Unnamed: 0
int64 0
287k
| id
stringlengths 40
40
| article
stringlengths 117
14.7k
| highlights
stringlengths 37
3.97k
|
|---|---|---|---|
188,504 | 8021a105f733d7061c6b4dea6bbae6d475b4f8db | By . Daily Mail Reporter . An Illinois woman drowned on Tuesday after saving a nine-year-old boy who was swimming in a Wisconsin lake near her family's summer home. Karen Wessel, 47, died in Star Lake near the Michigan border after rescuing her friend's grandson, who became tired while swimming across a narrow channel with two other children, according to the Vilas County Sheriff’s office. 'She gave her life,' said Chuck Altamore, grandfather of the nine-year-old. 'If it wasn’t for her, my grandson wouldn't be here.' Karen Wessel with her two sons in this undated family photo. Wessel died earlier this week after saving a boy from drowning . Before the accident, Wessel was enjoying a hot summer day with her sister, Janice Potocki, and friend Karen Altamore, wife of Chuck Altamore, who live in the area, according to an account in the Chicago Tribune. Three of the couple's grandchildren were also there, along with Wessel's son. 'It's our summer home that we've been going up to for our entire lives,' Potocki said. The three women went to the water for a swim when, according to Karen Altamore, three of the children began wading across the a narrow channel dividing the main shoreline from a sandbar. They became too tired to swim back, and the women swam out to save them, becoming exhausted as well. 'The three kids were in trouble,' Chuck Altamore said. 'Each adult picked a kid. Janice went for (Wessel’s son); my wife, Karen, went for my granddaughter, and Karen (Wessel) went for my grandson.' Wessel at left pictured here with her sister Janice Potocki, who said that the two of them did everything together . Wessel reached the boy and used her weight to keep the child above the surface, but she eventually vanished into the water. A boat came by and grabbed the boy, but Wessel couldn't be immediately spotted. She was later seen floating below the surface. Wessel and the boy were taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The boy was . She and the boy were taken to an area hospital. She was later pronounced dead. The boy was treated and released today. A scene from the lake where Karen Wessel drowned. At the time, Wessel, her sister and a friend were trying to rescue three children who got tired while swimming . 'He flatlined for a few minutes,' his grandfather said. 'He was clinically dead for three or four minutes.' He's now recovering at home and there are no signs of permanent injuries. 'Brain activity is fine,' Altamore said. 'Motor skills are fine. I’ve spoken to him for 20 minutes straight.' Chuck Altamore wasn't at the scene Tuesday but said his wife was too distraught to discuss it. 'She lost her best friend, and we almost lost our grandson,' he said. He said he's known Wessel for more than two decades. 'It’s been rough couple of days,' he said, becoming emotional. 'She was a very caring and understanding person. Her children were life.' Wessel and Potocki grew up in Arlington Heights and moved back to the village as adults. Potocki said she took over the house they grew up in after their parents died and bought the house next door for Wessel. 'It was always the two of us,' Potocki said. 'Where there was one, there was the other.' Wessel, a secretary at a law firm in Chicago, is also survived by a daughter. Don Bussey, a family friend who lives in the neighborhood, said Wessel was a selfless woman who loved her children deeply and overcame the struggles of being a single mom. 'That’s who Karen was,' he said. 'She was a hero.' Don Bussey, a family friend who lives in the neighborhood, said Wessel was a selfless woman who loved her children deeply and overcame the struggles of being a single mom. 'That¿s who Karen was. She was a hero' | Karen Wessel died earlier this week rescuing her friend's grandson, who became tired while swimming across part of a lake .
The boy is recovering at home after spending three days at the hospital and at least a few minutes clinically dead .
'She gave her life. If it wasn't for her, my grandson wouldn't be here,' said a grateful Chuck Altamore . |
208,810 | 9a63998cc165346365cb00c9f7d9ea1c54e87045 | Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has warned that recent injury problems will not stop him having a World Cup to remember. Van Persie has disappointed at recent major tournaments and heads in to tomorrow night’s opening Group B game defending champions Spain having recently suffered a groin problem and having escaped with minor cuts following a collision with a kite surfer on a Brazilian beach. But the Old Trafford star claimed today he is ready to go, saying: 'I shouldn't even mention my groin injury, frankly. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Van Persie preparing for Holland's Group B opener with Spain . Ready: Robin van Persie (right) insists he is fit and can fire Holland far at the World Cup in Brazil . Familiar: Van Persie and Dutch manager Louis van Gaal (right) will work together at Manchester United too . 'The last few days I have trained fully and I therefore have no more problems. 'I'm ready for it. Besides, I've been playing six years with aches. There is always something. I've had to learn to do that. 'I'm positive for everything that lies ahead and have faith in our team.' The Dutch are preparing for their final games under coach Louis van Gaal before he leaves to join Van Persie as his new manager at United. Playmaker Wesley Sneijder suggested this week that the Oranje are more together under Van Gaal than they were under Bert van Marwijk when they lost the last World Cup Final to Spain in 2010. And Van Persie struck a similar note ahead of Holland’s official pre-match press conference later today. He said: 'Do not underestimate us, even though Spain are a great team. All smiles: Spain should beware according to van Persie who says he feels it will be a good tournament . Frustrating: Van Persie (left) endured a difficult season at Old Trafford under David Moyes (centre) 'In my view they are the best team in the world. But we are also very good. Don't forget that. 'Of course, we have to prove ourselves again, but it is also a great challenge. We will therefore give it everything. 'Our focus is good and it has to be. What you saw in the past often, is that in the beginning, many jokes were being made. I think that's less the case now. 'We are looking forward to it and are really eager to get started. 'And if we - and I mean not only the players but also the staff and the press - can say that we've had a good tournament, whatever the outcome, that for us will be a success.' Celebrate: Van Persie hopes to be celebrating with van Gaal (right) after the World Cup finals . | Van Persie has been suffering from groin problems before Brazil .
He was also involved in bizarre kite surfing collision that left him with cuts .
The Dutch striker says he is 'confident' of upsetting Spain this week .
He says Holland must 'prove' themselves and it will be a 'great challenge' |
260,786 | ddb8b2ee886a5c008b904a8f3627dc715292cfa2 | The Justice Department is officially dropping its demand that New York Times reporter James Risen reveal a confidential source for a book and articles he wrote. At a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, prosecutors are asking a judge to approve a limited subpoena of Risen, according to a U.S. official close to the matter. The subpoena is for testimony in the leak prosecution of Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA officer, who the Justice Department accuses of providing information to Risen. The case has become a high profile test for the Justice Department and how it deals with reporters on leak investigations. The new Justice Department subpoena is now seeking that Risen verify that he wrote the book "State of War" and two articles in the New York Times in 2001-2002, that the published material is accurate, that he has a confidential source he won't identify, and that Risen verify that Sterling provided on-the-record quotes published in a New York Times article. The subpoena omits any request for the name of his source and of any information that could lead to the identity. Previously the Justice Department contemplated asking Risen to provide the time and location of where he was, when he received the leaked information, a prospect that risked indirectly identifying Risen's source. The information requested in the new subpoena appears to align with information Risen has said in court filings he is willing to provide. Risen has vowed never to reveal his source for information on a failed CIA operation to sabotage Iran's nuclear program. Attorney General Eric Holder for months has said that he wouldn't force a reporter to go to jail over a source. Recently Justice Department lawyers proposed dropping the request to identify the source, but still push for the time and location information. Deputy Attorney General James Cole advised Holder to not approve the time and location request because Risen would likely still refuse to provide that testimony. | The Department of Justice is now no longer asking a New York Times reporter to reveal his source .
The case has become a high profile test for the Justice Department . |
187,792 | 7f2fa96db18e0a29c744201b996c498882a4ad9c | By . Faith Bleasdale . Last month it was my first wedding anniversary. Just like any new wife, I made an extra-special effort to look good. I wore one of my favourite dresses, put on heels and carefully applied my make-up. Then, standing back, I assessed my reflection in the mirror - and burst into tears. I should have been over the moon, heading out for a romantic evening with the man I loved. Instead, I had a meeting with a very different man indeed - my divorce lawyer. Nobody gets married thinking that one day they'll have to sign divorce papers. I was no exception. I might have been nearing 40 when I walked down the aisle, with a four-year-old son from a previous relationship, but I still believed in happily ever after. Swept off her feet: Faith agreed to marry John after they had been together seven momths . To sign along that doomed dotted line less than a year later was devastating and humiliating. How could something go so wrong in such a short period of time? I'd first met John - a 46-year-old carpenter - at my 39th birthday party in 2012 through his sister, who's a friend of mine. I was a single mother to Xavier, then three, and had successfully built a life for myself - I wasn't looking for a man to complete me. I'm not one of those women who feels they need a strong arm to hang on, and while it did get a little lonely on occasions, I didn't want to meet someone for the sake of it. I felt that any man would have to significantly enhance my and Xavier's life for me to feel they were worth our time. And from the moment I met John, this is exactly what he did. There were no lightning bolts - he wasn't even my type physically. Yet I felt oddly drawn to him. It might be a cliché but I really did feel as if I'd known him for years. After that first meeting, John persistently wooed me. He sent me roses and constantly texted and phoned. On our first date, he drove for miles just to take me to an Indian restaurant he thought I would like. I hadn't experienced this kind of attentiveness for a long time . I'd be lying to say I didn't feel a flutter of excitement - but I was also wary of letting my guard down. I can remember, late one evening, his number showing up yet again on my mobile phone. I was so unused to a man pursuing me that I pulled the duvet over my head and refused to answer. I'd been out of the dating loop for so long, I had no idea how to respond. But eventually I let him take me out for dinner. On our first date, he drove for miles just to take me to an Indian restaurant he thought I would like. I hadn't experienced this kind of attentiveness for a long time. I was overwhelmed and for the first time in years I allowed myself to think that maybe I didn't need to be on my own after all. Most of all, though, I wanted my son to have a father figure in his life and John made me hope this might be possible. To say he was brilliant with Xavier, who has Down's syndrome, would be an understatement. They took to each other instantly and with incredible ease. Perfect father figure: John got on well with Xavier, her son from a previous relationship . Sometimes John would come to our house in the evenings, and Xavier would climb on to his lap and throw his arms around John's neck. Seeing them together made me feel so content. Then, a few weeks into our relationship, John carved a beautiful puppet theatre from wood for Xavier. Looking back, this was the turning point. Seeing John and my son together made me want to weep for Xavier and what I'd nearly deprived him of. Perhaps if it hadn't been for this I might have taken things more slowly, been more rational. When John proposed in September, seven months after we met, I didn't hesitate. He even remembered a ring I'd fallen in love with in a magazine - an art-deco-style platinum band. Most importantly, he said he wanted to give me and Xavier the security we deserved. We married in February last year - a magical winter wedding in one of my favourite places in North Devon. I was marrying a man I loved, and he loved me and my son, too. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. I see things differently now. I see that I paid for the wedding and put in all of the work to make it happen. It was the start of a pattern. John didn't seem to be doing anything, or making any effort to make me happy . John moved into my home in Braunton, Devon, and - stupid as it might sound now - we agreed I would pay for the day-to-day bills. He would save his earnings from carpentry jobs to put towards the new house we were planning on buying together. This seemed a fair exchange. I had royalties coming in from my novels, and substantial savings. I didn't for a second imagine that John might not be putting away money as we'd agreed. Then, three months into our marriage, John dropped the bombshell that he hadn't saved anything. He'd lent the money to his father, he said. We had an almighty row - our first proper marital humdinger. I wanted to believe him. Worse still, I needed to. We were in the early stages of marriage. I just couldn't allow doubts to creep in. We soldiered on but, much as I wanted to ignore it, everything felt different. From the moment John moved in, it seemed to me that he stopped making an effort. I was doing more than my share: paying the bills, taking care of Xavier and working on my latest novel to support us. John didn't seem to be doing anything, or making any effort to make me happy. I could cope with the fact our sex life had dropped off a cliff, but he also seemed to lose interest in Xavier, who worshipped the ground he walked on. I sought solace in friends, who told me the first year of marriage is always the worst. Deep down I knew it was something more than this. I wasn't ready to face it yet, but an icy feeling of dread was starting to take hold. Short-lived happiness: Faith didn't expect to celebrate her first wedding anniversary with a divorce lawyer . Six months after we married, John started to come home from work reeking of beer. He would plonk himself on the sofa and spend hours on his iPad. There was little communication between us. When we did talk, it was usually a row. Things unravelled with startling speed. It seemed to me that John had simply given up all pretence that he was the lovely man I'd fallen in love with. The façade, as I now saw it, was falling daily. One night he came home drunk and staggering, and for the first time I was afraid of him. Trembling, I told him he was disgusting and that I didn't want him anywhere near Xavier. He lashed back, saying: 'I didn’t marry Xavier - I married you.' Then he became aggressive and threw a pair of shoes across the room at me. It seemed, for the first time, that I was seeing his true colours. I should have thrown him out there and then, but it still felt too soon to admit I'd made a terrible mistake. I was so ashamed that my marriage was failing so quickly. Our marriage lasted just ten sorry months and left me with a string of frustrating, unanswered questions . If I hadn't so desperately wanted it to work, I may have reacted differently. But my parents had enjoyed a long and contented marriage before my father passed away, and I was still under the delusion that I could achieve the same happiness with John. Perhaps if we'd had the backdrop of a deeper relationship, it might have worked. But when the honeymoon was over, there was nothing substantial to sustain us. My marriage was over - that much I knew. I could no longer deny a truth that was staring me in the face. I had absolutely no idea who my husband was. Two weeks before Christmas last year, John simply failed to come home. Of course, I called the police because I had no clue where he was. They investigated and came back with the news that he'd told them he wasn't a missing person. He simply didn't want to be found by me. I was utterly devastated. My instincts had been right but the reality was incredibly hard to accept.Our marriage lasted just ten sorry months and left me with a string of frustrating, unanswered questions. There's no denying John was not the man I thought he was. But who is he? I can't help but ask myself if he was only with me for a few months of rent-free living, or did he simply fall out of love with me? Maybe I wasn't the woman he thought I was when we fell in love. I'll probably never know. Indeed, I haven't seen or spoken to John since the day he left, and all I want now is for him to agree to a divorce and cut me free, so we can put the whole sorry saga behind us. For the past 12 months I've been living a lie, desperately trying to complete a jigsaw with a missing piece that won't fit. And the worst of it is, I've put Xavier through it all in the hope of making his life better, when all I've done is make it worse. But I've learnt my lesson. If something seems too good to be true then, most of the time, it probably is. Some names have been changed. | Faith first met John, 46, at her 39th birthday party .
He wooed her with flowers and romantic dates .
Was brilliant with her son from a previous relationship .
So when he proposed seven months after they met, she said yes .
But relationship soon turned sour . |
101,739 | 0f1f138aedb8f2840e75b06efa3c8573c6bacb7a | Ronnie O'Sullivan made short work of Anthony McGill as the five-time world snooker champion raced to a 6-1 success in their second-round clash at the International Championship in Chengdu. O'Sullivan made breaks of 116, 101 and 112, and two more of more than 50, as he proved far too strong for his opponent. Victory set up a meeting in round three with China's Li Hang, who also enjoyed a 6-1 win, over compatriot Zhao Xintong. Ronnie O'Sullivan on his way to victory over Anthony McGill at the International Championship in China . O'Sullivan breezed past McGill 6-1 in their second round match in Chengdu . Judd Trump went down to a shock 6-5 defeat to Jamie Burnett, battling back from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 to lose the final two frames. Burnett will now play Peter Ebdon, a 6-1 winner over Joe Perry. Former world champion Neil Robertson also went out, Joe Swail grinding out a 6-5 victory by winning the last three frames. The Englishman will face China's Li Hang, who beat compatriot Zhao Xintong also by a margin of 6-1 . Australian Neil Robertson made a shock exit from the tournament in a 6-5 thriller against Joe Swail . Elsewhere, Mark Williams saw off Barry Hawkins 6-2, Robert Milkins thumped Shaun Murphy 6-1, Stuart Bingham was a 6-3 winner of Ryan Day. Other players into round three included Marco Fu, Mark Allen, Ricky Walden, Sam Baird, Ian Burns, Michael White, Xiao Guodong and Rob Lawler. | Ronnie O'Sullivan won at the International Championships in China .
The five-time world champion beat Anthony McGill in Chengdu .
O'Sullivan will face China's Li Hang, who beat compatriot Zhao Xintong 6-1 .
Neil Robertson went out in a shock 6-5 loss to Joe Swail .
Judd Trump lost in another 6-5 upset result to Jamie Burnett . |
276,731 | f280360ed123d0ef4550a6b5998fbbcc6d476101 | A Michigan soccer player who killed a referee with a single punch to the neck pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Friday and is now facing up to 15 years in prison. Bassel Saad, 36, acknowledged in a Detroit courtroom that he struck John Bieniewicz during a game last summer at a Livonia park. Bieniewicz, a married father of two, died two days later. Saad initially was charged with second-degree murder and had been scheduled to stand trial beginning Monday. Scroll down for video . Guilty: Bassel Saad, 36, pleaded guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge Friday after he acknowledged in a Detroit courtroom that he struck referee John Bieniewicz (right) during a game last summer . Father figure: John Bieniewicz, 44, who was attacked June 29 while refereeing an adult-league soccer match in the Detroit-area and died two days later, is pictured here with his two sons . John Bieniewicz is pictured being administered CPR on the turf after being knocked out cold by Bassel Saad . The auto mechanic from Dearborn will be sentenced March 13. Under the plea deal, he could be sentenced from eight to 15 years in prison. He would have faced up to life in prison if convicted of murder. Saad, a native of Lebanon, has lived in the US legally for 15 years but is not a citizen. The father of three now could also face deportation. ‘This was something less than an attempt to kill. ... Mr. Saad, he got up that day, and he determined that he was going to play soccer. He didn't determine that he was going to kill someone on that particular day,’ said defense lawyer Cyril Hall, who added his client is ‘very, very remorseful.’ Kris Bieniewicz, the referee's wife, attended Friday's hearing, but did not speak to reporters afterward. The mother of two, who coaches basketball at a local middle school, told The Associated Press earlier this week that she hoped Saad ‘never sees the light of day.’ ‘But is that realistic? No. I know it's not realistic. But at the same point in time, I think my husband's life is worth more than eight years,’ the widow said. Bieniewicz, a medical assistant at a children's hospital whose wife described him as ‘just an easygoing guy,’ was killed while refereeing an over-30 men's league match at Mies Park. Defendant Bassel Saad sobs during a probable-cause hearing in July in Livonia, Michigan. Saad was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of John Bieniewicz . Witness Scott Herkes, left, demonstrates with defense attorney Ali Hammoud how he said Bassel Saad punched soccer referee John Bieniewicz, during a court hearing in the summer . A number of players testified in court last year that Saad had been issued a yellow card, or an official warning, following a foul in the first half of the June 29 game, and Bieniewicz was about to issue him a second yellow and eject him from the game for being verbally abusive. That's when the referee was struck, the players said. Saad’s punch landed in the head and neck area, causing the referee to fall and stop breathing. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt impact to the left side of the man's neck and ruled the killing a homicide. Bieniewicz, 44, left behind his wife and two young sons. Kris Bieniewicz recently testified at Michigan's Capitol in support of proposed legislation that would make it a felony to assault a sports official in the state. Referees ‘are out there on an island with no one to defend them. Something more than a misdemeanor should be in place,’ she said. A soccer referee who was fatally punched by a player during a recreational game in suburban Detroit did not expect the attack, one of the player's teammates testified on Wednesday. Dr. Jamal Saleh testified during a probable-cause hearing in July that Bieniewicz did not see the punch coming. Widow: Basketball coach Kris Bieniewicz, John Bieniewicz's wife, has tried to establish some normalcy for her two sons in the eight months since her husband and their father was killed . Family torn apart: Bieniewicz left behind his wife, Kris (left), and their two boys (right), Kyle and Josh . Two players from the opposing team also testified that Saad knocked Bieniewicz to the turf with one punch after the referee indicated he planned to give Saad a red card and eject him from the game. Saleh said he rushed toward Bieniewicz, who was on his back grasping a yellow card in one hand and a red card in the other. In soccer, a yellow card is held aloft by the referee to caution a player following a foul or other misconduct. A red card is shown by the referee when a player is being thrown out of the game. Two yellow cards given in the same game equal a red card. In this case, the players testified that Saad had been issued a yellow card following a foul in the first half, and Bieniewicz was giving him a second yellow for being verbally abusive. That's when he was struck, the three players said. A skirmish erupted between players following the attack. Saleh said he quickly checked on Bieniewicz and the referee initially was not breathing but had a pulse. Saleh said he performed CPR and told the unconscious Bieniewicz: 'Wake up, buddy. You're going to be OK.' Mrs Bieniewicz, pictured far left with her family, said ahead of the plea deal that she hoped Saad never 'sees the light of day' Player Scott Herkes testified that Saad removed his jersey and left the field with another man as Bieniewicz was being tended to. Herkes said he followed the men into the parking lot and took down the license plate number of the vehicle in which they left. Prosecutors showed a photograph in which Saad appeared to be making an obscene gesture while seated in the vehicle. In 2005, Saad was involved in another assault on a soccer field. Court documents obtained by Detroit Free Press indicate that the auto mechanic repeatedly struck another player in the head. He pleaded not contest in that case and was sentenced to five days' community service and 12 months' probation. | Bassel Saad, 36, pleaded guilty to reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter instead of going on trial on second-degree murder count .
Saad admitted in court to striking referee John Bieniewicz, 44, after being told he was being ejected from game in June .
Saad is not a US citizen and could face deportation; he legally lived in the country for 15 years and has three children .
Bieniewicz, a dialysis technician at a Michigan hospital, was a married father of two . |
109,716 | 196a443f0fddc0ea160fba249fa1e8f14cf14875 | By . Darren Boyle . Jack Blowers, pictured, bought the goldfish from a pet shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk in February . A man bought a pair of goldfish with the 'sole intention of drinking them' as part of a viral internet craze, a court has heard. Jack Blowers was sober when he went to a local shop to buy the fish, Lowestoft Magistrates' Court in Suffolk heard. The 20-year-old was filmed setting up a pint-sized aquarium, complete with gravel and fish food, in a glass before drinking it in one go. The clip, which was uploaded to Facebook, goes on to show him vomiting up the contents of the glass into a toilet. He then rescued the fish and took them to his grandmother's house, where he put them in her fish bowl. They survived and are still alive today, prosecutor Kevin Batch said. However, Mr Batch said the RSPCA prosecution was in the public interest because of the level of 'pre-meditation' involved. Blowers' lawyer said he did not realise what he did was illegal. Richard Mann, mitigating, said: 'He knew that we all eat fish, we boil lobsters alive and things like that. 'Looking into the law, if he had done this with an octopus or something without vertebrae, this would not have been an illegal act.' Blowers, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to failing to protect the fish from suffering and failing to meeting their needs on February 8 this year. Mr Batch said: 'This case involves the current craze of Neknominate. Scroll down for video . Jack Blowers put the two goldfish in a pint glass with water before swallowing the living cocktail . Blowers was filmed by his friend Joseph Meikle, who accepted a caution in connection with the incident . 'The problem with this craze is that more often or not the next nomination has to be more extreme than the previous nomination. 'In this case the nomination was clearly to drink two goldfish.' A vet's report presented to the magistrates confirmed that the fish would have suffered. Blowers' friend, Joseph Meikle, 20, also from Lowestoft, filmed the stunt and has since accepted a caution. Chair of the bench Philip Key fined Blowers £200 and ordered him to pay legal costs of £600. He also disqualified him from keeping animals for 12 months. He told him: 'You bought two goldfish with the sole intention of drinking them and putting them on social media. Speaking outside court, Mr Blowers, pictured, admitted: 'It was stupid prank which has cost me a lot of money' 'If you do become known for this in future, you've only got yourself to blame. 'We believe this was cruel, reckless and stupid.' Outside court, Blowers said he had not given the fish names. He added: 'I will see them again if I'm round my Nan's house. 'It was a stupid prank which has cost me a lot of money. I won't do it again but my family are glad I didn't do it with alcohol.' Neknomination is a viral craze which involves friends encouraging one another to drink something, often alcohol, before passing on the dare to three others. In June, Robert Atkinson, 20, was filmed buying a goldfish and taking it to a fast food outlet in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, before dropping it into a pint of beer and downing it. He was banned from keeping animals and fined £723 after admitting inflicting unnecessary harm to a protected animal. Two months earlier, Gavin Hope, 22, from Gateshead, was fined £300 after swallowing a live goldfish in a Neknomination challenge. play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . play video . | Jack Blowers bought two goldfish with the 'sole intention' of drinking them .
The 20-year-old from Lowestoft, later gave the fish to his grandmother .
A vet told Lowestoft Magistrates' court that both fish would have suffered .
Blowers was fined £800 and banned from keeping any animal for 12 months . |
241,076 | c41af45d1d183988b39edc6645405f67cd74e399 | It is said the harder you work, the luckier you get. Heather Watson, who has grafted as much as anyone this year, got her break when she was gifted a walkover to the semi-final of the Aegon International in Eastbourne. Watson, 22, was changing into her match kit when she learned that her opponent, Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova, was withdrawing with a thigh injury. Walkover: Heather Watson progressed straight to the last four at the Aegon International in Eastbourne . All smiles: Watson is the first Briton in 32 years to reach the semi-finals in Eastbourne . ‘It’s never happened to me before, to get a walkover,’ said Watson. ‘Petra told me herself she wouldn’t be playing. I wished her luck in recovering for Wimbledon, she wished me well for the rest of the tournament.’ Watson, who has battled back up the rankings after an illness-hit 2013, will play Madison Keys, the big-hitting 19-year-old American who bundled her out in the first round of Wimbledon last year. It is the first time a Briton has reached the last four of the pre-Wimbledon tournament since Jo Durie in 1982. Watson hopes to do better than Durie, who was beaten by Martina Navratilova. It is only the second time that Watson has reached the last four of a WTA tour singles tournament. The first culminated in her winning the Japan Open in October 2012. Diego Veronelli, coach of the British No 1, watched as Watson’s opponent Keys, ranked 47 in the world, obliterated her compatriot Lauren Davis 6-2, 6-1. Withdraw: Watson's quarter-final opponent, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, was forced to pullout . Opponent: Watson will face 19-year-old American Madison Keys (right) for a place in the final . | Watson did not have to play her quarter-final after Kvitova withdrew .
Jo Durie was the last Briton to reach the semis back in 1982 .
Only the second time Watson has reached last four of a WTA tour event .
Watson will play 19-year-old American Madison Keys for place in final . |
193,333 | 86482eb5e962fc6ee0b41b40eda8d1b89b4dcefc | By . Paul Bentley . PUBLISHED: . 05:05 EST, 26 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:28 EST, 26 August 2013 . A soldier watched in horror as his father and sister were killed when the family’s private plane crashed yards from their country landing strip. Jack Newton, 23, sprinted to the wreckage to find businessman David, 56, and university student Rebecca, 21, had been horrifically maimed in the light aircraft crash. After begging local farmers for help, paramedics were called to the site in Wymeswold, Leicestershire, but the father and daughter were pronounced dead at the scene. Horror: Jack Newton, 23, left, watched in horror as the plane carrying father David, 56, and university student sister Rebecca, 21, right, crashed on a landing strip in Wymeswold, Leicestershire . As emotional tributes were paid to Mr and Miss Newton, investigators are now trying to work out what caused the tragic accident. Mr Newton, an experienced pilot nicknamed ‘Dangerous Dave’, is understood to have lost control of the two-seater plane just 300 yards away from the runway. It is thought that moments after taking off at just before 8pm on Wednesday evening, the Europa XS aircraft, which Mr Newton had owned since 2009, suddenly came down, crashing into farmland with such force that the nose and tail of the plane broke off on impact. Eye-witnesses said Jack, who had been . watching his family fly from nearby, ran over to the wreckage before seeking help from farmers. Billy . Dunne, 53, whose Common Farm home overlooks the crash site about 200 . yards away, said: ‘A young lad came running across the field. [At first] . he couldn’t speak. He said a plane had crashed and was shouting about . getting the ambulance and the police. ‘I . ran across to try and help, but when I got there I saw there was . nothing anyone could do, it was too late. He wanted to get his sister . out, but I had to pull him back. Tragedy: David Newton, 56, left, and his 23-year-old daughter Rebecca, right, were killed when the light aircraft they were flying in smashed into farmland in Wymeswold, at around 7.55pm on Wednesday . ‘The . young lad was in a state of shock. He said it was his dad and his . sister. I took his keys off him so he couldn’t drive and kept his car . here for him. I think the police took him home.’ The farmer said no one could have survived the crash. ‘I was quite shocked when I went over . to it. You couldn’t tell it was an aircraft, the cockpit had gone and . the back of the plane had broken off. It was totally smashed, shattered . to pieces. It was a mess,’ he added. Mr Newton, who flew three times a week, was a director of a company specialising in air conditioning instillations. He . lived with his children in a £250,000 house the village of Cropwell . Bishop, Nottinghamshire, after becoming estranged from their mother, . Sylvia. Keen pilot: David Newton was a keen pilot who is pictured here in his light aircraft at an air show in Wickenby, Lincoln, in 2011 . The businessman was a regular visitor to air shows and he was pictured landing his Europa XS in Wickenby, Lincoln, in 2011. Paul Wheaton, who worked with him, wrote online: ‘Raising a glass in town to a good friend and work colleague who died unexpectedly on Wednesday. ‘I will miss the chats, your sense of humour and the pints in the Grinder. ‘Rest in peace and God Bless you Dangerous Dave.’ Rebecca, who was due to start her final year at Brunel University, lived in Southampton but had been visiting her family during the summer holiday. The keen skier, who had worked as a volunteer for St John’s Ambulance for three years, is believed to have been in the passenger seat when the plane crashed. Mr Newton’s son Jack is believed to have been in the Armed Forces since 2009, serving in Afghanistan until two years ago as a Guardsman in the Grenadier Guards’ 1st Battalion Inkerman Company. A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: ‘The two people who died in the light aircraft crash in Wymeswold earlier this week were father and daughter. ‘Formal identification of the deceased has not yet taken place and may not be done for some time. ‘Officers are working in conjunction with the Air Accident Investigations Branch to investigate the cause of the crash. It is believed the flight was taking off from the Wymeswold area.’ | Experienced pilot David Newton, 56, 'lost control' of plane just yards from runway in Wymeswold, Leicestershire .
Jack Newton, 23, raced to the wreckage on landing strip to find his sister Rebecca, 21, and father horrifically maimed .
Investigation launched to establish how the incident happened . |
153,196 | 51f516e297ca406c043f3313e90a9e8746f6864d | (CNN) -- After 40 years of appearing on the silver screen, actor Amitabh Bachchan is the elder statesman of Indian cinema and is possibly the most recognized man in India. The Big B: The patriarch of Indian cinema has appeared in over 180 films. Born to a famous Indian poet, Bachchan made his screen debut at the age of 27 and has gone on to star in over 180 films. As such an established star he has seen Indian film making change over the years, weathered changing audience tastes and the evolution of Bollywood cinema. "I'm actually very happy with our content. Even though we were ridiculed, and the West were very cynical about the way we made our films and the content that it contained," he told CNN. "But that very aspect has now become its USP (unique selling point) almost, and people love to see that. I would not want to change that. I would expect that this is how and what our cinema is all about." If Indian films have gained a new found international interest, the way that Indian films are produced has also changed. From the industry's alleged connection to organized crime to better production quality, Bachchan has worked within the system and at the sharp end of making movies. "We have our own modes of working and how does one actually decipher that the person that you're working with has some kind of an underground link? You know, 'I am mafia' doesn't come written on somebody's forehead. "Whether he, you know, collects his money from wherever it is ... is really not our concern. We are interested the story, the concept, in our roles, the director who's going to be making it, in the creative aspect. That's it, " he said. The role that propelled him to superstardom was of a working class hero standing up to oppression and injustice in the 1975 film "Sholay". "During the 1970s there was a feeling of great dissatisfaction in the youth that the establishment of the system is not doing enough to take care of their issues and problems. When one individual stood out and challenged the system and came out victorious he suddenly became a hero," he told CNN. "I fortunately happened to be the actor that they chose to represent that kind of philosophy or thinking. And therefore I became a beneficiary." From being the "angry young man" of cinema in India he is now more commonly known as "The Big B" to the media and his millions of fans. But being such a public figure has never been a problem; Bachchan writes a daily blog and believes that it's in an actor's make-up to thrive in public attention and that stars should be able to deal with praise as well as criticism. "I think we all live to be recognized ... creativity would be useless if no one ever saw it or recognized it. We want our work to be known. "I enjoy my blog greatly because I invite comment. Not all of them are complimentary, many of them are abusive, but I never moderate it because I think it's important to know what the rest of the world actually thinks about you." Taking the good with the bad, Bachchan was recently criticized for reportedly being less than impressed by Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film, "Slumdog Millionaire." But says Bachchan the unnecessary controversy was because of comments from readers on his blog had been mistakenly attributed to him. "I was wrongly accused. I did get to see the film. I thought it was a very well made film, great story," he told CNN. If "Slumdog Millionaire" illustrates current interest in Indian films by the West, Indian movies have also developed in ways more familiar to Hollywood movies. "Life has become a lot faster. We've had to move with the times and adjust. If you were to analyze an indie film of the 1970s ... there would be far, far less editing cuts of, say, a film that was released in 2009. That philosophy [from TV editing], for some peculiar reason, has now translated into the minds of the audiences and they expect the same kind of treatment when they go out to see a movie," he told CNN. | Indian actor has been superstar of Bollywood cinema for 40 years .
Known as 'The Big B'; became icon to millions after 'Sholay' film of 1975 .
Blogs regularly and seen great changes in attitudes to Indian film and its influence .
Caused furore when mistakenly reported to have criticized 'Slumdog Millionaire' |
237,017 | bec5c69c2932798d693231738b13ecc370f14794 | Most people receive letters, bills and packages of items they've ordered in the mail. But one woman was shocked when a postal worker turned up at her door - with 15 baby chickens. Alongside the live birds was a note from the woman's ex-boyfriend, making a crude comparison between the animals and her. It simply read: 'There are lots of other chicks out there'. An unwelcome package: A Washington woman received these 15 baby chickens in the mail, alongside a note from her ex-boyfriend, comparing the animals to her. It read: 'There are lots of other chicks out there' Fluffy: Following the delivery, the unidentified ex-girlfriend reportedly told the postal worker she was planning to throw the chicks in the trash bin outside her Washington home. Above, one of the baby animals . Following the delivery, the unidentified ex-girlfriend reportedly told the postal worker she was planning to throw the chicks in the trash bin outside her Washington home. He subsequently took back the animals and delivered them to the Washington Humane Society, which in turn, transferred the birds to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland. 'Unbelievably it is legal to ship baby chicks in the regular mail, and often this results in injuries or death to the babies,' said the sanctuary on its Facebook page. Although one of the chickens suffered an injured leg, all 15 of the birds are now on the road to recovery. Nine are being cared for in a playpen under a heat lamp at Poplar Spring. Cared for: The postal worker delivered the chicks to the Washington Humane Society, which then transferred the birds to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland. Above, the animals at the sanctuary . Shocking story: 'Unbelievably it is legal to ship baby chicks in the regular mail, and often this results in injuries or death to the babies,' said Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary on its Facebook page (pictured) Capital: Although one of the chickens suffered an injured leg, all 15 of the birds are now recovering. Nine are being cared for in a playpen at Poplar Spring. Above, the birds were delivered to a Washington home . Meanwhile, the remaining six have been transferred to Peaceful Fields Sanctuary in Virginia. 'The chicks are all doing well. There is one with an injured leg, but she is improving. They all appear very active and healthy,' Terry Cummings, Poplar Spring co-founder, told The Huffington Post. She added: 'I was very surprised by this story, I thought I had heard everything, but this was a new one. Definitely had never heard of baby chicks being used as a spiteful statement after a breakup. 'None of this would have happened if it were illegal to ship chickens in the mail.' Protected: The remaining six baby chickens have been transferred to Peaceful Fields Sanctuary in Virginia . Recovering: 'The chicks are all doing well. They all appear very active and healthy,' Terry Cummings, Poplar Spring co-founder, said. Above, the six chicks are pictured in an encolsure at Peaceful Fields Sanctuary . According to a WHS spokesman, the unidentified boyfriend would likely have escaped prosecution for mailing the baby chickens. However, the woman could have faced criminal charges for animal cruelty if she had dumped the animals in the trash, she said. The United States Postal Service details its rules for mailing live birds on its website. Feeding time: According to a WHS spokesman, the unidentified boyfriend would likely have escaped prosecution for mailing the baby chickens. Above, the six Peaceful Fields animals are pictured feeding . | Unidentified woman received 15 baby chickens in mail from ex-boyfriend .
They were sent with hateful note: 'There are lots of other chicks out there'
Woman reportedly told postal worker she would throw them in the trash .
He took them back; later transferred to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary .
'Unbelievably it is legal to ship baby chicks in mail,' said facility co-owner . |
244,695 | c8b1d9b6c20ba1e846b720f252f108c816634209 | London, England (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown fought to hold on to his job Thursday in a debate against the two men who hope to replace him, David Cameron of the Conservative Party and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats. But he lost the debate decisively, according to two snap polls. Cameron came first in both polls, with Clegg second and Brown third. But the debate performances do not seem to have changed voters' minds about whom to back, according to one poll. Just over a third of voters say they favor the Conservatives, and the same number back the Liberal Democrats, according to the poll by ComRes for ITV News. Just under one-quarter prefer Labour, the poll suggests. Those numbers are essentially unchanged from the results after a similar debate last week. In this week's debate, Brown repeatedly insisted that Cameron represents "the same old Conservative party," which would take money out of the economy for "ideological reasons." The Conservatives are ahead of Brown's Labour party in most polls, but it's not clear that the lead will be enough to give them a majority when voters cast ballots on May 6. A confident-seeming Cameron fended off Brown's attacks, saying time and again that Brown was wrong on the facts. "David, you've just got it wrong economically," Brown said in one of the sharpest exchange, saying his party was "the same old Conservative party of the 1930s and the 1980s and the 1990s." "Every leading business leader says we have got it right," Cameron shot back. They crossed swords again about unemployment, with Brown warning "we don't want the labor market of the 1980s," when the Conservatives were in power. "It's the same old Tories." Cameron fired back that Brown doesn't "even know what country you're prime minister of -- he's caused record youth unemployment." Full election coverage . Brown continually shook his head as Cameron leveled criticism at the Labour Party, while Cameron tended to stare ahead into the studio audience when he came under attack. Clegg, whose Liberal Democrats are traditionally also-rans but are riding high on the back of their leader's debate performances, struggled to appear relevant as the leaders of the two big parties traded barbs. "The way they got us into this mess is not the way out," he said, gesturing to the politicians on either side of him. The first half of the debate focused on the economy, one of the main concerns on voters' minds. Members of the audience asked about government spending cuts, the fairness of the tax system, bankers' bonuses, and how to rebuild the British manufacturing sector. The debate got even sharper in the second half when the hot-button issue of immigration came up. Cameron accused the Liberal Democrats of wanting an "amnesty for illegal immigrants," while Clegg shot back that the only politician who wanted that was the Conservative mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Voters across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cast ballots for 650 members of Parliament on May 6. The party with the largest number of MPs traditionally gets the first chance to form the government. Either Labour or the Conservatives usually gets an absolute majority, but polls suggest the Liberal Democrats may capture enough seats to prevent one party from having more than half of the seats in Parliament. Quirks in the voting system mean that the party with the most votes does not always get the most seats. The last time no party got a majority, in 1974, a new election was called within months. Labour has been in power in Britain since 1997, first under Tony Blair, and under Brown since 2007. The Conservatives governed Britain for 18 years before that. | British political rivals clash in final televised debate before May 6 election .
Snap polls hand victory to Conservative Party leader David Cameron .
