Oldham Hospital, five weeks early weighing 5lbs 2oz. Her husband Simon, a 40-year-old contract . administrator, said: 'It has been a hard slog for us but Noah is happy . and healthy and he is 18 weeks old now. 'We took a decision in September 2011 to start this treatment at the beginning of 2012 and it worked.' Hannah with baby Noah: She was given a drip-feed egg solution, which may have stabilised her immune system . Hannah had a condition that meant her body was attacking the embryos, causing her to miscarry. The egg solution helps to stabilise the immune system by making it harder for the body to attack a fertilised embryo. Hannah found out about the treatment through the CARE Fertility Group in Manchester after carrying out research on fertility websites. And after paying for blood tests to be carried out in America, she was advised to try the £400-a-time procedure, which isn't available on the NHS. Known as ‘intralipid . infusion therapy’, the blend of soya oil and egg products is high in . calories and essential fatty acids and is thought to have a stabilising effect on cell membranes, which makes it . harder for killer cells to attack. It is usually used as a nutritional . boost for post-operative patients and premature babies, but studies have shown the concoction has a . remarkable success rate at overcoming Mrs Cope's condition. In 2011, Dr George Ndukwe, formerly of the Care fertility clinic in Nottingham trialled the therapy on a group of 50 women who had failed . to become pregnant despite enduring an average of six IVF attempts . each. Half of those treated became pregnant, . compared with just 9 per cent of those not given the fatty substance. The findings were presented at a British Fertility Society conference. However, a review from King's College London, said larger-scale controlled studies would be needed to confirm the findings before it could be recommended for routine use. A spokesman for CARE Fertility, has said it offers the therapy to women if they think . their only problem in getting pregnant is an over-active immune system. The treatment is always administered by a qualified nurse under a doctor’s instructions. Intralipid . infusion therapy has been around for decades as a way to correct an essential fatty acid and calorie deficiency among those who are unable to eat normally. The solution contains 20 per cent soyabean oil, 1.2 per cent egg yolk phospholipids, 2.25 per cent glycerin and water. Given via an intravenous . infusion it bypasses the stomach and goes directly into the bloodstream . to supply the body with several essential fatty acids. These are . substances that can't be made by the body but are required for many biological functions, including . reproduction. Recently, doctors began to wonder whether it could be used to boost women who had immune systems that attacked their own embryos. In 2011 a mother from Derbyshire became one of the first women to be treated with the infusion alongside IVF. Suzanne Harper, from Ilkeston, conceived baby Libby after having the experimental treatment. She was one of the 50 women treated in a trial run by Dr George Ndukwe, formerly of the Care fertility clinic in Nottingham. The women had all failed . to become pregnant after an average of six IVF attempts - yet half conceived after having the infusion. It is thought the food solution has a stabilising effect on cell membranes, which makes it . harder for killer cells to attack. However, a review from King's College London, said larger-scale controlled studies would be needed to confirm the findings before it could be recommended for routine use. | Hannah and Simon spent five years trying to conceive a child .
They decided to try egg and soya solution for final attempt .
Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to Noah in late 2012 . |
29,970 | 552fd4cdb186ac7e7184572f5e22c40b899dc3b9 | Paris (CNN) -- A Paris prosecutor has asked for corruption charges against former President Jacques Chirac to be dropped, courthouse press representative Sylvie Polack confirmed Tuesday. Chirac was accused of misuse of public funds when he was mayor of Paris, from 1977 to 1995, before he became president. The prosecutor also asked for nine other people charged along with Chirac to be acquitted Tuesday. The judge has yet to give his verdict in the case and could still find the accused guilty. Chirac, now 78, had immunity from prosecution during the 12 years he was president of France, from 1995 to 2007. He was accused -- along with the other defendants -- of using public money to pay people to work for his political party, the RPR, and to pay others to perform jobs that did not really exist. "There are elements missing to show both the intentional and material aspect of an offense, so I ask that the charges be dropped against the 10 defendants," said Michel Maes, an aide to the prosecutor. The judge's verdict is expected before the end of the year, the courthouse press representative said. Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe was sentenced in December 2004 for his role in the affair. After Chirac left office as president, he made it known he was available to answer any questions on the matter. He always denied wrongdoing. | Chirac was accused of embezzling funds from the city of Paris while mayor .
Nine others were accused of corruption .
The judge has yet to deliver a verdict in the case .