PM Gordon Brown says Cameron represents "same old Conservatives"
Cameron on economy: "Every leading business leader says we have got it right" |
76,424 | d8bf613ea82c65272283e37a647b17a31749fb3f | By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 04:30 EST, 30 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:57 EST, 30 July 2013 . An eyewitness today said a woman screamed 'help me, help me, it's murder' in the moments after she was stabbed with a meat cleaver as a man went on the rampage. The attacker knifed a 28-year-old woman, named locally as Keisha, to death a few roads away just minutes later and also attacked her 17-year-old sister. The woman who witnessed the first attack on a 46-year-old mother said she saw the man land repeated blows to the victim's head and shoulder in Streatham, south London. Attack: Blood is seen around a door frame at the property in Streatham, south London, where a woman was left in a critical condition after being stabbed . Investigation: Police stand guard today outside the flat where a 40-year-old woman was knifed last night as a man started a rampage. A woman was later killed at another address . Probe: A police officer can be seen stood outside the flat where a 46-year-old woman was stabbed. She is currently in a critical condition . The victim, who is . believed to be the suspect's partner, was rushed to hospital last night . after apparently being attacked in front of her three-year-old son. Police said today that she remains in a critical condition. Just after midnight a 40-year-old . man was arrested on a bus around 1.5 miles away after police boarded it . and carried out a search. Today the suspect was being held in a south London police station as he was questioned on suspicion of murder. An eyewitness said she saw the knifeman moments after he carried out the first attack on a 46-year-old woman. The woman then rushed upstairs to the . flat, to find the victim on the balcony and the couple's son sitting 'zombie-like' watching cartoons on the television. She said: 'I was in the park with my son when I heard this screaming and shouting coming from the nearby block. 'I looked upstairs to see a man . hitting this woman. First it thought it was a bat but then I saw the . shiny bit and realised it was a meat cleaver. He was hitting on the head . and back, just over and over again. There was blood pouring out from . everywhere. Attacks: The three women were stabbed at properties close together in Streatham, before the suspect was arrested on a bus nearby later . Horror: Blood is seen outside the property where the woman was stabbed. Police have cordoned the area off while they investigate . Bloodstained: A door with red blood on it today in Streatham, south London, at the block of flats where a 46-year-old woman was stabbed. A man, 40, has been arrested . Probe: Police Community Support Officers guard a building where a 46-year-old woman was attacked . 'Everyone saw what was happening. Kids started screaming. Then he comes running down the stairs, blood all . over his shirt. Blood everywhere. 'He seemed very angry but not like crazed or anything. He ran off towards Brixton Hill. 'I phoned the ambulance and then went . running up to where she lived. I don't know them so I didn't know where . they lived but one of the neighbours told me. 'When I got there the woman was . slumped on the balcony, passed out. The little girl (police have since confirmed the child was in fact a boy) was just sitting in . front of the TV zombie-like. Probe: A forensics officer examines the property where a 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death . 'She must have seen the whole thing. Him doing that to her mum I said "Are you OK?", but she didn't say . anything. 'I got the woman inside the flat and . took the little girl into the kitchen. The police turned up and told me . to start applying pressure to the wounds. 'She was in a terrible state. Her . fingers were all bent back like they had been broken, she had loads of . deep cuts on her head and back.' 'It has traumatised me. Keep thinking . why did I speak to him, he could have done it to me. The whole thing is . surreal. Can't believe it happened.' Murder investigation: The block of flats where a 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Streatham. A 17-year-old girl was also stabbed . Probe: A police officer stands guard in a stairwell close to the flat where a 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death. A 40-year-old man has been arrested . Another witness claimed that the woman screamed "help me" as she was being attacked. She said: 'I was making my dinner when . I heard screaming. All the kids were out playing. I could see them all . looking up so I walked out on to the Green area and all of sudden the . kids started screaming and running off. 'I looked up and saw a man, a black . guy, he had her, she was black as well, by the scruff of the neck. She . was saying 'please no' and then 'help me, help me, it's murder' 'The next thing I know he stuck the . knife in her back, right there on the balcony. It was in the top of her . back near the shoulders. I couldn't see too well but it looked like a . kitchen knife. 'I just ran back inside. It was . terrifying. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. I hope I never have . to see something like that ever again.' Witness Blazej Makowski, 17, said he heard the 46-year-old woman screaming 'where's my baby, where's my baby'. The teenager said: 'I was upstairs with my brother and his girlfriend when I heard screaming. I thought it was the kids playing at first, but then I realised it was adults screaming. 'I went to go downstairs, but my brother stopped me said "Don't get involved". 'But I thought I have to go down because I could hear the woman. She was screaming "he's going to kill me, he's trying to kill me". 'I went downstairs. He was gone, the man was gone, but the woman was there. 'She was outside on the balcony, she couldn't get in so I unlocked the balcony and got her inside. Me and this other girl. 'The woman was crying "where's my baby, where's my baby". I think she was talking about her son, who was just sitting there. He wasn't saying anything.' Detectives said they are not seeking . anyone else in connection with this investigation, and it is believed . that all three victims were known to him. The local MP Chuka Umunna said: 'The entire community will be deeply disturbed and upset at what happened on the Roupell Park and Clapham Park estates last night. 'The thoughts of all of us are with the loved ones of the woman who was fatally injured and the other victims of these horrific attacks. 'I have been fully briefed by the police on this incident and an investigation is currently ongoing. Our hope is that the perpetrator of these acts will be brought to justice. As a community, we will give the loved ones of the victims all the support that we can.' Probe: A forensics officer is seen outside the property where a 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death . Murder probe: The block of flats where a woman was killed and a 17-year-old girl was left with serious injuries after a double stabbing . Arrest: The suspected, aged 40, was held after police boarded a bus on Leigham Court Road, near Streatham, around 1.5 miles from the scene of the killing . Detective . Inspector Will Reynolds, from the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime . Command, said: 'I can confirm the suspect was at large for up to five hours in and around the Lambeth area. 'It was a difficult circumstance as details of the suspects whereabouts continued to change.' When asked why it took so long to apprehend the suspect, he said: 'It is very early in the investigation so I can't say. 'What I can say is that a huge . manhunt was undertaken, with specialist teams brought in with expressed . intention of finding this person. Huge resources were used and every . attempt was made to apprehend him as quickly as possible. 'I would also like to thank the local . community who played a vital role in this persons arrest. In fact it . was a member of the public who notified us of the whereabouts of this . person, who we were then able to arrest.' Speaking outside Brixton Police Station this afternoon, he also confirmed that very young children had witnessed both attacks. He said: 'There were children present at both scenes. This was a series of extremely brutal attacks. 'This would have been very . traumatising for these you children. They are currently being looked . after and will wait until later in the investigation to see if it is . necessary to speak to them about what they saw.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Woman, 46, screamed 'help me, it's murder' as she was stabbed in the back on her balcony by the knifeman in Streatham, south London .
Her three-year-old son was watching cartoons in a 'zombie like' state when witnesses rushed to the scene .
Minutes later a woman, 28, was found knifed to death in a nearby property .
Her 17-year-old sister was also rushed to hospital after being stabbed .
Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killing .
Man, 40, is being questioned by police over the stabbings . |
77,854 | dcb7c2f6be93e82b05672de2e07dba978865b63d | (CNN)Mr. Grey will see you now. Just not in Kenya. The erotic movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" is out in theaters Friday. But the East African nation will not be showing it, citing "prolonged and explicit sexual scenes depicting women as sexual slaves." Under the ban, anyone who distributes or shows it in Kenya is liable to a fine, imprisonment or both. "Fifty Shades" is based on a book by E. L. James. It tells the steamy story of young, attractive billionaire Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, the young woman he sexually dominates. Jamie Dornan, star of the crime drama "The Fall," and Dakota Johnson play the lead characters. The board that regulates movie content in Kenya warned theaters not to show the much-anticipated film. "The Kenya Film Classification Board wishes to inform the public, film operators and stakeholders that the film has been restricted," it said in a statement this week. "It should not be screened or distributed to the public." Last year, the board banned "The Wolf of Wall Street," saying it has "extreme nudity, sex, alcohol and drugs." | Kenyan movie regulator cites "prolonged and explicit sexual scenes"
Under the ban, anyone who distributes or shows the movie is liable to prosecution . |
160,795 | 5bde6c7ba621625faf99e896b360e37ef21cf890 | More than £16,000 has been spent by British diplomats this year on cigars, it has been reported. Claims that £16,137 spent on cigars in 2014 is said to be part of £407,797 spent by the Foreign Office on entertaining. The figures are thought to have come to light as part of a review by the Labour party, which is closely monitoring Government spending. It has emerged that more than £16,000 has been spent by diplomats on cigars in 2014 (file picture) According to the Sun, diplomats have also spent nearly £3,000 on flowers this year, and £257,000 on restaurant bills from embassies worldwide. In addition they also report that more than £45,000 has been spent on alcohol and more than £18,000 on fast food. It also emerged that over £1,000 was spent at O'Reilly's bar in Fiji and £1,400 went on a dinner at the East India Club in central London. Other cash is said to have gone to music stores, bakeries, confectionery stores and art galleries. Last year, it was reported that British embassies and consulates around the world blew £8.8million on hospitality, allowing ambassadors to enjoy fine wines, good food and lavish parties at taxpayers' expense. It has emerged that the Foreign Office spent £1,400 on a dinner at the East India Club in central London, pictured . A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said they were looking into where the money was spent. He added: 'This was spending in an all-purpose diplomatic department store. We are looking into specific spending lines, but we are confident that none or very little of this spending was on cigars. 'The store description does not refer to the goods actually bought – it’s simply how the store describes itself to the card billing company. 'All our spending is rigorously scrutinised to ensure it is appropriate and provides value for money for the taxpayer, with GPC cards offering better value-for-money than other forms of payment. Overall spend on goods and services is going down.' | Figures show diplomats have spent £16,137 on cigars so far this year .
Is part of £407,797 spent by the Foreign Office on entertaining in 2014 .
Also includes almost £3,000 on flowers and more than £45,000 on alcohol .
Emerged that £1,400 was spent on a dinner at East India club in London . |
236,897 | bea0095912cdc059e63fac0a5c1efea09b24aafd | Washington (CNN) -- For an issue such as health care reform -- and the potential to affect nearly American in a fundamental way -- no one provision, no one medical crisis, no one family can fully represent the complexity and sweep of the Affordable Care Act. But the polar views of small-business owners John Nicholson and Miles Fawcett provide a glimpse of the personal stakes and deep divide that will be felt across the social, political and legal tapestry. That signature law promoted by President Barack Obama is now being challenged at the Supreme Court. Preview: 'The implications ... are impossible to overstate' "Government isn't the answer, government can point to directions. Government can help solidify public involvement in what objectives should we pursue, but the advantage to the private system is you can have changes and modifications," said Nicholson, co-owner with his wife of Company Flowers, a Washington-area florist and gift shop. "Over a period of time it works better than the government saying: this is it." He slaps his hand to illustrate what he sees as burdensome, bureaucratic mandates. But Fawcett sees things another way. He founded a home security firm, Urban Alarm, nine years ago and uses the medical crisis of his youngest daughter to support the idea of universal health care. "This law or protections for children getting insurance is critical and potentially a life or death decision," he said about ensuring that even those with pre-existing medical conditions be assured coverage. "So having access to that health insurance is a life or death issue. It's critical for her now, it's critical to her and kids like her for the rest of their lives." For Fawcett, a newborn in the throes of crisis . At nine weeks, Miles Fawcett's newborn daughter was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare birth defect targeting the bile ducts. The only solution was a liver transplant, and the search was on for a suitable donor. Doctors at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington found a match in Fawcett himself. "They planned the transplant date. The preparation for the transplant was to make sure that she was as healthy as possible so that the outcome was going to be as successful as possible," he told CNN. "They removed 13% of my liver and replaced her entire liver with that graft of my liver. The medication that she requires is a lifelong requirement. And so she'll be on life-sustaining medicines presumably for the rest of her life." Now 5, the rambunctious kindergartner plays happily in her yard on a recent warm late winter day. She has little outward sign of her medical condition, but her parents say the girl does like to show off her belly scar to classmates. "So she's really lucky, we're lucky that the underlying issue is gone," said the 42-year-old Fawcett, talking in the kitchen with his wife. "It's fantastic, and it's magical, and every day we feel how lucky we are to have been in a time and a place when this was even an option." For Nicholson, a dreaded deluge of paperwork . John Nicholson is justifiably proud of the flower shop he and his wife started two decades ago, after an earlier career as head of a trade association. He now mostly handles the paperwork, while Marnie mans the counter, the creative force behind the company's unusual floral arrangements. "You buy our artistic creativity. It's a very major difference," he told CNN. They employ about 15 people, many part-time, and Nicholson says the economic downturn has been tough on their bottom line. "We used some of our retirement money to keep the doors open, keep our employees. We cut back a little bit, but not a lot," he explained. "And we're very glad that we did because now we're slowly but surely getting back to where we might actually make some money this year." Reform opponent: 'Congress made a bad situation worse' Reform supporter: 'This really is going to help the public' The Nicholsons -- both are older than 65 -- have always offered health care to their staff. They participate in a private pool with other small businesses that offers reduced costs and more portability. He worries the new health law will not provide better quality of care or better choices, just more bureaucracy. "Obamacare really affects only the method by which you obtain health care. That's the sadness of that bill, it does nothing to reduce costs. What it does do is change the procedures," he said. "And I'm the only one in the shop that knows about all the procedures and it means basically that all of a sudden, I'm going to have to answer to government, filling out forms. And my experience is when I do that it's a lot longer, it covers a lot of stuff that is extraneous, and thank you just the same -- I'm more than happy to stay with the private side and let the government forms go somewhere else." The law, known as the Affordable Care Act, does have several provisions to help make health care affordable for small businesses. Nicholson and many independent business owners like some aspects, but think there will be devastating tradeoffs. They also worry the law, if upheld, will only be the start of more government intervention in their free enterprise commerce. 'A simple question ... a very complicated answer' Miles Fawcett's family crisis four years ago came when he was leaving his employer to start Urban Alarm with his wife, Mira Saxena. They, too, employ about about 15 people. "As a small-business owner, I'm always concerned about controlling costs but that has to come second to just what fundamentally is right for kids and for people," he said. "I'm concerned about it being more expensive, but that's always a concern. I'm worried about gas prices going up, I'm concerned about how my premiums are going to be affected, but that's a secondary consideration. And the primary concern has to be how do we provide the resources that our employees need and that our families need." Frequently asked questions about the high court and this case . The couple believes the law's wide scope and its particular emphasis on helping small businesses like theirs will ensure they can continue to thrive economically. They especially like the provision guaranteeing anyone with a pre-existing condition like their daughter's will not be denied health care coverage as she grows into an adult, something they equate as a basic human right. "Are we going to deny children, much less anybody, but are we going to deny children a right to health services that are life-sustaining?" said Miles. "I think that's the question and it's a simple question, and I know it's a very complicated answer." Will flower shop fade under government's shadow? Like Fawcett, Nicholson supports the idea of universal health care to make sure every American can get access to needed medical care at any point in their lives. The question that has divided the country for decades is how to achieve it and how to pay for it. For the local florist, flexibility is the key. "I don't have much strength to be able to make changes, if the changes come down the pipe, that are contrary to what really makes sense for us," he explained. "And that's the real problem: How do I get enough clout from a common sense standpoint, so that we can really say: 'OK, good idea, but not this way, let's do it that way.' And the government doesn't work that way." The grandfather with grown children worries how health care costs -- with or without the Affordable Care Act -- will affect future generations. But he says the immediate focus is on his financial future and that of his beloved flower shop. "The law is making it hard to be a small business," he said. "Basically we're jogging along, and it's particularly difficult when we have more and more government layered on top of us." CNN Correspondent Kate Bolduan contributed to this report . | Small-business owners John Nicholson and Miles Fawcett do not see eye-to-eye .
Fawcett likes the plan -- he says it puts children like his ill daughter first .
Nicholson doesn't like it -- he fears his small business will choke on the regulations .
Both agree there are no easy answers to make sure everyone has health care . |
230,157 | b6080b1d598416a001cb0bfef1dd2a5adfd84e5d | Athens (CNN) -- German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is visiting Athens on Thursday for the first time since Greece received its first bailout three years ago, hours after the Greek parliament voted through a bill paving the way for thousands of public sector jobs to be cut. His visit also comes a day ahead of a European Union deadline for Greece to meet targets before it gets its next round of bailout money. Germany, seen as the driving force behind international creditors' insistence on austerity and reforms, has been the focus of much anger among Greeks suffering as a result of the country's debt crisis. Newspaper headlines Thursday reflect that sentiment. The newspaper Avgi says "Ave Schaeuble, those about to die salute you," a reference to a phrase attributed to Roman gladiators as they greeted their emperor. A headline in another paper, To Pontiki, refers to "the exterminator" and shows Schaeuble about to run over civil servants on a rail track. While in Greece, Schaeuble has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras. The measures that were voted through early Thursday had to be approved in order for Greece to receive the latest 6.8 billion-euro slice of international bailout funds -- needed to keep the country afloat. The bill scraped through, with just 153 lawmakers out of the 293 present in the 300-seat parliament voting in favor. There were protesters outside the parliament building late into the night while the vote was taking place. Greek police banned public gatherings and marches in much of central Athens from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday for security reasons, applying similar restrictions to those imposed during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October. But Greece's main opposition party, the Coalition of the Radical Left, Syriza, issued a statement calling for a rally Thursday evening "against the architect of the bailout austerity policies" at a square near parliament. In its statement, Syriza said that "if the government is not hesitant about issuing dictatorial decisions banning gatherings, then the people must show that they have no fear for them." 'Better days will come' Under the new legislation, 4,000 civil servants, including teachers, could be out of work this year. Another 25,000 will be on a "mobility scheme" by the end of the year. This will allow them an eight-month period to look for re-employment while receiving 75% of their salary. If by the end of that period they have not found work in a different department, they could lose their job. A total of 15,000 are expected to be out of work by the end of 2014 to comply with the requirements of Greece's lenders, the International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bank, which are asking for a slimming down of Greece's inflated public sector. But for ordinary Greeks, who are facing unprecedented unemployment raging above 27%, the fear is that if they lose their job, they will not be able to find another in the Greek market. Only hours before the vote, Samaras announced Greece's first tax cut since the crisis began nearly four years ago. He said Greece "will not relax" in its efforts, adding, "We will continue climbing up the hill, we will reach the top, which is not far, and better days will come for our people." The cut in the value-added tax in the food service sector, from 23% to 13%, had been an issue in negotiations with Greece's lenders for months. The timing of the announcement could be seen as a signal of the government's willingness to boost the private sector, while downsizing the bloated public service. Many Greeks believe the private sector has suffered a disproportionate amount during the crisis in order not to shed public sector jobs. On Tuesday, Greek unions called the country's fourth general strike of the year so far, bringing many public services to a halt. At least 16,000 protesters joined a peaceful march and protest held to coincide with the strike, Athens police said. Greece, the first country to receive a European Union bailout, in May 2010, is struggling to bring its huge public debt under control. The country is in its sixth straight year of recession, and unemployment stood at 26.8% as of March of this year, according to official figures. The jobless rate among young people in Greece has soared to nearly 60%. Journalist Elinda Labropoulou reported in Athens, and CNN's Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. | NEW: Security is high during Wolfgang Schaeuble's visit, but opposition party calls for a rally .
Schaeuble is meeting with Greece's prime minister and finance minister .
Parliament OKs measures to pave the way for 4,000 civil servants to lose their jobs .
Another 25,000 public sector workers are under threat of losing their jobs under the bill . |
97,388 | 09519dd44f48d4a531ae4f188a13844c4464d12d | By . Sarah Harris . Cheating technique: 'Roget-ing' involves students swapping synonyms from the Roget's Thesaurus to cover up plagiarism . ‘Sinister buttocks’, ‘Herculean liturgies’ and ‘bequest mazes’ may not be the phrases Peter Mark Roget expected to be created when he launched his world-famous thesaurus. But a university lecturer has identified a new trend of ‘Roget-ing’ among students – the creation of absurd terms through ill-considered use of Roget’s Thesaurus. They are using the technique, involving extensive synonym swapping, in a bid to hide plagiarism - but are producing baffling sentences as a result. Chris Sadler, principal lecturer in business information systems at Middlesex University, suggested the new word after spotting several ‘Rogetisms’ in a students’ work. After reading that ‘common mature musicians (and) recent liturgy providers are looking to satisfy…Herculean personalised liturgies’, he attempted to discover the source of the sentence’s origin. He said: ‘Even if the sentence had made sense, it seemed out of place in (a paper on) business information systems and I was motivated to seek out the source.’ Mr Sadler eventually located the original text, which read: ‘the current big players and new service providers are looking to supply more powerful personalised services’. He told the Times Higher Education magazine he had ‘seen quite a bit’ of ‘Roget- ing’, which he defined as ‘disguising plagiarism by substituting synonyms, one word at a time with no attempt to understand either the source or target text’. As a result, the phrase ‘left behind’ was converted into ‘sinister buttocks’ by one student. To ‘stay ahead of the competition’ became ‘to tarry fore of the conflict’, while ‘new market leaders’ was turned into ‘modern store guides’. Other new phrases coined by students via ‘Roget-ing’ include ‘bequest mazes’ – a rough translation of ‘legacy networks’ which describe web networks using outdated computer formats. Mr Sadler entered the blunders into the Times Higher Education exam howlers competition. He said: ‘This was a sad business for me and especially (for) my student, but I do think ‘sinister buttocks’ deserves a prize.’ The winner of the annual contest was John Milliken, lecturer in education at the University of Ulster for his student’s claim that ‘the [hole in the] ozone layer was caused by a*******s. Dr Milliken said: ‘He probably meant aerosols, but then…maybe not.’ His second student blooper from this season’s marking season was a student’s declaration in a paper on vehicle emissions that ‘in future all cars (will) be fitted with Catholic converters’. Confusion: Chris Slater, a lecturer at Middlesex University, coined the term after a number of his students handed in work with baffling sentences . Verity Brack, information technology programme director at the University of Sheffield, entered the statement that Google was ‘one of the two main suppositories of data in the world’. Meanwhile, Josephine Kelly, a lecturer in business and government at Aston University, was intrigued to read that the Coalition government had a ‘toff stance on tax avoidance’. She noted that the student actually meant ‘tuff’ (tough). Peter Mark Roget, a British physician and lexicographer, published the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (Roget’s Thesaurus) in 1852. He was obsessed with list-making from an early age and his work on the thesaurus arose partly from his attempt to battle depression. | Chris Sadler from Middlesex University says students are 'Roget-ing'
Technique involves swapping synonyms from the Roget's Thesaurus .
Lecturer says it is producing baffling sentences as a result . |
259,944 | dc9535b688cd20f66f52aec45f792b3437c7c9d1 | By the big smiles, warm hugs and loud cries of ululation, the video seems to show a joyous celebration. An Egyptian prosecutor looked at the same footage and saw something very different: a "satanic ceremony" with images that are "shameful, regrettable and anger God." However it is characterized, the event has landed eight men in jail for three years, an Egyptian court ruled Saturday. The men will face three years of probation upon their release, according to Egypt's state-run Ahram Online. It's all because of a roughly 1-minute video set upon a Nile riverboat. It shows several well-dressed men, one of which pulls out a ring and slips it on another man's finger. The two had a brief kiss, then hug -- all as others on the boat cry out happily around them. There's a cake with two men's picture on it. "May your night be filled with pomp and ceremony," one man says. The video went viral after posting online. In early September, the suspects were detained as part of an investigation ordered by Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat for allegedly broadcasting footage that "violates public decency." The prosecutor's office accused the men of "debauchery" and "undermining public morals" for their part in what it described as a same-sex wedding. The prosecutor's statement claims the event took place in April, but was only recently posted as an act of revenge against one of the men filmed in the video. Very soon after, on September 8, Egypt's forensic authority announced that seven of the arrested men had been physically inspected and were determined to be "not gay," according to another Ahram Online story. The authority's spokesman, Hisham Abdel-Hamid, said the inspection found that they "have never had sex with other men." The eighth suspect -- who was an alleged groom in the video -- didn't show up for a physical inspection, according to the report. A man in the video has denied, in an interview with privately owned Rotana Masriya TV, that it depicted a marriage between the two men. Rather, he claimed that he was holding a birthday party for a friend and gave him a silver ring as a gift. There are no laws explicitly against same-sex relations in Egypt. Still, other laws -- such as those against "shameless public acts" -- have been used in recent years to arrest and prosecute gay men in recent years, Ahram Online notes. The eight men in this case, for instance, were convicted on charges of "debauchery." In September, a judicial source told Ahram that six men were arrested and soon thereafter sentenced to two years in jail with labor for "committing debauchery" after an apartment raid. Four men were sentenced to prison in April for similar morality charges. And in 2001, Egypt arrested more than 50 men in a raid on a gay nightclub on the Queen riverboat. | Eight arrested after an online video showed what authorities called a same-sex wedding .
A prosecutor called it a "satanic ceremony" with images that are "shameful ... and anger God"
Homosexuality is not explicitly outlawed in Egypt; gays have been charged in other ways . |
188,013 | 7f7978cda4c1941a03a845caddba7571f2ac9ed7 | By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 05:25 EST, 21 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:25 EST, 22 October 2013 . A cat clung to the roof of a van as it hurtled down a motorway at 70mph for 12 miles. The feline, named Kick Buttowski after the cartoon stuntman, held onto a ladder which was attached to the roof of an electrician's van during the high-speed journey down the M1. The pet has now been reunited with his owners after escaping unhurt from his spontaneous motorway ride. Daredevil: The cat, called Kick Buttowski, clung to the roof of the van as it hurtled down the M1 in Leicestershire at 70mph . The van driver, Helen Stevens, pulled over to check what was wrong after another motorist flashed her a warning, and was gob-smacked when she found the 18-month-old cat clinging to her roof. The 30-year-old electrician said: 'The cat was on the roof rack, which had some stepladders on it, and was just clinging on for dear life. He was wide-eyed and looking terrified. 'It had to have got on at the petrol station we stopped at in Melton and we’d already gone all the way down the A46 and the M1 and were probably doing up to 70mph.' She took the cat to Bell, Brown and Bentley veterinary clinic in Stoneygate, Leicester, where he was found to be uninjured but appeared very shaken by the ordeal. Together again: Ellise Pepper and her son Connor Russell, five , are reunited with their pet after vets published an online appeal to find its owners . The vets put an appeal online where it was spotted by Ellise Pepper, mum of Kick’s owner, five-year-old Connor Russell. Connor, who was reunited with Kick on Saturday, said: 'He held on and he didn’t fall off, but I bet he was scared.' The family began to worry about their pet's whereabouts when he did not return for dinner on Friday evening. His mother said: 'He’s never done anything like this before, although he does hate to be on his own and likes to follow the children to nursery!' She was astonished to see his photo which was accompanied by a story about his adventure. 'I was on Facebook and my friend shared the link and I thought: ‘That’s our cat!’ 'I was overwhelmed and quite upset about it, but then I read that he wasn’t hurt. 'He’s usually a pretty laid-back cat.' Amanda Walker, a nurse at Bell, Brown and Bentley, said: 'It’s miraculous that he didn’t fall off the roof because the car was going quite fast at times. 'To have been clinging onto the van since Melton is just amazing. He’s a nice boy and although he was shaken up, he was very friendly. 'Before the owners got in touch on Saturday we looked after him at the vet and named him Batman because he’s black with a white face and big ears. And he’s certainly a superhero.' The terrifying journey: The cat managed to stay on the roof despite traveling at speeds of up to 70mph along the A46 and M1 before the van driver pulled over on the M69 . | Pet clung to the roof for 12 miles on the A46 and M1 in Leicestershire .
Motorist flashed van driver on the M69 and pulled over .
Found the feline cowering on the roof but escaped unharmed .
Was reunited with family after mother of the owner noticed a Facebook appeal . |
217,520 | a59bf668354a1285d1de439c20158cd0440a7233 | Winter Storm Neptune has taken aim at . the winter-weary U.S. Northeast, with the triple threat of heavy snow, high winds, and dangerous cold hitting New England and other parts of the Northeast, many already buried under six feet of snow. Freezing gales hit the snow-blighted Northeast along with as much as a foot of snow in some areas while temperatures began to drop, possibly approaching their lowest in decades New York City. What's more, winds will approach up to 50mph on Sunday in the cityWinds will approach up to 50mph on Sunday in the city. 'Stay indoors if you don’t have to be out. Any prolonged exposure could be dangerous,' warned Mayor Bill de Blasio. Scroll down for video . Snow blanketed all of Central Park in New York City over the weekend . The city appearaed empty as many stayed indoors to avoid the biting cold . A woman holds a scarf over her face to keep warm as she waits in line outside the 139th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Manhattan . A woman bundles up in fur as she heads top a show during New York Fashion Week . Despite the cold temperatures many women and men tried to stay fashionable for the biannual event . 'Alps of MIT': This five-story mound of snow, on campus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was piled up by plows from the six feet of snow which has fallen around the Boston area. The coming storm could add even more to it . Snow hope: The storm, which is working its way towards the east coast from over the Great Lakes, could bring a foot of snow to the already-pummeled Boston area, with Maine due even more . Blow, winds: Gale-force gusts were predicted for parts of the coast - and even inland areas were due high winds in the coming storm . Meanwhile, blowing snow led to whiteout conditions across Ohio on Saturday, causing numerous accidents and pileups that shut down interstates. At least three people were killed in separate afternoon accidents on the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 71, while a wave of heavy snow limited visibility at the Columbus airport and forced all flights to be grounded for a few hours. A pregnant woman died in a multivehicle pileup that closed the westbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike just east of Sandusky, authorities said. Another crash on the turnpike about 30 miles east of the Indiana state line left one person dead. Ohio State Highway Patrol said a 24-year-old Buffalo, New York, man also was killed when the car he was riding in on I-71 in Morrow County hit a tractor-trailer and went off the road. Scaling the heights: Students and locals took to the mounds of snow, putting sleds or even skis to use to get down again . All smiles: Two MIT students smile from the top of the snow piled up outside a hall of residence . Forecasters added that the most severe weather was poised for the New England coast on Sunday. According to New York City Mayor de Blasio, lows of almost 0°F could hit his city - the worst cold experienced in twenty years. Further north and inland the cold be even more extreme. With wind chill factored in, the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse were due to feel as cold as -21°F Midday Sunday. It prompted authorities to issue blizzard warnings for eastern Massachusetts, southern Maine, most of New Hampshire as well as Long Island, parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. The winds - with peak speeds of 75mph - are being predicted for Sunday, while across the region temperatures hover not far above 0°F. Frigid temperatures combined with the high winds will being outside in the worst-hit areas feel more like standing in a brutal -21°F, according to forecasters. In areas hit by extreme snowfall in recent weeks, the driving wind could whip up snow on the ground and cut visibility virtually to zero, putting lives at risk for any caught outside unexpectedly. The strong winds could also cause chaos by felling trees and destroying above-ground power lines, leading to outages across the pummeled frozen areas - some of which will be colder than they have been in 20 years. Snowed under: Large accumulations of snow were seen all around Boston - with this pile mostly obscuring a newspaper dispenser and parking meter . Help at hand: This photo, from earlier in the week, shows Massachusetts National Guardsmen helping to clear out the fallen snow in the town of Douglas . Boston, which has received about 6 feet of snow . in a trio of record-setting storms over the past three weeks, is . bracing for as much as 14 inches of new accumulation, . forecasts indicate. Blizzard conditions are also expected in Rhode Island, . eastern Connecticut, New Hampshire and coastal Maine, . AccuWeather predicted. Farther south, snow accumulation up to three inches was expected from Washington D.C. to New York City. With the newest band of winter weather, the town of Alton, . New Hampshire called off its annual ice carnival set for the . weekend due to concerns over massive snow squalls and freezing . wind. | Winter Storm Neptune has taken aim at the winter-weary U.S. Northeast .
Heavy snow, high winds, and dangerous cold are expected to hit the area on Sunday .
Winds will approach up to 50mph on Sunday in the city and temperatures could reach 20 below zero .
'Stay indoors if you don’t have to be out. Any prolonged exposure could be dangerous,' warned Mayor Bill de Blasio . |
65,993 | bb4bcad47fe70a3206c0a1b6b685ee94779d8a5f | By . Daniel Martin, Whitehall Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 18:09 EST, 3 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:59 EST, 4 April 2013 . Britain has leapfrogged Germany to take the number two spot in the world aid league table. As other countries scramble to slash their aid budgets, latest figures show we spent £9billion on overseas aid in 2012 – second only to the US, which spent £20.1billion. A year earlier, Germany was ahead of the UK in terms of aid but Britain overtook it as Berlin slashed its budget by almost £1billion in just one year, according to figures compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Haiti flood victims carry sacks of grain sent from relief workers. Britain has leapfrogged Germany to take the number two spot in the world aid league table . Germany spends less on aid despite the fact it has a far larger population than the UK. There are 81.8million Germans compared to 63.2million Britons, meaning we spent £143 per person on aid in 2012 compared to just £106 per person in Germany. In addition, Britain’s GDP of £1.7trillion is far less than Germany’s of £2.4trillion. Our economy is on the brink of re-entering recession, with a triple-dip looming and many expecting output not to grow in the first three months of the year. Yet Germany is expected to grow its output throughout this year, with the OECD forecasting it will be at the forefront of a global economic recovery next to Japan and the US. In the first three months of the year, economists expect the Eurozone’s largest economy to increase by 0.6 per cent. In contrast, the UK will be lucky to see any growth. German inflation hit a two-year low of just 1.4 per cent in March, compared to the UK where inflation is running at 2.8 per cent. The OECD report shows that most member countries – 14 of them – have reduced the amount they spend on aid as a proportion of their national income as they struggle to deal with the global downturn. U.S. Army drops food over Haiti. Britain is second in the table behind America, which has 317million population . OECD chairman Erik Solheim praised the UKs for standing against the trend of cutting aid budgets. Angela Merkel's government cut foreign aid by £1billion in just one year . But Britain was one of just five countries which kept the amount it spent on aid stable over the two years – at 0.56 per cent of national income. This is set to rise to 0.7 per cent by next year, in line with a Tory manifesto promise. At the same time, other countries have slashed their combined aid budgets by £4billion – the largest fall since 1997. Many Conservative backbenchers are incensed the Coalition is planning to increase aid spending yet further at a time when public services are facing stringent cuts. Douglas Carswell, Tory MP for Clacton, said: ‘We keep being told that we need austerity and yet we can find money to pay for overseas aid. It makes no sense. ‘I despair when I think of the way politicians hand over billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to subsidise foreign governments, but cut back on local services. ‘This country has not had a budget surplus in 30 of the last 36 years. What makes us think we can afford this?’ The OECD expressed concern that most countries were slashing overseas aid – down by 4 per cent in the last year alone across the bloc. Plans to make Pakistan the biggest recipient of UK overseas aid are called into question in a hard-hitting report today. A cross-party group of MPs warn that taxpayers should not be made to foot the bill when wealthy Pakistanis refuse to pay taxes themselves. The International Development Select Committee says ‘corruption is rife’ in Pakistan and that the local elite ‘does not pay meaningful amounts of tax’. The Government has announced plans to end aid to India by 2015 but at the same time the amount going to its neighbour is set to soar from £267million now to £446million in 2014/15. The MPs demand that David Cameron pushes for action on corruption and tax evasion from Pakistan’s leaders and the International Monetary Fund. Erik Solheim, chairman of the OECD’s development assistance committee, singled out the UK for praise for standing against the trend. ‘Maintaining aid is not impossible even in today’s fiscal climate,’ he said. ‘The UK’s 2013/14 budget increases its aid to 0.7 per cent of national income, which gives hope we can reverse the falling trend.’ In terms of the percentage of national income spent on aid, Britain ranks sixth in the world, the same as last year. Ahead of us are Luxembourg, which spent 1 per cent of national income on aid, and Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands – all of which spent more than 0.7 per cent. The only other country whose aid budget approached Britain’s was Japan – £6.9billion. However, this was worth just 0.17 per cent of national income. Aid budgets across the OECD bloc fell for the second year in a row. Secretary general Jose Angel Gurria said: ‘It is worrying that budgetary duress in our member counties has led to a second successive fall in total aid.’ Oxfam’s head of development finance and public services, Emma Seery, said: ‘The UK government has shown it is possible to keep aid promises even in the toughest economic times. ‘Political will is crucial, especially as it is now clear that the eurozone crisis is having a devastating knock-on effect on some of the world’s poorest people.’ | Britain is second on the world aid league table behind the U.S.
It spent £9billion on foreign aid in 2012 to leapfrog Germany in the table .
Germany slashed its aid budget by £1billion in just one year . |
78,084 | dd59bf0cfd7ebc0f0afba48260bc4d8f735d5fc1 | Rome (CNN) -- Catholic cardinals have met for a second day Tuesday at the Vatican, but have not yet set a timetable for selecting a new pope. A total of 110 out of the 115 cardinal-electors, those younger than 80 who are eligible to elect the pope, are now in Rome, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Tuesday. The five cardinal-electors who have not yet arrived have been in touch with the College of Cardinals, and the Vatican knows when they are coming, he said. He did not say when that would be, however, or give reasons for their delayed arrival. No date has yet been proposed for the conclave to select Pope Benedict XVI's successor, said Lombardi. It is not necessary for all the cardinal-electors to be present for the conclave date to be set, he said, but they do have to be given time to get there. Another Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, said: "There is no desire to rush things but to take this time for discernment and reflection, and that's been evident in the meetings thus far." The famous Sistine Chapel, where the secretive conclave takes place, was closed to the public at lunchtime Tuesday for preparations and will remain so until further notice, the official Vatican Museums website said. Those cardinals already in Rome met twice Monday, in the morning and in the evening, as they began a series of meetings known as general congregations. The group decided that congregations on Tuesday and Wednesday would take place in the morning only. The general congregations are a key step before the conclave. Cardinals who want to speak in the meetings sign up to do so, and can speak for as long as they want on any topic they want, Lombardi said. So far, 33 cardinals have spoken. There are 148 in the congregations as of Tuesday morning, he said. CNN Radio: Betting on the new pope . According to Italian media reports, discussions Monday focused on an internal investigation into leaks from the Vatican, the outcome of which has so far been seen only by Benedict, and the church's handling of the scandal over child sex abuse by priests. The cardinals also talked about the kind of pope they want to see at the head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. 'As long as it takes' U.S. Cardinals Sean O'Malley of Boston and Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, speaking to reporters after Tuesday's congregation, said the cardinals were in no hurry to set a date for the conclave. "I think this is the most important decision that some of us will ever make, and we need to give it the time that's necessary," O'Malley said. "We want to have enough time in the general congregations so that when we go into the conclave, it's a time of decision. This is a time of discernment and prayer and reflections." "It takes as long as it takes," DiNardo said, adding that there were "plenty of points of view among the cardinals" about when the conclave should begin. "No one really wants to rush this if it can't be rushed," he said. Both laughed off speculation that they could be elected pope, although some betting agencies rate O'Malley as the most likely American to become pope. O'Malley was asked if he would continue to wear his brown Capuchin robe if he did become pontiff. "I have worn this uniform for 40 years and I expect to wear it until I die, and that's because I don't expect to be elected pope," he said. DiNardo, who lives in Texas, was then asked if he would keep wearing a cowboy hat if he became pope. "That's an 'Alice in Wonderland' question. We're going down the rabbit hole in terms of my being elected pope," he said. Transfer of power . Benedict announced his intention to step down on February 11 and resigned Thursday, becoming the first pope to do so in almost 600 years. The transfer of papal power has almost always happened after the sitting pope has died. Normally, the College of Cardinals is not allowed to select a new pontiff until 15 to 20 days after the office becomes vacant. However, Benedict amended the 500-year-old policy to get a successor into place more rapidly. The cardinals may to be able to do so before March 15, Lombardi has said. What's in a name? Clues to be found in next pope's moniker . This would give the new pontiff more than a week to prepare for the March 24 Palm Sunday celebrations. Some gambling houses are offering odds on who will next lead the Catholic Church. Favorites include the archbishop of Milan, Italy, Cardinal Angelo Scola; Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Italy; Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who would become the first African pontiff since Pope Gelasius I died more than 1,500 years ago; and Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada, who would become the first North American pope. While Benedict has no direct involvement in the selection of his successor, his influence will be felt: He appointed 67 of at least 115 cardinals set to make the decision. Wounded 'hearts and minds' One former cardinal who won't participate in the conclave is Keith O'Brien of Scotland, who resigned last month. O'Brien apologized Sunday for sexual impropriety, without specifying any incident. "To those I have offended, I apologize and ask forgiveness," he said in a statement. The Vatican refused to answer questions Monday about whether it would discipline O'Brien. Chinese Catholics pine for open-minded pope to heal rifts . But others did comment. "It looks as if the incidence of abuse is practically zero right now as far as we can tell, but they are still the victims, and the wound therefore is deep in their hearts and minds very often," Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, told reporters in Rome. "As long as it's with them, it's with all of us. And that will last for a long time, so the next pope has to be aware of this." Philip Tartaglia, the archbishop of Glasgow and apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, will administer O'Brien's archdiocese until a new appointment is made. "The most stinging charge which has been leveled against us in this matter is hypocrisy, and for obvious reasons," Tartaglia said Monday night in a sermon at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow. "I think there is little doubt that the credibility and moral authority of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been dealt a serious blow, and we will need to come to terms with that." Representatives of a support group for abuse victims, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, called Monday for the cardinals to elect a new pope who is not a Vatican insider. The group also called for some of the older cardinals to absent themselves from the General Congregations, arguing that some have been accused of complicity in protecting priests accused of sexually abusing children. "Their peers should push them to stay home, or they should do so voluntarily, the group feels, for the sake of the church and to avoid heaping more pain on wounded victims and betrayed Catholics," a statement on SNAP's website said. One of Italy's anti-clerical abuse networks, L'Abuso, petitioned senior Vatican Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on Monday not to allow the participation in the conclave of an Italian cardinal it alleges helped protect priests who molested minors in the past. Cardinals must vote in person, via paper ballot. Once the process begins, the cardinals aren't allowed to talk with anyone outside of the conclave. They cannot leave until white smoke emerges from the Vatican chimney -- the signal that a new leader has been picked. More than 5,000 journalists are now accredited for the papal conclave, Lombardi said Tuesday. They cover 24 languages, he said. How is a new pope elected? CNN's Richard Allen Green and Hada Messia reported from Rome and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Mark Morgenstein and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report. | NEW: "This is the most important decision that some of us will ever make," says U.S. cardinal .
Not all cardinal-electors have to be present for the conclave date to be set .
110 of the 115 cardinal-electors have now arrived in Rome, says Vatican spokesman .
The Sistine Chapel closes to the public for preparations ahead of the conclave . |
38,180 | 6bf66bccb86fc0d965eb419087844fbc3c3d0154 | (CNN) -- President Obama is not shy about showing off his jump shot on the basketball court, but on Tuesday night, it was his baseball skills that were put to the test. President Obama throws out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game onTuesday in St Louis, Missouri. Obama, clad in a Chicago White Sox jacket and blue jeans, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis, Missouri. His low pitch barely reached home plate and the mitt of St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols. Obama became the fifth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star Game, but the first in 33 years. He is following in the footsteps of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. Asked about plans to practice before the game, Obama said Tuesday, "I want to loosen up my arm a little bit." "The last time I threw a pitch was at the American League championship series, and I just wanted to keep it high," the president said of his opening pitch at the 2005 Chicago White Sox-Anaheim Angels game. Aiming high is a good strategy, says St. Louis Cardinals scout Matt Blood, but it takes more than on-point aim to make the perfect pitch. "Throw it with some force, don't lob it in there. Try to get a good downhill plane. Try to keep it in the strike zone," said Blood, who will be at the game Tuesday. HLN sports anchor Larry Smith, who has thrown out a few first pitches, says Obama has to be careful to "not try to overpower it." "There's no speed gun on this. Just make it a nice solid throw to the catcher," Smith said. "The one thing he doesn't want to do is bounce it home. Mr. Obama is pretty athletic, so I think he'll ace this." Overpowering it shouldn't be an issue for the president, who joked Tuesday that he'd be surprised if his 2005 pitch exceeded 30 miles per hour. The president also needs to make sure he uses his whole arm, Blood said. "You'll see a lot of people throw kind of out front. Their elbow will start out front and they'll never get their arm back behind their body, and won't get a full arm swing. It will be real short, and not very rhythmic," he said. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton said Obama's at the top of his game, and he can "afford to take a few chances." "He should toss it a little further to the left. The righties are down by 15 runs in the ninth, they've got no team leadership. They're fighting with each other in the opposing dugout," he joked. All kidding aside, Obama should "just go with his instincts, like any good athlete," Bouton said. "You don't want to throw the ball into the ground or behind you, that's for sure." Obama also doesn't want to do what Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory did in his opening pitch for the Reds 2007 season. He missed home plate by 30 feet. Video of the Democratic mayor's embarrassing throw has been viewed nearly 2 million times on YouTube. But the opening pitch isn't always a light-hearted moment. President Bush described his opening pitch at Yankees stadium during the 2001 World Series as "the most nervous moment" of his presidency so far. The game came less than two months after the September 11 terrorists attacks. Bush wore an FDNY jacket to pay tribute to the New York City Fire Department. He stepped onto the pitchers mound, and before a cheering crowd of nearly 60,000, he threw a strike. The crowded erupted in chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A." Before the game Tuesday night, Obama and all of the living former presidents will appear in a community service video. After the video is shown, Obama will take the field at Busch Stadium and greet the six St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Fame players. He then will throw his pitch to Cardinals' all-star first baseman Albert Pujols. Major League Baseball said the president will wear a specially made glove for his appearance, with a script Obama 44 and an American flag on it. The glove will then be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. If Obama has butterflies about his pitch, Blood says the president should use the nervous energy to his advantage. "For Obama, I'm sure he's dealt with much more pressure than throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game, but I would -- instead of seeing it as pressure -- I would think of it as an exciting opportunity and turn the nervousness into positive adrenaline," he said. CNN's Steve Brusk contributed to this report. | President Obama throws opening pitch at All-Stars game Tuesday .
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory got lots of attention for his embarrassing throw .
Obama should "turn the nervousness into positive adrenaline," scout advises . |
17,314 | 31083356b19100dbea390d2a1171adae613ac2a3 | Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar is desperate to end his injury struggles and reignite his season. The Dutch skipper has just returned from over a month out with a thigh problem and had already been suffering with a calf injury this season. He has made just nine appearances for Villa this term and has seen Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore form a solid partnership in defence. Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar holds of Manchester United forward Radamel Falcao during the 1-1 draw . But Vlaar returned to start in a back three with Clark and Okore for the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday. The trio are expected to line up together at Swansea on Boxing Day and Vlaar is eager to finally cement himself back in the side. 'It's been a strange season - played a few games, injured, played a few games, injured,' said the Holland international. 'So let's hope I stay fit now. I believe in that. I trust in that. 'With the team it's going quite well to be honest. It's been hard to sit in the stands and watch the games when I've been injured but it's great to be back and it was good to play a full 90 minutes on Saturday. The Dutch international admitted it has been difficult watching his side from the stands while injured . 'Let's push on now for more. It's too bad that we lost our unbeaten run against West Brom but let's hope we started it again on Saturday. 'Against United, we had some opportunities at the end. We were a little bit unlucky. 'We worked really hard. It was really good to be part of it. If we do that in every game, we will be hard to beat. 'I am used to the three-man defence. In the summer we did the same with the national team. We did it a few times last year too.' Vlaar is challenged by Alan Hutton during a training session ahead of the Boxing day clash with Swansea . Okore has returned this season after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury last term and Vlaar praised the Denmark international on his comeback. 'I think Jores and Ciaran are doing well. I have been pleased to see that, especially with Jores after his tough season last year with the big injury he had,' Vlaar told Villa's official site. 'He has now come back and he's a great player. 'It's not always been easy for Ciaran but I really think he stepped up and did great. 'I think I had to be lucky that the manager chose three central defenders. 'Everyone is pushing everyone else forward which is great for the team and will improve us.' | Ron Vlaar has suffered from numerous injuries this season .
Aston Villa's captain admitted it was hard watching from the stands .
Vlaar felt Villa were unlucky not to beat Manchester United . |
257,611 | d96824b0dbad89a7ca66ad6723d705fd1037d566 | (CNN) -- "When I'm riding, it is like flying. My feet do not touch the ground -- and the world and all the stresses that can come with being blind just disappear." Verity Smith has known her share of hurt, heartache and adversity, but it has not stopped her pursuing her dreams. A singer/songwriter, she has starred in her own stage musical, written a book and campaigned for guide dog awareness -- but she's most at home on a horse. "It's like floating. It's magical," the 40-year-old tells CNN's Human to Hero series. Smith gradually lost her vision from the age of eight due to a rare genetic disorder, becoming registered as officially blind by 16. "It's kind of like a big snowstorm in my eyes," she explains. "I see light and dark in my left eye and within that sometimes I see shadowy movement, but apart from that, not a lot." While she is a published author and has her own record deal, there is one aim she has not fulfilled -- her goal of competing as a dressage rider at the highest level. "My dream was the London 2012 Olympics -- to compete at home, in my own country, for my country. It would've been my absolute dream but unfortunately we didn't go." Rewind to 2011. Life was going smoothly -- she was riding well, singing beautifully and heading for a place in Britain's Paralympics team. But then Smith's dreams began to unravel at an alarming rate. In June that year, her competition horse Marcus died of cancer before his replacement was diagnosed with "kissing spine," which meant it was unable to take part in elite competition. Worse was to come when her first guide dog was put to sleep. Smith's nightmare 12 months continued when a car she was traveling in -- on the way to pick up her new dog from the vet -- was hit by a truck whose driver fell asleep at the wheel. Smith suffered impact injuries to her chest and her spine was put out of place. She escaped without any broken bones but the accident ended her hopes of taking part at London 2012. "I decided after that year of just horror, it was just an unlucky year," Smith says philosophically. "Lots of people have them but it seemed like everything came at the same time. "I was very, very disappointed, very, very sad. It was the one time in my lifetime, the Olympics was going to be in London and it looked like being such a beautiful, beautiful event." With her dreams crushed, Smith may have been forgiven for wanting a period of moping and introspection. Instead, she did what she does best -- she got back on the horse. Aided by a new guide dog, Uffa, a Labradoodle who she describes as the "number one man in her life," she began to regain her confidence. Slowly but surely after a year out of the saddle, she began to get her balance back, taking short rides every day. Once the confidence had returned, it was time to find a partner -- a new horse. Smith, who is now in France training with experienced coach Max Vendrell, describes the process as "like speed dating but without the bell." "It was quite an experience," she says. "It's like meeting your future husband. "I was sitting on new horses in new environments, it's quite difficult." It was through a recommendation by a former trainer that Smith traveled to Sweden to meet the horse she would eventually fall in love with. "This horse is really, really special," was the thought racing through her mind as she sat on Szekit for the first time. "He's an absolute gentleman. If he were a man, I would marry him." While both took their time to get used to each other, with Szekit (or "Kit" as she calls him) slowly realizing his rider could not see, their progress has been immeasurable. "He's a really good guy and even the short time we've been together, I've really begun to trust him," Smith says. "I think he's getting the sense that there is something wrong with that person -- she can't see, she does bump into me sometimes -- but he's very accepting of that. "I really believe that horses understand I cannot see. They are very sensitive creatures. They're just magic." The two are now working together in a bid to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Such an achievement would be astonishing given her accident -- but her determination to succeed in dressage is obvious to all who have met her. Having started riding at the age of three, Smith competed in show jumping until her mid-teens. "When my eyesight got to the point that show jumping and eventing were becoming a dangerous sport, I decided to look for a really good dressage trainer that could take me on and start me from scratch," she recalls. "I've never actually seen dressage being performed. When I could see, I was obviously very interested in all the things that involved speed and obstacles." Dressage, which Smith describes as "ballet with horses," was originally used to train the animals during the Renaissance period. The "piaffe" is a signature move where the horse jogs on the spot, while there are also the "flying changes" -- where it skips on alternate legs. "It is all about harnessing the horse's energy and channeling it in different ways, and the control comes from your seat," Smith explains. "The horse has to be incredibly supple and incredibly strong. It's all gentle movements -- you're never going to get half a tonne of horse to do something by being strong. You have to ask them nicely." At the Olympics and Paralympics, there are two controlled rounds, where competitors are marked out of 10 and awarded a percentage score, before showcasing their freestyle routine. Smith's favorite music is swing, with the big band sound of Glenn Miller enough to get her "In the Mood." But while the swing will hopefully turn to samba in time for Rio, Smith says she still faces a real challenge to qualify for the British team. "We are working as hard as we can," she says. "There's a lot of good people out there wanting to be in the British team so our goal is to work as hard as I can and train as hard as I can. "Although we didn't do London, hopefully with a bit of luck, we'll earn our place on the team and we'll fly to Rio." | Verity Smith is a blind dressage rider .
She lost her sight by the age of 16 and registered blind .
Missed out on London 2012 following nightmare year .
Briton is aiming to compete at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games . |
161,406 | 5caa9b25be8fb2059812a86ebe89e5ac604af8a8 | By . Thomas Burrows for MailOnline . A woman fought off five hooded thieves and put one in a headlock to protect her blind husband who was watching television on the sofa. Marion Pedersen, 47, was watching TV with husband Andrew, 50, when the men broke into their sheltered accommodation home in Harborne, Birmingham. Fearing the gang were about to attack her husband, she launched herself off the sofa and attacked the group. Marion Pedersen, 47, fought off hooded thieves to protect her blind husband, Andrew, 50 . She wrestled one of the gang to the group and grabbed him in a headlock, before shouting for help. But the thief wriggled free and, along with the rest of the gang, fled - having left the couple's flat ransacked. They made off with the couple's laptop, a mobile phone and a purse containing a small amount of cash and credit cards. Ms Pedersen, a mother of one, was treated at the scene by paramedics following the incident at 12.10am on Thursday and suffered a fractured rib. She said: 'One minute we were watching TV and the next thing we knew these men were in the room, running amok searching for things to steal. 'We are on the ground floor and they broke their way in through the back door. 'I was petrified and initially felt frozen to my chair, but then I thought one of them was going to do something to Andrew. 'Instinct just came over me, I don't know if I was being brave or just stupid. 'I got one of the thieves in a headlock and dragged him down to the floor. 'I pulled back his hooded top as I wanted to get a good look at the face of someone who could do something so heartless. 'But then he pushed me off him and I felt my rib go and I started screaming. That's when they ran off. 'I haven't attacked anyone before but when one of them was going towards my husband I saw red.' Fearing the gang were about to attack her husband, she launched herself off the sofa and attacked them . Her husband, who used to work as a hospital porter before he went blind 16 years ago, added: 'I heard people coming in and my wife was screaming "get out". 'Apparently four of them went to the table and one came towards me. 'Marion saw red and got him in a headlock and knocked him to the floor. 'It was amazing, it scared them off. She is my hero.' The couple, who have been married for three years but together for 26, have only lived at the sheltered accommodation for a year. Ms Pedersen said her husband had now lost his 'lifeline' as relatives entertained him with the laptop that was stolen, while he sits through three four-hour sessions of dialysis every week. She added: 'I am sickened that anyone can break into someone's home, particularly when they know it is sheltered accommodation for vulnerable, disabled and old people. 'I'm worried sick that they will come back and have another go. 'I want them to be punished and I want to prevent anyone else from having this happen to them.' She described the thieves as Asian, aged between 18 and 20, and of a slim build. A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: 'Police have launched an investigation after a break-in at an address in Elm Tree Road, Harborne, just after midnight on Thursday August 28. 'The occupant challenged the five offenders and was pushed to the floor. 'They made off with a laptop, a mobile phone and bank cards.' | Marion Pedersen, 47, fought off the thieves when they broke into her home in Birmingham .
She wrestled one of the gang to the group and grabbed him in a headlock .
She feared the gang were about to attack her blind husband, Andrew, 50 .
They made off with the couple's laptop, a phone, cash and credit cards . |
209,978 | 9bef2a5ac4ea4f244623807c60fc76396ff21a7a | (CNN) -- Whether it's breaking records on the piste, or making hit records in the studio, Tina Maze is determined to do things her way. The 29-year-old, who broke ranks with her national skiing federation to set up her own team, last weekend had the satisfaction of breaking the iconic all-time World Cup points record of the legendary Hermann Maier as she shrugged off pre-race death threats. The Slovenian has celebrated her numerous victories by turning cartwheels and, even more daringly, once famously unzipped her ski suit to reveal her under clothing to photographers after some rivals had wrongly accused her of gaining an aerodynamic advantage by placing padding in her sports bra. But not content with just grabbing the sporting headlines, Maze is also hitting the high notes in a fledgling career as a pop star -- inspired by influences such as Alicia Keys, Jessie J and, of course, Lady Gaga. A leading Slovenian music producer persuaded Maze to record a number he had written. Given her maverick reputation and single-minded approach, the title could not have been more apt:-- "My Way is My Decision" -- and it proved an instant hit, quickly reaching No. 1 in the Slovenian charts. The accompanying video -- which sees Maze moving in time to the catchy up tempo song -- has had over a million hits on YouTube. At one point, Maze dons a skiing helmet and uses a ski as a mock guitar, but fooling aside it is clear she has more than a modicum of musical talent. "It was a new challenge -- I love music," she told CNN's Alpine Edge show. "When I was a kid I played the piano for six years and all my family are musicians." Having focused relentlessly on her skiing career since her teenage years, Maze is relieved to find an outside distraction in a completely different field. "I was always looking for something different. Skiing is always so huge, you need so many talents to be fast and be good at this sport," she said. "You need some talent and sensibility which you get with music." Maze's skiing rivals were already aware of her talents on and off the slopes, and she often entertains her rivals with her piano skills when they stay at exclusive five-star hotels on the tour. When a concert was laid on at the end of the world championships in Schladming in Austria last month, she was quick to grab the microphone and belt out a few numbers. Maze had plenty to celebrate, having won a gold in the super-G and two silvers in the super-combined and giant slalom. Many predicted she would achieve the almost unprecedented feat of winning medals in all five of alpine skiing's disciplines, but tiredness and muscle soreness saw her finish fifth and seventh in the slalom and downhill respectively. But her incredible consistency across all the events has served Maze spectacularly well during the World Cup season, and she clinched the Crystal Globe of overall women's champion with nine events still remaining with victory in the super-G at Meribel a week after the championships at Schladming. It left her in touching distance of the all-time points record of the "Herminator" Maier and this was duly achieved with her ninth victory of the season in Saturday's downhill at Garmisch Partenkirchen. It took her past the magic 2,000 points mark of Maier and completed World Cup wins in all five of skiing's disciplines. With echoes of her hit pop video, she celebrated her win this time by using her ski as a guitar, and had time to throw in her trademark cartwheel. But afterwards, Maze revealed that she had received an email death threat, and there was a strong German police presence at Sunday's super-G, where she finished fourth. Typically, she shrugged off the threats. "It shouldn't be part of the game but life is not perfect. It's not nice for me, it's not nice for my team. They want to ruin your day, ruin the record," she told gathered reporters. Maze has had to play second fiddle to the likes of American superstar Lindsey Vonn, the previous holder of the women's points record of 1980, but no longer. "I've been improving for the past four or five seasons. You didn't see me much before, but I was improving and this season it all fits together," she said. Since 2008, Maze has been guided by her Italian coach and boyfriend, Andrea Massi -- going it alone with their team "aMaze." It has paid off in spectacular style. "Winning the overall is a dream I've had since being a young skier. It's everyone's dream." Vonn's shocking crash in the super-G at the world championships -- she was airlifted off the piste after sustaining a serious knee injury -- tempered Maze's subsequent triumph, and the Slovenian's look of horror and concern for her rival was only too evident. "I'm really afraid of crashes," she admitted. "I always concentrate 100% to make sure I do not make any mistakes such as happened to Lindsey. "She was pushing the limits, she always does and that's why she's a great fighter." Vonn faces a race against time to be fit in time for the Winter Olympics in Sochi next year, where Maze is determined to add to the two silvers she won at the 2010 Games in Vancouver as she carries the hopes of her small nation. "It's my next major goal, to win a gold that's my goal," she said. And don't rule out a return to the top of the music charts ("I'm really proud of that") by a young woman with talent and a zest for life -- a real crowd-pleaser in every sense. | Tina Maze has rewritten skiing's record books this season .
Slovenian ace wrapped up overall World Cup title with nine races left .
Defied death threats to break all-time points record of Hermann Maier .
Maze has had a No. 1 hit record in her native country . |
89,260 | fd5c598c717542f023a7f067ebb33eda7e5f1747 | A 10-year-old German boy has discovered what appears to be an Egyptian mummy in a wooden chest in his grandmother's attic. Alexander Kettler found the 'mummy' inside a sarcophagus in a dark corner of the attic in Diepholz, northern Germany, after it had lain undisturbed for at least four decades. The boy's father, Lutz Wolfgang Kettler, now intends to take the box, covered in hieroglyphics, to Berlin so that experts can ascertain whether it is genuine. Mysterious find: A 10-year-old German boy found what appeared to be a mummy in a sarcophagus in his grandmother's attic . As well as the 'mummy', the box also contained a death mask and a canopic jar used by ancient Egyptians to store removed organs. Mr Ketller believes that the sarcophagus and jar are fake but says that there is every chance that the mummy itself is real. He said: 'You just don't get the feeling that's something you could buy at a shop around the corner.' Mr Kettler's father travelled to north Africa in the 1950s and had a mysterious chest shipped back to Germany. Relic: Mr Kettler believed that his father may have brought an unusual souvenir back from a trip to north Africa in the 1950s . He said that his father had never spoken about the chest or its contents, but told local newspaper Die Kreiszeitung that there was still a trade in genuine mummies when his father, who died more than a decade ago, travelled. Mr kettler added that mummy 'unwrapping parties' - where a genuine mummy was literally unwrapped and the trinkets found within handed out as gifts to guests - were not uncommon in Germany at the time. Dentist Mr Kettler said that the only way to find out if the mummy was genuine would be to x-ray it. The mummification process dates back to 3,500BC with the oldest intact Egyptian mummy dating from 100 years after that. The mummy, known simply as ID #32751, is currently held by the British Museum. It was apparently preserved by direct contact with the dry desert sand, though it is uncertain whether the mummification was intended. Tradition: Ancient Egyptians used to mummify both humans and animals when they died . Ancient Egyptians were firm believers in the afterlife when someone died. But they thought to get there, the body needed to be recognisable, so that the dead person could repossess it. The chief embalmer was a priest wearing the mask of Anubis - the jackal-headed God of the dead. First the brains would be pulled out of the person through the nose using a hook. Then all the internal organs would removed, including the lungs, stomach, intestines and liver and placed in jars. The heart would be replaced. The inside of the body would be rinsed with wine and spices before being covered with salt for 70 days. After 40 days it would be stuffed with linen to give it a more humane shape. At 70 days it would be wrapped in bandages and placed inside a brightly-painted coffin. Mainly wealthy people were mummified because poorer people could not afford it. Animals were also sometimes mummified as gestures to the Gods or so that they could accompany their owners in the afterlife. | Alexander Kettler found the 'mummy' in Diepholz, northern Germany .
His grandfather brought a mysterious chest back from Africa in the 1950s .
As well as the 'mummy', a sarcophagus and canopic jar were also found .
The boy's father intends to get the contents of the box examined by experts . |
207,437 | 989820865a8b82dd3281c5e90635598060fbf068 | Gary Ballance has been selected in England 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. James Anderson and Stuart Broad also return for the tournament having recovered from injury, with Ben Stokes and Harry Gurney making way from the squad that toured Sri Lanka over the past few weeks. There is, of course, a change in captain with Alastair Cook sacked and replaced by Eoin Morgan. Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) (Captain) Moeen Ali (Worcestershire) James Anderson (Lancashire) Gary Ballance (Yorkshire) Ian Bell (Warwickshire) Ravi Bopara (Essex) Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire) Jos Buttler (Lancashire) Steven Finn (Middlesex) Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire) Chris Jordan (Sussex) Joe Root (Yorkshire) James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) James Tredwell (Kent) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) Yorkshire's Gary Ballance has been included in England's 15-man World Cup squad . Alastair Cook has been sacked as England's one-day captain ahead of the World Cup in February . Eoin Morgan will take over as England's one-day captain for the tri-series and the World Cup . Ballance did not feature in the Sri Lanka series, which England lost 5-2, and has not played international one-day cricket since the end of the summer. The squad departs on January 6 and will warm-up for the tournament with a tri-series against Australia and India. Their opening World Cup fixture is against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 14. National Selector, James Whitaker, said: 'We have had to make some difficult decisions to get to our final squad but firmly believe that the 15 players selected offer the very best chance of success at the World Cup. James Anderson returns to strengthen England's bowling attack ahead of the World Cup . Stuart Broad also returns to the squad for the World Cup having missed the recent series in Sri Lanka . 'I would like to congratulate all players on their selection and wish Peter, Eoin, and the squad all the very best. 'Representing England in a World Cup is a huge honour and responsibility, something all the players recognise. 'There have been a number of promising performances from players in recent series and it is important that this squad continues to develop their one-day skills quickly and players start to show the sort of consistency needed to succeed regularly on the world stage.' Meanwhile, Jonathan Trott has been named as England Lions captain for their January tour of South Africa. | England have named their 15-man squad for ICC Cricket World Cup .
Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance is called up .
James Anderson and Stuart Broad return to bowling attack .
Ben Stokes and Harry Gurney make way from squad in Sri Lanka .
Alastair Cook is replaced by Eoin Morgan as captain .
England start campaign against Australia in Melbourne on February 14 .
They first face a tri-series against Australia and India . |
82,325 | e968e8e2ed7459d2f559bbd3b6ea3e617ea5b4cd | Liverpool target Dele Alli has signed a new contract with MK Dons. The midfielder - who was born in Milton Keynes and made his debut for the club aged 16 - has attracted the interest of England's top clubs and was part of the MK Dons' side that beat Manchester United 4-0 in the Capital One Cup. Liverpool put in a £3.5million bid – rising to £8m – for Alli earlier this summer but the 18-year-old has extended his stay at MK Dons until 2017. MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli, a Liverpool target, has extended his contract at the club until the end of 2017 . The 18-year-old, who was born in Milton Keynes, has played all nine games for the club this season . 'Dele is an exceptionally gifted player and it was only right that we rewarded him for a fantastic 12 months with this new deal,' MK Dons boss Karl Robinson said in a statement. 'Dele will continue to be linked with some of the world's biggest clubs and it's inevitable that there will be a time when we will have to let him go, whether that be in January, next summer or whenever. 'However, for the time being, he remains an MK Dons player and we'll continue to enjoy watching him progress week-in, week-out here at stadiumMK. 'Dele remains fully focused on playing for this club and we remain just as committed to him and his development.' Alli said he was delighted to have extended his stay at his home club and that he is concentrated on performing for MK Dons, despite widespread interest in his services. MK Dons manager Karl Robinson says the new deal rewards Alli's 'fantastic 12 months' Alli was part of the MK Dons team that defeated Manchester United 4-0 in the Capital One Cup . 'This came as a bit of surprise but I'm thankful to the manager, the chairman and the club for this new deal and I hope to repay everyone on the pitch. 'My focus is solely on playing for the Dons. I'm a Milton Keynes boy so I couldn't be happier representing my local team. I'm playing regularly in the first team as well which will only stand me in good stead for the future. 'I love this club and it would be a dream to help take them to the next level. Hopefully we can continue this strong start to the season, starting with Crewe on Saturday.' MK Dons are currently fourth in League One after seven matches, equal on points with Bradford and Sheffield United in the other play-off positions. They face last-placed Crewe at the weekend. England Under 19 representative Alli says he's proud to be playing for his local club . | Dele Alli, 18, has signed a new deal at MK Dons amid Liverpool interest .
The Academy graduate has featured in all nine games this season .
Liverpool made an £8m summer offer for Alli, which MK Dons rejcted .
Alli's new extended contract runs until the end of 2017 .
Dons boss Karl Robinson said: 'Dele is an exceptionally gifted player'
He added: 'It was only right we rewarded him for a fantastic 12 months'
The manager admits Alli will be signed by a bigger club . |
166,120 | 62cb80971b4e51deca706c22ea7677902f09642d | By . Liz Hull and Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 17:32 EST, 21 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:48 EST, 21 February 2013 . Battling: Brook Hill is in a coma in a French hospital after a ski collision on a junior slope at the Les Monts d¿Olmes ski resort in the south of the country . A nine-year-old boy is in a coma after being knocked down by a skier on a family holiday in the Pyrenees. Brook Hill was enjoying a beginners’ skiing lesson on a junior slope at the Les Monts d’Olmes ski resort in southern France when the accident happened. The youngster, who was wearing a helmet, was knocked unconscious by a 27-year-old man who lost control and ploughed into him at high speed. Brook was airlifted to a hospital in Toulouse where he has had an operation to remove a section of his skull to relieve pressure on his brain. The other skier suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung and is recovering in hospital. Police have launched an investigation into Sunday’s accident. Yesterday, his entrepreneur father Louis, 40, said doctors have told him they cannot be sure of the extent of the brain damage until Brook wakes up. Mr Hill, of Wrenbury, Cheshire, said: ‘Brook is stable and we are hoping he wakes up soon. ‘He’s a tough little chap and a real fighter, so our fingers are . crossed. 'He has not, as yet, opened his eyes and . ‘woken up’ so things still remain in the balance and doctors are . reluctant to give any prognosis until he can answer questions or respond . to instructions. ‘It is still early days and doctors are advising any recovery is . likely to be a long process.’ Accident: The resort of Les Monts d'Olmes is popular with families because the slopes are relatively easy . Brook Hill (left) and brother Barney were on their first skiing holiday with their parents in France . Mr Hill said Brook, left, hasn't woken up yet but described him as 'a real fighter' Brook, who attends the White House . School, in Whitchurch, Shropshire, was half-way through his first skiing . trip with his father, mother Rachael, 42, a nutritionist and health . writer, and brother Barney, 12. Brook Hill, who plays for Whitchurch under 10s rugby team in Shropshire, has been inundated with messages of support . The . sports-mad youngster, who was player of the year at Whit-church . under-10s mini-rugby team last year, has been inundated with messages . from well-wishers, including his hero, the Welsh international rugby . full-back Leigh Halfpenny. A popular pupil, his family and friends have been writing messages of support and jokes on a website which his parents are reading aloud to the schoolboy, who is in intensive care. His uncle, Paul, of Tattenhall, Cheshire, added: ‘We are so grateful Brook was wearing a crash helmet. ‘In all honesty, we all ignorantly . believe that such accidents only happen to other people, and it’s a big . wake up call when it’s one of your own. ‘As . a family we really believe in the power of positive thinking and the . amount of people who tell us they are sending good vibes to Brook is . overwhelming. ‘Brook is very lucky to have such warmth around him. ‘It’s . very difficult to determine the damage to Brook’s brain while he is in . the coma, so we are willing him to wake up so we can figure out what the . next step is. ‘Listening to music and jokes will be a constant part of his routine until we have another development.’ Monts-d’Olmes is a small resort in the Ariege department, around one-and-a-half hours’ drive from Toulouse. Its slopes are especially popular with families with young children, because all are relatively easy. The resort was particularly busy on Sunday because it was the first weekend of half-term holidays in France, and other European countries. | Brook Hill knocked unconscious by 27-year-old man on slopes in France .
On ski holiday for first time with family from Wrenbury, Cheshire .
'He's a tough little chap so our fingers are crossed,' father Louis, 40 . |
94,596 | 05903fb1231e21bb0d775169bfe941c1a7c004ab | Beijing (CNN) -- Li Keqiang on Friday was named China's premier, the No. 2 position in the Chinese government, completing the once-a-decade transition of leadership in the world's most populous nation. He replaces Wen Jiabao. Li rose to the position at the nation's annual parliamentary gathering, which a day earlier named Xi Jinping as China's new president. He was the sole candidate. The vote was largely a rubber stamp that completes the highly choreographed leadership transition which started in November, which saw the traditionally nine-member Politburo Standing Committee shrink to seven. Four months after taking over as General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi replaced outgoing leader Hu Jintao Thursday after a formal vote of about 3,000 deputies at the National People's Congress (NPC). Xi was also named chairman of the state Central Military Commission. "He has had a stronger military relationship than either of his two predecessors -- Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao -- when they began, so Xi comes in with a really strong position and he needs it," Robert Lawrence Kuhn, author of "How China's Leaders Think," told CNN. "We could go through a whole list of problems from the structure of the economy as well as the social issues: Health care, housing, education and pollution and retirement and food safety," Kuhn added. "All of these things are all bubbling up together -- and with a billion cell phones in China, everybody knows it, so he's on the spot." Opening the NPC last week, Wen urged delegates to "unite as one and work hard to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," according to state-run news agency Xinhua. PROFILES: China's new leaders . Since the congress convened March 5, thousands of Chinese officials have held a series of meetings to discuss the structure of state departments and future targets. The NPC concludes Sunday. Goals set out for China, now the world's second largest economy, during the NPC included an annual growth rate this year of 7.5%. Efforts would be made to keep consumer price inflation at around 3.5%. And, nine million new jobs would be created with the intention of keeping urban unemployment at no more than 4.6%. Beijing announced during the NPC it would strengthen the powers of the State Food and Drug Administration in the wake of widespread health concerns over food safety, such as tainted milk and baby formula scandals, according to Xinhua. The issue of water quality also became clear during the congress, with the discovery of nearly 6,000 dead pigs in a Shanghai river, raising local concerns about the safety of the city's drinking water. This winter has seen its worst pollution in living memory, angering a population already jaded by a series of high-profile corruption scandals -- including the downfall of the once high-flying politician Bo Xilai -- that have tainted the reputation of the party. In a speech published by the People's Daily earlier this month, Xi warned that China faced many risks and challenges, saying that the party's future was at stake. The NPC also approved the restructuring of several ministries under the State Council. The two agencies that regulate and censor media -- the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the General Administration of Press and Publication -- will be merged, as will the Health Ministry and the National Population and Family Planning Commission, Xinhua reported. CNN's Kevin Voigt and Katie Hunt contributed to this story . | Li Keqiang was named China's premier, the No. 2 position .
Xi Jinping formally took the role of Chinese president on Thursday .
New leaders were named last November but have been waiting for congress .
NPC discussed major issues facing country, including economic aims . |
116,489 | 225c906d6c63f92bacdcfab8f10fb913f2ab20d1 | By . Simon Jones for MailOnline . West Ham have entered the chase for out-of-favour Manchester City defender Micah Richards as the summer transfer window draws to a close. Sunderland have also enquired about taking the versatile 26-year-old on a season-long loan after Richards grew frustrated at the lack of opportunities at the Etihad. Sam Allardyce is desperate for reinforcements as he continues to implement a more attractive playing style at West Ham, which Richard's marauding runs from the flanks would compliment. VIDEO Scroll down for Funny! Micah Richards pranks Carlos Tevez's translator (archive) Target: West Ham and Sunderland are looking to pick up Micah Richards on loan from Manchester City . Tick tock: Sam Allardyce and Gus Poyet are keen to strengthen before transfer window closes . However, the Hammers would also only be able to finance a loan deal, which might not suit the Premier League champions as they strive to meet Financial Fair Play regulations. Richards was once heralded as Gary Neville's successor as England's first-choice right-back but a loss of form and fitness has seen him fall behind Pablo Zabaleta and new arrival Bacary Sagna. Black Cats manager Gus Poyet wants to strengthen his defensive options before Monday's transfer deadline and sees the powerful defender as a viable option. The Uruguayan had been hoping to seal a loan deal for Porto's Rolando but a move for the Portuguese has stalled. Moving on?: Matija Nastasic could also leave the Etihad with interest from Ligue 1 clubs Lille and Marseille . Meanwhile, City have also received inquiries for Matija Nastasic, who has fallen further down the pecking order after the arrival of Eliaquim Mangala from Porto. French sides Lille and Marseille are both interested in the Serbian defender, who is deemed surplus to requirements by Pellegrini. The 21-year-old was also missing from the City squad that fell to a surprise loss to Mark Hughes' side at the Etihad. It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There’s £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… . | West Ham are interested in signing Micah Richards from Manchester City .
Hammers can only afford loan, which may not suit Premier League champs .
Richards has fallen behind Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna at the Etihad .
Sunderland are also chasing former England defender before transfer window closes 11pm Monday September 1 .
City defender Matija Nastasic is wanted by French sides Marseille and Lille . |
247,385 | cc2354da2fe407074eb901de17403d3d7c74cc43 | PUBLISHED: . 06:24 EST, 20 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:49 EST, 20 December 2012 . A man was killed on his first day at a new job after his colleague lost control of her speeding car as she gave him a lift home. Charles Punter, 25, of Colchester, Essex had finished his first day at a marketing firm when he was offered a lift by after he had problems getting into work. Co-worker Rebecca Price, 29, also of Colchester, lost control of her Ford Ka as she sped round a bend, smashing into an oncoming 'pick-up' car. Police crash investigators later . concluded that mother-of-one Price had been travelling at up to 45 mph . on the 30mph stretch of road. Charles Punter, 25, (left) of Essex had finished his first day at work when he accepted a lift home from co-worker Rebecca Price (right). He was killed when her speeding car crashed into a pick up car . She was charged with causing death by careless driving following the horrific accident. Price appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court, Essex, for sentencing after admitting the single charge. She stood weeping in the dock as Recorder Malcolm Davis-White, QC, handed her a six-month suspended jail sentence. She was also banned from the roads for two-and-a-half years and was told to take an extended test. The court was told that Mr Punter had been planning to take a bus home after he had problems getting into work on his first day with the Tiptree firm Max Impact. Price offered to give him a lift home but lost control of her Ford Ka shortly after they left work at 5pm on December 12 last year. Elizabeth Bradshaw, mitigating, said Price would be haunted for the rest of her life by her actions. She said: 'She is a young mother and she is absolutely devastated with the part she played in robbing another mother of her son. Kelvedon Road, Colchester. Mother of one Price had been travelling at up to 45 mph on the 30mph stretch of road . 'She realises the horrible situation the family of Mr Punter are in and there is genuine remorse.' The court heard that Price was not wearing her glasses when she crashed but she later passed an eye test so it was judged not to have contributed to the tragedy. Price will have to take an extended driving test before she is allowed on the roads again. Mr Punter was born in Wickford and moved to Colchester the month he died. At the time of his death a tribute, released through Essex Police, read: 'Charles Victor Punter, known as Charlie, was a true one-off. He will be remembered as a man who would make you laugh, more often than not until there were tears running down your face. 'But there was much more to him than that. Charlie had an incredible work ethic and enthusiasm for life. 'He returned to Colchester in early December to live with his friends and embark on a new career which we have no doubt he would have succeeded in. When Charlie put his mind to something, he could achieve anything. 'He was so full of potential and his family and friends are devastated that he'll never have the chance to show us what we all knew he was capable of.' | Charles Punter, of Essex, was getting a lift home with Rebecca Price .
But the pair crashed while Price was driving 45mph in 30mph zone .
The mother of one has been given a six month suspended sentence .
She has also been banned from driving for two and half years . |
107,857 | 170b9a80e931c8e6608a6bdd15bad04e7875de76 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:58 EST, 13 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 22:10 EST, 13 September 2013 . An abandoned dog has been found with a massively swollen head caused by her collar being embedded five inches into her neck. The mixed-breed dog was found in a Toledo park on Monday with such severe injuries that dog wardens didn't think she would survive the night. Despite her injuries, which have caused her head to swell, the dog is already responding well to the people taking care of her and has been wagging her tail and lapping up attention. Abused: Stray dog Princess P was found with her collar embedded 5in into her neck . Raw: The dog has a 3in wide wound around her neck from her collar . 'She’s got the sweetest little face, you can’t not feel for this dog,' Lucas County dog warden Julie Lyle said. She is working with Ohio University's vet department to find a way to treat the wound, with the medical bills being covered by the animal charity Cutie's Fund. The dog, renamed Princess P, has a wound 3in wide and 5in deep, according to the Toledo Blade. 'It is so deep that you can see her trachea,' Ms Lyle said. 'It surpasses any wound we’ve ever dealt with here.' She added: 'She was in such horrible shape, I wasn’t sure if she was even going to make it through the night.' Princess P's face is so swollen because the lymph nodes are unable to drain properly. Because of her injuries, no one is sure what type of dog she is. Saved: Despite her horrific injuries Princess P is a friendly dog wanting attention, dog wardens say . Dog wardens plan to place her with a rescue group once her initial injuries have been dealt with, so she can fully heal and be found a new family. Cutie's Fund, a charity that helps pay for emergency care for rescue animals, is helping to pay for Princess P's treatment. Since it was set up in November, to help a chihuahua, it has raised $46,573 to help fund emergency care for more than a dozen dogs. | Stray dog found wandering Toledo park with horrific injuries .
Emergency care fund Cutie's is helping to pay for treatment . |
101,490 | 0ecf2c432de4823879c3ab2538e6efc896115010 | (CNN) -- A head-banging parrot who became a YouTube sensation has demonstrated that an ability to appreciate music and keep a rhythm is not unique to humans, scientists say. Alex, an African grey parrot, was one of 14 birds which displayed an ability to keep time with a tune. Snowball the cockatoo, who appears to bop his head, tap his claws and squawk enthusiastically to the Back Street Boys' "Everybody" is one of several birds apparently capable of dancing to a beat, according to two studies published in the latest edition of the journal Current Biology. In a study lead by Adena Schachner of Harvard University, researchers examined more than 1,000 YouTube videos of dancing animals and found 14 types of parrot species and one elephant genuinely capable of keeping time. The video of Snowball has been viewed more than two million times since it was posted in 2007. Another video of Snowball shows him dancing to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." Watch Snowball the dancing parrot » . Schachner analyzed the videos frame-by-frame, comparing the animals' movements with the speed of the music and the alignment of individual beats. The group also studied another bird, Alex, an African grey parrot, which had exhibited similar abilities to Snowball, nodding its head appreciatively to a series of drum tracks. "Our analyses showed that these birds' movements were more lined up with the musical beat than we'd expect by chance," says Schachner. "We found strong evidence that they were synchronizing with the beat, something that has not been seen before in other species." Aniruddh Patel of The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, who led another study of Snowball's performance, said that the bird had demonstrated an ability to adjust the tempo of his dancing to stay synchronized to the beat. Scientists had previously thought that "moving to a musical beat might be a uniquely human ability because animals are not commonly seen moving rhythmically in the wild," Patel said. Schachner said there was no evidence to suggest that animals such as apes, dogs or cats could recognize music, despite their extensive experience of humans. That leads researchers to believe that an ability to process musical sounds may be linked to an ability to mimic sounds -- something that each of the parrots studied by researchers was able to do excellently, she said. Other "vocal-learning species" include dolphins, elephants, seals and walruses. "A natural question about these results is whether they generalize to other parrots, or more broadly, to other vocal-learning species," Schachner said. Researchers believe a possible link between vocal mimicry and an ability to hear music may explain the development of music in human societies. "The question of why music is found in every known human culture is a longstanding puzzle. Many argue that it is an adaptive behaviour that helped our species to evolve. But equally plausible is the possibility that it emerged as a by-product of other abilities -- such as vocal learning," music psychologist Lauren Stewart of Goldsmiths, University of London told CNN. "Parrots and humans both have the ability to imitate sounds that they hear, unlike our closer simian relatives. Once a species has the neural machinery in place for coupling the perception and production of vocal sounds, it may be only a small step to use the same circuits for synchronizing movements to a beat." | Scientists: Dancing parrots prove ability to recognize music not unique to humans .