Chirac has always denied wrongdoing while mayor . |
105,455 | 13fc57874e4d30622242169282b1ce491b8c879a | Seoul (CNN) -- Most South Korean students consider their final year in high school "the year of hell." It is when all students are put to the ultimate test. About 700,000 test applicants sat down in classrooms across the country Thursday to take their college entrance exams -- also known as the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The stock markets opened an hour late, buses and subway services were increased and police cars offered rides for students, all to ensure they made it on time. Younger students gathered in large groups outside school gates, some having arrived at 4a.m. to mind a good spot, waiting to support their school seniors. Cheers exploded throughout the school grounds as test applicants arrived, most being guided by their anxious parents. "I'm just praying for her. It's the same for all the mothers out here. They're just praying for the best," a mother said, as she stood across from the school long after her daughter had entered. "I want to give her a hug when it's over and tell her she did a great job up until now," she added. For many, this one test -- which lasts a good eight hours -- will determine which university they enter. It is considered the chance to make or break one's future. In a country where more than 80% of high school students move on to higher-level education, getting into a prestigious school is all the more competitive. The final year leading up to the test is one of most intense periods students will ever experience. "In South Korea, the reality is most students have lived for this very day. They have put in so much time and effort, and the fact that everything is decided on this one day can place an immense amount of pressure on them," a teacher from Paihwa Girl's High School, who had come to cheer on his students, said. Many test-takers will give up sleep, living sometimes on only five hours of rest a day throughout the year. Family members live nervously in fear that they will disrupt the mood of their high-school child. South Korea's obsession with education and academic success is rooted in Confucianism. The long practice of equating social status with academic achievement has left behind a tradition of pouring everything into studying. South Koreans on average spend 7.6 hours studying in the classroom, according to the country's former Education Minister Ahn Byong-man. From elementary school ages, South Koreans will spend many hours in cram schools after their regular classes. Almost 75% of the student population last year took up private education, according to the Ministry of Education. In order to reduce the financial burden from private education and encourage the students to rest, the current Lee Myung-bak administration placed a ban on operating private classes after 10pm. Government officials routinely patrol areas and crackdown on illicit classes. For a senior high school student, a study routine will include self-study sessions at school, cram school classes and more self-studying hours late into the night at private cubicles. This is all on top of their regular class hours. The psychological burden is such that South Korea suffers from high student suicide rates. More than 200 students committed suicide in 2009 and about 150 the following year, according to Ahn's Presidential Advisory Council on Education, Science and Technology. A heavy reliance on rote learning is also a challenge the country faces, as it tries to diversify its curriculum and reduce the stress from studying. "It is a problem too that students learn a lot. They have a bunch of knowledge. They are well-equipped with good knowledge, I would say, but the process is so painful, they don't know how to enjoy learning from learning, you know," Ahn Byong-man said. The college entrance environment is better than it used to be in many ways. Some fortunate students will win a ticket to university without taking the CSAT through other recommendation programs. However, the importance of the CSAT still outweighs alternatives. More than 20% of the applicants to this year's test are high school graduates, also known as "retakers." Those who are unsatisfied with their test results this year will likely volunteer to live through another year of sleep-deprived nights. | The final year leading up to exams is an extremely intense period for students .
Almost 75% of the student population last year took up private education .
South Korea's obsession with academic success is rooted in Confucianism . |
99,557 | 0c464f8e4e22545dcef94af6838a57333da7707a | By . Jonathan Petre . One of England’s most senior police chiefs has called for an end to the war on drugs. Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton said all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, should be decriminalised and made available through the NHS – destroying the power base and income of criminal gangs. Mr Barton acknowledged drugs were ‘bad’ but compared the current policy to the prohibition of alcohol in 1920s America that gave rise to Al Capone and the mafia. He said efforts to reduce illicit drugs had ‘comprehensively failed’ and the effect of criminalisation of the trade had been to put millions of pounds into the pockets of criminals. Reform: Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton has urged for a rethink in the way drugs are policed, comparing our current laws to 1920's American prohibition . He said last night: ‘If an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or something similar, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs. Buying or being treated with, say, diamorphine [heroin] is cheap. It’s cheap to produce it therapeutically. ‘Not all crime gangs raise income through selling drugs, but most of them do in my experience. So offering an alternative route of supply to users cuts their income stream off. Drugs should be controlled. They should not, of course, be freely available. ‘I think addiction to anything – drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc – is not a good thing, but outright prohibition hands revenue streams to villains. Since 1971 [the Misuse of Drugs Act], prohibition has put billions into the hands of villains who sell adulterated drugs on the streets. ‘In my force area we have 43 organised crime groups on our radar. Most have their primary source of income in illicit drug supply, all of them are involved in some way. ‘These criminals are often local heroes and role models for young people who covet their wealth. ‘Decriminalising their commodity will immediately cut off their income stream and destroy their power,’ Mr Barton said in an article in today’s Observer. ‘Have we not learned the lessons of prohibition in history? The Mob’s sinister rise to prominence in the US was pretty much funded through its supply of a prohibited drug – alcohol. That’s arguably what we are doing in the UK.’ Access: Chief Constable Barton called for cocaine to be made available on the NHS, saying that the criminalisation of drugs like it has put millions of pounds into the hands of criminals (file picture) Mr Barton, an experienced crimefighter who was appointed to the chief constable post earlier this year after serving as assistant, said addicts should be treated rather than criminalised. He said: ‘If you started to give a heroin addict the drug therapeutically, then we would not have the scourge of hepatitis C and Aids spreading among needle users, for instance. I am calling for a controlled environment, not a free-for-all.’ He is not the first chief constable to call for a change in drug policy. In 2010, Tim Hollis, chief constable of Humberside police, said the criminal justice system could offer only a ‘limited’ solution to the scourge of drugs. | Durham Police chief Mike Barton called for a relaxation of drug laws .
He compared current legislation to that of 1920's U.S prohibition .
The criminalisation of drugs puts 'millions' into hands of criminals, he said . |
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