YouTube hit Snowball the cockatoo dances to Back Street Boys, Queen .
Ability to keep time apparently linked to vocal mimicry, scientists believe .
Other animals capable of mimicry include dolphins, elephants, seals, walruses . |
190,961 | 834a194d90d0156f3c7e55a9bff1d3603b1a0543 | By . Helen Lawson . PUBLISHED: . 10:00 EST, 12 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:26 EST, 12 July 2013 . Dave McLuckie, the former chairman of Cleveland Policy Authority, has been jailed for eight months for getting a friend to take speeding points for him . A former police chief who persuaded a friend to take speeding points for him so he wouldn't miss out on the top job has been jailed for eight months. Dave McLuckie, 52, was on the brink of becoming the chairman of Cleveland Police Authority when asked his friend Maurice Ward for a 'big favour' to help him avoid a driving ban in 2005. He had been caught by a speed camera doing 36mph in a 30mph zone in his black Peugeot and already had nine points on his licence. McLuckie's crime only came to light following a fall-out with Mr Ward, who became ill with cancer two years later and felt his friend had not visited him enough. Mr Ward, who died in January last year, wrote a note stating that he had taken the points for McLuckie, which was discovered by his widow after his death. Mr Ward's daughter Donna told a local councillor about her discovery and the police were informed. McLuckie, from Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, denied perverting the course of justice but was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court last month. He told the court that the Ward family was driven by malice but did not specifically deny being the driver. The disgraced police chief claimed he had . spoken to Mr Ward who agreed he had probably been driving the car . on that occasion. Passing sentence, Judge David Wood told McLuckie: 'This offence does really strike at the heart of the legal system.' He said he had to give McLuckie a prison term despite the excellent . references McLuckie had put forward, and being a man of 'exemplary . character'. 'This case is not really about penalty . points, it’s about justice and equality before the law. You are not . entitled to avoid the law or interfere with the course of justice.' The judge did not impose a driving ban and said Mr Ward would have received the same prison sentence if he were still alive. Julian Smith, defending, said McLuckie . had stepped down as a councillor at Redcar and Cleveland Council and . from voluntary organisations he represented. He has been suspended from his managerial role at a potash mine, and was on gardening leave. A judge at Newcastle Crown Court told McLuckie that he was not entitled to avoid the law . McLuckie realised he might not have a future with the company where he has worked for 31 years, he said. Mr Smith said McLuckie’s own 'poignant' assessment of the case was that 'it has destroyed everything I have ever been'. Mr Ward’s handwritten note said: . 'DM caught speeding Carlin How 15-4-2005. 3 points penalty. 12.16pm . 36mph. Took my licence in himself to pay. 'He had called at my house on . 28-4-2005 at 8.50. He had a coffee and asked me if I would lend him my . licence to get 3 points deducted to help him get the post of Chairman of . Cleveland Police which I did.' McLuckie was still under investigation by Operation Sacristy - an inquiry into alleged corruption within Cleveland Police - which has caused him regional notoriety, and will make his time in prison difficult, his barrister said. 'That is likely to attract the wrong kind of attention, that is a matter about which he is understandably concerned,' Mr Smith said. As he was led from court, McLuckie blew a kiss and said 'Love you' to his partner in the public gallery. Today, the Crown Prosecution Service said that Mr Ward's guilty conscience made him write the note. Gerry Sydenham, head of the Crown Court Unit at CPS North East, said: 'Mr Ward became increasingly troubled by his part in this and, while suffering from a fatal illness, he wrote a note to his family to clear his conscience. 'That short note prompted the criminal prosecution that led to McLuckie’s sentence today and I would hope that today’s result gives some measure of closure to Mr Ward’s family.' | Dave McLuckie, 52, asked his friend Maurice Ward to take points in 2005 .
He was about to be promoted to take charge of Cleveland Policy Authority .
The pair fell out when a dying Mr Ward felt his friend did not visit him enough .
After his death, Mr Ward's widow found an note describing the crime .
McLuckie sentenced to eight months for perverting the course of justice . |
220,824 | a9dee1c0faa62061a8ac4d121e43cefb64285f0e | (CNN) -- Kia Scherr couldn't reach her husband and daughter after the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, and didn't know if they were alive. Alan Scherr, 58, died in the attack on the Oberoi hotel in Mumbai, his wife, Kia, confirms. She learned on Friday that her husband, Alan Scherr, 58, and 13-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in the assault on the Oberoi hotel. Scherr told CNN that a U.S. consular official confirmed the deaths after members of the group they were traveling with identified the bodies. Naomi and Alan Scherr had come to Mumbai with a travel group for a high-tech meditation retreat with the Synchronicity Foundation, she said. They had been there since November 17 and were due to leave Monday. The Synchronicity Foundation, a meditation group near Charlottesville, Virginia, has posted a message on its Web site saying that the Scherrs were killed at the Oberoi. Kia Scherr said she knew Thursday that her husband and daughter were dining in the Oberoi hotel restaurant when shots rang out. But she had held out hope that they were OK. Her son, Aaron Butler, had filed iReports looking for information about his stepfather and sister. A Synchronicity spokeswoman said the Scherrs were among 25 members of the group who were visiting India. The other Synchronicity people who were staying at the Oberoi "are accounted for and safe," the group's Web site said. iReport.com: Where you there? The coordinated attacks on Mumbai frightened and concerned iReport contributors all over the world. Some were in Mumbai, and others have loved ones there. Watch as an iReporter describes the scene in Mumbai » . Biswa Dash, an iReporter, says he was on the phone with his wife while she was in her room at the Oberoi during the attacks. His wife works for Hewitt Associates and was on a short-term assignment in Mumbai. Aparna Dash managed to escape her 26th-floor room and take cover in a parking lot, her husband said. "Believe me, I was sitting at home completely helpless," Biswa Dash said from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. iReport.com: Read about Dash's ordeal . At one point, Dash could not get hold of his wife. She briefly called to tell him that her cell phone's battery was low. Dash sent text messages to his wife about every 30 minutes to check on her. Finally, she made it to safety and went to stay in a colleague's home in Mumbai, Dash said. Aparna Dash later caught a flight back to New Delhi, where she had been working, according to her husband. iReporter Andrea, an American tourist who asked CNN not to use her last name, had just eaten breakfast on Wednesday at the Taj Mahal hotel, another one of the sites targeted in the terror attacks. She and her family are in Mumbai for her brother's wedding. Andrea has been staying in a hotel nearby the Taj and was close enough to hear the attacks Wednesday night, she said. iReport.com: Take a look at what Andrea saw . "Over the course of the night, we heard maybe three explosions, some emergency vehicles, sirens," she said. "For the most part, the street was really quiet." The strong military presence on the street provided her some comfort, she said. | After anxious wait, Kia Scherr learns husband, daughter were killed in Mumbai, India .
iReporters in Mumbai describe scenes of deadly attacks .
From Pennsylvania, husband says, "I was sitting at home completely helpless"
iReport.com: Are you there? Tell your story . |
13,201 | 257efde1ee40726d0d3d7d6e57cd61c88399bbcf | (CNN) -- Watch out! Lock up your loved ones! Another bloated, over-produced, high-concept monstrosity has escaped from the labs at Dreamworks Animation, and it's out to devour your kids. Susan, aka "Ginormica," has to save the world in "Monsters vs. Aliens." But don't be too alarmed. "Monsters vs. Aliens" is relatively harmless -- a toothless satire with a knee-jerk feminist theme and a sorry excuse for a plot. That sounds harsh, I know. Who doesn't want to see a 50-foot woman careening through San Francisco on skates that turn out to be automobiles -- the ultimate demolition roller derby? But think about that, just for a second. Roller skates work because they have fixed wheels. Try it with motorcars and you won't get very far. Is that too picky? Perhaps, but you wouldn't find Pixar playing so fast and loose with the laws of physics, and that kind of inattention to detail is typical of the lackadaisical storytelling here and in other Dreamworks animated features. (The talent pool for this one includes the directors of "Shrek 2" and "Shark Tale" and the writers of "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Rocker," incidentally.) High concepts, top-notch voice talent and scattershot pop cultural references are no compensation for a coherent script. The XXXL lady in question -- dubbed "Ginormica" by her U.S. military guards -- starts out plain and petite Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), until a meteorite hits her just minutes before she's supposed to tie the knot with unctuous chauvinist Derek (Paul Rudd). Her rapid growth spurt saves her from that particular fate worse than death, even if at first glance her new roommates don't look like much of an improvement. There's Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who semi-advertently mutated with a bug; B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) an amorphous blue jelly-like blob who gets on just fine without a brain; Missing Link (Will Arnett), a gung-ho amphibian who's all mouth; and a giant dust mite called Insectosaurus who isn't voiced by anyone because he doesn't have anything to say. Sci-fi fans will have fun counting off the references to myriad classics -- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Invaders from Mars," "The Fly," "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," "The Blob," "Mothra" and "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman," for starters -- and noting a few clever bits and pieces (Kiefer Sutherland, as General W.R. Monger, riffs on George C. Scott in "Dr. Strangelove"). The trouble is, once the introductions are over, the filmmakers can only launch their desperately limp plot: The White House turns to these monstrous superheroes to save the planet from evil Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), a squidlike creature with four eyes and twice as many legs, and a one-eyed tin robot to do his dirty work for him. Ginormica gets a kick-butt finale, and is a much stronger character -- in any number of ways -- than the movie's president. (In a genuinely witty casting touch he's voiced by Stephen Colbert.) That may be good politics or at least a sound marketing decision from the studio's perspective -- it's been awhile since a family animated feature produced a genuinely strong female character (unless you count "Coraline," which was way too scary for my family) -- but Susan's self-esteem is an awfully long time coming. iReport.com: What do you think of 'Monsters vs. Aliens'? (Bizarrely -- and maybe it's just my imagination -- Gallaxhar bears a passing resemblance to President Obama. I wonder ... would that make Susan/Ginormica a surrogate for Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton?) Visually, too, "Monsters vs Aliens" is undistinguished, although its shortcomings may be disguised if you seek out the 3-D version. Funny how 3-D movies tend to produce two-dimensional characters, with "Coraline" again the exception to the rule. Jocular and unpretentiously trashy, "Monsters vs. Aliens" should be a lot of fun -- and it is, in places. But the truth is it's as hung up on itself as Susan's preening fiance. Hand on heart, I had a better time at "Space Chimps." "Monsters vs. Aliens" runs 94 minutes and is rated PG. For Entertainment Weekly's take, click here. | "Monsters vs. Aliens" about Earth-born "monsters" taking on megalomaniacal alien .
Film's main character is almost 50-foot woman voiced by Reese Witherspoon .
"Monsters" has great talent but no script to speak of, says Tom Charity . |
282,942 | fa81811c9df2945c5314155b662870c7a6560aa9 | A 30-day rape sentence given to a teacher who admitted to raping his 14-year-old student may be illegal, according to the Montana judge who imposed it. The judge scheduled a new hearing for Friday. "The Defendant shall be present at argument as the Court, if necessary and appropriate, will amend the mandatory minimum portion of the sentence," read a court order filed Tuesday. It appears the mandatory minimum is two years, not 30 days, the order said. "In this Court's opinion, imposing a sentence which suspends more than the mandatory minimum would be an illegal sentence," it continued. The case drew widespread attention when District Judge G. Todd Baugh imposed the 30-day sentence on Stacey Dean Rambold and made controversial comments about the victim, saying she "seemed older than her chronological age." Scott Twito, a prosecutor with the Yellowstone County attorney's office, did not immediately return a call for comment. In a memo from his office to the Montana attorney general's office, attorneys had argued the relevant statute was "misapplied and the minimum sentence that could be imposed in Rambold's case was two years" -- anticipating the judge's Tuesday order. Rambold admitted to raping the girl while he was her teacher at her high school. Cherice Moralez was 14 at the time. She took her own life shortly before her 17th birthday. Who was Cherice Moralez? Case details . The case began in 2008 when Cherice was a student at Billings Senior High School and Rambold, then 49, was a teacher. School officials learned of the relationship, and Rambold resigned. Authorities charged Rambold with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent. As the case wound its way through the legal system, Cherice committed suicide. She was a few weeks shy of her 17th birthday. With her death, prosecutors entered into what is known as a "deferred prosecution agreement" with Rambold. This meant that all charges against Rambold would be dismissed if he completed a sex-offender treatment program and met other requirements. One of them was to have no contact with children. Rambold admitted to one of the rape charges. But the ex-teacher fell short of the agreement. "He had some contacts with nieces and nephews in a family setting and other adults were present," Baugh said. He also had relationships with women that he didn't tell his counselors about. "That is a violation from his deferred prosecution so he was dropped from the plan," said the judge. As a result, the case was revived in December 2012. Canadian teen commits suicide after alleged rape . The hearing . At a hearing last month, Baugh ruled that Rambold's infractions weren't serious enough. "He made some violations of his treatment program," he said. "They were more technical and not the kind you would send someone to prison for." He sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison. Then, he suspended all but 31 days of the sentence, according to the Yellowstone County District Court. The judge gave Rambold credit for one day he spent in jail. Incredulous at what had happened, the victim's mother, Auliea Hanlon, shouted at the court, "You people suck." "She wasn't even old enough to get a driver's license," Hanlon said in a statement released by her attorney. "But Judge Baugh, who never met our daughter, justified the paltry sentence saying she was older than her chronological age. I guess somehow it makes a rape more acceptable if you blame the victim, even if she was only 14." NYC police: Teacher accused of raping 10-year-old student . | District Judge G. Todd Baugh schedules a new hearing for Friday .
He says it appears the mandatory minimum is two years, not 30 days .
Cherice Moralez, 14 when she was raped, committed suicide before her 17th birthday . |
27,484 | 4de5a3ea5f719961b48027d847d9b5bb4d1750b0 | (CNN) -- As a long-time aviation journalist and regular traveler, I've been following the debate on whether the use of cell phones and other wireless devices should be allowed on airplanes. And now that the Federal Communications Commission has said it will weigh in on the matter, let me add my voice to the growing chorus of those who are firmly opposed to the idea. Letting passengers talk nonstop during flights would be like being stuck in hell. Let me explain. I'm a working mother who is a student pilot and active in several professional and church activities. The airplane is one of the few places on (or over the) earth where I can sit quietly and not worry about answering or making phone calls. Yes, I have used airline WiFi to sneak in some work or surf the Internet, but mostly I put on my noise-canceling headphones and relax as much as one can on a commercial coach flight. But all that peace would be ruined if cell phones were allowed to be used on planes. Could you imagine the cacophony of chatter you would hear on a Baltimore-to-Chicago flight? I can, because I've heard it already. I used to take the Amtrak Acela train between Baltimore and New York City pretty regularly. On those rare occasions when I couldn't get a seat in the Quiet Car, it was sheer hell, even with headphones. I heard privileged conversations that would get lawyers fired. I listened to talk that wasn't fit for children under 17. I was forced to eavesdrop on people discussing personal, private matters -- all done in normal tones. And people didn't hesitate in trying to have their loud conversations even in the Quiet Car. So sit back, close your eyes, and imagine hearing all those conversations trapped in a high-speed metal tube flying between Washington and San Francisco, or New York to Paris. How many hours is that? Do you really want to hear the chatter of people sitting right next to you or 15 feet away? Even if the talks are muffled through your noise-canceling headphones, that doesn't make it any better. What if you just want to sleep through the flight? Or take a respite from the always-on connected life you have on the ground? Travelers already get a sense of what this sounds like when a plane lands. You hear the chirps and beeps of phones turning on and snippets of conversation starting before the aircraft wheels have even touched the ground. "YES, MOM, WE JUST LANDED." "I'LL MEET YOU AT BAGGAGE CLAIM 12. NO CLAIM 12! I'M HERE! WHERE'S THE PARTY?" If I still haven't convinced you, then consider the flight crews who will be forced to referee any cell phone disputes. Despite what travelers may think, flight attendants are not there to help you with your bags or serve you drinks. They are actually there to ensure your safety on your flight. Safety could be compromised if flight attendants are too busy refereeing -- or not -- people who are fighting about loud conversations all around them. Passengers are already on edge these days as civility in travel seems to have diminished greatly. Allowing the use of cell phones on flights will push us all closer to the cliff of our sanity. So here's hoping the airlines and related aviation groups fire up their public relations machines to squash this idea and instead, urge the FCC to continue the inflight cell phone ban. And travelers -- enjoy the down time. Listen to a podcast. Enjoy some music. Watch an in-flight movie. Play a game. The calls will be waiting for you when you land. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Benét J. Wilson. | FCC is considering rules to allow the use of cell phone during flights .
Benet Wilson: Letting passengers talk nonstop would be like being stuck in hell .
She says the airplane is one of the few places where one can have some quiet .
Wilson: There's no need to ruin anyone's flight with endless cellphone chatter . |
163,662 | 5fa61db2d89d9850c41aebf316ce941c22377a54 | By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 04:43 EST, 25 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:25 EST, 25 September 2013 . Most humans have been caught gossiping about an unwanted guest in hushed tones. But it seems that one of the world's smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin, has a lot to say behind the backs of zookeepers. Keepers at New York City's Central Park Zoo have recorded the chattering whispers of non-human primates for the first time ever. Scroll down for sound clip . Keepers at New York City's Central Park Zoo set out to record the primate's alarm calls when they were scared of people, but instead discovered the cotton-top tamarins (pictured) seemingly fell silent when a distrusted zoo worker entered their enclosure . They set out to record the primate's . alarm calls used when they are scared of people, but instead discovered the . monkeys seemingly fell silent when a distrusted zoo worker entered their . enclosure. However, when the keepers analysed their recordings - or audio spectrograms - at a later date, they were shocked to discover that the animals were communicating very quietly in whispers, io9 reported. Researchers Rachel Morrison and Diana Reiss who published their findings in the journal Zoo Biology, said the whispering could be evidence of convergent evolution in communication strategies used by social and cooperative species. The small cotton-top tamarins might whisper to each other in the tropical forests of northwestern Columbia in South America where they live. In another study, scientists suggest why apes do not have any musical talent, when humans, parrots, small birds, elephants and whales do. Matz Larsson, senior physician at the Lung Clinic at Örebro University Hospital, believes the ability to mimic and imitate things . like music and speech is the result of the fact that synchronised group . movement makes it possible to perceive sounds from the . surroundings better. A sound clip of the tamarin's whisper . When they analysed their recordings at a later date, they were shocked to discover that the cotton-top tamarins (pictured) were communicating very quietly in whispers. The researchers said the whispering could be evidence of convergent evolution in communication strategies used by social and cooperative species . The study asserts that the evolution of vocal learning, including musical traits, is influenced by the need of a species to deal with the disturbing sounds that are created in connection with locomotion. Dr Larsson said: 'When several people with . legs of roughly the same length move together, we tend to unconsciously . move in rhythm. When our footsteps occur simultaneously, a brief . interval of silence occurs. 'In . the middle of each stride we can hear our surroundings better. It . becomes easier to hear a pursuer, and perhaps easier to conduct a . conversation as well.' So it follows that apes in treetops and on the ground move unpredictably and irregularly and when humans made the transition to walking on two legs, the sounds of their . movements became significantly more predictable, making it possible for . them to listen to nature better and thereby increase their chances of . survival. In another study, scientists have found out why apes like the Orangutans pictured, do not have any musical talent, when humans, parrots, small birds, elephants and whales do . Dr Larsson explained that a behaviour that has survival value tends to produce dopamine, sometimes known as the 'reward molecule'. In dangerous terrain, this could result in the stimulation of rhythmic movements and enhanced listening to surrounding sounds in nature. If that kind of synchronised behaviour was rewarding in dangerous environments it may as well have been rewarding for the brain in relative safety, resulting in activities such as hand-clapping, foot-stamping and yelping around the campfire. From there it was just a short step to dance and rhythm and the hormone dopamine flows when we listen to music. | Zookeepers at New York City's Central Park Zoo have recorded the whispered communications of the cotton-top tamarin .
After listening to recordings the scientists found the monkeys whispered to each other when a distrusted zoo worker entered their enclosure .
Researchers believe whispering could be evidence of convergent evolution in communication strategies used by social and cooperative species . |
101,970 | 0f692928db8669038fd216973aa693e1e608667d | The wait is almost over... It's been months in the making and the sacrifices on both sides have been huge. But finally, on Saturday night, after three long months, all of it will have been worthwhile - as Rachael Cordingley will be able to have sex with her partner Carl Froch again. With his IBF and WBA world super-middleweight belts on the line, Froch does not want to head into this fight undercooked as he did in the first bout. VIDEO Scroll down to see Miss Cordingley's recent photo shoot . [caption) Behind her man: Rachael always supports Froch at ringside and she will be there again on Saturday . Reunited at last: After spending three months in separate rooms, Froch and Rachael will be back together soon . And that has impacted on Rachael too, who has been forced to keep her hands off her man since February so that he does not lose any testosterone. The 27-year-old model told The Sun's Hayley Coyle: 'The sex ban is so hard for me - but Carl tells me he isn't that bothered because he's exhausted and it's the last thing on his mind. 'After such a long wait it's really good to have our sex life back to normal and to have that closeness again, to be able to have sex like a normal young couple. Training hard: Froch (left) has been sparring hard to ensure he does not make same mistakes against Groves . 'I seem to get pregnant straight after a sex ban, maybe because it's been so long. Then I have the baby to coincide with the next fight.' Having been with Froch since 2008, Rachael has had to forgo sex on numerous occasions - but that hasn't made it any easier for her . In the build-up to the Cobra's rematch with George Groves, Froch has dedicated himself to his training. He struggled early-on in the first fight against Groves in November after being floored in the first round and only won via a controversial stoppage by the referee in the ninth. That result forced a rematch to be ordered by the IBF, leading to this Saturday's bout at Wembley. Froch, 36, is determined not to repeat his mistakes of last time and has been sleeping in a separate annexe in his £1million Nottingham home since February and leaving Rachael all alone in their room. But come Saturday, Rachael will be cheering her man on at ringside in anticipation of their long-awaited reunion after. Rematch: Froch-Groves II has captured the public's imagination and it will finally happen on Saturday . | Carl Froch faces George Groves at Wembley on Saturday .
The Cobra hasn't had sex with Rachael Cordingley for three months .
Froch has been fully focused on his rematch with Londoner Groves .
He has been sleeping in an annexe in their £1million Nottingham home .
Rachael says she usually gets pregnant straight after a fight . |
172,189 | 6adcbf49ec001e19dbbd74fea50778facd15c341 | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan is facing its most serious political crisis in years, with rapidly escalating conflicts between the civilian government, the military and the judiciary, against the backdrop of a faltering economy, widespread poverty, corruption and the bloody war with Islamist militant groups. The country was founded in 1947 as a democracy, but in times of crisis the army -- Pakistan's most powerful institution -- has overthrown the civilian government on the grounds that the leadership had been unfit and corrupt. Rumors of another coup have been swirling around the current crisis -- but analysts say a military takeover is highly unlikely this time around. Here are five reasons why: . 1. The people won't support a military take over . Pakistanis support a strong military for defense and security-related issues, but analysts say a history of failed military dictators has sapped much of the public's confidence in the army's ability to solve Pakistan's political problems. The reigns of military leaders like Generals Ayub Khan, Zia Ul Haq, and, most recently, Pervez Musharraf, were plagued by accusations of corruption and ineffective leadership. "It has become far more difficult for a military takeover to take place because of public opinion," says Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, the head of Pakistan's Institute for Legislative Development and Transparency, an Islamabad-based political think thank. "There is a strong consensus against a military takeover among the Pakistani people. Right now, all the public criticism is aimed at the civilian government. If the military takes over, the criticism will be directed at the military and that's something they don't want." Retired army Major General Jamshed Ayaz Khan says the Pakistani people are fed up with current civilian leadership, but they don't think the army is the answer. "They don't want to go back to an old system that has never worked," he says. 2. A vibrant Pakistani news media is watching . One of Pakistan's internationally less-known features is its fiery and remarkably free news media that acts as this fragile democracy's watchdog. A free press is only a decade-old concept in Pakistan but it has already emerged as a powerful player in Pakistani politics. At most hours of the day, Pakistanis can watch any one of dozens of 24-hour news networks, analyze the current political situation with reporters who hound politicians and catch up with newscasts that feature screaming debates and gaudy visual effects designed to make viewers stop and watch. It's not all positive news: Six journalists were killed in 2006, according to the Pakistan Press Foundation. Meanwhile the activist group Reporters Without Borders calls Pakistan one of the most dangerous places for journalists, with news personnel often being intimidated in the course of their work. Still, analysts say, the army will be answerable to the media in case of a coup. "The media is a big factor," says Mehboob. "We have already seen how the media is strongly questioning some of the actions taken by the military. If the military stages a coup there will be far more criticism from the media than any time in the past." 3. An independent judiciary is watching . In previous coups, Pakistan's military leaders have managed to strong-arm Pakistan's judiciary into supporting army takeovers. Analysts say Pakistan's current judiciary -- led by a chief justice who was suspended in 2007 by Musharraf but later reinstated -- won't back down from a confrontation with the army. "The Supreme Court used to lend legitimacy to such efforts by the military, but that's no longer available to the army," Mehboob tells CNN. 4. Pakistan's allies won't support a coup . Foreign powers, like the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, hold considerable influence over Pakistan because of economic, political and military support. That's in spite of high tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan in recent months, following the American raid into Pakistan in May 2011 that killed Osama bin laden. Still, analysts say, Pakistan's allies would view a military coup as destabilizing to the region and threatening to the fragile peace process in Afghanistan. "The U.S. is watching and they don't want a military takeover in Pakistan," says Khan. "I think they'll step in to do all they can to convince the army a coup is not the answer." 5. The army has better options than a coup . Much of the speculation about a possible coup stems from the perception that the army's leadership doesn't like Pakistani President Azif Ali Zardari and wants him out. Tensions between Zardari and the army escalated after the Memogate scandal -- an allegation that the government sent a secret memo to Washington calling for help to curb the military's power, an accusation the government denies. Analysts say that if the army wants Zardari out, then there are safer and more practical options than a coup. The Supreme Court is investigating Memogate and pushing for the government to pursue old corruption charges against Zardari. A ruling against the president would leave him too isolated to hold on to power, analysts say. Another option would be for the army to behave like the armed forces of a democracy by waiting for next year's elections and letting the Pakistani people decide Zardari's fate with their votes. | Pakistan founded as democracy in 1947, but the military has intervened during crisis .
Nation suffers from faltering economy, widespread poverty, corruption, conflict with militants .
Analysts: Vibrant media, independent judiciary may deter coup threat .
The army also has better options than a coup, say experts . |
32,266 | 5bc79c191fca3b9a16f8f00e0275011843c7587b | (TIME.com) -- At every election, California's ballot is filled with initiatives, but none received more attention this year than Proposition 37. After the polls closed, Prop 37 -- also known as the "Right To Know" initiative to require labeling of foods that have been genetically modified -- failed to pass. If approved, California would have been the first state to require such labeling for foods sold in the state, and would have prohibited products containing genetically modified ingredients to be labeled or marketed as "natural." Although the issue was ostensibly about food, the debate over Prop 37 quickly became political in recent months, with grassroots-based food purists supporting the measure and a well-funded agriculture and industry opposition campaigning against its passage. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Prop. 37 opponents, largely from industry and agriculture, raised over $45 million while the Vote Yes campaign, which was largely backed by consumer groups and the organic industry, raised about $6.7 million. TIME.com: Prop. 37: Why California's ballot initiative on GM food is about politics more than science . "We've said from the beginning of this campaign that the more voters learned about Prop 37, the less they'd like it. We didn't think they'd like the lawsuits, more bureaucracy, higher costs and loopholes and exemptions. It looks like they don't," the No on Prop. 37 spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks told the Associated Press. Prop 37 supporters argued that citizens have the right to know what's in their food and make educated decisions on what to feed their families, especially since long-term health effects are hazy. They wanted to see labeling, according to the ballot initiative, either on the front or back of packages "if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways." Opponents from the biotech industry and Big Ag companies like Monsanto called the labeling deceptive and argued it would stigmatize foods that scientific evidence shows is not harmful. They also estimated that the cost of the labeling requirement would trickle down to California households, forcing families to pay $400 more in grocery bills each year. As TIME's EcoCentric noted, however, that figure, which became a highly debated part of the campaign, assumes manufacturers would be replacing currently unlabeled genetically modified (GM) products rather than slapping new labels on them. TIME.com: Making sense of food labels . In the end, however, public health experts hope that it was the science that helped voters to make their decision. So far, there is little evidence suggesting that GM foods pose any harms to people that would warrant a label informing them of the modification. Major medical groups like the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, in addition to the American Association for the Advancement of Science note that people have been eating genetically modified foods (about 85% of corn sold in the U.S. are man-made hybrids) for nearly 20 years with no serious adverse effects. So what is the push for labeling really about? In California in particular, it may be about a new-found appreciation for issues that many of us take for granted, including sustainable farming and animal rights. Opinion: Kids take up fight for 'real food' In the New York Times Sunday Magazine, writer Michael Pollan says the movement has "revitalized local farming and urban communities and at the same time raised the bar on the food industry, which now must pay attention (or at least lip service) to things like sustainable farming and the humane treatment of animals." He also admits the movement still has hurdles before it can establish itself as a campaign that will appeal to enough people to pass as a ballot initiative. But despite the defeat, the Prop 37 supporters see the campaign as a victory of sorts. "Prop 37 is a really important and historic opportunity for an emerging food movement. It will fundamentally change the conversation about food and agriculture here in the U.S.," says Dave Murphy, founder of Food Democracy Now. "It will also change how food companies have to respond to the millions and millions of Americans across the country who want to know what they're eating." TIME.com: Vital farms: Raising the ultra-organic egg . Murphy says the campaign has highlighted Americans' increasing distrust of the food industry and the lack of transparency surrounding what goes into the food they eat. Given that 50 countries already label GM foods in Europe, Australia, Japan, Russia and China, he hopes American skepticism will continue to hold food manufacturers accountable. "We have a massive social movement for change to achieve labeling of genetically engineered foods in the United States. We understand that [this] loss...that's politics. The largest, most powerful corporations have spent millions of dollars to deceive the California voters," he says. More states will consider labeling laws in coming years, and Washington state and Oregon will likely have ballot propositions in the next two years. "We will go to Washington and demand labeling from the next administration. We are not going away. We are just getting started," says Murphy. This story was initially published on TIME.com. California fails to pass GM foods labeling initiative . | The debate over Proposition 37 became political in recent months .
Supporters argue citizens have the right to know what's in their food .
Opponents say it would stigmatize foods evidence shows are not harmful . |
218,654 | a70b1b15a95690d31c6390baf535fd54acdb5ea5 | (CNN) -- Actor Sean Penn, a friend of Bolivian President Evo Morales, nonetheless angered the South American country's government after his call for the release of a U.S. businessman who has been imprisoned since 2011. Penn, known for his chumminess with Latin America's leftist leaders, is also an advocate for Brooklyn flooring contractor Jacob Ostreicher, whose supporters say has spent two years detained in Bolivia without evidence. At a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee meeting Monday, Penn asked U.S. lawmakers to pressure the sponsors of the off-road Dakar Rally to cancel its planned 2014 route through Bolivia if Ostreicher is not freed. "The Dakar Rally, one of the world's most prominent displays of freedom and tenacity of the human spirit, will be parading through Bolivia even as thousands of prisoners like Mr. Ostreicher sit in feces-filled cells, forgotten behind locked walls," Penn said. On Tuesday, Bolivia's minister of culture shot back. "The remarks by Mr. Penn are his worst acting in all of his career," Pablo Groux said, according to the state-run ABI news agency. "The remark is offensive to the Bolivian people, totally out of context and lacking any understanding." The minister said the actor's comments harkened back to a time when the United States exerted heavy influence in Latin America. "Those days are long gone," Groux said. The rebuke from the Bolivian official is notable coming from a government that Penn has been friendly with. During his testimony before the subcommittee, Penn said that he does not blame Morales for Ostreicher's situation, but endemic corruption in the judiciary. Penn said that he met with Morales last year, with evidence supporting Ostreicher's innocence, and that "these findings were received by the president with tremendous personal and human grief." Ostreicher is under house arrest after spending 18 months in a notorious prison while his case crawled in the overburdened Bolivian judicial system. He was arrested in June 2011 on suspicion of money laundering tied to a rice-growing operation, and he languished in prison without formal charges. He maintained that corrupt officials had trumped up the case, and last year, six government officials were arrested for allegedly extorting and stealing from Ostreicher. But the case against him has not been dropped. READ MORE: American on hunger strike after 11 months in Bolivian prison . READ MORE: Bolivia releases imprisoned American after 18 months . | Sean Penn has advocated for the release of a U.S. man from Bolivia .
Penn called on U.S. lawmakers to pressure the Bolivian government .
A Bolivian minister lashed out at Penn for his comments .
The actor has a historically close relationship with Bolivia . |
283,709 | fb893ff462b872ae9bef82ffcd61eea0feb4bceb | Fernando Alonso has accused the Italian media of attempting to destabilise Ferrari following the latest rumours linking him with a move away from the team. Earlier this week it was reported Alonso and Sebastian Vettel would swap teams for next season, despite the former having another two years remaining on his contract, whilst the latter has an additional year with Red Bull. Alonso is clearly becoming exasperated at the need to constantly fend off questions on the subject of whether he will leave Ferrari, more so than the team's lack of results as he is now without a win for 27 races, a statistic that often fuels the rumours regarding a potential departure. Fernando Alonso is committed to staying at Ferrari . The two-time world champion wonders around the paddock at the Singapore Grand Prix . Asked to clarify the situation ahead of Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, Alonso said: 'I've been commenting about my future for 13 months now - since last August - so I have nothing new to say. 'Sometimes it's sad when it comes from Italy, or they create these rumours for some strange purpose which is not helping Ferrari, which is why we're all here. 'Ferrari is a much bigger brand than any individual person, or even Formula One in general. 'I respect Ferrari a lot and I try to create a good atmosphere in the team with the guys - from going out to dinner to playing basketball, playing poker, whatever - to ensure we are united. 'It's what we need, and it's what people expect from us driving for Ferrari and working for Ferrari. 'So when all these things come from Italy, it's not really clear what the purpose is. When we know then one day I will tell you.' Alonso's frustration is matched by Vettel, especially this season now he is on the back foot after four years of title glory. Alonso retires from the Italian Grand Prix at Monza earlier this month . Sebastian Vettel has reiterated his desire to stay at Red Bull . The German world champion flies around the track at Monza . Giving short shrift to the interviewer when quizzed on his future, Vettel said: 'I'm not thinking any differently to when I was asked the question a couple of weeks ago. 'I have a contract, and nothing has changed. The relationship I have with Red Bull is very special as they've been supporting me since I was 12 years old. 'Back then it was impossible to predict what would happen, that one day they would have their own team, or two Formula One teams. 'It was impossible to know I would be driving for one of them at some stage, or both of them. 'So it's impossible to predict the future. I've been with Red Bull a long time, I have a strong link to them, so in that regard nothing has changed, and doesn't look like it will change.' | Alonso accuses Italian media of attempting to destabilise Ferrari .
Reports suggested the Spaniard and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel will swap teams next season .
The Spaniard is fifth in the standings ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend .
Alonso's frustration matched by Vettel, who refused to be drawn on questions over his future .
The German star is sixth after four consecutive titles . |
186,604 | 7db56a30815b8365997f2bb39bc4f2e4c5eb64dd | London (CNN) -- The deaths of 16 children aged five and six together with their teacher in the Scottish town of Dunblane in 1996 was one of Britain's worst incidents of gun-related violence. The massacre stunned the country, but what did the UK do to try to prevent such a tragedy happening again? What happened at Dunblane? Shortly after 9 a.m. on March 13, 1996, Thomas Hamilton, a 43-year-old former Scout leader, burst into the gymnasium of a primary school in the tranquil Scottish town of Dunblane. Within minutes 15 children aged five and six had died in a hail of bullets. One died later in hospital. Their teacher, Gwen Mayor, a 44-year-old mother of two, died in the attack, reportedly while trying to shield her pupils. Two other teachers were also seriously injured while heroically trying to protect children. Hamilton turned one of his four handguns on himself and was found dead at the scene. Tennis star Andy Murray, who grew up in Dunblane, was present during the attack at his school, but normally refuses to speak about his experience. He posted this tribute during the weekend on his website: "My heart goes out to all those poor children, their families and the community in Newtown in Connecticut, so so sad." In his autobiography "Hitting Back," Murray recalled how as an eight-year-old boy he was walking to the gymnasium when shooting broke out. A teacher led him and his classmates into the headteacher's study where they took refuge. "Some of my friends' brothers and sisters were killed. I have only retained patch impressions of that day, such as being in a classroom singing songs. The weirdest thing was that we knew the guy [Hamilton]. He had been in my mum's car. It's obviously weird to think you had a murderer in your car, sitting next to your mum." Who was Hamilton? Many local people said Hamilton was an oddball -- a loner obsessed with guns and young boys, someone who didn't fit into society. He was reported to have held a grudge against the Scouting movement and his local community after police questioned him about inappropriate behavior to boys in his care. Raymond Reid, secretary of a local shooting club that rejected Hamilton for membership, described him as "sleazy." "He was just one of these people that you got a gut feeling about ... didn't like -- or at least I didn't particularly like him," Reid said. Nevertheless, Hamilton held a permit to own handguns, possibly including the ones he used at Dunblane. What was the reaction to the massacre? The massacre, one of the worst incidents of gun violence in Britain, had a massive impact in Scotland, the rest of the UK and around the world. "This is a slaughter of the innocents, unlike anything we have ever seen in Scotland, and I think Scotland is going to have to come to terms with it," said Scottish MP Helen Liddell at the time. After the massacre, appalled residents of Dunblane and bereaved relatives demanded to know how a person like Hamilton could be allowed to own guns. A highly successful public campaign in the months after Dunblane against gun ownership culminated in a petition being handed to the government with almost 750,000 signatures, according to British media reports. In response, then Conservative Prime Minister John Major set up a public inquiry to look into gun laws and assess ways to better protect the public. What happened next? In the wake of the 1987 Hungerford massacre, in which one lone gunman killed 16 people, Britain introduced new legislation -- the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 -- making registration mandatory for owning shotguns and banning semi-automatic and pump-action weapons. Within a year and a half of the Dunblane massacre, UK lawmakers had passed a ban on the private ownership of all handguns in mainland Britain, giving the country some of the toughest anti-gun legislation in the world. After both shootings there were firearm amnesties across the UK, resulting in the surrender of thousands of firearms and rounds of ammunition. Britain has never had a "gun culture" like that of the United States, but there were about 200,000 legally-registered handguns in Britain before the ban, most owned by sports shooters. All small-bore pistols, including the .22 caliber, were included in the ban, along with rifles used by target shooters. Penalties for anyone found in possession of illegal firearms range from heavy fines to prison terms of up to 10 years. "It was one of the most shocking things that has ever happened in this country and it united the country in a feeling that we had to do something," Gill Marshall Andrews, of the Gun Control Network, told CNN. "And I don't think that it would have been possible to make the kind of progress that we have made without that tragedy." The public generally supported the ban, with most saying they saw no need for guns. However, others complained bitterly that the ban deprived legitimate sports shooters of their hobby and demonized them. "Just because we enjoy shooting doesn't mean that we think everybody should be free to go into any shop on any street corner and buy a gun without having some suitable checks," firearms expert Michael Yardley, spokesman for Britain's Sportsmans' Society, said at the time. "There is obviously a balanced position. What we don't like is being scapegoated. "Anyone who has any expert knowledge in this field realizes that a simplistic ban, bureaucratic ban on one category of firearm, was never going to solve a real world problem," Yardley said. "But that's what's happened, and what we're going to see is handgun crime will continue as ever. It will probably grow." What effect did the ban have? According to bare statistics, the ban initially appeared to have little impact, as the number of crimes involving guns in England and Wales rose heavily during the late 1990s to peak at 24,094 offenses in 2003/04. Since then the number has fallen in each year. In 2010/11 there were 11,227 offenses, 53% below the peak number, according to the official crime figures. Crimes involving handguns also fell 44% -- from 5,549 in 2002/03 to 3,105 -- in 2010/11. Despite this, the effectiveness of Britain's gun laws has been repeatedly questioned. The most high-profile mass shooting happened in 2010 when a lone gunman killed 12 people in a four-hour shooting spree in rural Cumbria, northern England. After a huge manhunt, the body of 52-year-old taxi driver Derrick Byrd was found alongside two powerful rifles, one equipped with a telescopic sight. Criminologist Peter Squires said the real picture shows a slight but significant decline in the use of firearms since Dunblane. The figures don't tell the whole story, he said, but "the murder rate has fallen and all the indicators are moving in the right direction." Squires, professor of criminology at Brighton University and a member of the Gun Control Network, said he believed the fall in crimes where guns were used was due to new legislation coupled with better policing against gangs. "Any weapon can be misused in a crime. Gun control will never be a complete solution to events like the mass shooting we saw in Connecticut. The swamp of gun use has not been fully drained and while tighter gun control removes risk on an incremental basis, significant numbers of weapons remain in Britain." He added it was important to note that a big problem remained in Britain and other countries with imitation guns, converted weapons such as starting pistols and air guns, "which many people regard as only one step up from a toy." | Tennis star Andy Murray present at Dunblane attack, pays tribute to Connecticut victims .
Campaign against gun ownership led to 750,000-name petition handed to government .
British public generally supported ban -- most saying they saw no need for guns .
Despite fall in gun crime since ban introduced, in 2010 a lone gunman killed 12 people . |
190,480 | 829c62f0afbcbab9a1117e72ee01684f6ff6718e | New York (CNN) -- Those following the news of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may be surprised at how much is still unknown about the extent and movement of the oil, in particular below the sea surface, as engineers and scientists attempt to stanch the flow. More than five weeks after the oil rig disaster, and even with today's sophisticated technology, tracking and measuring the spill remains a huge challenge. Understanding fundamental difficulties with measuring in deep water helps explain why. Because oil is lighter than water, it tends to rise to the surface and form slicks that can be very damaging to the natural ecosystem, and ultimately the regional economy, as we are seeing now. Spraying chemical dispersants on the slick, as BP has, is one way to remove oil from the surface. The dispersants break the slick into small droplets, which are transferred down into the water column by waves and turbulence. BP has also injected dispersants into the oil plumes rising from the oil rig's broken plumbing on the seabed to try to prevent oil slicks from forming on the surface at all. This appears to have been at least partly successful in reducing the size of the surface slicks. The oil that does not reach the surface is dispersed through the water column by ocean currents. Instruments lowered from a research ship in the gulf have detected large oil plumes near the leak, more than 3,000 feet down. This is therefore the first spill where large plumes of oil have been observed spreading below the sea surface. While we have some understanding of how much oil is sitting at the surface and where it is heading, we have virtually no idea how much oil and dispersants are drifting below the surface of the gulf, nor do we know where these pollutants are going. It is notoriously difficult to take measurements at that depth. We can remotely survey large areas of the sea surface with planes and satellites but surveying the ocean's interior is vastly more difficult. Water blocks electromagnetic waves, such as light and radar, preventing us from imaging the deep. To map underwater concentrations of oil and dispersants, instruments need to be lowered into the plumes to take measurements and samples that are later analyzed in a lab. Close to the source, where oil-droplet concentrations are high, it may be possible to map the plumes using sound waves, but dissolved chemicals, such as dispersants, cannot be detected with such acoustic methods at all. In other words, we can "see" what is at the surface, but to find out what is going on beneath the waves, we need to put our "feelers" out. Decades of research on natural plumes, such as those rising from deep-water, hydrothermal hot springs on midocean ridges, and man-made plumes, such as sewage outfalls, have taught us that mapping subsurface plumes is time-consuming and costly. To put this into perspective, consider how hard it would be to map the ash cloud from the erupting volcano in Iceland if, instead of satellites, we were forced to use weather balloons. Near the source of the oil plumes in the gulf, the sampling problem is particularly severe because "young" plumes tend to be extremely patchy (the oil distribution is very uneven). Varying ocean currents, such as tides and eddies, move the plume patches around continuously and randomly, and cause the plumes to spread. This makes sampling both easier, because the plumes become less patchy and therefore harder to miss; and more difficult, because the plumes become more dilute and therefore harder to detect. With each passing day the problem gets worse as the oil spill's boundaries grow. In recent days, scientists began mapping the subsurface oil plumes by ship and using unmanned underwater robots (floats and gliders). Unfortunately, these plume surveys are unlikely to produce a reliable estimate of the amount of oil dispersing through the gulf, especially since much of the oil may already be too dilute to detect. To determine the extent of the oil spill, we will need to combine measurements with computer modeling. But even a perfect model cannot make valid predictions if the data are wrong. Therefore, it is crucial that the amount of oil leaking into the gulf be estimated accurately. I am hopeful that the recently formed "Flow Rate Technical Group," a multi-agency team that includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will be able to carry out this task with minimal outside interference. It is equally important, however, to continue to collect data on the circulation in the gulf over the full water depth to validate and improve the realism of models for this spill. And monitoring the circulation should continue even after the oil leak has been stopped, until the oil has dispersed sufficiently so as not to pose any further biological risk. In this way, we will have a better idea of the full environmental impact of this incident. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Andreas Thurnherr. | Andreas Thurnherr says it may surprise that much still unknown about spill's flow in deep sea .
Surface oil can be measured, he says, but vagaries of dispersal at depths thwart technology .
Thurnherr: Data collection must continue when spill is done to gauge environmental impact . |
153,162 | 51e8a682b553437f366bbc1e014d684f930dcdb8 | This is the astonishing moment an illegal immigrant jumped back into the water after he was rescued attempting to cross from Africa into Spain in a rubber dinghy. The man was part of a seven-strong gang who made the dangerous crossing from Tangier in Morocco to Tarifa in Spain in the flimsy inflatable raft. After getting into difficulty in the choppy sea, a ferry had to rescue them from the dangerous waters. Scroll down for video . Dangerous: A ferry rescued seven would-be immigrants sailing on an inflatable raft in high seas between Morocco and Spain. This picture shows one stowaway who jumped in the water to avoid police checks . Rescued: This stowaway is detained by police after he jumped to the water from a ferry . Coastguards help one of the would-be immigrants to disembark at Tarifa Port. Despite Europe's financial crisis, illegal immigrants continue to attempt to enter Europe through the Spanish coast . Scary: A ferry had to rescue the seven would-be immigrants who attempted the treacherous crossing in this inflatable raft . Cold: Despite being captured, the group of seven men can count themselves lucky that they did not lose their lives . Police and customs officials . were soon called out to the ferry to detain the men. But as these . incredible pictures show, so desperate was one of the gang to avoid . capture, he jumped straight back into the sea. He was eventually rescued . and detained by police officers. Despite Europe's financial crisis, illegal immigrants continue to attempt . to enter Europe through the Spanish coast in the hope of a better life. Just this year alone, more than a thousand would-be immigrants have been rescued by . Spanish authorities while trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar from . Morocco to Spain. They often carry out the dangerous journey on small boats known as 'pateras' - completely aware that their lives are at risk. In a sign of how desperate many of the men are to improve their lives, an oar used by one of the captured illegal immigrants says 'You won't be humiliated anymore. Don't be afraid, you won't be dishonor again. You will forget humilation'. Since 1988, more than 20,000 immigrants have died on attempted crossings . to the Andalusian or Canary Island coasts and many others are missing. Safe: Spanish police take the would-be immigrants from the ferry which rescued them and into custody . Risks: Some of the men who attempted the treacherous crossing in high seas are pictured . Despite the dangers of the journey, they hoped to enter Spain to seek a better life . Upset: This man shows his anguish after his failed attempt to sneak into Spain . Quizzed: Spanish police speak to a would-be immigrant inside the ferry which rescued them . Tired: A man sits at the Red Cross office following his rescue . In custody: The captured men sit inside the port's dungeon after they were rescued. More than 20,000 immigrants have died since 1988 on attempted crossings to the Spanish coasts . Earlier this year, police in Spain arrested a suspected illegal immigrant found clinging onto the engine of a powerful catamaran ferry on its way to Tarifa. The shirtless man was stood over the propeller of the vessel, risking his life in the hope of entering Europe. Police said they thought he planned to jump of the boat and swim to the coastline once near the mainland. The . port of Tarifa is notorious as an entry point for illegal immigrants. A . grim sign of the fate awaiting many of those who attempted to cross can . be seen by the port's mass grave . It contains nine bodies after the first reported would-be immigrants died attempted to cross into Spain in 1988. It also contains a grave for Yacouba Cone, 26, from the Ivory Coast. He died on April 17, 2013 when his inflatable raft sunk while crossing the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco. Miserable: These men look completely dejected following their capture. Despite Europe's financial crisis illegal immigrants continue to attempt to enter Europe through the Spanish coast . Grim: This mass grave contains nine bodies after the first reported would-be immigrants died attempted to cross into Spain in 1988 . Emergency: Captain Israel Diaz can be seen during the rescue of the immigrants sailing on an inflatable raft . On guard: A sea traffic controller works at the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency's rescue co-ordination centre near Tarifa . Desperation: The grave of Yacouba Cone 26, from Ivory Coast, left, who died on April when his inflatable raft sunk while crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. This oar, right, used by the captured immigrants says: 'You won't be humiliated anymore' | Man was part of a seven-strong gang who made the dangerous crossing from Tangier in Morocco to Tarifa in Spain .
After getting into difficulty in the choppy sea, a ferry had to rescue the men .
But one of them jumped back into the water in desperate bid to avoid capture .
More than 20,000 immigrants have died on attempted crossings .
to Spanish coasts since 1988 . |
110,375 | 1a4a21eea318b3d635d1596321902f7e81388553 | Washington (CNN) -- A bipartisan group of congressmen wrote President Barack Obama on Wednesday, urging him to take stronger steps to prevent Ebola from spreading in the U.S. The 26 members of Congress urged Obama to toughen airport screenings, ban citizens of impacted West African countries from traveling to the U.S. and consider quarantining travelers who have recently traveled to those countries. "With three nations in Africa currently facing an Ebola epidemic, our government must take aggressive action to combat and prevent the spread of this disease in the United States," the Congressmen wrote the President. The congressmen, who were primarily Republicans but included three Democrats, note that the disease could spread in the U.S. as infected individuals might not show symptoms for 21 days after being exposed to the deadly virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The latest Ebola updates . "Not only are we at risk from travelers showing symptoms of the disease, but also asymptomatic travelers who harbor the disease and become symptomatic and contagious after arrival," the Congressmen wrote. Congressman Alan Grayson, a Democrat from Florida who is one of the lead signatories of the letter, had previously urged the Obama administration to prevent citizens of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three most affected countries, from traveling to the U.S. The other two Democrats who signed the letter were Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Rep. Dave Loebsack of Iowa. How NYC is preparing for Ebola . Obama on Monday ordered increased passenger screenings at U.S. airports, but would not ban travelers from those West African countries. The World Health Organization and the CDC have not called for such bans, though 27 African countries have already created such a ban. But the Congressmen pushed back, urging Obama "not to 'pass the buck' on this crucial issue." "[The WHO] has no duty to protect the lives and well-being of Americans, as you do," they wrote. "It has utterly failed to stem this epidemic through its own action. The responsibility for this decision is yours, not theirs." Complete coverage on Ebola . Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report. | 26 members of Congress urged Obama to toughen airport screenings.
Congressman Alan Grayson had urged Obama to respond earlier this year.
Obama has said he would not implement a travel ban, since the CDC and WHO have not called for it. |
179,497 | 746b6e84fa4ef1648185392bc9bcdd366d7b3ab9 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:18 EST, 23 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:19 EST, 23 January 2013 . Accused: Monsignor Kevin Wallin was allegedly suspended by the Church for having sex in his rectory. He has also been charged by police with distributing crystal meth in a cross-country ring . Friends and colleagues are now saying that they knew something was wrong with the alleged drug-dealing priest when he started to lose a lot of weight and began acting strangely. Roman Catholic priest Kevin Wallin has plead not guilty to the federal drug charges, but now colleagues are saying that there were a number of warning signs to show something was awry. They first investigated into rumors that Mr Wallin was behaving in inappropriate sexual activities in the Church rectory, and their first concern was whether or not it involved children. When they determined that the homosexual trysts involved only consenting adults, they viewed the incident as a sin, and while it broke the moral code of Catholic priests, it did not break and . 'There's a difference between sin and crime. We don't out people for their sins,' Brian Wallace, spokesman for the Diocese of Bridgeport, said to the Connecticut Post. At that point in June 2011, they asked Wallin to resign- which he did- only to find new clues that the trouble extended further than they thought. Wallin, nicknamed Monsignor Meth, is the former pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Bridgeport publicly said that he was resigning because of health and personal issues, but then he was formally suspended from public ministry last May by the Diocese of Bridgeport. Federal prosecutors say Wallin sold more than $300,000-worth of methamphetamines out of his apartment in Waterbury from August to December and some of the transactions involved an undercover officer. Trusted: Msgr Wallin served as the pastor at St. Augustine's in Bridgeport for nine years before taking a sabbatical in 2011 for health and personal reasons . Four other people have been charged in the alleged drug-selling operation that authorities say involved shipments of methamphetamine from California to Connecticut. Cause for resignation: Wallin was found to be having sex in the Church rectory . Church officials also found a bag with 'sex paraphernalia' in his room, according to the CT Post. Wallin, 61, is alleged to have bought an 'adult entertainment store' which investigators believe helped him launder thousands of dollars in weekly profits, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Rectory staff are believed to have notified the local diocese after the priest allegedly 'dressed as a woman and engaged in 'sex acts.' Church officials said they were not aware that the priest was selling drugs when he was pastor of St. Augustine's Cathedral or in St. Peter Parish, according to the Chronicle. He is believed to have continued to receive his stipend - salary - from the Church, until he was arrested on the drugs charges on January 3 this year. Monsignor Wallin left his post as head of St. Augustine's after nine years and was granted a 'sabbatical' by church authorities. 'During . his sabbatical, the Diocese became concerned about his well-being and . have continued to reach out to him,' the Diocese wrote in a statement. 'To date, he has not spoken directly with diocesan officials. Ring: The priest and four others were arrested for allegedly conspiring to distribute crystal meth . 'News of [his] arrest comes with a sense of shock and concern on the part of the Diocese and the many people of Fairfield County who have known him as a gifted, accomplished and compassionate priest.' Monsignor Wallin faces up to 20 years behind bars and a $2million fine if convicted. | Kevin Wallin suspended by church because of alleged sexual activities .
Colleagues realized he was 'having homosexual relations' in the rectory but they considered it a 'sin and not a crime' because no children involved .
Priest also faces charges of helping run an illegal drugs .
distribution ring and allegedly made more than $300,000 . |
63,812 | b52b689bf4054d042a9d243c36aa0516040704a2 | By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 06:05 EST, 6 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:27 EST, 6 September 2013 . A man has been arrested after allegedly confessing to exposing hundreds of former lovers to HIV. David Lee Mangum is thought to have had unprotected sex with around 300 people without telling them he had tested positive to the deadly virus. Police detained the 36-year-old, from Dexter, Missouri, after his former gay lover, who he met through a Craigslist advert, contracted the disease in July. Accused: David Mangum, pictured, told authorities he had sexual contact with as many 300 people since being diagnosed with HIV . Shortly after their brief relationship ended, the alleged victim received a phone call from one of Mangum's former roommates alerting him to the fact Mangum had tested positive for HIV in 2003, a Dexter Daily Statesman said. Mangum is said to have told police that he frequently knew little more than the first names of his partners which is complicating . efforts to notify potential victims. Under Missouri law, knowingly exposing . another person to HIV is a felony. Charged: David Mangum, from Dexter, Missouri, pictured, pleaded not guilty to infecting another man with the virus . If the victim goes on to become . infected with the virus - which leads to progressive failure of the immune system allowing life-threatening infections and cancers to thrive - the accused faces a possible sentence of life . in prison. 'Mangum admitted he never disclosed he had HIV to any of his sexual partners in Stoddard County,' according to a criminal affidavit reported by the Daily News. Mangum is alleged to have told officers investigating the allegations that he did not tell sexual partners about his infection because he feared being rejected. Judge Stephen Mitchell has set an all-cash bail of $250,000 in the case, and while awaiting trial, Mangum remains locked up at Stoddard County Jail. | Told police he feared rejection if he told partners he had HIV .
David Lee Magnum accused of knowingly infecting another with HIV .
Gay lover, 26, contracted deadly infection after dating 36-year-old .
Pair met through a Craigslist advert and he denies the charge . |
90,756 | 00b651a35804ab86f8fe15ebeebb90077e07f1f0 | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 07:33 EST, 29 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:33 EST, 29 November 2013 . A cousin of Samantha Cameron has arrived in court to sue his family for 25 years of income from their Hampshire estate. Old Etonion, John . Sheffield, 50, second cousin of the prime minister's wife, claims he . has not received any money from his late grandfather's 1,000-acre . property despite being granted a 25 per cent stake in 1983. Now, . five years after the death of his grandfather, son of the sixth baronet . of Normanby, the Old Etonion is suing his father Julian for a quarter . of a century's worth of rent, farm yields and shooting rights fees. Battle: John Sheffield, left, is suing has taken his father Julian, right, to court for 25 years' worth of income . Laverstoke House in Hampshire on 1,000-acre estate at the centre of the row between the aristocratic Sheffield family . Mr Sheffield, who like Samantha Cameron is a great-grandchild of the sixth baronet, is also suing the executors of his grandfather's estate and the trustees of the agreement made in 1968 when it was established. Eason Rajah QC, representing his father, Julian Sheffield, told the court that John has 'gradually cut himself off from his family' over the past 18 years, believing his parents were 'responsible for physical abuse he believes he suffered at the hands of one of his nannies'. The estate was established by John’s grandfather - John Vincent Sheffield - in 1968 'in the fervent wish' that Julian and his heirs 'would continue to own and look after the estate for future generations', the court heard. Mr Sheffield, who died aged 95 in 2008, . was the youngest son of the sixth baronet of Normanby, who 'rescued the . family fortunes' after the Sheffields were threatened by crippling death . duties following World War Two. Julian, now 74, followed his father into . bank notes manufacturing business, Portals, where he later became . chairman, and is now facing his own son across a tense courtroom. Family feud: Samantha Cameron's second cousin is suing his father in a feud over a Hampshire estate . During an enormously costly 10-day trial Mr Rajah insisted that Julian and his father had acted in good faith throughout and that John had always understood that his share in the family trust that holds the estate was given to him by his grandfather in 1983 'as part of succession and tax planning'. 'The (family) understood John and his grandfather had reached an understanding at the time of the gift that John would allow his grandfather to receive all the income from the estate while he was alive,' said the QC. 'They understood that his grandfather and his wife would continue to occupy their home at New Barn House, on the estate, and generally he would be treated during his lifetime as if he was still the owner'. 'John says nobody told him his rights,' said Mr Rajah, but the barrister argued that the astute economics graduate 'was party to the gift and knew and understood what he was signing'. There was, in any case, 'no dispute' that the estate’s trustees are 'bound to account' to John in respect of his 25 percent share from May 2008 - the date of his grandfather’s death, said Mr Rajah. Julian insisted in court that his son had been well aware of the true position, adding that he was in line to receive 'a huge benefit - because he would ultimately own 25 per cent of a valuable estate'. Father and son sat in court just yards apart - separated by a document-strewn desk. Two of John’s siblings - Simon Sheffield and Nicola Graham - also stepped into the witness box to back their father’s account. Mrs Graham, 40, recounted a conversation with her grandfather, when she was aged 16, in which he 'told me he was passing on his interest in the estate to John but that he was to keep all the income until he died'. 'I remember thinking how lovely it was that John - who at the time was a lovely person and full of life and a great older brother - that the estate would be passed onto the next generation through him,' she told the court. John Sheffield (1648-1721), the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, whose heirs include Samantha Cameron and John Sheffield, who is now suing his family in a claim that could run into millions . Mrs Graham, who described her grandfather as a 'wonderful man', said he had told her his plan because he 'wanted to share it with me'. John had for years accepted the status quo without demur, claimed Mr Rajah, and his father had described him as 'everything we could have wished for in an eldest son'. However, by the end of the 1990s, family relations were becomingly increasingly strained, the court heard, prompting group therapy sessions 'in an attempt to reconcile the family’ relationship with John'. The family had also made 'strenuous efforts' to mediate the dispute before reaching court, but without success, said Mr Rajah. The dispute has its origins in 2005 when John first challenged his father and grandfather about his entitlement to a quarter share of the estate’s income. John’s QC, Christopher Pymont, said it was never spelt out in 1983 that his grandfather was retaining his right to income from the estate. 'The point of the trust is to effect a gift. There was no word about reserving for John’s grandfather a life interest in the income of that trust,' he said. 'Although they knew that the gift was made and, indeed, intended the gift to be made, they didn’t follow it through and give effect to the rights that the gift gave to John.' The barrister said that, having gifted John his 25 percent share, but with his grandfather still needing income from the estate, the trustees were left having to 'square the circle'. He added: 'What they actually did was ignore John from thenceforth.' Judge Mark Pelling QC has now reserved his ruling on the case. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | The Sheffield family own a 1,000-acre Estate in Laverstoke, Hampshire .
Grandson John Sheffield claims he has been deprived of his rightful dues .
He had been gifted a 25% stake in the estate by his grandfather in 1983 .
Family claims there was an 'understanding' that the grandfather would continue to receive all the income while he was alive .
He and Mrs Cameron are great-grandchildren of sixth baronet of Normanby . |
79,887 | e279d7497f739292eb1d5141349747710550e0a9 | Santiago, Chile (CNN) -- Joran van der Sloot, the suspect in a young woman's slaying this week in Peru and previously considered a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba, was captured Thursday in Santiago, Chile, authorities said. Van der Sloot is the main suspect in this week's slaying of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez, who was found Wednesday in a Lima, Peru, hotel room registered to the Dutch man. Chilean police told CNN that paperwork showed that van der Sloot entered Chile on Wednesday. Peruvian Interior Minister Octavio Salazar Miranda said Thursday that Peru has made arrangements with Interpol to extradite van der Sloot. | Extradition to Peru arranged, interior minister says .
Joran van der Sloot entered Chile on Wednesday, Chile says .
Woman's body found Wednesday in his hotel room, police say .
Van der Sloot previously a suspect in Alabama teen's disappearance . |
104,331 | 129cd888a6f9f75fe15e586de139949ea0335bc5 | (CNN) -- At first glance, the contorted limbs and faceless forms in Patrice Letarnec's photographs look like a wackier version of the 1990s trend of wearing your clothes backwards. But Letarnec's photo series "Walking Upside Down," which features people doing handstands with their clothes on upside down, is a far departure from hip-hop sensation Kriss Kross' dated fashion trend. The French photographer explains that the silliness of his images is actually a form of social commentary. His photo series was inspired by the French expression "marcher sur la tête"-- walking on your head, a colloquial phrase for acting foolishly. "Walking on your head shows the absurdity of human behavior," he told CNN through a translator. "We do silly things, humans do silly things." The characters of his photo series are set in public spaces throughout Paris. Letarnec wanted to highlight the architecture of French buildings against the absurd poses that his characters were doing. The combination of strangely intriguing poses and whimsical Parisian settings became instantly popular after he uploaded his photographs to his tumblr with various bloggers reposting his images online . He came up with the concept in December 2013 and drew out poses that he wanted his characters to be in for the photographs. While attempting to do a handstand against a wall in his Nantes studio, he realized he needed skilled people who were capable of standing on their hands for this type of photo shoot. Letarnec contacted Parisian schools to find dancers who were interested in being a part of his project. His inquiries were greeted with enthusiasm, and several dancers lined up to participate. But they did face some interesting challenges. "During the series, one of the dancers said they could not do the walking handstands because in order to walk on their hands they had to see the horizon. And in the series, their heads are covered by clothing," he said. "I was so nervous this project wasn't going to happen." But after several takes, the dancers grew comfortable with the walking handstands and started loosening up, adding their own personal movements to the photographs. The 44-year-old artist was thrilled to see his characters add their own interpretation to the series. Letarnec currently works at an ad agency and said his true passion isn't necessarily photography, but contemporary art. For him, photography is a medium to capture an idea, like this one. He was drawn to his "Walking Upside Down" project because he wanted take a surreal idea, and shoot it in a realistic way, without using any lighting effects or photo editing software in his work. "In the U.S. people might see this just as a series of silly photos, but it's a social commentary," he said. "I tried to show a funny way to send a message about human behavior. I think French people may be more sensitive to these photos because of the expression." Either way, Letarnec said he embraces the idea that people find the series fun, and said the photos are supposed to seem silly. | Artist Patrice Letarnec strives to show human foolishness through his photographs .
Dancers pose standing on hands and wearing their clothes on upside down .
Letarnec tries to evoke absurdity in his photographs in a fun and silly way, he says . |
233,273 | ba022136c0249196ae2f0f85aab0e4bc5af21089 | By . Sam Webb . A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a seven-year-old girl. Nottinghamshire Police were called to a house in the Bestwood Park area of Nottingham at around 5.10am today after concerns were raised about the child. She has been named locally as aspiring police officer Kay-Ann Morris. Loss: A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a seven-year-old girl. Police at the scene in Bestwood Park, Nottingham, today . A shocked neighbour described the church-goer as 'strict' and said that the tragic youngster was a 'stunning little girl'. The neighbour, who gave his name only as Geoff, said: 'I did not know a lot about her, and nor did anyone here. 'She did her best to keep herself to herself and I think she had two little girls. 'The only time you would see them was when they were going to or coming back from school. 'She was a beautiful little girl, just a stunning little girl, it is so sad that she has gone. 'She was very shy, very quiet, it was obvious she was under a strict regime. The 23-year-old has been named locally as aspiring police officer Kay-Ann Morris. A post-mortem is due to take place this evening. Pictured, some bags outside the front door . 'I know that about eight police cars and at least two ambulances were there at the time. 'I saw the man and Kay-Ann being led out by police to the van and a little girl being carried out wrapped in a blanket. 'It is all so tragic, there has never been any trouble around here. The lady once had a bit of an argument with a neighbour who doesn't live here any more. 'That was over children throwing snow balls, and didn't last long. 'I think I am going to go and get some flowers now as it is just so sad. Nothing like this happens around here. It's a nice area.' A neighbour described the woman as a 'strict' and the little girl as 'quiet' A spokesman for the Seventh Day Advent Church in Nottingham said Morris had attended their church. It is believed Morris had been an aspiring police officer and was featured as part of a special Nottinghamshire Police programme to get more young people to join the force when she was 17. Speaking at the time Kay-Ann said: 'From the age of four I've aspired to become a police officer and being on Tap The Gap has strengthened my drive and determination to pursue my chosen career. 'It has also given me a new found self- confidence.' A 47-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of assault. Post-mortem tests are due to take place later, a force spokeswoman said. She declined to comment on whether the pair, who remain in police custody, are related to the child. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | The woman has been named locally as Kay-Ann Morris .
A neighbour described the church-goer as being 'strict' with her children .
He added that the seven-year-old was 'a beautiful little girl' |
216,893 | a4d0358276a1f0c90e639030859d4340f2d841a9 | (CNN) -- The driver in Thursday's bus crash in Texas was investigated but not indicted in a fatal accident 15 years ago, according to court documents. Two people were killed and dozens rushed to hospitals after a charter bus bound for Oklahoma overturned on a Dallas-area turnpike Thursday morning. The driver is 65-year-old Loyd Rieve, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. He was investigated in a 1998 accident, but a grand jury declined to indict him on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. In that accident, Rieve was driving a bus that ran over a good Samaritan helping at an accident scene. 2 killed in Dallas-area bus crash . The bus driver was injured in the Thursday accident, which occurred on the President George Bush Turnpike in Irving. It involved only one vehicle. Department of Public Safety spokesman Sgt. Lonny Haschel told CNN the bus went off the right side of the road, hit a barrier, swerved left across lanes of traffic and struck a concrete median in a grassy area. "It rode up on top of that concrete barrier, and then rolled on its right hand side, where it came to rest," Haschel said. The bus, owned by Dallas-area charter company Cardinal Coach Line, was taking passengers to Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, the department said. Haschel said it's too early to determine a cause. Investigators are looking at several factors, including the vehicle and physical evidence on the road. The National Transportation Safety Board said it has sent two investigators to the scene of the wreck. "It's going to be a lengthy investigation," Haschel said. CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report. | A grand jury declined to indict him on a charge of criminally negligent homicide 15 years ago .
The driver was injured in the Thursday accident .
The bus was headed to an Oklahoma casino .
The NTSB has sent investigators to the scene . |
210,902 | 9d272a2b0208815a03a20b33f3ac4596cbbb1fff | (CNN) -- "Muddin" in the neighborhood "holler," bringing raw deer meat to a party and brawling with a neighbor after noise complaints -- "Jersey Shore" is so over. Welcome "Buckwild," an MTV reality show that debuted Thursday featuring nine young adults from West Virginia. Often stereotyped and sometimes forgotten as its own state, West Virginia is now at the center of MTV's latest drunken portrayal of young people goofing off (and occasionally working). The show uses subtitles in case viewers don't understand some of the accents. #Buckwild: 10 crazy tweets about the new show . "You preyed on young people, coaxed them into displaying shameful behavior -- and now you are profiting from it," charged U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virgina, in a December letter to MTV asking the cable network to cancel the show. That's not likely to happen, though several reviews have panned the show. "Not only is it another tired portrayal of Southern stereotypes, but it's also inexcusably poorly executed," claims the Hollywood Reporter. The state's tourism officials seem to have shrugged off the stereotypes. "While some reality television programming is designed to excite, entice and generally entertain viewers, these types of programs tend to represent an extremely small segment of a population. This program does not represent our state or our citizens," the West Virginia Division of Tourism said in a statement. The spotlight may help promote the state, as the "Jersey Shore" did for that state, despite the antics of Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. Much ado about "Buckwild" There's more to West Virginia than "Buckwild" suggests. Born of a group of anti-slavery citizens in western Virginia who would not secede with Virginia, West Virginia became its own state on June 20, 1863. The state celebrates 150 years of statehood this June. "West Virginia is looking forward to celebrating its 150th anniversary," said Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner at the West Virginia Division of Tourism. "Our state is steeped in the history of the nation and born of the Civil War." The state's tourism website highlights the events that formed West Virginia. "These locations and other events off the battlefield not only influenced the war itself but the very shape of our state. Communities across the state are developing commemorations, reenactments and celebrations. The entire state will recognize the formation of West Virginia on June 20th." An abolitionist state . The state has a long an illustrious history of anti-slavery activity. And nowhere is that more pronounced than Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. In 1859, John Brown and his supporters attacked the U.S. Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, attempting to capture the arms there for a slave uprising. After being captured, charged with "conspiring with slaves to commit treason and murder," Brown was convicted and hanged for his crimes. Harpers Ferry was also the site of the arrival of the first working railroad and one of the earliest integrated schools in this country, where former slaves were educated. Where the Hatfields and McCoys duked it out . The Hatfield-McCoy Mountains of southern West Virginia take their name from the bitter feud fought between those two infamous families in West Virginia and Kentucky. The West Virginia town of Historic Matewan is located between the homes of Devil Anse Hatfield and Randle McCoy. It's also where Sid Hatfield was buried. But the activities in those mountains don't just appeal to history buffs. Dirt bike and ATV riders can find plenty to do on over 500 miles of trails included in the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System. "Buckwild" producer: Show isn't like a train wreck . What's old is new again . A National Historic landmark, the Greenbrier has been hosting visitors since 1778. Located in White Sulphur Springs and surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains, the resort was renovated a few years ago and offers fine dining, a spa and championship golf course. Golf Magazine even gave the golf course a shout out in 2010. If you live in West Virginia or have visited the state, where would you recommend visitors go? | "Buckwild" on MTV features the antics of nine young West Virginians .
Sen. Joe Manchin objects to the show; tourism officials say it doesn't represent the state .
West Virginia was born out of residents' refusal to support slavery and secede from the union .
The state is celebrating its 150th birthday this year . |
239,159 | c19f2b29645664d4f61d3ad040cec2c42b9c944e | By . Dominic King and Neil Ashton . PUBLISHED: . 11:25 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:43 EST, 22 May 2013 . Andy Carroll is expected to join West Ham on a permanent deal after Liverpool agreed to take a £20million loss on the striker. While Carroll is yet to say yes to the move, West Ham have had a bid of £15m agreed in principle by Liverpool for a forward who cost a record £35m for a British player when he signed from Newcastle in January 2011. Carroll is believed to be keen on moving to Upton Park but the club want a definite answer from him by the end of next week. London calling? Andy Carroll could move permanently to West Ham after the club agreed a fee with Liverpool . The 6ft 3in Carroll yesterday pulled . out of England’s squad for the friendlies against the Republic of . Ireland and Brazil because of injury. He had been recalled by head coach Roy . Hodgson last week but suffered a heel problem in the Hammers’ final . game of the season against Reading. Scans have shown he needs complete . rest. Hodgson was keen to use the friendlies to take another look at . Carroll, who has been in outstanding form for West Ham during the last . few weeks of his season-long loan under Sam Allardyce. The Hammers boss admitted at the . weekend that signing Carroll had become his top priority after his . partnership with midfielder Kevin Nolan flourished. Liverpool have reluctantly agreed to sell Carroll but Brendan Rodgers does not believe the target man has a future at Anfield. He struggled to make an impact after he was signed when Liverpool wanted a replacement for Fernando Torres. Cooled off: Newcastle had previously shown an interest in bringing Carroll back to the North East . Although his initial £65,000 a week . salary was comparatively low, his transfer fee for an unproven Premier . League player was incredible at the time. He scored only four goals for . Liverpool in the Premier League and has spent the majority of this . campaign on loan with the Hammers. Although the West Ham board have reservations about his injury record, they are determined to back Allardyce’s transfer plans. Carlton Cole looks set to leave West Ham after saying goodbye to the fans on Twitter. ‘Life is filled with ups & downs . today is a down but i’ll be back! Carlton Cole/CFC as i have been called . has left the building. i want to thank the West Ham fans for their . support especially the 1’s who made the away games feel like a home 1. #COYI’ West Ham have agreed to sign Romania . defender Razvan Rat on an initial two-year deal when his contract with . Shakhtar Donetsk expires on July 1. The 31-year-old left back has 88 . caps. The Hammers have also held talks with AC Milan’s out-of-contract captain Massimo Ambrosini, who will be 36 next week. Meanwhile, Carroll has pulled out of . England's international friendlies with Brazil and the Republic of . Ireland suffering a heel injury. Kop that: The Newcastle-born striker was set to return to his parent club after a year on loan in east London . Sportsmail understands the striker will be out for at least six weeks. The Three Lions are scheduled to face the Republic of Ireland on May 29 at Wembley followed by a game with Brazil in Rio on June 2. Roy Hodgson, who named his squad last Thursday, will now have to manage without the services of Carroll who ended the season as West Ham's second top goalscorer with seven league strikes to his name. Hodgson is treating the matches as dress rehearsals for September's World Cup games against Moldova and Ukraine. He said: 'Everything I do will have an eye on the qualifiers.' England expects: Carroll has pulled out of the national squad to take on Brazil and the Republic of Ireland . But Carroll becomes the latest . high-profile player to pull out a squad that is already without captain . Steven Gerrard and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere - possibly the side's two . most influential players. Jack Rodwell was added to the England squad on Monday after the Manchester City midfielder scored twice in his side's disappointing 3-2 defeat at home by Norwich. He appears to have sufficiently impressed manager Hodgson to have earned a late call with Tom Cleverley a significant doubt in an already understrength squad. Beyond Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard, the team will severely lack top-level experience in midfield. | East London club agree deal believed to be in region of £15m to sign striker on permanent basis after successful loan spell .
Carroll, 24, forced to pull out of England squad with heel injury . |
6,437 | 1240d707a83f6ece57cdf3e8afcd9a5e57dc79cd | (CNN) -- An 18-year-old Panamanian fisherman who survived 28 days adrift at sea is suing Princess Cruise Lines, arguing that one of its cruise ships should have stopped and saved him. A negligence lawsuit filed in Florida last week says the behavior of officers or crew members of the Star Princess was "outrageous and, under the circumstances, so beyond all bounds of decency as to be regarded as shocking, atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community." Three passengers who were birdwatching on the ship alerted a crew member when they spotted Adrian Vasquez and his companions signaling for help from their fishing boat, the suit says. Even though crew members "had clear knowledge that people were stranded in an open boat hundreds of miles from shore in the Pacific Ocean and desperately calling for their help," the suit says, "they consciously ignored the emergency situation and did not deviate from their cruise." The fishing boat, Fifty Cents, had been adrift for 15 days when it crossed paths with the Star Princess on March 10, according to the lawsuit. At the time, all three fishermen aboard were alive. Later that day, according to the lawsuit, 16-year-old Fernando Osorio died, "having lost all hope as the Star Princess steamed away." Five days later, another fisherman on the broken-down boat, Oropeces Betancourt, 24, died at sea. Two days after spotting the struggling fishermen, the three cruise ship passengers followed up with a ship officer, asking him what happened to the fishing boat after their report, according to the lawsuit. "This officer did not have an answer for them and walked away without explanation," the lawsuit says. Princess Cruises spokeswoman Karen Candy did not comment on this specific allegation Monday, adding that the company was still investigating the incident. Robert Dickman, a lawyer for Vasquez, speculated that one reason the Star Princess did not stop was because the cruise ship's crew didn't want to get off schedule for their next stop in Puntarenas, Costa Rica -- and, thus, lose money. The ship did arrive in Puntarenas on March 11, noted Candy, but she strongly denied that the crew decided not to help the fishermen for financial reasons. "This is absolutely false," she told CNN by e-mail. Princess Cruises released a statement Monday saying it was "deeply saddened that two Panamanian men perished at sea" and "very sorry for the tragic loss of life." "Because of what we suspect was a case of unfortunate miscommunication, regretfully the captain of the Star Princess was never notified of the passengers' concern. Had he been advised, he would have had the opportunity to respond, as he has done numerous times throughout his career," the statement said. "This is an upsetting and emotional issue for us all, as no employee onboard a Princess ship would purposefully ignore someone in distress. It is our ethical and maritime responsibility to provide assistance to any vessel in need, and it is not an uncommon occurrence for our ships to be involved in a rescue at sea. In fact, we have done so more than 30 times over the last decade." Jeff Gilligan, one of the cruise ship passengers who said he saw the stranded fisherman and alerted the cruise ship's crew, told CNN last month that he took a picture of the fishing boat from about two miles away. "It's just a horrible thing. I'm sick about it," he said. He saw the tiny vessel through high-powered scopes, he said. It appeared not to be moving, he said, but the men onboard were. "We were looking through powerful spotting scopes before I took those photographs, and we -- the three of us -- couldn't come up with any reasonable explanation why somebody would have been flagging with two different colors of cloth, clothing or whatever it was, to our ship from perhaps two miles away on a little boat that wasn't moving, over 100 miles from the coast," he said. At the time, he and his fellow passengers thought the cruise ship crew members would do something. "We fully expected the ship to turn around or to send a tender boat out to investigate ... our suspicions," he said. Vasquez's lawsuit seeks compensation for physical, emotional and psychological injuries that it alleges he suffered as a result of the conduct of cruise line employees. The story of Vasquez's survival gained international coverage when the Ecuadorian navy rescued him north of the Galapagos Islands in March. The trio's February 24 fishing trip had started out well, according to Vasquez's mother, Nilsa de la Cruz. The three caught plenty of fish, she said. But the boat's engine died without warning and, with no tools and scant navigational experience, there was little the trio could do, de la Cruz told CNN. Ecuadorian Rear Adm. Freddy Garcia Calle said that at the time he was found, the 18-year-old showed "severe signs of dehydration and lack of nutrition." He said the survivor had thrown his friends' bodies into the ocean "because they had become badly decomposed." CNN's Brian Todd, Dugald McConnell, Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo contributed to this report. | NEW: Princess Cruises denies a lawyer's claim its crew didn't stop for financial reasons .
A man who watched two of his companions die at sea sues Princess Cruise Lines .
The survivor says the behavior of the cruise's crew was "outrageous"
The cruise company says it's investigating, adding it suspects "unfortunate miscommunication" |
38,842 | 6dca4e2b043376ae588aa5df3010c4f7e2ed8d74 | By . Ashley Collman . and Ryan Gorman . and Laura Cox . A girl who was just 10 years old when she was charged with killing a baby in her mother's care pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several misdemeanors in a plea deal. A judge signed off on the deal which dropped manslaughter charges against Kelli Murphy, now 12, in a closed-door hearing. As part of the deal, Murphy will submit to a treatment plan and remain in the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services until she turns 18. 'I'm . satisfied with the outcome. It was the best that we could accomplish . given the complexities of the case and the age of the juvenile,' Deputy Attorney General William Stokes said. Murphy was first charged in the death of 3-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenway in July 2012. Tragic: 12-year-old Kelli Murphy pleaded guilty to several manslaughter charges in connection to the 2012 death of 3-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenway (pictured) The charges stem from a night in which the baby stayed over at Murphy's house with Murphy's mother babysat the infant. An autopsy and toxicology performed on the baby found . large quantities of the same prescription medication Murphy took to control her Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The deal comes after the baby's mother Nicki Greenaway called for charges against Murphy's mother Amanda Huard. She said the woman was neglectful in watching Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway, and that she should be held liable for her conduct. The state disagreed. 'Legally speaking, it’s not possible,' Stokes said. 'One of the things we have to prove in any death is causation, and we don’t have any evidence that [Huard] caused anybody’s death.' The juvenile petition against Murphy . contained no additional details about the case, including Brooklyn's cause of death, but the baby's mother, Nicki Greenaway, claims to have been told her child was suffocated. When Greenaway saw her daughter for the first time at a funeral home, the baby had a black eye, bruises on her nose and marks that looked like fingerprints on her cheeks, she said. 'Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway has died as a result of your neglect,' said a notice delivered to the mother in the weeks after her child's death. 'You knew that (the 10-year-old) should not be babysitting children but have continued to allow her to do so.' Gone too soon: Baby Brooklyn died while in the care of Murphy and her mother - who was babysitting that night . Brooklyn's mother, Nicki, said traces of the 10-year-old's medication was found in her daughter's system . Murphy had already been labeled as a . danger to children before Foss-Greenaway's death, according to documents from the DHHS which detail . that she suffers behavioral problems, including oppositional defiant . disorder, ADHD and attachment . disorder. Former tenants of Huard's house also claimed Murphy also harmed their baby. Ashley Tenney and Chad Hopkins have . named the 10-year-old as being responsible for their daughter's . hospitalisation in June, brought on by sudden seizures. Doctors found the same medication in eight-month-old Jaylynn's system that is used by the accused girl to control her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder after they had been left alone together. Tenney and Hopkins were living with in the basement of Huard's home, the Maine Sunday Telegram reported. They say the girl was alone with . their daughter in June 2012, while Hopkins was elsewhere in the house and . Tenney was out at work. The . couple trusted the girl, they said, that she had shown a 'healthy . interest' in their daughter up until that point, offering to help with . diaper changes and bathing. When Tenney arrived home from her shift at Dunkin' Donuts she found her daughter pale and sweating. 'She was soaked in sweat, just drenched,' said Tenney, 20. 'She was so pale. Whiter than a sheet of paper.' As they rushed her to the emergency room at MaineGeneral Medical Centre in Waterville, Jaylynn began convulsing and fitting. 'She . was on her father's lap, and her head just dropped back, and she . rapidly started shaking,' Tenney said. 'The first one lasted like 20 . seconds.' The sudden seizures baffled doctors at first as they struggled to work out what had brought them on. Medical experts consulted one another and Jaylynn was transferred to Maine Medical Centre in Portland to be reassessed. Shock: Ashley Tenney (left) claims Murphy was also responsible for her daughter Jaylynn's (right) hospitalisation in June . 'If her head went to the left her arm . went to the right and vice versa,' she said. 'Her heart rate was high . and they were worried and didn't know what to do for her.' In . Portland doctors probed Tenney about what medications were in Huard's . house, matching up the 10-year-old's attention deficit hyperactivity . disorder drugs with what they found in Jaylynn's system. So . much was detected, Tenney said, that her daughter 'should have been . dead'. She added that there 'wasn't any way' she could have ingested the . medication on her own. In . the days following the scare, Tenney and Hopkins began looking for a new . place to live, sickened by the belief that Huard's daughter had . deliberately hurt their own. She . said she had found a canvas bag in a drawer in the 10-year-old's . bedroom, filled with more than 100 photographs of Jaylynn, some torn, . others with words like 'my baby girl' written on them. The . couple were interviewed by workers from the DHHS Office of Child and . Family Services, as were with the 10-year-old and her mother. All four . were told that the girl should not be given care of young children. But despite the warnings the girl was once again left alone with a toddler just three weeks later, this time with three-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway whose mother, Nicki, had left in Huard's care overnight. | On Wednesday, Kelli Murphy pleaded guilty to several misdemeanor charges in a plea deal .
She was the youngest person charged with manslaughter in the state in more than 30 years, but those charges were dropped as part of the deal .
Murphy will undergo treatment and remain in the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services until she's 18 years old .
She was only 10-years-old when first charged in the 2012 death of three-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway .
Foss-Greenway had traces of Murphy's ADHD medication in her system and may also have been suffocated . |
163,059 | 5ed889a73ccc3ad95ebdec52afd43eed72691ceb | (CNN) -- Theology is unnecessary. So says Stephen Hawking, the world-famous physicist who controversially argues in a new book that God did not create the universe. "God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator," Hawking told CNN's "Larry King Live" in an interview that aired Friday. Hawking, 68, says in his book "The Grand Design" that, given the existence of gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. "Spontaneous creation," he writes, is the reason why the universe and humanity exist. "Gravity and quantum theory cause universes to be created spontaneously out of nothing," Hawking told Larry King. King asked Hawking why he thinks people have reacted so strongly to his book. "Science is increasingly answering questions that used to be the province of religion," Hawking replied. "The scientific account is complete. Theology is unnecessary." Hawking said his book is an attempt to give a "broad picture of how the universe operates and our place in it. It is a basic human desire and it also puts our worries in perspective." The idea behind it is "M-theory," which, he says, allows there to be many universes that were created out of nothing, none of which required the intervention of God. That's because if there are many universes, one will have laws of physics like ours -- and in such a universe, something not only can, but must, arise from nothing, Hawking says. Therefore, he concludes, there's no need for God to have played a part. That's the point of his book, Hawking told King -- "that science can explain the universe, and that we don't need God to explain why there is something rather than nothing, or why the laws of nature are what they are." Hawking said that if he could travel through time -- which he said is theoretically possible -- he would go to the future to "find if M-theory is indeed a theory of everything." Hawking has ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has confined him to a wheelchair and leaves him unable to speak without the help of a computerized voice synthesizer. The disease is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease in the United States and motor neuron disease, or MND, in Britain. He told King he's doing "pretty well" with the disease, 45 years after he was first diagnosed. The disease has a life expectancy of two to five years, according to the ALS Association. | Hawking talks to CNN's "Larry King Live" about his new book .
The book argues that God did not create the universe .
Hawking says science can explain the universe without the need for God . |
81,109 | e5dcd8a1bb9bd3dc254e8b55c9185c53c2a09b00 | The intercepted phone calls of an alleged Australian terrorist recruiter, who is charged with helping young people join jihadist networks in Syria, have been heard in court. Sydney man Hamdi Alqudsi allegedly acted as the liaison man and advisor between Australia's most senior Islamic State leader, Mohammad Ali Baryalei, and the would-be terrorists and organised travel, hotel accommodation, different overseas currencies, security, a Syrian contact and 'general encouragement and support', according to the police facts in the case. In alleged phone calls between the two men heard in court on Friday, Baryalei - who is thought to now be dead - told Alqudsi of his experiences on the front line and claimed he was almost hit by a bullet. Scroll down for video . Alleged Syrian recruiter: Hamdi Alqudsi (pictured on Tuesday outside a court in central Sydney) is charged with seven counts of recruiting the men to enter 'into a foreign state, namely Syria, with intent to engage in hostile activity in Syria, in particular, engaging in armed hostilities in Syria' The federal prosecutors in the committal hearing against Alqudsi, who faces seven charges of conscripting Australians to join ISIS or other groups in Syria’s civil war, say they have 'overwhelming' evidence of Alqudsi recruiting and instructing young Australian men to go and fight in Syria. The prosecutor tendered more than 100 pages of phone tap records as part of a case against him, at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. The prosecutor said Alqudsi had organised for the men to go to 'a particular part of Turkey which was known as the place where the fighters go to'. In one text message, Alqudsi and one of the recruits wrote about 'getting the green light' for the trip into Syria. Despite a statement by Mr Alqudsi's lawyer, Zali Burrows, that the 39-year-old could not be identified as the speaker or texter recruiting the would-be fighters, the prosecution had declared in one text and a telephone call his own name. 'He says "I am Hamdi Alqudsi" and in one message 'write my name, Alqudsi".' Line up and shot: Beautiful Gold Coast private schoolgirl, Amira Karroum (pictured) secretly flew to Syria last December after her husband, Tyler Casey, was allegedly recruited by Hamdi Alqudsi. Ms Karroum and Casey were shot dead in mid-January in the northern Syrian town of Aleppo . Alleged mastermind: Hamdi Alqudsi (pictured on Tuesday after appearing briefly in the Downing Centre Local Court in central Sydney) is, police claim, the chief recruiter in Australia of young men who want to go and fight in Syria against government forces with groups such as the extremists in ISIS . ISIS leader Baryalei left Australia on April 10 last year on a flight to Tokyo. At 1am on June 22 last year federal police intercepted a call between Baryalei and Alqudsi, in which Baryalei explains he 'just got back yesterday after fighting a battle where five brothers were killed and a lot of brothers were injured'. 'They were trying to take a large stronghold, however they encountered difficulties due to a sniper wiping everyone out' Baryalei was himself nearly killed 'as a bullet came so close to him that his ears were ringing from the noise of the bullet'. Baryalei said he had watched a 'commander die right in front of his eyes' and described his fighters taking out two to three tanks. Death in Syria: Hamdi Alqudsi is accused of recruiting Tyler Casey (above, left), originally from Redcliffe, Queensland and former Australian infantry soldier, 22-year-old Caner Temel (right) to Syria where they were both killed in January, Temel shot in the head by a sniper, and Casey and his wife, Amira Karroum were reportedly lined up, shot, and their bodies dismembered . Soccer nut: Mehmet Biber, a 21-year-old Turkish-Australian from Merrylands, Sydney, who loved poetry and soccer, became radicalised and was then recruited allegedly by Hamdi Alqudsi and crossed the Turkish border into Syria, from where he has posted photographs of bloodied aid workers injured in fighting . On June 25 last year at 9.05pm, police intercepted another call in which Alqudsi in Sydney told Baryalei in Syria, 'four brothers coming this week, they are leaving Australia, going to try and get them by the weekend'. Alqudsi named them as Abu Qaqa, 'the tall one' (Tyler Casey), Abu Moussa (Caner Temel) and Biber's 'best friend', Abu Abdul Malik (Mehmet Biber) and Abu Islam ' the Sudanese brother'. 'They are ready,' Alqudsi told Baryalei. 'They are going to all meet in Istanbul then they are going to come all the way to Hatay [the southern province of Turkey which borders Syria] so you need to let me know if you want to pick them up from Hatay airport or do you want them to go to a particular hotel.' Alqudsi said 'the brothers' were 'crying, affected, none of them wanted to stay in this country one second. They are ready.' Alqudsi said the men would pay cash for the trip, with one of them giving $4000 and $2000. Arrested boarding a plane: New Zealand-born Amin Mohamed (above), 23, from Lidcombe in Sydney's inner west, allegedly bought a mobile phone in a false name and made plans to travel to Syria via Turkey with Alqudsi's help. He was arrested while trying to board a plane in Brisbane last December and charged with preparing to engage in foreign hostile activities . Dawn raid: Hamdi Alqudsi was arrested last December at this four bedroom house (pictured) at St Helens Park in far south-western Sydney where he had been living quietly with his family. Police allege he was helping young Australians to go and fight in Syria . Dangerous company: Renamed Yusf Ali and preaching (above) on Sydney streets, Tyler Casey was recruited, police allege, by Sydney suburban father and disability pensioner, Hamdi Alqudsi, and sent to Syria where he was shot and killed in the northern city of Aleppo within weeks of arriving . Road to death: Tyler Casey, who took the Jihadi name Yusuf Ali, joined the Street Dawah project where he met recruitment middleman Mohamed Ali Baryalei and took Islam to Sydney streets (pictured, left) before flying to Syria with his wife, Amira Karroum, and dying in a rebel incursion. Casey is pictured (right) with his mother, Kristine Hunt . Dead or alive? Mohamed Baryalei, a former Sydney bouncer and actor now believed to have died in Syria, is pictured (above) in Sydney in 2012, when he was a street preacher for his brand of Islam . On June 29, 2013 police intercepted a call at 5.59pm from Baryalei in Syria in which he told Alqudsi he had no intention of returning to Australia and he wanted to be a 'Shaheed' - an honor for Muslims who lay down their life for their religion or die fighting defending their faith. He said if he did this, he would leave his wife in Turkey as he did not wish to take her into Syria. Alqudsi said he was sending over another Australian recruit to Syria, Muhammed Abdul-Karim Musleh. At 7.17pm on the same evening, Alqudsi called Baryalei's phone and spoke to a man called Khatab, from the Al Nusra front and they promised to Skype each other. The next morning at 6.32am, Alqudsi called a different phone of Baryalei's, in which the latter said the extremist group he was associated with had split into two groups, Jabhat al Nusra and Dawla Islamieh who were 'mujahadeens as well man' and he wanted to join the second group. Australian Federal Police say the second group is a branch of Al Qaida. At 5.25pm on July 2 last year, Tyler Casey and Caner Temel called Alqudsi from Turkey saying the 'boys' had just arrived, the trip was good and they would soon fly south to Hatay. Alqudsi told them what hotel to stay in, instructed them to stay out of sight, buy a new SIM card and change their money into Turkish, Syrian and American currency. Alqudsi told the young men Baryalei would be waiting for them and to keep him updated. At 3.39pm on July 3, Alqudsi spoke with Muhammed Musleh who said they were about to board a plane for Hatay. Aqudsi said Baryalei had already left the international border crossing between Syria and Turkey at Bab al-Hawa to pick them up. Alqudsi has now been ordered to stand trial on seven charges of recruiting young men to fight with terrorist forces in Syria. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Hamdi Alqudsi is alleged mastermind of the Australia-Syria recruit network .
Police say the have evidence of phone calls between him and Islamic State leader Mohammad Ali Baryalei .
Alqudsi is a disability pensioner who lives in Sydney suburbia .
He faces charges of sending seven young men to Syria .
Three young Australians allegedly connected with Alqudsi have died in Syria .
Alqudsi has been ordered to stand trial . |
169,284 | 6707e21a6bc4704dfa19faacfcfe9556e672bd9a | (CNN) -- The former Agriculture Department employee at the center of a political firestorm said Friday that President Barack Obama didn't literally say he was "sorry" when they spoke Thursday, but "by simply calling me," she believed he was apologizing. Shirley Sherrod -- forced to resign from her job based on incomplete and misleading reports about a speech she gave in March -- also told CNN's "American Morning" that the department official who asked for her resignation was only a "messenger." And later Friday, she had a "very emotional" reunion with the white Georgia couple she referenced about in her now-famous speech. As for the White House, Sherrod told CNN that it had had been trying to reach her since Wednesday night. "My phone was full, couldn't take any more messages. Finally, I was on the way to the airport in an attempt to get home when I checked my messages and had received one from the White House saying the president was trying to get in touch with me and give them a call," she said. "I did that, and I had the conversation with him, and, you know, I feel good about that." Asked whether she was able to enlighten him about her work, she said they didn't have time to get into that. "But toward the end of the conversation, I told him I'd love to have him come to South Georgia," she said, adding that she would "take him around and show him some things." "I could definitely bring the point home," said Sherrod, who lives in Georgia. She said he didn't precisely say he was sorry. "I really didn't want to hear the president of the United States say 'I'm sorry' to Shirley Sherrod," she said. "I felt he was saying that in his talk just by simply calling me. I felt it was, in a way, saying 'I'm sorry' because he didn't have to do it." The Sherrod controversy began after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a portion of the speech in which Sherrod spoke of not offering her full help to a white farmer. The original post indicated that the incident Sherrod mentioned occurred when she worked for the Agriculture Department, and news outlets quickly picked up on the story. However, the incident took place decades before she joined the department, and her speech in its unedited form made the point that people should move beyond race. In addition, the white farmer whom Sherrod mentioned has told reporters that Sherrod helped him save his farm. Nevertheless, Sherrod was swiftly fired after government officials heard only the portion of the speech. When the full version of the speech was heard, she received apologies from the White House, the agriculture secretary and the NAACP, which criticized the edited remarks. On "American Morning" on Friday, Sherrod was asked about the "ability" of Obama, American's first black president, to discuss and deal with racial issues. "I guess because he's a black president, for some reason, they felt you can't talk about issues that affect just black people," she said. She said she believes that "the administration feels too that if they highlight issues of black people ... the country would perceive (it) as something negative. I know they probably have to struggle with that. But I think they're wrong. I think they could do more to advance unity if they could promote a discussion from that level." Sherrod was also asked about Cheryl Cook, the Agriculture Department official who phoned Sherrod and asked for her resignation. "I know Cheryl Cook, and I know, had she been given the opportunity to make a decision her on her own, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about this. So she was the messenger. I really truly do believe it was not her message," she said. "Cheryl is a great person. I definitely want to see her be able to continue the work she was doing at USDA. So I would hope that this attention on her would not cause them to do the same thing they did to me: boot her out." Sherrod has received an apology for her firing from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Although she hasn't received an apology from Breitbart, Sherrod said she is not sure she's ready for that kind of a chat just yet. "He would really need to come and sit down with me and look me in the eye so that we could see if we could find a place -- I'm not saying I wouldn't forgive him, but we would need to see if we could find a place for that to happen. "I don't see it at this point. He hasn't been willing. He hasn't tried to apologize to me for anything he's caused me to go through," she said. Breitbart's website included corrections Wednesday on two blog entries that included the video footage from Sherrod's speech. "Correction: While Ms. Sherrod made the remarks captured in the first video featured in this post while she held a federally appointed position, the story she tells refers to actions she took before she held that federal position," said a notice added to one of the postings on Breitbart's biggovernment.com site. A shorter version appeared on another posting of the Sherrod video footage. The corrections did not mention the edited nature of the video he posted Monday or the full context. Breitbart told CNN's "Anderson Cooper: 360" on Thursday that he saw no reason to apologize: "What would warrant an apology? ... I'm not the one who threw her under the bus." Sherrod had said that she was offered some type of civil rights position in the department's Office of Outreach and that she was expecting to receive something official in an e-mail from the department. On Friday, she did not address that issue or say she would accept the position. The edited Sherrod video initially brought condemnation from the NAACP, which later retracted its statement and apologized to Sherrod after the context became clear. Also, the farmer and his wife Sherrod was discussing, Roger and Eloise Spooner, came forward Tuesday, saying that they credited Sherrod with helping them save their farm and that she did not discriminate against them. On Friday, Sherrod and the Spooners held a reunion at a restaurant in the Colquitt, Georgia, area. A CNN Special Investigations Unit witnessed the get-together. CNN's Don Lemon, who saw the reunion, said it was "very emotional." "The interesting thing is watching them look at each other in the eye and talk to each other. There were no tears but only big smiles. It seemed very authentic," he said. Lemon asked the couple whether they'd ever have to help save her as she saved them. "Never in a million years," Roger Spooner said. The NAACP, which initially called Sherrod's statements "shameful," said in a statement Tuesday that it was "snookered by Fox News" and Breitbart. Breitbart's post was picked up by the Fox News website. On Monday, Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity played the edited clip on their programs. O'Reilly, who had called for Sherrod's immediate resignation, apologized for his statements Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith sharply criticized Breitbart's website as well as his network's own coverage of the story. | NEW: Sherrod, white family at center of drama are reunited in Georgia .
Sherrod says President Obama didn't say "sorry," but she feels "good" about the phone call .
She says the official who asked for her resignation was simply a "messenger"
Sherrod says she asked Obama to come to South Georgia . |
32,662 | 5cd7f5a8a41e3f143b3107cb398ff29ed390fc79 | A reptile park near Sydney is calling for public assistance in catching deadly funnel web spiders to help make antivenom. With warmer weather approaching, spider season has begun but the Australian Reptile Park is experiencing a shortage of spiders to milk. Managing operator Mike Drinkwater says there are safe ways to capture the arachnids and urges the people to exercise caution when undergoing the process. Scroll down for video . The Australian Reptile Park are calling on the public to catch funnel web spiders to help make antivenom . Managing operator Mike Drinkwater says there's a shortage of spiders at the park which is why they need public assistance to source more of them . 'We're at an all time low in spider numbers,' Mr Drinkwater told Daily Mail Australia. Previously the reptile park, in Central Coast - north of Sydney, conducted 1500 milkings for antivenom production but this year they hope to double that figure. 'The reason why we want so many is because we're aiming for 3000 milkings this season,' Mr Drinkwater said. 'This provides us with the antivenom which is a huge contributor in saving lives.' Mr Drinkwater says it's vital the spiders are caught the right way. 'Use a 20 to 30 centimetre container and place the opening of the jar near the spider,' he said. 'Then use a ruler to gently flick the spider into the container. Then put the jar upright and place the lid on. 'It's also important to put in some moist soil into the jar and also poke some air holes.' While catching spiders can be a dangerous task, Mr Drinkwater says the public have helped the reptile park source them in previous years. Mr Drinkwater says the park began the spider milking program to produce antivenom in 1981. There were reportedly 13 deaths in NSW from funnel web spiders but since the reptile park program was established, there have been no further recorded deaths. 'Our park is the sole provider of funnel web poison for antivenom,' he said. There are various drop-off points across NSW including spider hotspots in southern parts of Sydney, Newcastle and the Blue Mountains. | The Australian Reptile Park is the sole provider of funnel web poison for antivenom .
The park, in Central Coast - north of Sydney, is aiming for 3000 milkings of funnel web spiders this season .
Managing operator Mike Drinkwater says there's a shortage of spiders at the park which is why they need public assistance . |
184,275 | 7ab0c4684c776bea28114fcb4d5c970159ff159c | Signals: The Teachers Foundation of Malaysia, backed by the Malaysian Government, has issued guidance to parents telling them how to detect whether a child is homosexual. It includes children who wear v-neck jumpers, sleeveless t-shirts and tight clothing . They were once considered the height of fashion, worn by the likes of the Prince of Wales and tennis champion Fred Perry as he conquered Wimbledon in the 1930s. More than 80 years after first being sold the V-neck sweater remains as popular with both men and women. But in Malaysia wearing that type of sweater is considered a clear sign that the person could be gay. Government officials in the Far East country have issued a series a pointers to parents that they say are telltale signs of homosexuality. Among them is the wearing of a V-neck sweater as well as a preference for sleeveless T-shirts. Teenagers who wear tight, light-coloured clothes and possess a 'chiseled' physique are also inclined to be gay. The so called tell tale signs were issued Teachers Foundation of Malaysia and backed by the Government. The country's deputy education minister Mohd Puad Zarkashinot said few people in the Muslim country understood or knew the early 'symptoms' of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender inclinations to prevent its spread. Ten seminars have so far been held in Malaysia where the how-to-spot gay tendencies were delivered to parents. More than 1,500 people turned up to the most recent to hear Zarkashinot say the guidelines were being issued to help children stay away from 'unhealthy activities'. Controversial: Ten seminars have so far been held in Malaysia where the advice on how to spot gay tendencies was delivered to parents. Homosexuality is illegal in the country . Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and has been described as being against the 'order of nature'. Last year Malaysian officials censored Lady Gaga's hit Born this Way as they said the lyrics promoted acceptance of gays and lesbians. Amnesty International criticised the seminars saying: 'It might sound like something from Victorian England, but this is modern day Malaysia.' | Teachers Foundation of Malaysia issues guidance for parents aimed at pointing out signs of homosexuality .
Lists the wearing of v-neck sweaters, sleeveless t-shirts and tight clothes .
Deputy education minister said few people know homosexuality 'symptoms' |
254,230 | d510a0cc1e9da49cc2947026f5ba79259c963747 | (CNN)Monica Lewinsky told an audience in Philadelphia on Monday that her new mission in life was to end cyberbullying. Her speech -- and her goal -- come as the former White House intern steps into the public eye after years of trying to live privately. "Having survived myself, what I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive, too," she told the audience at Forbes' 30 Under 30 summit. "I want to put my suffering to good use and give purpose to my past." Lewinsky, who as an intern in 1995 had an affair with President Bill Clinton, said she was "patient zero" of online harassment. "There was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram back then," she said. "But there were gossip, news and entertainment websites replete with comment sections and emails which could be forwarded. Of course, it was all done on the excruciatingly slow dial up. Yet around the world this story went. A viral phenomenon that, you could argue, was the first moment of truly 'social media'." Lewinsky became emotional when describing the months after her 1998 scandal with the president, when national attention was fixed on her. "Staring at the computer screen, I spent the day shouting: 'oh my god!' and 'I can't believe they put that in' or 'That's so out of context,'" she said. "And those were the only thoughts that interrupted a relentless mantra in my head: 'I want to die.'" Lewinsky also recapped her affair with Clinton. "Sixteen years ago, fresh out of college, a 22 year old intern in the White House -- and more than averagely romantic -- I fell in love with my boss in a 22-year old sort of way. It happens," Lewinsky said. "But my boss was the president of the United States. That probably happens less often. Now I deeply regret it for many reasons, not the least of which is that people were hurt. And that is never okay." The former White House intern -- who since has received a masters from the London School of Economics and tried her hand as a purse designer -- said the affair was "my everything." Lewinsky, however, struck a resilient tone, according to Forbes, and focused on what she wants to do going forward: End cyberbullying. The former White House intern has said in past interviews and essays that she feels a connection with people who have been caught up in online scandals that forever changed their lives. In a May Vanity Fair piece, where she discussed life after her affair with Clinton, Lewinsky cited the 2010 Tyler Clementi case as the reason she was going public with her cause. Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers who committed suicide after his roommate secretly used a webcam to stream his sexual encounter. "My own suffering took on a different meaning," Lewinsky wrote about her reaction to the Clementi case. "Perhaps by sharing my story, I reasoned, I might be able to help others in their darkest moments of humiliation. The question became: How do I find and give a purpose to my past?" In the piece, Lewinsky said her new goal was to "get involved with efforts on behalf of victims of online humiliation and harassment and to start speaking on this topic in public forums." Lewinsky's speech comes on the same day that she joined Twitter, a move that is just the latest step in Lewinsky's re-entry into public life. | Monica Lewinsky said Monday that her new goal was to end cyberbullying.
"Having survived myself, what I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive, too."
Lewinsky joined Twitter on Monday, too, a coordinated effort to step into public life once again.
Lewinsky cited the 2010 Tyler Clementi case as the reason she was going public with her cause. |
260,642 | dd800108128f4d2fff5aeda96030c5172902f1de | (CNN) -- Just one day after the Federal Aviation Administration announced that airline travelers would soon be able to keep their personal electronic devices on throughout their flights, two airlines made changes. On Friday, a JetBlue flight from New York to Buffalo became the first commercial flight to allow "gate-to-gate" use of such devices, the airline said. Delta Air Lines also announced that it modified its rules regarding electronic devices as soon as it could. Until now, passengers in the United States were prohibited from using the devices until their plane rose above 10,000 feet. A ban on using cell phones for voice communication remains in effect. The FAA announcement came Thursday, and that same day, JetBlue asked to be allowed to implement the new rules. The FAA gave its approval Friday, and the airline implemented the rules immediately. Delta confirmed through its Twitter account that the FAA approved its plans, too. The FAA refused to say which airlines had applied for permission and which were granted permission, saying the agency prefers that the airlines release that information. When it announced the changes, the FAA predicted that airlines would apply the new rules by the end of the year. The FAA, following months of study by a group of aviation experts, said that airlines can allow passengers to use portable electronic devices such as tablets, laptop computers, e-readers and cell phones in airplane mode throughout the flight, with some circumstantial restrictions. The FAA had long said that using electronic devices during takeoff and landing posed a safety issue and that radio signals from the devices could interfere with an aircraft's communications, navigation and other systems. But a panel the FAA established last year to study the issue concluded that most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference signals. CNN's Jason Hanna and Katia Hetter contributed to this report. | The FAA this week announced that airlines can allow expanded electronics use .
JetBlue and Delta say they are the first to move on the new rules .
Flights from that airline now allow devices to be on throughout the flight . |
49,637 | 8c54dbf9679467f4cf10b812916401883267f2fd | By . Richard Spillett . This is the moment a brave grandmother chased a thief with a mop and bucket after he stole cash from her handbag. Yvonne Carey picked up the cleaning equipment and ran after the criminal, who had sneaked into her social club to steal from members. CCTV shows the thief running for his life from the club before Mrs Carey, clutching the mop she was using to clean the floor, appears and pursues him. The 58-year says she was disappointed not to catch the man, who made off with £200 after the incident at Our Lady Queen of Peace club in Litherland, Merseyside. Scroll down for video . Grandmother Yvonne Carey armed herself with a mop and bucket and chased a thief from the Our Lady Queen of Peace club in Litherland, Merseyside . The hooded thief had targeted the social club and Mrs Carey spotted him rifling through her handbag . Yvonne with a mop like the one she chased the burglar with after he made off with her Florida holiday cash . Mrs Carey said: 'I just saw him going through my bag so I shouted at him. I had the mop and bucket in my hand and he started to run away so I chased after him. 'I was desperate to catch him so I kept screaming and yelling at him to stop. Sadly he was too quick. 'Maybe if I'd have chucked the mop and bucket away I'd have caught up with him. 'I didn't think about it at the time but he could have had a weapon like a gun or a knife on him - but I was just desperate to catch him.' Her friend, Dee Grey, was at the club organising a weight watchers class and chased the thief down a pathway but he managed to flee the scene. Mrs Carey revealed she had been saving up for a family holiday in Florida for seven years and planned to use the cash to buy dollars. Police are hunting the crook, who was captured on CCTV entering the premises minutes earlier . The man was later seen running out the door as Mrs Carey gave chase, cleaning equipment in hand . She followed him out of the door, but was left disappointed when he made off with £200 of her holiday money . Despite the theft, grandmother-of-two Yvonne is still determined to enjoy her holiday in 10 days time with her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. She said: 'We've been saving up to go away for seven years now so there's no way I'm going to let a thief like him ruin our family holiday. 'I just hope the police can find out who did it and bring him to justice.' The offender, described as white, in his 30s and of slight build, was caught on camera walking around the social club before going inside and raiding the grandmother's bag. He was wearing dark tracksuit bottoms, a grey coloured top and sunglasses at the time of the theft. A spokesperson for Merseyside Police confirmed they were appealing for information about the theft on July 15 after officers had combed the scene. | Thief targeted Merseyside social club where Yvonne Carey was cleaning .
After spotting him going through her bag, she chased him with mop .
Grandmother was left disappointed when the man made off with £200 .
She said: 'I was screaming and yelling. I was just desperate to catch him'
Police issue appeal for information after Mrs Carey's holiday money taken . |
59,634 | a95927d815d365fa45ae7d7a217caa2c98cbb171 | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Taliban in Pakistan have released a second audiotape purportedly containing the voice of their leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who sources say was wounded in a suspected drone strike this week. The group also released an audiotape Friday, though CNN could not confirm that the voice on either tape belongs to Mehsud. It was unclear whether the first tape was recorded before or after Thursday's drone strike, but the voice on the second tape announced the date as Saturday. "Let me say this briefly, that I, Hakimullah Mehsud, today, on the 16th of January, with central spokesman Azam Tariq and Umar Khittab, want to give this message to all mujahedeen: that by the grace of Allah, I, Hakimullah Mehsud, am alive and in good health. Neither have I been martyred in a drone attack nor injured," the voice says on Saturday's tape. Tariq, a Taliban spokesman, denied Thursday and again Friday that Mehsud was hurt. Tariq said Mehsud had left the site of the attack -- a converted religious school -- before the missiles struck. He dismissed reports of an injury to Mehsud as propaganda. However, other Taliban and intelligence sources said doctors were treating Mehsud for wounds he sustained in the drone strike. Tariq delivered both audiotapes to local journalists. On the tape released Friday, the voice says, "The media right now is also part of the war. The enemy through the media wants to demoralize the Taliban. At times they spread the propaganda in the media that 'We have martyred Hakimullah.' At other times they say, 'We have completed the operation in South Waziristan,' but this will never happen." The drone strike hit a madrassa, or religious school, that local officials said had been converted into a militant training camp. Ten people were killed in the strike, Pakistani intelligence and local officials said. In the Friday tape, the speaker warns of what will happen if the drone strikes continue. "I want to inform the Pakistani people that the drone attacks that take place in the tribal areas endanger the politics, well-being and sovereignty of Pakistan," the speaker says. "From today onward, for any dangerous step that the Pakistani Taliban will take in Pakistan, those responsible will be Pakistan's rulers, not the Taliban. This is because the Pakistani rulers want to spill the blood of the innocent [tribesmen] in exchange for dollars." The U.S. military routinely offers no comment on reported attacks by drones, or unmanned aircraft. The United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from remote-controlled aircraft. Last week, the Taliban released a video showing Mehsud sitting next to Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, the man who killed seven CIA employees and a Jordanian army captain at an eastern Afghan base December 30. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack. It was carried out out to avenge the death of Mehsud's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, who died in a suspected U.S. drone strike last year, according to al Qaeda's commander of operations in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu Yazid. Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud are from the same tribe, but not from the same family. CNN's Pierre Bairin contributed to this report. | NEW: Taliban in Pakistan issue another tape they say is by Hakimullah Mehsud .
NEW: Speaker declares he is "alive and in good health"
Reports conflict over whether Mehsud was injured in a drone strike this week .
Last week Taliban released video of Mehsud with the man who killed seven CIA employees . |
103,902 | 1213a0a20e1aef3afc250bde09f1cae99ba7ef3a | By . Chris Wheeler . Follow @@ChrisWheelerDM . Malcolm Glazer's death at the age of 85 has, among other things, prompted the question, 'What role will his children now play at Manchester United?' While Glazer Snr led the takeover of the club in 2005, since 2006 he has left the day-to-day running of the club to his sons - indeed, he has never set foot in Old Trafford. Avram, Joel and Bryan Glazer are regularly seen at the ground but the other three, Kevin and Edward and their sister Darcie Glazer Kassewitz follow their father's 'lesser spotted' policy. Getting the Glazers in: Avram (right), Bryan (left) and Joel (second left) at Old Trafford just after the 2005 takeover . The Glazer family own 90 per cent of United - all split equally with 10 per cent listed on the New York Stock Exchange. That means Kevin, Edward and Darcie could have more involvement at Old Trafford now - indeed, they could have the future of the club in their hands. It is unlikely they would want to sell their shares, given the strong family bond. United are insisting it is business as usual but the death of the family head could affect how the sextet run the club. Taking Stock: Joel Glazer (third left) and Avram (third right) with United officials in New York in 2012 . The two most high-profile Glazers are Avram and Joel, the executive co-chairmen. Avram is the oldest of the six children and headed . the United takeover in 2005. He and his brother Joel have been prominent figures ever since, taking . over the day-to-day running of the club in 2006 after their father had a . stroke. They had the final say on the appointment of new . manager Louis van Gaal. Joel is also actively . involved in the running of United, speaking to Ed Woodward up to three . times a day about all aspects of the club. Passed away: Malcolm Glazer (right), pictured with sons Joel (left) and Bryan in 2005, has died aged 85 . Of the other powerbrokers at United, Woodward is the most prominent. He joined Manchester United in . 2005 when he acted as an adviser in the Glazer family’s controversial £790million takeover and was invited to join the club soon afterwards. Woodward was initially involved in United’s financial planning before being handed responsibility for the club’s commercial and media operations in 2007. Woodward became a director in 2012 and . played a key role in United’s £1.37billion flotation on the New York . Stock Exchange in August of that year. It was no surprise therefore that . he was chosen to replace chief executive David Gill when he stood down . in June, although Woodward retained his existing title of executive . vice-chairman and remains based at the club’s London corporate . headquarters. Holding the keys: Ed Woodward (left) and United group managing director Richard Arnold . Family affair: Avram (left) and Joel Glazer are joint executive co-chairman at United . Sir Alex Ferguson will always be an iconic figure at United and . was instrumental in choosing David Moyes as his . successor as manager and was part of the panel which picked Van Gaal. The most successful boss in United's history was a frequent presence at matches last season as the club recorded their worst Premier League finish. It will be interesting to see whether he is spotted at Old Trafford as regularly now Van Gaal is in charge. Ferguson's close ally David Gill is United’s former chief executive and remains an influential figure on the . club’s football board. It is . thought by some observers that United made a mistake by letting him . leave the same summer as Ferguson and it has turned out that way. Gill was also consulted about Van Gaal's appointment. The legend: Long-serving boss Sir Alex Ferguson still holds power at Old Trafford despite his retirement . Richard Arnold, the group managing director, was promoted from commercial director in the shake-up . that saw Woodward replace Gill in 2013. He is the most senior figure at Old . Trafford on a day-to-day basis and together with Woodward, has trebled United’s commercial revenue over the course of the . next seven years, closing deals with major sponsors all over the globe. Sir Bobby Charlton is, of course, a Manchester United legend, who became a director in 1984. Charlton was a key figure in Ferguson’s appointment in 1986 . and continues to be a respected voice on team-related affairs. Icon: Long-serving United stalwart Sir Bobby Charlton still holds power in the halls of Old Trafford . | Glazer's six children own 90 per cent of Manchester United .
Avram, Joel and Bryan Glazer are regularly spotted at Old Trafford .
Kevin, Edward and Darcie Glazer Kassewitz are rarely seen . |
175,838 | 6f9de99079c7c8e0fd981e385cd0cb7c844bb29c | England continued their impressive start to Euro 2016 qualification with a 5-0 thumping win against San Marino on Thursday night. Only 55,990 fans attended England's emphatic victory against their opponents though, making it the lowest-ever crowd for a Three Lions' match since the opening of the new Wembley in 2007. Sportsmail's Rob Draper provides his match zone analysis. England ran out comfortable 5-0 winners against San Marino in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Thursday night . England players have now started to embrace each other, arms around each other’ s shoulders, when singing the national anthem. It’s taking a bit of time to catch on, however. Captain Wayne Rooney led the way and players followed suit down the line. But for a while Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson were left, cut adrift at the end of the line – not quite the intended message of unity and togetherness – until they finally noticed and join in the team bonding. Wayne Rooney (left), Joe Hart (centre) and Calum Chambers (right) embrace during the national anthem . Goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini wasn’t doing San Marino’s credibility at this level an awful lot of good when almost his first intervention was to give away a free kick inside his own penalty area for handling the ball twice – an error more akin to Sunday League. His desperate fling at Phil Jagielka, which ended with him head butting the Everton defender’s back-side as England opened the scoring, didn’t help matters. The accountant at last partially redeemed himself with a fine save from Danny Welbeck on 42 minutes. San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini endured a torrid evening against England at Wembley . ‘Four Arsenal players in the England’s starting line-up,’ tweeted Gary LIneker. ‘Never thought I’d utter those words.’ (Strictly speaking he didn’t utter them: he wrote them). Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers were the men on Thursday night and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made a fifth when he came on at half time. Back in February, 1999, David Seaman, Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Lee Dixon started against world champions France at Wembley. It didn’t do any good mind you. England were played off the park and lost 2-0. Jack Wilshere (right) was one of four Arsenal players in England's starting line-up against San Marino . Wilshere was joined by club team-mate Danny Welbeck (left) who scored his country's third on Thursday night . Scrap the commission, end all those Bundesliga love-ins: possibly the most significant results on Thursday night came in the Netherlands where England’s Under 20 side beat Germany 1-0, thanks to a Nicolas Sule own goal. Ironically FA chairman Greg Dyke is expected to attempt to mirror some of the grass roots reforms in country’s such as Germany later on Friday when his commission unveils its second tranche of reforms that it wishes to see in the game. But maybe we have some good youngsters already. The most-eagerly anticipated figure of the night was not the number of goals but the attendance – 55,990. That made it officially the worst-attended competitive England match since the new Wembley was opened, beating the previous lowest, of 57,897 against Andorra in June 2009 on the night of a tube strike. That said, after a dismal World Cup and in the least-interesting qualification process ever devised, it still represents something of a triumph that so many will still turn out for England. England's attendance against San Marino was 55,990 - the lowest since the new Wembley was opened . There was a pregnant pause when the Wembley PA came to announce the man of the match. Joe Hart was leading the online vote with 53 per cent but the PA suddenly went quiet mid sentence, presumably suddenly realising the irony of the vote. A few minutes later he re-emerged to announce that Jack Wilshere was in fact man of the match, a scandalous suppression of the popular vote. Perhaps FIFA could investigate? VIDEO Chambers debuts as England hit five . | England thumped San Marino 5-0 on Thursday night at Wembley .
Victory maintained their 100 per cent start in their Euro 2016 qualifiers .
Wembley attendance of 55,990 was the stadium's lowest since it opened .
Previous worst was 57,897 against Andorra in June 2009 .
Four Arsenal players started on Thursday for the first time since 1999 . |
31,283 | 58ea7760097fc91f0af07f3abe2326fc84e8d5a8 | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:55 EST, 22 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:03 EST, 23 May 2013 . Sathwik Karnik and his entire family love geography, which could explain how the seventh-grader from Massachusetts was able to come out on top at the National Geographic Bee Wednesday. When he was about 6, his mother began challenging Sathwik and his older brother, Karthik, to her own version of hide-and-seek — using an atlas. The boys would comb through the book, trying to be the first to find a city or landmark. Scroll down for Sathwik Karnik's video . Prodigy: National Geographic Bee winner Sathwik Karnik, left, of Massachusetts gives a thumbs-up as he correctly answers the final question posed by moderator Alex Trebek (center) in Washington . The games paid off when Karthik, now 15, made the finals of the National Geographic Bee in 2011 and 2012. But it was 12-year-old Sathwik, of Plainville, Mass., who finished the job, calmly answering questions about obscure island chains, bodies of water, global trade and culture to win the 25th annual geography bee. The clinching question? ‘Because Earth bulges at the equator, the point that is farthest from Earth's center is the summit of a peak in Ecuador. Name this peak.’ Sathwik nailed it: Chimborazo. Runner-up Conrad Oberhaus, 13, of Lincolnshire, Ill., knew the answer as well, but Sathwik got all five questions right in their one-on-one duel. Earlier, Conrad couldn't name Baotou as the largest city in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which is home to one of the world's largest deposits of rare-earth elements. While Conrad didn't stumble again, Sathwik never relinquished the lead. Sathwik and his brother said the victory was a team effort. ‘It feels like I just finished something that he wanted to finish, so I sort of in a way completed his unfinished business,’ said Sathwik, who stands 4-foot-11 and has the fuzzy outline of a mustache on his upper lip. Said Karthik: ‘I'm kind of elated now. What we started so many years ago has finally paid off.’ Question: What is the largest city in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which is home to one of the world's largest deposits of rare-earth elements?Answer: Baotou . Winning question: Because the earth bulges at the equator, which mountain peak on the earth is farthest from the earth’s center?Answer: Chimborazo . Sathwik might have made it to the finals earlier if not for Karthik, who beat him twice in the Massachusetts state bee. But the younger brother triumphed at their school bee three years ago when he was in fourth grade and Karthik was in sixth, a moment Karthik described as ‘kind of a down point in my geography career.’ Is Sathwik smarter? ‘In some ways he is, in some ways he isn't,’ Karthik said. ‘The questions this year that they asked were of his liking, and that's the chief reason why he won.’ The boys' mother, Rathma, and her husband, Vishwanath, who both work in the software industry, emigrated from near Mangalore, India, in 2002. Indian-American children have dominated both the National Geographic Bee and the Scripps National Spelling Bee in recent years. Vishwanath said the trend can be attributed to coming from a country of 1.2 billion people. Chosen few: Ten participants made the finals, culled from a field of 54 state-level winners . ‘That brought us the competitive spirit,’ he said. ‘If we don't work hard and put forth our best effort, we can't succeed in this world.’ Ten participants made the finals, culled from a field of 54 state-level winners in Monday's preliminary round. Sathwik led throughout the final round and was the last contestant to get a question wrong. Participants earned between 1 and 5 points for each correct answer, with the harder questions worth more points, and the competitors with the lowest scores were eliminated at various points in the competition. Sathwik won a $25,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. The finals will be televised Thursday night on the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD. Conrad, the runner-up, won a $15,000 scholarship. Ricky Uppaluri of Roswell, Ga., at 11 the youngest of the finalists, was third and receives a $10,000 scholarship. Akhil Rekulapelli of Ashburn, Va., finished fourth and won $1,000 in cash. Impressive haul: Karnik walked away with a $25,000 scholarship, a free trip to the Galapagos Islands and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society . Also represented in the finals were California, Michigan, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon and Wisconsin. Sathwik, an aspiring doctor who also plays chess competitively, said he was nervous at first because he had never been on television before, but he became more comfortable as he rattled off a string of correct answers. He said he buckled down once he realized he had a chance to win, because he didn't want to return to the bee next year. Children can compete from fourth to eighth grade, but winners are ineligible to defend their title. In his bee finalist video, the 12-year-old said he is fascinated that the first chocolate chip cookie was made in Whitman, Mass., and he joked that he could transfer all the geographic facts from a flash drive into his brain . Dream vacation: Karnik said that the place he would like to visit most in the world in the Galapagos Islands, which is exactly where he will be heading soon . ‘I didn't want to go back because it's just a lot of preparation and a lot of nervousness,’ he said. ‘I wanted to finish it this time.’ ‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek, who has moderated the bee finals since the inaugural competition in 1989, is stepping down after this year and will be replaced by broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien. During a commercial break, Trebek warned the audience at Washington's National Theatre not to blurt out or silently mouth the answers. ‘As if that's likely to happen,’ he said to laughter. ‘Most of you can't even find Detroit.’ | Sathwik Karnik won $25,000 scholarship, trip to Galapagos Islands and lifetime membership in National Geographic Society .
Sathwik's brother, 15-year-old Karthik, made the finals of National Geographic Bee in 2011 and 2012 .
Karnik family came from Mangalore, Indian, in 2002 . |
74,581 | d36e97480d91949718f13a0ed9dddbf2c7522fac | (CNN) -- It's the biggest stage in the world of college football. The talented students from Florida State and Auburn who charge onto the field Monday night in Pasadena, California, will know that nothing in their lives may ever top this feeling. For the great majority of the seniors who won't go on to play professionally, this will be the last time in uniform. I'm not referring to the football players. The Florida State Seminoles and the Auburn Tigers will be competing for the national championship, and their head coaches, Jimbo Fisher and Gus Malzahn, have been getting them ready for the game. But there are two other groups of students from those schools who also will step onto the bright green floor of the Rose Bowl on Monday night. Those squads are even larger in number than the football teams, and, although they draw considerably less national attention, they have been preparing just as diligently. "It starts with practices in the heat of the Alabama summer," said Corey Spurlin, associate professor of music at Auburn and director of the 380-member Auburn University Marching Band. "Just like the football players, our musicians are at the very peak of their abilities," said Patrick Dunnigan, professor of music at Florida State University and director of bands, including the 400-member Marching Chiefs. With kickoff approaching, I got in touch with Spurlin and Dunnigan because the months of work put in by marching band members at schools across the country often gets overlooked. They are a major part of the pageantry of college football, but in recent decades the television networks have all but ignored them most of the time. If the performance of the marching bands at college games each Saturday gets a few seconds on the TV broadcasts, they count themselves lucky. "Generally, if we do get airtime, it's very brief, minimal," said Auburn's Spurlin. "We'd love to be able to share what we do with more people." Florida State's Dunnigan said: "The kids in the band don't know any different. I grew up in a world where the halftime shows were seen on TV, but that's over." The replacements on television have been studio shows with analysis, replays and highlights of other games; the studio shows are lucrative revenue generators, attractive for commercial sponsors, and the switch away from the field at halftime is almost instant on most telecasts. Still, the audiences inside the stadiums are massive. Florida State's home stadium seats more than 82,000; Auburn's seats more than 87,000. The Rose Bowl, where Monday's national championship game will be played, seats more than 90,000. Few bands of any kind ever get to play in front of that many people. Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones might even be a bit envious. The musicians, although they do their work on the same gridirons as the football players, are not recognized around campus the way the star quarterbacks or linebackers are. "With 380 musicians in the band, not many people can pick out their faces," Spurlin said. And as far as the scholarships and perks that go with big-time college football programs: Forget it. At Florida State, Dunnigan said, not only are there no marching band scholarships, but "the student musicians pay for the work they do -- the band is a one-credit class, so they're paying tuition to be in it. We're kind of proud that the members of the band are there by choice." At Auburn, Spurlin said, the budget that is available for the marching band's expenses goes only so far; the university provides the band's uniforms, "but the members of the band have to pay for the cleaning," and they have to get their uniforms to the laundry after the games. The intangible rewards, however, are ample. "The individual challenge is to play the instruments as well as they can, to lock into the formations as well as they can," Dunnigan said. "The big picture is when they look at the crowd, see the fans clapping, watch the football team waving at them. The feeling is being a part of something huge." Spurlin said the friendship and the time together is something irreplaceable, something the band members will take with them for the rest of their lives. Very few members of the marching bands go on to careers as professional musicians. "Some will go on to teach music," Spurlin said, "but for most, they bless us with their talent while they're here, and then they graduate and do something else for a living." Dunnigan said: "I hope that, in 10 years, some who are in the band now will still play their instruments in church, or in a community musical group." The physical challenges can be daunting: "We come onto the field in a high-step jog, with legs all the way up," Spurlin said. "They're wearing long-sleeved cadet-style uniforms, heavy hats, and carrying their instruments, and for a 1 o'clock game in Alabama, it can be 98 degrees down on the field." Dunnigan and Spurlin both said that, each year, there are some musicians who are supremely talented, but who just can't play their instruments well while marching quickly in formation. There also are some who are brilliant at close-order drills, but whose musicianship does not match their strutting skills. The directors have to tell them that they haven't made it onto the bands. With hundreds of band members on the field, if one musician hits a clunky note or takes a false step, the football fans up in the seats may not notice. But the other band members do, as do the band directors. "We're all attuned to it, and we know," Dunnigan said. "The accuracy of the notes, the formations to lock into, the crescendos -- we know right away when something's off." Spurlin said: "Our standards for ourselves are high. We teach a precise work ethic, a pride, that we hope will carry over to whatever the musicians do after they leave here." As the seniors in both schools' bands, like the seniors on both schools' football teams, soon will do. But first there is Monday night's game. Each band has been allocated six minutes to perform before kickoff, when, as they march, they will play their schools' traditional fight songs. At halftime, each band gets eight minutes; among Auburn's selections, Spurlin said, will be music from stage shows that became popular movies. Dunnigan said that the Florida State band will also include movie music: the James Bond theme, among other songs. And then, for the musicians whose final season this is, it will be over. "The value of all this will become more apparent to them as the years go on," Dunnigan said. Spurlin said that when graduating band members tell him that being on the squad has been the time of their lives, he tells them he hopes that turns out not to be true. "I thank them, but I tell them that I don't really want that for them. I tell them that I hope they will have many, many special moments after they leave college. I tell them that I hope the times of their lives -- the spine-chilling, best moments -- are still ahead of them." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene. | Two other teams will take the field at Monday's college football championship game .
Bob Greene writes that it's a big evening for the Auburn, Florida State marching bands .
Greene: They likely won't be featured on TV, but their hard work deserves praise . |
148,709 | 4c4cedef260b3e1ac7cd719d9796bea062f38a59 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:06 EST, 26 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:12 EST, 26 March 2013 . Retrial: Meredith Kercher's mother Arline and sister Stephanie, pictured at their Coulsdon home today . The . family of murdered student Meredith Kercher today welcomed the news that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito would face a . re-trial. Meredith's mother Arline and sister Stephanie said . that they had been told that an Italian court had overturned the . acquittals this morning. Knox was originally . sentenced to 26 years in prison and her former boyfriend Sollecito 25 . years for killing and sexually assaulting Meredith in 2007. They both served four years before being acquitted on appeal in 2011. Speaking . outside their home in Coulsdon, south London, the Kerchers said that all they wanted was justice for the 21-year-old woman they knew as Mez. Stephanie said: 'There are obviously a lot of unanswered . questions still, so we just hope that the outcome will answer those. 'All that we want is justice for Mez, but there is still a long journey . ahead of us. But it's making sure that we find out exactly what did . happen that night. 'Nothing's going to bring her back. We know that, but we have to do what we can for her as well. 'Justice for Mez': The family welcomed the decision by an Italian court this morning to overturn the acquittal . 'We just follow the system and hope we get complete justice. Every day is difficult, we have our lives, but we're still remembering Mez all together.' Murdered: Student Meredith Kercher was found dead with her throat slashed in Perugia in 2007 . Miss Kercher said that they were speaking to their solicitor to find out how the case would progress. She added that a trust set up in her sister's name, which is helping to pay . legal costs in the case, would eventually support people who found . themselves in a similar situation. She added: 'We've set up the Meredith Kercher Trust to help with . Meredith's case, but with the view that I'm going to convert it to a . charity to help other people once our case is closed. Just people in our . situation really. 'On the back of depending what interest I get with it will determine how I can best help other people. 'But I think one thing that has come out of it for us is we don't . actually have any financial support from anyone at all, so it is . literally all paid for by ourselves. I think if there's any way we could . help anyone else in that situation it would help. 'It's about doing something a bit more positive. I think Mez always . liked to help other people so if I can do something for her then that's . what I'll do.' The sisters' mother Arline, who has been ill, said that she, too, welcomed the news. 'I'm glad that someone is looking at it,' she said admitting that she surprised there would be a retrial. Back in the dock: Amanda Knox, right, was originally jailed for 26 years and Raffaele Sollecito, left, for 25 years . In Italy, the Kercher family's lawyer said that he was very pleased with the result. Francesco Maresca said: 'I . am happy the Supreme court has seen the faults in the acquittal and I . trust the next trial will be fair and balanced.' The ruling by the Court of . Cassation examined whether there were procedural irregularities which . gave grounds for a retrial, rather than assessing the details of the . case, which remain obscure in many particulars. Kercher was on a year-long exchange program in Perugia when . she was murdered, bringing a flood of unwelcome attention to the . medieval town in central Italy that her family said she loved. Ruling: The Kercher family's lawyer, Francesco Maresca, leaves Italy's Court of Cassation in Rome today . Defending: Luciano Ghirga, lawyer of Amanda Knox, speaks to journalists outside the court house earlier . Much . of the attention of the case was focused on the carefree image of . foreign students enjoying a year abroad in Italy as well as on lurid . stories of sex and heavy partying. Prosecutors had said that Kercher . resisted attempts by Knox, Sollecito and a third man, Ivorian Rudy . Guede, to involve her in an orgy in the apartment the two women shared . in the town. However their case was weakened by forensic experts who . undermined the credibility of DNA evidence provided by police and made . strong criticisms of their first response procedures at the scene of the . killing. Guede, found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a separate . trial, is now the only person serving time for the murder, although . prosecutors say he could not have killed Kercher by himself. Legal battle: Giulia Bongiorno, lawyer of Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, leaving court . | Meredith's mother Arline and sister Stephanie welcome court's decision .
The relatives said today there are 'still a lot of unanswered questions'
The trust set up in Meredith's name is helping the family with legal costs .
Their lawyer said he is 'pleased' the court has 'seen faults in the acquittal' |
243,731 | c77b7955ca48dcd08a25996ec4729db962eb0d80 | Dixie Dean, Duncan Ferguson, Bob Latchford, Graeme Sharp, Joe Royle - all previous Everton No 9s, owners of the most iconic shirt in the Blues’ history. Ever since the days of Dean, the famous jersey has always belonged to Everton’s main man in the box, the predator in front of goal and, certainly in Big Dunc’s case, the marksman who could ruffle a few of the opponents’ feathers. The shirt has always held a special meaning at Goodison Park. However the current incumbent of Everton’s most sought-after shirt is yet to make anywhere near the same impact as his much-loved predecessors. Everton striker Arouna Kone made an eagerly-awaited return from injury in the Europa League . Kone bursts through the Russian side's defence before releasing a shot without success . The Ivorian forward produced a bright performance that was only missing a comeback goal . Arouna Kone - through no fault of his own it must be said - has had a nightmare 18 months at Everton following his £6million arrival from Wigan in the summer of 2013. The Ivorian arrived on Merseyside with former Latics boss Roberto Martinez as the man to spearhead the Spaniard’s blue revolution. However, after a less than convincing start to life at Everton – which included fluffing relatively easy chances at home to Hull and against Stevenage in the League Cup - the striker was injured, ending his debut season prematurely. Now, having returned to fitness, Kone was desperate to open his Everton account having watched his team-mates struggle for form this term after last season’s impressive fifth-placed finish. Kone battles for the ball with FC Krasnodar's Andreas Granqvist as he presses for a goal . Arouna Kone was active across the pitch and found some dangerous positions on the left - CLICK HERE for more stats from our Match Zone . The 31-year-old argues with referee Istvan Kovacs after receiving a caution . ‘If I did manage to score it would be fantastic,’ said Kone on Wednesday. ‘It would represent the beginning of a big comeback. I’ve got such a huge passion to get my first goal for Everton. It would be marvellous.’ Taking to the field as the lone frontman, Kone, distinctive with his bright white hair, strutted around the pitch before kick-off like Everton No 9s of old. Clearly confident and raring to go, the former PSV forward made an encouraging start. On ten minutes the Ivorian barged his opponent off the ball and cut inside with pace before running into a cul-de-sac. Dispossessed but showing the intent up front the Goodison faithful expect from their strikers. Duncan Ferguson (left) and Dixie Dean set the benchmark for Everton's most loved strikers . Ricardo Laborde celebrates after scoring what would be the winning goal for FK Krasnodar . Kone and Kieran Dowell (right) look dejected after Everton go behind in what was essentially a dead rubber . Five minutes later and his dream comeback looked on. Finding space from 20 yards out, the play opened up for Kone who, sensing an opportunity to score his first goal in the blue of Everton, took aim and unleashed a powerful effort as Krasnodar keeper Andrei Sinitsin made a smart save to his right. Buoyed by the crowds reactions to his efforts, Kone then attempted an overhead kick – it may have gone away from goal but supporters appreciated his audaciousness. The striker seemed to be revelling at being back on the pitch in a competitive game. The second half saw a much quieter Kone but showing a glimpse of skill to work his way into the box after jinking past a helpless defender certainly got the crowd on their feet. Having doubted his capabilities following his first few months at the club, Kone may have changed fan opinion based on Thursday’s showing. Arouna Kone made 25 passes and two shots on target - CLICK HERE for more stats from our brilliant Match Zone . Kone joined Everton manager Roberto Martinez to answer questions ahead of the game . The striker cut short his summer holidays and stayed at Finch Farm in a bid to improve his fitness and seems determined to make his mark at Goodison Park and did his case no harm in this dead-rubber despite failing to find a goal. After an encouraging performance, should Kone can stay fit, Everton, who also boast Samuel Eto’o and Romelu Lukaku among their striking ranks, may just have a trio of attackers as good as any other in this season’s Europa League. There is still much, much more to do to become the next great Everton No 9 but the desire and intent is there from Kone. | Everton lost 1-0 to FK Krasnodar in their final Europa League group game .
Ivory Coast forward Arouna Kone made his long awaited return from injury .
The 31-year-old looked bright but needs to improve before if he can be considered among iconic No 9s like Duncan Ferguson and Dixie Dean . |
282,701 | fa27b8bc3a5f1474be843ae74472e99ed79a4370 | By . Mark Duell, Lydia Warren and Hugo Gye . Last updated at 11:59 PM on 4th January 2012 . The mother of the suspected LA arsonist is facing deportation over claims she failed to pay for a breast enlargement operation in her native Germany. Harry Burkhart, 24, was arrested on suspicion of starting more than 50 fires in the Hollywood area and has now been charged with dozens of counts of arson. He is suspected to have started his arson spree after seeing his mother dragged off by State Department officials. Yesterday his mother Dorothee Burkhart, who is in her 50s, appeared in court charged with 19 counts of fraud in Frankfurt, some of them allegedly carried out 'as a member of gang'. She claimed her son was 'mentally ill', and produced a letter from a Canadian doctor which appeared to support this, suggesting that he is autistic and suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mr Burkhart is currently on suicide watch in police custody. It emerged today that he is suspected of being responsible for a fire at a house in Germany owned by his family. Detained: Harry Burkhart, left, has been arrested at a time when his mother Dorothee faces deportation. The picture on the right was posted on an advert linked to a phone number believed to belong to her . Taken in: The suspect's arrest was a measure of relief to anxious residents who had grown fearful after several nights of seemingly random blazes . Los Angeles county sheriff's department detain a man they described as a 'person of interest', in West Hollywood, January 2, 2012. Online: This picture comes from an advert for an erotic masseuse, also linked to Mrs Burkhart . Ad: This page links to a website believed to be registered to Ms Burkhart . Ms Burkhart appears to own an erotic . massage business, and has been linked to websites offering the services . of 'Goddess Annabelle' in the Hollywood area. The sites describe their owner as a 'sexologist', but emphasise that her massages are not to be confused with prostitution. The potential deportation of Ms . Burkhart, who is said not to have a valid visa, is thought to be . connected to her pony-tailed son's alleged rampage through Los Angeles. In a brief court appearance, where . she was accused of crimes including avoiding payment for her breast . augmentation surgery, she appeared perplexed, wondering aloud if her son . was dead. 'Where is my son? What did you do to my son?' she asked the judge. Harry Burkhart was being held without bail after being arrested in the arson case on Monday. According to a police officer, Mr Burkhart erupted into an anti-American rant at a recent immigration hearing for his mother. More: Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters extinguish cars on fire in a carport in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles earlier this week as the spate of arson attacks reached its fifth night . Attacks: The arsonist set 12 new fires early on Monday morning, in North Hollywood, California . Outside his Hollywood apartment, some . neighbours described him as a loner who loitered around the busy . commercial strip at night and could be heard arguing with his mother. But Shlomo Elady, a hair stylist who . regularly trimmed Burkhart's long hair, recalled someone who spoke three . languages, dreamed of visiting Jerusalem and cared for a sickly mother . who had trouble walking. Mr Elady said he was stunned that the . man who lived with his mother above his Sunset Boulevard shop is . suspected of torching vehicles, some just steps from his home. The fires . caused an estimated $3million in damage. 'He loved his mom, the way every son loves his mom,' Mr Elady said. 'He's not a creepy guy.' Mr Burkhart was described by Los . Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca as ‘the most dangerous arsonist’ he . could remember in the area, after more than 50 fires caused $3million in . damage. The arson . attacks destroyed parked cars and scorched buildings across Hollywood, . West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Since the arrest firemen . have not attended any more suspicious fires. Burnt out: The onslaught of fires left residents on edge over the weekend in some of the city's most densely populated areas . Destroyed: One of dozens of cars damaged by the Hollywood arsonist over the last few days . After the blazes: The 50-plus fires have also damaged buildings around the wealthy neighbourhood . Battle: Firefighters try to put out an apartment fire that started from one of the 12 new carport fires set by an arsonist early Monday morning . ‘Our long four-day nightmare is . over,’ Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said, after the . suspect was arrested for investigation of arson of an inhabited dwelling . and held on $250,000 bail. Burkhart, of Frankfurt, Germany, was . pulled over by a reserve sheriff's deputy who works for $1 a year - . although the investigation is ongoing and authorities haven't ruled out . others being involved. 'Our long four-day nightmare is over' Zev Yaroslavsky . Police . searched a Sunset Boulevard apartment located above a hair salon and . optician's on Monday night where Burkhart is believed to have lived for . more than a year, reported the Los Angeles Times. The . arrest was a measure of relief to anxious residents who had grown . fearful after several nights of seemingly random blazes. Police have not . released any motive. He is due in court on Wednesday. Galina Illarionova, who lives in the . same apartment complex as the suspect, told reporters that an agitated . Burkhart visited her on Sunday and said his mother was in trouble with . authorities. Advice: Firefighters and police are urging residents to check their cars and ensure they keep parking lots secure . Attacks: The fires have been started in several areas of Los Angeles over the last five days . Surveillance: Police say the person of interest (right) is a white male between 20 and 30 years old with a receding hairline and a shoulder-length ponytail . ‘We are very confident in this . arrest, but we have a long way to go,’ said Police Chief Charlie Beck . Authorities do not know how long he has been in the U.S. and said he . isn't cooperating with them. One . of Sheriff Baca's reserve deputies, Shervin Lalezary, pulled over . Burkhart's van sought by arson investigators shortly after 3am. Mr . Lalezary works as a lawyer and said he was glad he helped out. ‘I'm . ecstatic that law enforcement gets to shine a little bit,’ Mr Lalezary . said. Burkhart reportedly told authorities 'I hate America' as he was . arrested, according to ABC News. 'I'm ecstatic that law enforcement gets to shine a little bit' Shervin Lalezary . Rick Savage, who was there when a man . believed to be Burkhart was arrested, said witnesses gave him the . middle finger when he was sitting in the back of the squad car, and he . smiled in response. The . onslaught of fires left residents on edge over the weekend in some of . the city’s most densely populated areas. Hundreds of investigators, . police officers and firemen dealt with the blazes. Police conducted extra patrols all weekend, and the noise of helicopters and sirens persisted virtually nonstop in Hollywood. The . blazes forced many apartment dwellers from their homes. But there were . no serious injuries - one fireman was hurt in a fall from a ladder, and . another person suffered smoke inhalation. Locations: A map displayed at a press conference on Monday shows the locations of dozens of arson fires that were set over the weekend in Los Angeles, California . Response: The fires started shortly after midnight and occurred over a four-hour span before dawn . Feeling the heat: A firefighter battles flames in Hollywood, California, after another night of blazes . One of Saturday's fires was at the . Hollywood and Highland entertainment complex, a popular tourist spot . bordered by the Walk of Fame in a neighbourhood including Grauman's . Chinese Theatre. Shervin Lalezary, a reserve sheriff's deputy who works for $1 a year, was billed as a 'true hero' by Sheriff Baca. The Beverly Hills real estate lawyer spotted Burkhart's Dodge Caravan in the early hours of Monday morning. He qualified to ride a patrol car solo last month and had back-up from LAPD officers when he went up to the van. One of . the blazes happened at the former home of late Doors lead singer Jim . Morrison, who died in Paris in 1971 aged just 27. It was listed for . nearly $1.2million earlier this year. He . used to live in the house with girlfriend Pamela Courson in the 1960s . and it was the inspiration for the Doors' song ‘Love Street’. Despite . the arrest, authorities continued to urge vigilance. ‘We're . not resting, and we're not stopping’ the extra patrols, Police . Commander Andrew Smith said on Monday. ’If you have lights in your carport area, . keep them on tonight.’ Other deliberate fires were reported in Hollywood on Thursday and . two people were arrested. But police said that those suspects were not . connected with the 52 other blazes. | Harry Burkhart, 24, of Frankfurt, is charged with dozens of counts of arson and put on suicide watch .
Also a suspect in arson case over his house in Germany .
His mother could be deported from U.S. over 19 counts of fraud .
She is linked to 'erotic massage' websites in Hollywood .
More than 50 fires from L.A. area since Friday were 'result of deliberate fires'
$3million damage caused by attacks in Hollywood and San Fernando Valley . |
144,595 | 46fc9287916b3ea7df3074d8f413da793070ddf3 | Nik Stauskas, a Sacramento Kings rookie, claimed he was targeted on the court because he's white . A newly drafted Sacramento Kings players has reignited a race debate in the NBA after claiming that he expects his opponents to attack him on the court 'because I'm a rookie and I'm white.' Nik Stauskas, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Ontario, Canada, made the comments after his first appearance on an NBA court on Sunday. He gave up eight points to the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter, including a dunk by Terrence Ross, and was targeted again and again by the Raptors offense. After the preseason game, which the Kings lost 94-99, the 20-year-old Stauskas told a Sacramento Bee reporter: 'I understand that I’m a rookie and I’m white, so people are going to attack me at all times. 'Just coming out there in the game, I felt it right away.' Stuaskas was picked eighth overall in the NBA draft this summer after playing two successful seasons with the University of Michigan Wolverines. He is considered a likely star of the NBA in the future for his strong three-point shooting ability. However, Yahoo Sports points out that the Raptors likely targeted Stauskas because he's new to the league and because scouting reports listed him as weak on defense. On Monday, it seemed he may have been regretting his words. He posted a quote on his Twitter account: 'Work in silence, let success make the noise.' Stauskas was targeted time and again by the Toronto Raptors' offense and gave up eight quick points in the second quarter . Raptors' player Terrence Ross is seen here leaving Stauskas in his dust. Scouting reports say the 6-foot-6 Canadian was likely to be a defensive liability . Stuaskas' claim, that there is a double standard for whites in a league where more than three quarters of the players are black, is not new. White and black players have been talking about it openly since the 1990s - at least. In a 1997 Washington Post story, white players complained that they were stereotyped as only being three-point shooters and that they were slow and a liability on defense. 'You can stop your man nine times in a row and if on the 10th time your man gets around you and dunks on you, you're too slow. It's a form of labeling that goes around in the league,' Washington Bullets player Tim Legler told the Post at the time. Even veteran NBA players have acknowledged the racial overtones. Last year when Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love received NBA honors for 'Which player does the most with the least?' he deemed it the 'White Guy' award. The 6-foot-10 Love, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, is considered one of the best white players in the league - even though he's never led his team to the playoffs, or even a winning record. Kevin Love, center, joked about getting the NBA's 'white guy award' when he was given honors for 'Which player does the most with the least?' Love is 6-foot-10 . | Nik Stauskas, a 20-year-old Sacramento Kings rookie, claimed there is a double standard for white players in the NBA .
He was targeted repeatedly by the Toronto Raptors' offense during his first appearance on an NBA court .
More than 75percent of NBA players are black . |
1,914 | 0584bdd1dbfc8395d53b61a0e6cfa728a0e5d9a2 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday blamed Hamas for abducting three teenagers who went missing in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. "This morning I can say what I was unable to say yesterday before the extensive wave of arrests of Hamas members in Judea and Samaria," he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting. "Those who perpetrated the abduction of our youths were members of Hamas -- the same Hamas that Abu Mazen made a unity government with. This has severe repercussions." Abu Mazen is another name for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu said he asked Abbas "to do everything to help bring them back in peace." He's also given security forces orders to locate the teenagers and prevent them from being moved to Gaza or any other place. One of three boys is a dual Israeli-American citizen, according to CNN affiliate Channel 10 Israel, which attributed the information to a source at Netanyahu's office. Israeli and U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the report. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Sunday for the immediate release of the boys. "We are still seeking details on the parties responsible for this despicable terrorist act, although many indications point to Hamas' involvement," Kerry said in a written statement that offered support to the Israeli government. "As we gather this information, we reiterate our position that Hamas is a terrorist organization known for its attacks on innocent civilians and which has used kidnapping in the past." Netanyahu: Israeli forces can use 'all measures' to free teens . 'We'll hug them soon' Gilad Shaar, 16; Naftali Frenkel, 16; and Eyal Yifrach, 19, have been missing since late Thursday or Friday, and were last seen around Gush Etzion, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The three "were just on their way home," Naftali's mother, Racheli Frankel, told reporters. "We trust" that they "will be with us here, and we'll hug them soon ... and God willing, we'll all be able to celebrate their return safely," she said. She thanked the security forces for their efforts and the U.S. Embassy for its support. "We feel waves and waves of prayers and support and positive energy in this direction." Israeli soldiers have detained about 80 Palestinian suspects in the search for the three teens, the IDF said Sunday. Netanyahu on Saturday gave security forces the OK to use "all measures" at their disposal to find the teenagers. The Palestinian Ministry of Information said in a written statement that the arrests come under "flimsy pretexts" as a "continuation of the aggression" on Palestinians. "The ministry also asserts that the Israeli military campaign has been on going for decades, during which (Israel) kidnapped the entire Palestinian people," it said. Hamas responds . A Hamas spokesman in Gaza told CNN that Netanyahu's comments attributing blame were "stupid and baseless." "The arrest campaign made by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank is targeted to break the backbone of Hamas and bring it down, but the Israelis will not succeed in achieving their goal," Sami Abu Zuhri said. But Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said the kidnappings are a reminder of Hamas' tactics. "When the Fatah-Hamas government was formed last month, the international community quickly recognized and welcomed it," he wrote in a Facebook post. "Suddenly, Hamas' cruel acts of terrorism were forgotten, their never-ending attempts to harm innocent civilians, along with the Hamas Charter, which calls for the total destruction of the state of Israel." Now, he wrote, "the international community has been given a second chance to correct its moral, diplomatic and strategic mistakes. Wall to wall condemnations of the kidnapping are called for, as well as placing responsibility on the Palestinian government, including the threat of taking physical, economic and diplomatic steps against it." But, he wrote, the international community is "keeping silent, and by doing so, not only are the Palestinians receiving a false, lenient message, but Israel also understands again that she has no one to count on but herself, something that will not encourage further compromises on her part in the near future." IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said, "We are determined in bringing the boys home in a (hasty) manner, in safety and in good health. Palestinian terrorists will not feel safe, will not be able to hide and will feel the heavy arm of the Israeli military capabilities." '#BringBackOurBoys' The abduction of the three teens inspired social media users to use the hashtag #BringBackOurBoys, a reference to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign for more than 200 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by militants. The thread quickly became contentious, with pro-Palestinian users alleging many Palestinian children have been kidnapped by Israeli soldiers and imprisoned. A "Bring Back Our Boys" Facebook page calling for an end to "the terrorism against Israel" had more than 50,000 likes Sunday. | U.S. calls abduction a "despicable terrorist act"
Missing teen's mom: They "were just on their way home"
Palestinian ministry and Hamas denounce Israel's arrests of Palestinians .
Israeli deputy minister slams international community for "keeping silent" |
269,020 | e881395a45b4f14ed37ed4b0903358bd03f1f71e | A British nuclear submarine has reportedly been spotted off the Gibraltar coast. Witnesses said they saw the vessel surface on Saturday as tensions between Spain and Britain continue to rise over fishing rights around the Mediterranean enclave. The sighting comes days after Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster arrived in Gibraltar. Witnesses say a British nuclear submarine, believed to be HMS Tireless (pictured), surfaced off Gibraltar . The Ministry of Defence refused to confirm or deny today if a nuclear submarine is currently stationed at the enclave. A spokeswoman said if it was in Gibraltar then it was for 'routine business'. The Sun quoted an 'insider' as saying: 'There is only one reason a submarine breaks the surface - and that is to be spotted. Last time the Trafalgar-class sub docked by the Rock it provoked anger and protests from activists (pictured) 'These things do not show themselves unless they want to be seen.' The website shipspotting.com reported that HMS Tireless - a Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine - was seen in Gibraltar in Z Berth last month. Local news in Gibraltar reported that HMS Tireless sailed into the area last month for a 'short stay as part of (the submarine's scheduled operational tasking'. If confirmed, it will be the first time the nuclear submarine has docked in the contested region since 2004. The docking of HMS Tireless, which is due to be decommissioned this year, sparked protests from Spanish activist nine years ago - the same year as the 300th anniversary of the capture of Gibraltar from Spain. The submarine caused diplomatic tensions between Britain and Spain once again in 2000 when it docked in Gibraltar for a year after the submarine developed a serious leak in the nuclear reactor primary cooling circuit. Another Trafalgar-class submarine, HMS Talent, stopped in Gibraltar this year and the enclave's first minister Fabian Picardo and his deputy Dr Joseph Garcia were given a tour. Tensions between the two countries have ramped up this year over fishing rights. Gibraltar's creation of an artificial reef with concrete blocks has provoked fury from Spanish fisherman, which they say blocks their access to certain waters. Spanish police were criticised last week when they unfurled a Spanish flag during an inspection of the reef. Spanish police were criticised recently after they held up a Spanish flag during an inspection of an artificial reef that has caused anger among fishermen . Gibraltar accused the police of violating 'British sovereignty' by attempting to exercise jurisdiction in its territory. Last week, a fleet of almost 40 boats sailed into British waters to demand the reef be removed. Spain has also increases border checks, leading to long queues for workers and tourists entering Gibraltar. The Gibraltar government has tried in recent days to defuse tensions by proposing a change in local law to let the Spanish resume fishing in parts of the sea near the Rock. | Witnesses said they saw the submarine surface on Saturday .
Believe sub is HMS Tireless but officials refuse to confirm sighting .
Comes days after Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster arrived . |
200,969 | 9030447523c67f469923f80febfff0ce9f383512 | Amsterdam (CNN) -- I recently returned to Amsterdam from the latest round of U.N. climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, and found this city of canals covered in snow. It was a beautiful sight. Yet rather than filling me with joy, it caused me concern. Over the past few years, climate-change skeptics have repeatedly used cold snaps as proof that our planet is not heating up. This argument ignores NASA's recent analysis of 2010 as the warmest year on record and the World Meteorological Organization's pronouncement of the first decade of this century as the hottest since records began. Global warming does not simply mean that temperatures are always climbing. What it does mean is that although our planet is steadily heating up, a delicate set of climatic imbalances creates an increase in extreme weather events. These may include both dramatic heat spells and powerful snowstorms, such as those that have blanketed parts of Europe not used to seeing such weather -- as well as the more southerly reaches of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. Most scientists tell us that we must dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avert catastrophic climate change. To do this, it will be necessary to mobilize people around the globe who are not yet concerned about the issue. But if the scientific evidence can be buried, in the eyes of some, by a single heavy snowfall, then we must have new strategies that generate interest in this complex issue and sustain public and political support for action. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Joel Pett may have hit upon something with a cartoon he drew for last year's climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It shows a scientist addressing a large audience at a climate summit. A spectator at the left side of the panel asks his neighbor: "What if it's a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?" The answer emerges on the right side of the panel where the following list appears on a chalkboard: energy independence, preserve rainforest, sustainability, green jobs, livable cities, renewables, clean water and air, healthy children, etc., etc. There is indeed something for almost everyone in climate protection. A small nonprofit group called the Climate and Energy Project ran with this idea in 2007. It sponsored a yearlong competition between six towns in Kansas with the goal of getting them to lower carbon emissions. They did this by reducing their energy consumption and accepting renewable sources of energy. A study had shown that a majority of residents in that region believed either that climate change was a hoax or that recent dramatic weather events were simply the result of natural climate cycles. Organizers decided to highlight the more immediate benefits of cutting carbon emissions, including energy independence, development of the local economy and financial savings. The New York Times reported in October that the project's strategy seems to have worked. In a year, the article read, "energy use in the towns declined as much as 5 percent relative to other areas -- a giant step in the world of energy conservation, where a program that yields a 1.5 percent decline is considered successful." Most of the world's major religions also offer reasons to engage in climate protection. Because taking care of the poor and needy (often disproportionately affected by climate-related disasters) and protecting God's planet are tenets of most of the world's major faith-based organizations, environmental protection is commonly becoming part of what they preach. Some Muslim and Hindu groups, for example, are working on special product labeling that would inform consumers about environmental impacts of the items being purchased. Similarly, around the globe, diverse organizations -- including trade unions, churches, non-governmental organizations and governments -- are coming together to find solutions to climate change. In 2010, the fossil fuel industry offered, albeit by accident, one of the greatest motivations to take action on global warming. BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in the death of 11 rig workers; local economies suffered deeply, and wildlife in the region could take decades to recover. The continued disintegration of public trust in government and business policy and procedures surrounding the disaster will, justifiably, have repercussions for a long time to come. Speaking with a Dutch friend, I commented that the snow -- which has caused great travel difficulties around Europe -- was at least a wonderful thing for children, who are out in force making snowmen. "Yes," he replied, but when I was growing up, winters were so cold the canals would freeze over every year, and we could skate on them. Last year was the first time this happened again in over a decade. The world is no longer as we knew it. It is not possible to backtrack on climate change. It is, however, still within our power to help preserve our planet for future generations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kumi Naidoo. | Kumi Naidoo said Amsterdam snow delightful, but he feared it would fuel global warming denial .
He says NASA analysis named 2010 the warmest year on record .
Naidoo: Even those who doubt climate change can take actions that benefit them and the planet .
For skeptics, case must be made in terms of better health, water, energy independence . |
18,504 | 3453fdd21afee398044c005830ae2ec93badea1f | When a Mississippi man's wife of more than 60 years passed away, he, naturally, received words of comfort from family and friends. But, along with the condolences from loved ones, came words from his wife herself. Days after she died, Billie Breland's family found a touching note she left to her husband, James Breland, letting him know that they would meet again. In a post from Cliff Sims, an Alabama journalist, on Yellowhammer News, Sims shared the touching note the family found written by his grandmother, Billie, to his grandfather, James, tucked into her checkbook just days after her death. Meet Again: Days after she died, Billie Breland, 83 (right), left a touching note to her husband, James Breland (left), letting him know that they would meet again . Note: Just two days after Billie's death, her family found a note she wrote for her husband to help him cope with her death . In the post, Sims explained that his 'Mimi' Billie suffered a broken hip and was unable to fully recover. 'Every day my Grandaddy stayed by her side in the hospital taking care of her, just as he'd done for every one of the 60 years they'd been married — right up until the night she passed,' Sims wrote. He explained that his 83-year-old grandmother, who had been a public school teacher, was an 'avid note writer,' according to Yellowhammer. Wedding Day: Here, Billie (left) and James (right) are photographed on their wedding day in 1954 . Cliff: In a post from Cliff Sims, an Alabama journalist, Sims shared the touching note the family found written by his grandmother, Billie, to his grandfather, James . Sims wrote that his grandmother would leave notes around her Cleveland, MS home of funny things that happened or quotes she wanted to remember. 'We don't know exactly when she did it, but she left one final note tucked inside her checkbook — but this one wasn't for her, it was for my Grandaddy,' Sims wrote. The note reads: 'Please don't cry because I died! Smile because I lived! Know that I'm in a happy place! Know that we will meet again! I will see you there!' Pain: Sims wrote that Billie always thought of others before herself and the note was a way to ease her husband's pain . Billie: Sims wrote that the note, written in Billie's (center) perfect cursive handwriting, 'perfectly sums up the hope and comfort that comes with knowing you’ll meet again in eternity' Sims wrote that Billie always thought of others before herself and the note was a way to ease her husband's pain. Billie passed away Tuesday, Jan. 13 and her family found her heartfelt note just two days later. Billie and James married in 1954, according to Sims. Sims wrote that the note, written in Billie's perfect cursive handwriting, 'perfectly sums up the hope and comfort that comes with knowing you’ll meet again in eternity.' | Days after she died, Billie Breland's family found a touching note she left to her husband, Jimmy Breland, letting him know that they would meet again .
Billie passed away Tuesday, Jan. 13 and her family found her heartfelt note just two days later tucked away in her checkbook .
Billie and Jimmy married in 1954 . |
164,897 | 61375318db5134bad9b16aca1bd3d03801e33a2b | ATHENS, Georgia (CNN) -- The body of accused triple killer and University of Georgia professor George Zinkhan was claimed by a relative Friday, nearly a week after Zinkhan was found dead, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. A studio proof shows professor George Zinkhan and his wife, Marie Bruce. A mortuary shipping service in Atlanta picked up Zinkhan's body at the request of a son from a previous marriage, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said. Details on plans for the body weren't immediately available. Earlier Friday, Bankhead had said Zinkhan's body -- found Saturday in a self-dug shallow grave -- could be headed to a pauper's grave if the family didn't claim the body from the Athens-Clarke County coroner's office by Saturday morning. Such a grave is typically reserved for unidentified bodies, unclaimed bodies or people without family members. Bankhead said the situation was rare and that it was unclear why the family had taken that long to claim the body of the professor, described by colleagues and acquaintances as aloof and eccentric. Neighbor Bob Covington remembers a lot of "forced moments" with Zinkhan. The last such interaction came the afternoon of April 24, the day before witnesses said Zinkhan, 57, killed his wife and two others outside a community theater in Athens. Covington was walking down the driveway of his Bogart home to check the mail. Zinkhan had just done the same and was walking back to his house. Covington said hello and told Zinkhan that his son, a UGA student who used to mow the Zinkhans' lawn, had recently seen Zinkhan on campus. "He said, 'Yeah, that's where I hang out,' and turned and walked into the house," said Covington, who lived next door to Zinkhan for eight years."That's mostly what it was with George, forced moments." It was odd for Zinkhan to say more than five or 10 words before disengaging, while his wife, Marie Bruce, was the "polar opposite," Covington said, describing the 47-year-old thespian as engaging and vivacious. Despite the contrasts in personalities, Covington never saw evidence that there were problems between the two, he said. "He never raised his voice at his kids. I never heard that. I never heard him raise his voice at Marie," he said. Neighbors, students and fellow faculty members all concur that Zinkhan was standoffish, but their accounts also paint a contradictory image of the marketing professor who would occasionally walk the halls of UGA's business college barefoot. Some faculty members were quick to defend Zinkhan, but reluctant to do so on record. One said he felt it was a university matter. Another was reluctant to be on record defending an accused mass killer. "He's being painted as an ogre, which doesn't fit," said the former. Two faculty members said Zinkhan was introverted but friendly. He was close to some colleagues. He remembered their birthdays and was generous with gifts at Christmas. His quirky behavior was generally overlooked because of his brilliance, a colleague said. One fellow professor went so far as to call him a genius, and not just with marketing, either. Zinkhan apparently was well-versed in a wide range of topics -- art, opera, architecture -- and he loved sports. Faculty members recalled that the strapping 6-foot-2 Zinkhan played on the intramural softball team with some of his graduate students, and he liked to boast of his home runs. He also loved his son, 8, and daughter, 10, and regularly brought them to work. Neighbors said they saw him outside playing soccer with the kids on a miniature goal that still sat in the yard this week. A basketball goal with a rim a foot or two below regulation stood over the Zinkhans' driveway, and a miniature yellow house sat dormant in his wooded backyard. A neighbor who asked not to be named said the cedar front door on the house Tuesday was new. A SWAT team had burst through the old front door shortly after Zinkhan allegedly shot Bruce; attorney Tom Tanner, 40; and Ben Teague, 63. Bruce was the president of the board of the Town and Gown Players, a theater group holding a reunion picnic on the theater's deck when the shooting took place. Tanner and Teague were identified as set designers for the theater. Covington saw Zinkhan shortly after the April 25 slayings. He was grilling bratwursts for lunch when Zinkhan rang the doorbell. "He asked if I'd mind watching the kids because there'd been an emergency," Covington said. Covington agreed. He thought it was strange when Zinkhan immediately sprinted out of the garage, but didn't pay it much attention because Zinkhan said he had an emergency. The children, Covington said, seemed oblivious that their mother had just been slain. It was less than an hour later, when Covington's wife noticed two police officers with shotguns behind the hedges in a nearby yard, that Covington learned his neighbor was accused of a triple killing. The police told Covington they were looking for Zinkhan in connection with the shootings. "I was incredulous," he said. Covington's daughter, who had baby-sat for the Zinkhans, drew a floor plan of the Zinkhan home for police and told them where the spare key was hidden. Covington allowed police to use his home in their stakeout and summoned Zinkhan's daughter to see whether she knew anything about what had happened. It was clear the girl hadn't seen the slayings, but one of her remarks was chilling, Covington said. Asked what her father's emergency involved, she replied, "Something about a firecracker." Though many expressed astonishment that Zinkhan was linked to the slayings, some UGA faculty members said they suspected Zinkhan was having problems at home before police confirmed it this week. He lost an estimated 50 pounds in the two months before the shootings, they said. To others, the signs of problems were more obvious. Professor Barbara Carroll, who had once worked under Zinkhan, wrote an e-mail to her colleagues at the business school saying she went into protective custody after police found a map to her house in Zinkhan's vehicle. In the e-mail, she said she had told previous department heads, deans and provosts "that George Zinkhan was dangerous." "Many people in this college and this department have known about Zinkhan's 'troubled past' and did nothing about it. Those people also bear responsibility here," she wrote. Carroll did not return phone messages or open her door for reporters Tuesday. However, one of Zinkhan's former students said he and his classmates also thought Zinkhan was more than just odd. David Sackin, 43, was a graduate student and took classes with Zinkhan in 1996 and 1997. Zinkhan's lectures were delivered in monotone, his teaching style was dry and he didn't seem to care what was happening in the classroom, Sackin said. When students convened outside the classroom, they surmised that something darker than a lack of enthusiasm drove Zinkhan's behavior, he said. "If anyone asked any of my classmates if there was one professor who'd go on a rampage, who would it be? They'd unanimously say Zinkhan," Sackin said."He was strange, definitely." In her e-mail, Carroll told colleagues they may never know the whole story. Indeed, police have said only that one of the victims, Tanner, "appeared to be a specific target in the shootings and was shot first." The prospect of learning specifics about what could have propelled a painfully private introvert to homicide probably died in a shallow grave behind a Bogart elementary school. CNN's Jason Hanna contributed to this report. | NEW: Son from previous marriage claims University of Georgia professor's body .
Acquaintances, colleagues remember George Zinkhan as eccentric, aloof .
Neighbor: Children unaware of mother's slaying; daughter mentioned "firecracker"
Student, colleague both thought Zinkhan may be dangerous before triple killing . |
260,612 | dd76c3af86904f15150d941161426b32ff027b26 | A smash-up involving a Fiat 500 may be a common sight for people in Italy's capital city. But the care-free Italian attitude to driving is now set to be immortalised in the 24th James Bond film. Scenes from the movie - which will be released in November 2015 - will be set in Rome and feature a daring parachute descent by Daniel Craig on to the city's famous Ponte Sisto bridge. Scroll down for video . Scenes from the 24th James Bond film will be shot in Rome for the first time - the opening sequence of Quantum of Solace featured a high-energy roof-top chase in Siena (pictured) The film will feature a daring parachute descent by Daniel Craig on to the city's famous Ponte Sisto bridge . One of the scenes features an iconic Fiat 500 (pictured) being crushed on the approach to the Vatican . Cortina d'Ampezzo, northern Italy - 'For Your Eyes Only' Lake Como, Lombardy - Casino Royale . Siena and Tuscany - Quantum of Solace . Sardinia - The Spy Who Loved Me . Venice - From Russia With Love, Moonraker, Casino Royale . True to form, the film will include a series of high-adrenaline car chases with some through Rome's narrow cobbled streets, which ends with one car flying in to the river Tiber. In another pursuit, the iconic Fiat 500 ends up being crushed on the approach to the Vatican. The Rome footage will be shot in February and March and cover three high-action scenes, sources have said. Other scenes will be shot south of Rome at the Royal Palace of Caserta, known as the Versailles of Italy, as well as in Serbia and at Pinewood studios in Surrey, according to Italian news agency ANSA. This will mark the first time a Bond film has ever taken place in Italy's capital, although Siena and Venice have starred in previous movies. The opening sequence of Quantum of Solace, released in 2008, featured a tile-shattering roof-top chase across Siena. Infamous Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld will make a return with Christoph Waltz expected to play him . Elsewhere, it was revealed this week that infamous Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, his most feared adversary, will make a return. Django Unchained star Christoph Waltz is tipped to play the evil genius - famous for his trademark white cat and for gruesomely disposing of his failing underlings – in the new movie. The baddie made his last appearance in an ‘official’ Bond film in 1981 when he featured in For Your Eyes Only. In a nail-biting opening scene Blofeld is hanging from an helicopter piloted by Roger Moore’s James Bond. The scene ends with Blofeld being dropped down a huge brick industrial chimney close to the River Thames in London. Pre-production work on ‘Bond 24’ has already started in Austria, and Waltz’s co-stars will be Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as spymaster M and Ben Whishaw as Q. | Scenes from the 24th James Bond film will be shot in Rome early next year .
Will feature parachute descent by Daniel Craig onto the Ponte Sisto bridge .
This will be the first time Bond has appeared in Italy's capital city . |
70,122 | c6ce5c4febbfb715453373d447c4b5572f5fcada | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:56 EST, 7 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 02:06 EST, 8 February 2014 . A Missouri grandmother is celebrating the arrival of her newest grandchild, after she acted as a surrogate for her son and daughter-in-law. Sandy Lawrence gave birth to Jarrett Jacob on Wednesday. It was the second time the 50-year-old has acted as a surrogate for the family, after carrying their first child in 2012. Her daughter-in-law, Mindy, was unable to carry her own children after having a hysterectomy when she was a teenager. Motherly love: Sandy Lawrence with grandchildren Mya and baby Jarrett, who she carried for her son . Gift: Mindy Lawrence cuddles her newborn son Jarrett, after her mother-in-law acted as a surrogate for her . The 25-year-old, and her husband, Jake, had considered adopting when they first married but then his mother offered to carry the baby for them. 'What mother would not do this for their child,' Mrs Lawrence said, adding she agreed to do it 'so they can have a child of their own'. Mindy had been plagued with health problems from the age of 10, which resulted in her having a hysterectomy to end the pain she had been in. 'I knew when we got married that I could not have kids,' Mindy Lawrence told WMC-TV. The couple didn't have the $30,000 needed to use a surrogate, but had started to discuss adopting when Mrs Lawrence offered to help. The first time she acted as the surrogate, Mrs Lawrence was 48, and the family were concerned her age would cause health problems. 'We asked the doctor all these questions and he was just like it was no big deal. Technology is so amazing.' Mindy said. Family ties: Sandy Lawrence with her grandson Jarrett, and, from left, Mya, Jeff, Jake and Mindy . Proud grandparents: Sandy and Jeff Lawrence, pictured with Mya in 2012 . Mrs Lawrence's husband, Jeff, said he had been concerned about how the pregnancy would affect his wife the first time around. 'My main concern was her health. She's the love of my life and I don't want anything to happen to her,' he told WMC-TV. Fortunately, both pregnancies went well, with the couple's first child, Mya, being born in 2012 and Jarrett being born this week. '[Sandy] has made it all possible, beside God giving her the love and the care to do this for us, it would never have happened,' Mindy Lawrence said. | Sandy Lawrence offered to help because son's wife can't have children .
Baby Jarrett was born this week and his big sister, Mya, was born in 2012 . |
169,571 | 6773cb68062d54c285eedfc022db098ff35dbe59 | (CNN) -- Some skygazers along the East Coast of North America witnessed a spectacular solar eclipse Sunday morning. The eclipse was visible for a few minutes from parts of North America, South America, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. NASA said the eclipse would be one of the most interesting solar events of the year, because it was a hybrid annular-total eclipse. That means for part of its path, it was an annular eclipse -- where a thin ring of sunlight is visible around the moon's shadow -- and for another part, it was a total eclipse. That phenomenon was only visible from a narrow band of the North Atlantic and equatorial Africa, NASA said. In a much broader area, viewers saw a partial eclipse. But photographers in the eastern United States liked what they saw. Jeff Raybould photographed the eclipse from his apartment in Wilmington, Delaware. "I'm on the 15th floor, and I knew I had a great view of the sunrise, so I set my alarm and crossed my fingers that the clouds would cooperate," he said. For him, the eclipse lasted only five minutes before the sun ducked behind the clouds. "By that time it was too hard to observe anyway due to the increasing brightness of the sun," he explained. "But I'm glad the clouds cooperated. I've never seen a solar eclipse and just found out yesterday that I would have a prime opportunity this morning." Military photojournalist Matthew Hecht woke up at 6 a.m. to see the much-anticipated eclipse. An avid follower of space and science news, Hecht set his camera up in front of his home in Absecon, New Jersey, and started taking photographs. "I pointed the camera and tried not to look through the lens because it was so intense. I was constantly adjusting the camera to make sure I was still pointing at it. I just got lucky," he said about the images he captured. Despite reports that the eclipse would only last a few minutes, Hecht says he was surprised to see the event last more than 10 minutes. "It was unbelievably vivid. I have never seen an eclipse at sunrise before. It was actually very haunting. It looked like something out of a movie," he said. Greg Hogan said he only saw the partial eclipse for a few short minutes. Hogan photographed the eclipse during a chance opportunity. He read about the event the night before but forgot about it soon after. When he woke up Sunday morning, he realized the eclipse would be happening in 20 minutes. He put his 5-year-old son and 6-year-old nephew in his car while they were all still in their pajamas and drove them to the highest point in their town of Bonaire, Georgia, which is an elementary school called Hilltop. "There were a few other people hanging out there to see the eclipse. It was surprising, but sort of neat," he said. He and his boys watched the eclipse happen over the horizon. "My kids thought it was really cool. They are really into Minecraft -- a video game where you watch the sun rise and set -- and showing them a real life version of that was great," he said. Did you manage to capture photographs of this eclipse? Send your photos to iReport and they may be featured in the gallery above! | One of the most interesting solar events, a rare hybrid eclipse, happened over the weekend .
Partial eclipse was visible in the early morning Sunday in eastern North and South America .
Skygazers in parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East could see it too .
The hybrid eclipse was only visible from parts of Atlantic Ocean and equatorial Africa . |
52,676 | 955b6a95d0bbfb0eb76149c9e6026e62d2a981f3 | (CNN) -- Facebook's Graph Search, which lets people more efficiently dig through the massive social network for people, places and other content, is now available on all English versions of the website in the U.S. The advanced search feature will appear as a normal search field at the top of Facebook.com, though it is not yet available to mobile users. Graph Search raised privacy concerns when it was originally announced, and this wider launch will mean more people can decide for themselves how useful or invasive it really is. To run a search, type in a full question that lays out what you want to find. Start with the types of content on Facebook such as photos, people, businesses, movies or bands, or a general topic like tea or badminton. Next, narrow it down with qualifiers like location, dates, friend recommendations or profile information. For example, you can search for "Photos taken in San Francisco, California, of Golden Gate Bridge in 2013" or "Restaurants in Queens, New York, liked by my friends." If you're planning a trip, look for stores or hotels at your destination visited by locals. If you want a date who shares your hobbies, try something like "Single women who live in San Diego, California, and who like pages I like." Then narrow the results using the detailed categories like age, education, home town or religious views. Once you start typing, Graph Search will helpfully suggest possible combinations and questions. To protect your privacy and control exactly who sees your information, take a trip back to your Facebook settings and check your sharing options. You can edit the various parts of your profile so that they are only viewable by you or your friends, or if you don't mind meeting strangers interested in a game of tennis, the public. Under the privacy settings, open up your activity log for granular control of the entire trail of content you've left on Facebook, including likes, groups and events. You can quickly see all photos of you that are visible to the public and change who can see them. Any public photos can show up in Graph Searches based on their location or or the date they were taken. In the main privacy settings view, you can make some bulk privacy settings by limiting old posts so they are only viewable by certain people, or setting the default privacy settings for your future posts. The company has certain safeguards in place to protect minors from potentially creepy Graph Searches. Profile details for minors are only viewable to their friends and friends of friends, and friends of friends will only see them in searches if they are also under 18 years old. Facebook says the feature has been improved since it was first launched in January as a beta feature for select users. The company says the latest version is faster, understands natural language questions better, and returns more relevant results. | Facebook's "Graph Search" feature is now available in English in the U.S.
The advanced search feature makes it easy to dig through the social network for people, places and photos .
Users should check their privacy settings if they do not want to appear in the search results . |
169,305 | 670f0bd161a32cf9ab4b60afa9926c913b9f59ca | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- It was not surprising that investigators found bottles of prescription drugs in Michael Jackson's home, the singer's dermatologist said, as two sources told CNN that Jackson's sister Janet attempted an intervention two years ago. Dr. Arnold Klein, who was Michael Jackson's dermatologist, said he warned the singer about drug use. "I'm very shocked by it, but I have to tell you it's not something that would be unheard of," Dr. Arnold Klein said Wednesday on CNN's "Larry King Live," adding that he repeatedly warned Jackson about the danger of such drugs. Meanwhile, two sources close to the Jackson family said Wednesday that sister Janet, the pop star, was so worried after visiting the emaciated singer in 2007 that she tried to stage an intervention with assistance from her other brothers. Michael Jackson reportedly ordered his security guards not to let the family members in. He also refused to take calls from his mother, Katherine. "If you tried to deal with him, he would shut you out," one source said. "You just wouldn't hear from him for long periods." At the time, the Jackson family released a statement to People magazine about the alleged intervention, denying it. But Janet Jackson was not among the signatories. Also Wednesday, a source said the Los Angeles County coroner's office has drawn up a list of doctors who treated Jackson over the years and will talk to them to determine what kind of drugs they may have prescribed the singer in the past. Among them: Klein and Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's cardiologist, whom the Los Angeles police already had interviewed. The cause of Jackson's June 25 death is pending a toxicology report. It is also the focus of an investigation by police, the state attorney general's office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "I knew at one point that he was using Diprivan when he was on tour in Germany," Klein said, without specifying when. "He was using it to go to sleep at night. I told him he was absolutely insane. I said, 'You have to quit it. This drug, you can't repeatedly take.' " Diprivan is a powerful drug administered intravenously to induce or maintain anesthesia or sedation, according to the Food and Drug Administration. It is known by the generic name Propofol. Klein is the latest in a series of Jackson associates -- including doctors, nurses, employees and friends -- to tie the singer to drugs in recent days. Last week, sources close to Jackson said the insomniac singer traveled with an anesthesiologist who would "take him down" at night and "bring him back up" during the "HIStory" world tour in the mid-1990s. Klein, however, said he had not seen Diprivan or IV poles in the singer's house. Asked whether Jackson had track marks on his arms, as one source said, Klein said he had not seen any. "Michael, at one time, had an addiction. He went to England and withdrew that addiction, where he went off drugs altogether," the doctor said. Watch doctor on Jackson's use of Diprivan » . Klein refuted that he had ever given Jackson drugs beyond the doses needed for surgery. "If you took all the pills I gave him in the last year at once, it wouldn't do anything to you." Klein carefully couched a question about whether he was the biological father of Jackson's children. "The most important thing is: The father is who the children want their father to be," he said. When King repeatedly pressed Klein, the doctor said: "I still can't answer it absolutely one way or another." He said he donated sperm to a sperm bank, but not to Jackson. He said he is willing to take a DNA test. "I think, to the best of my knowledge, I'm not the father," he said. "Can't we leave this alone? Can't we leave these children alone?" Meanwhile, the city of Los Angeles said that Jackson's memorial service cost $1.4 million. Spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said the costs included extra police on the streets, trash pickup, other sanitation and traffic control for the Tuesday event. Three thousand police officers, almost one-third of the force, were on hand to ensure that the Jackson events proceeded smoothly, Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. The city, which is $530 million in debt, set up a Web page asking Jackson fans for donations to help with the expenses. On Tuesday morning, hundreds of donors contributed more than $17,000 through the site. But then, the high volume of traffic caused the site to crash frequently and for long periods, the mayor's office said. So the city couldn't collect contributions for several hours Tuesday. The site also crashed for 12 hours, beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and again, periodically Wednesday morning, the office said. Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich does not want taxpayers to pay a penny for the service, his spokesman said Wednesday. "The city attorney does not want something like this happening again, the city paying [the initial costs] for a private event," spokesman John Franklin said. "That's especially in a cash-strapped city, where people have been furloughed or even lost jobs." CNN's Paul Vercammen, Drew Griffin, Randi Kaye, Scott Bronstein and Susan Chun contributed to this report. | Family reportedly tried to stage intervention for Michael Jackson in 2007 .
The cause of Jackson's June 25 death is pending a toxicology report .
City of Los Angeles set up Web page asking fans to donate money to help with costs . |
79,191 | e077f1289a2d32c89bd7face3c453d57f2dd091d | There seems to be no end of people queuing up to mock Kim Kardashian's Paper magazine cover, but one man decided that while he was there, he might as well imitate a few others. Mina Gerges, from Ontario, Canada, is the brain behind the Instagram account Keeping Up With Mina, and has recreated dozens of iconic celebrity images including Kim and Kayne's wedding and posted them on his account. The Western University student, 20, prides himself on spending hours making everything for each hilarious image. Scroll down for video . Canadian student Mina Gerges spends two hours creating each image parodying a celebrity photograph . Here he uses a wig, plasters for eyebrows and a pillow to imitate Miley Cyrus's sultry naked bed pose . Mina said he wants to help people see overexposed celebrities in a new light, even highlighting the extremes to which A listers will go with Photoshop. Every picture parody is a personal DIY project that takes around two hours. 'I make everything myself,' he told Buzzfeed. 'I purchase curtains and hold them with pins, and everything else I put on them I stick with glue.' On his Twitter biography, Mina describes himself as a 'Kardashian-obsessed third year media student'. The pictures, in which he copies the likes of Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, have gained him nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram. A pair of holey tights, some long nail tips and a black wig is all Mina needs to recreate Katy Perry's pose . Mina Gerges recreates Kim Kardashian's ecstatic expression with Kanye West while clutching a slice of pizza . Even Beyonce gets the Mina Gerges treatment as he dons a jewelled bra and headdress to copy her . Kim Kardashian and the pizza slice are back in Mina Gerges' parody of her wedding picture with Kanye West . As a student Mina is on a budget and admits to searching the Dollar Store for props as well as raiding his own stockpile of make-up, jewellery and wigs. He told Stylelist that he started the pictures about a year ago. 'I got to the point where I knew I needed to do something different. I wanted to recreate these photos, to have that hair, that make-up, and those outfits - essentially I wanted to be in the photo instead of pretending to be.' He welcomes all reactions to his work, saying: 'I want to show people it's okay to do whatever if it makes them happy. Mina Gerges, who makes all his props and costumes himself, copies Nicki Minaj's sequined corset . He recreates Lady Gaga's famous clear bubble outfit with white balloons and a wig made of straw . 'I want people to see that there are others out there happy to support you through whatever it is you want to do, whether that's painting your nipples purple for a Rihanna impersonation, or whatever else you might be into.' The pictures showcase his ingenuity, such as using shredded paper to replicate Beyonce's frazzled bob on the Grammy's red carpet. Meanwhile in his Kim Kardashian parody photos, Kanye West is played by a giant slice of pizza. When recreating Lady Gaga's clear plastic bubble dress, Mina substituted the orbs for half-filled white balloons and made a raffia wig, to send up the bizarre pop star. The Instagram star painstakingly cut out flower shapes to channel Beyonce's fishtail dress look . A pair of floral pants and a blonde wig transform him into Iggy Azalea in a moment of rapt concentration . One favourite is Nicki Minaj and Mina has recreated a variety of her photographs including her provocative pose naked in a bath of milk in which he used white blankets, carefully arranging them to protect his modesty. And it's not just Kim Kardashian who gets the Mina treatment - Kylie Jenner has provided new inspiration with her series of pouty selfies, which have sparked online debate about her fuller-looking lips. He added green extensions to his hair and painted a huge, clownish pink block around his lips to mock Kylie's Instagram pictures. But he's unashamed about his picture projects and recently tweeted: 'When someone hates on my pics i think 'What Would Kim Do' & the answer is to feel bad for them bc they're not as fab as us.' Strategically-placed blankets help Mina recreate Nicki Minaj's seductive pose stark naked in a bath of milk . Kylie Jenner has sparked discussion about her lips so here Mina shows off a heavily painted pout . From the head scarf down to the tattoos, the student has meticulously recreated Rihanna's provocative pose . | Canadian student Mina Gerges, 20, sends up A-list photographs .
Painstakingly makes the props such as wigs of shredded paper .
Mocking pictures have gained him nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram . |
259,940 | dc93d1ff99a23330d3c4085632e43027a23be25c | A woman has tragically run over and killed her own mother on New Year’s Eve after the pair watched a fireworks display together. The 79-year-old woman was hit in the carpark of Club Banora leisure centre in the small community of Banora, in Tweed Shire, north NSW, at around 9.30pm. It’s believed the elderly woman was standing on a kerb in the car park when she was seen to fall. Her 54-year-old daughter’s vehicle then allegedly crushed her after the driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake. The 79-year-old woman was hit in the carpark of Club Banora leisure centre . The woman was reportedly standing on a kerb when she fell and was then hit by her daughter's car . Local woman Julie Myles, who runs a video store nearby, spoke about the community’s distress over what happened. She told the Courier Mail: ‘It is heartbreaking to think that the daughter is going to have to live with the accident. ‘I’m sure everyone will understand that it is just one of those tragedies.’ A spokesman for Club Banora told the paper it appeared to be a tragic and unfortunate accident. Police said emergency services were called to the car park at the services club on Leisure Drive and the injured woman was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital. She died a short time later. The driver daughter was also taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests. She and a male passenger were uninjured. Officers are investigating the incident and are appealing for any witnesses to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers. The Club Banora sports complex is located in the small community of Banora in north NSW . | A 79-year-old woman was run over in the town of Banora, north NSW .
Her 54-year-old daughter was reportedly driving the car .
She allegedly hit the accelerator instead of the brake . |
123,054 | 2b16020570de0c7f8b344ecb60d4c5f1b00e2be1 | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 15:03 EST, 23 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:16 EST, 23 August 2013 . A cousin of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez pleaded not guilty today to a contempt charge for allegedly refusing to testify before the grand jury that indicted Hernandez in the murder of a friend. Tanya Singleton entered her plea on a criminal contempt charge during a brief court appearance in Fall River, Massachusetts. Her attorney, E. Peter Parker, did not seek bail for her, agreeing that she be held until a hearing on October 3. Tanya Singleton, a cousin of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, is escorted into Superior Court in Fall River, Mass. today . Singleton was offered immunity but refused to testify before the grand jury, District Attorney Samuel Sutter said. She has been held since August 1 in a Suffolk County jail and was indicted Thursday. The grand jury on Thursday indicted Hernandez on first-degree murder and weapons charges in the death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player from Boston who was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend. Lloyd's body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, about a mile from Hernandez's home. He had been shot five times. Tanya (pictured left in court today) pleaded not guilty on a contempt charge for allegedly refusing to testify before the grand jury that indicted Hernandez of murder . Hernandez, 23, pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges in district court in June, and he is being held without bail. One of his attorneys, Michael Fee, said yesterday that there had been an 'incredible rush to judgment' in the case and that he doesn't believe the state will be able to prove the charges during a jury trial. Prosecutors say Hernandez orchestrated the killing because he was upset at Lloyd for talking to people Hernandez had problems with at a nightclub days earlier. They say two Hernandez associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, were with the ex-player at the time Lloyd was killed. In Fall River today, the judge held a closed hearing before Singleton's arraignment. Former New England Patriot football player Aaron Hernandez (pictured right), was lead into court in Attleboro, Mass. yesterday . Odin Lloyd (pictured) was found dead on June 17, 2013 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Sutter, declined to comment on the substance of the proceeding. He also would not comment on what information prosecutors had hoped to learn from Singleton in grand jury testimony. Parker had no comment outside the courthouse on the indictment. Asked how she's doing, he said: 'She's doing good.' In July, authorities seized a cellphone and credit and bank cards from Singleton, who is from Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Connecticut. Court records show Ortiz told investigators he and Wallace drove to Bristol after Lloyd's killing and that he was dropped off at Singleton's house. Ortiz said he discussed Lloyd's killing with her. Authorities say Singleton later purchased a bus ticket for Wallace to travel to Miramar, Florida, where his parents live. Wallace was indicted yesterday on a charge of being an accessory to murder after the fact. He pleaded not guilty earlier in district court to the same charge. He was ordered held on $500,000 bail. Ortiz has not been indicted. He pleaded not guilty in district court to a weapons charge and is being held without bail. He has a court hearing Thursday. Hernandez (pictured in court yesterday) was indicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd, 27, a semi-professional football player and friend of Hernandez . Hernandez, who was dropped by the Patriots within hours of his arrest on June 26, could face life in prison without parole if convicted. But when he appeared briefly in Attleboro District Court yesterday for a previously scheduled probable-cause hearing he looked relaxed. Authorities have said they haven't found the murder weapon, which they believe was a .45-caliber Glock pistol, but warrants released earlier this month suggested Hernandez may have asked his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, to dispose of it. Investigators did recover a magazine for .45-caliber bullets in Hernandez's Hummer as well as ammunition of the same caliber inside a condo he rented in Franklin, Massachusetts. Authorities also recovered a shell casing that matched those found at the homicide scene after tracking the rental car Hernandez was in the night Lloyd died. Since then, Boston police have asked police in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Connecticut for their help with the probe into Lloyd's homicide as well as a 2012 double homicide near a Boston nightclub. A Connecticut police lieutenant said authorities searched the home of Hernandez's uncle, seizing an SUV sought in the double killing that had been rented in Hernandez's name. Two men died in the July 2012 shooting in Boston's South End, with witnesses reporting that gunfire came from inside a gray SUV with Rhode Island tags. Boston police haven't reported any arrests in the deaths of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, 28, and won't comment on whether Hernandez is a suspect. Hernandez is also facing civil litigation after a Connecticut man filed a lawsuit asserting the former player shot him in the face in February after they argued at a Miami strip club. Alexander Bradley, who says he lost an eye, told police at the time he didn't know who shot him. | Tanya Singleton pleaded not guilty to a contempt charge for refusing to testify in Hernandez's murder trial .
Her attorney did not seek bail and she'll be held until a hearing on Oct. 3 .
She has been held in jail since Aug. 1 . |
108,096 | 175ebe6032eb249e03a79d15dcd9fc8b212c1c4c | Cottage Grove, Minnesota (CNN) -- Unlike many other boys his age, 17-year-old Levi Dubov wakes up excited to go to class each day. "There is no other place like this," he says, as he finishes up breakfast in his school's basement cafeteria. Dubov is talking about his Yeshiva school outside Minnesota's Twin Cities, known simply as MyYeshiva. The boys' school not only focuses on the study of Judaism. It's one of a few Yeshivas nationwide that combines religious teaching with a focus on students with special learning needs. The school aims to help kids who are "stuck in the middle" -- who can't keep up with the pace of regular schools, but haven't completely given up either. "[It's] a place for kids that are struggling everywhere else," the school's director, Rabbi Moshe Weiss, said. "There wasn't ever a place for those kids." Students come from all over the country to attend this boarding school, including many from low-income households. "We wanted to try and help those kids out there that need more attention," Weiss said, sitting in his office after just returning with the students from a twice weekly hockey trip to the local ice rink. Since opening in 2006, the school has seen its enrollment double from its inaugural class of 18 students. Dubov, now in 11th grade, feels more at home here than he did at his previous Yeshiva in his hometown of Montreal, Canada. "They told me I was a weak learner," he said. But he says at MyYeshiva he excels because of the different pace of teaching. Tzemi Zimmerman, a ninth-grader from Chicago, Illinois, says he struggles with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "In another school, if you can't keep up with the learning, they'll tell you ... 'We're going to have to suspend you,'" Zimmerman said. He says the school's dedicated time for physical education -- another unique quality of this Yeshiva -- makes it easier for him to sit through classes. "It makes you feel like people care," he said. "It's just -- you're wanted. You're part of everybody." Victoria Livshutz, whose son attends the school, says he would be in a much different situation if it weren't for the school. "They are just like a family, which, to me, is very important," she said. "Because even though he is a big boy, he still needs a lot of attention." The school's co-founder Rabbi Mordechai Friedman calls MyYeshiva a place where "there's a little bit less of the stress in learning, a little bit more relaxed in academics." "We want to know how you are doing -- not just what your test scores look like," Friedman said. While the school may be unique in many ways, it's still a functioning business. The rough economy hasn't passed by unnoticed. Weiss acknowledges they've had difficulty making mortgage payments this past year. If they can't come up with the remainder of the building's cost in cash or five-year pledges by May 15 -- about $500,000 -- they'll be forced out. "We're talking about these kids' home and the future kids that are going to come here," Weiss said. "I believe that with God's help, the best case scenario is going to occur." While this year the school has set tuition at more than $18,000 a year, it typically operates with a "pay what you can" mentality. But this is the first time since the school opened four years ago that not one of the 36 enrolled students has been able to come up with the full amount. Weiss blames a combination of factors. "Throughout last year, lots of our parents lost their jobs," Weiss said, adding that they also "lost donations due to the economy, some large." Regardless, students and faculty are optimistic. "What'd they say about Chrysler? Too big too fold. We're not as big as Chrysler -- yet. But we're too important," Friedman said. "To see the kids we're helping, there is no way in my mind that this won't continue," Rabbi Weiss said. "God is not that cynical." Levi Dubov says without this school, he'll likely end up moving to Israel where his family lives now. That means he'd have to join the Israeli army after his 18th birthday. But Tzemi Zimmerman offers a reassuring assessment: . "Someone will pull us through," he said. "We're going to keep going on like this for many more years, and one day maybe I can send my children here." | Boys' school is one of few Yeshivas to focus on students with special learning needs .
MyYeshiva aims to help kids who are "stuck in the middle" but haven't given up .
School has had difficulty making mortgage payments, needs $500,000 . |
138,109 | 3e9f3f7e697ac08e02e90ad177004140224000a9 | By . Hayley O'keeffe . PUBLISHED: . 08:06 EST, 26 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:37 EST, 26 December 2013 . An officer has died in violent clashes between police and anti-government protestors in Bangkok. The demonstrators, some armed with sling shots, threw rocks and attempted to break through police lines. Officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets but at least 66 people were injured, according to the government, several of which required hospitalisation. Scroll down for video . A protester hurls stones after police fired tear gas at the anti-government protesters who had tried to disrupt the electoral process . It is unclear how the policeman died but he was airlifted to hospital after receiving a bullet wound in the violence. Thailand's Election Commission urged the government to delay polls scheduled for February 2 after the unrest, adding to political uncertainty splitting the country. The government headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is insisting the polls should go ahead, believing they will return her to power with a renewed mandate. Thai riot police fire rubber bullets at anti-government protesters during a rally at the Labor Ministry in Bangkok . An anti-government protester throws a tear gas canister towards policemen during clashes . But the protest movement seeking to oust her is demanding that the vote be delayed until she leaves office and reforms are implemented. They have vowed to disrupt the elections if they go ahead. In the past, the government has indicated it doesn't have the authority to delay elections, which constitutionally must be held between 45 to 60 days from the date that parliament is dissolved. Thailand has been wracked by political conflict since Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was toppled by a 2006 military coup. An anti-government protester uses a slingshot to throw rocks at Thai riot police as they attack the Thai-Japan youth stadium in central Bangkok . The protesters accuse Yingluck of representing Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid jail time for a corruption conviction but still wields influence in the country. On Wednesday, Yingluck announced a proposal for a national reform council to come up with a compromise to the crisis, but it was rejected by the protesters. Earlier in the year the government proposed a plan which would allow Thaksin to return to Thailand a free man, which created further mistrust in the country's leaders. | Officer died after being airlifted to a hospital during day of unrest .
Victim had been struck by a bullet during the clashes in Thailand capital .
At least 60 people have been injured in the violent scenes . |
137,499 | 3dd1d026b7dcbcbdf0b7085118552efe5ec87348 | The legs exciting the most intense fascination in Las Vegas this weekend do not belong to the tallest show-girl or the sexiest lap dancer on the famous Strip. It is the muscular under-carriage of the wealthiest athlete in town which is attracting the closest attention. It is the legs which weaken first when even the greatest of boxers reach a certain age. Not the punching power. Not even the reflexes. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch... Marcos Maidana lands a punch on Floyd Mayweather during their first bout in May but lost the brutal fight . Floyd Mayweather is 37 now and there are many among the blood brotherhood of the prize-ring who believe they are detecting a tell-tale slowing of the dazzling footwork which has helped him bank hundreds of millions of dollars. That speed of movement is as important a weapon in Mayweather’s formidable armoury as the lightning hand speed and he did not appear as quick across the canvas in his last fight. On that night here, four months ago, this most elusive practitioner of the noble art of self defence found himself obliged to stand and trade hefty punches with Argentine slugger Marcos Maidana. After being roughed up like never before, Mayweather now goes into a re-match with that same presumptuous opponent. And Senor Maidana returns emboldened yet further by how much physical hurt he has already been able to inflict on the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. Mayweather Jr works with his uncle Roger Mayweather in front of a crowd as he looks to be in peak condition . That gut-wrenching effort, while not enough to prevent Mayweather’s hand rightly being raised at the end of 12 ferocious rounds, did create sufficient debate to justify them returning to Floyd’s Money pit a second time. Mayweather is guaranteed a minimum $30 million, Maidana roughly a tenth of that. The contentious American has explained away whatever problems he had in the first fight as a consequence of him ‘choosing to stand and fight so I could give all the fans the thrills they want.’ Er…maybe. Boxers do not usually choose to be hit. The best of them withstand it heroically when it happens but they would rather be the ones doing the hitting. Floyd Mayweather poses with his WBC Welterweight title belt after defeating Robert Guerrero in 2013 . VIDEO Mayweather ready for title defence . True or not this left the impression that he is now obliged to trade punches at times, where once he used to sashay out of touching distance like mist in the night. That in no way diminishes Mayweather’s stature as one of the finest ring-craftsmen of all time but it may indicate increased vulnerability as he approaches the end of his career. This will the 47th fight on a so-far unblemished record and he repeats that there will be only two more, one in May and another in September next year. The full-frontal assault he must expect from Maidana in the MGM Grand Arena will provide an indication of how likely he is to realise his cherished ambition of quitting as an undefeated world champion. In all probability he would have retired into a life of luxury already had it not been for the Showtime television network presenting him with a six-fight contract worth at least $250 million and up to $300 million. So far, three down and three to go. Mayweather aims to defeat Maidana again and is set to earn at least $30million from the re-match fight . Mayweather’s welter and light-middleweight titles are not the most valuable prizes on the line here. The Showtime must go on but for that goose it to keep laying its biggest eggs he has to keep winning. If he can do so in a manner which convinces himself that his powers are not waning, then he may feel strong enough to reach out for the golden fleece itself – the $300 million super-fight against Manny Pacquiao for which the world still awaits. That potential epic to finish, preceded by the promised clash with our own Amir Khan, would generate the maximum interest back home in Blighty. As usual Floyd Mayweather is the main focus for the camera bulbs as he promoted the fight in Las Vegas . Can those legs carry Mayweather through all these challenges? If he wants to steer clear of danger against Maidana he will have to be at his most nimble. El Chino will go for the Money as hard as he can, once again. Intriguingly, Mayweather claims he will make no technical adjustments so as to avoid being cut and bruised again. But then he can be as deceptive when discussing his approach to a big fight as he is clever in selling it to the pay-TV public. Manny Pacquiao first faces Chris Algieri in November but is expected to take on Mayweather after . Controversy has again contrived to grab world-wide interest. One former girl-friend is suing him for assault, while Mayweather has apologised for offering a qualified defence of a giant NFL footballer who was caught on film knocking out his wife in an elevator. Then there is all the publicity about his bling-laden lifestyle. But behind it all works a dedicated sportsman who trains himself to the limit, in absolute readiness for the moment when the hype has to stop, the fight begin. The casino bookmakers here know that. So while he complains that his genius is under-appreciated, another Mayweather win is quoted at 2-15 on with Maidana at 5-1 against. Floyd Mayweather enjoys showing off his wealth on social media, here with his pair of Bugatti Veyron cars . Both men say they will go for the knock-out ‘to make a statement.’ While a stoppage would appear to be Maidana’s only realistic chance of winning. But if Mayweather has his dancing shoes back on I expect him to pirouette to victory on his own Las Vegas stage, with the help of a stricter referee to keep the challenger’s bull-rush tactics within the laws. Sin City has been the ruination of many a great man. Thought probably not this Saturday night. But next year? In one of what Mayweather insists will be his last two fights? We will have a better idea come the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. Mayweather v Maidana will be live late this Saturday night on BoxNation. | Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana will meet in a rematch at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday .
Mayweather narrowly beat Maidana by a split decision in a close fight at the same venue back in May .
Maidana forced Mayweather to stand and trade punches during their first bout with questions surrounding the American's speed and movement .
Mayweather claims he will make no technical adjustments for the re-match . |
225,311 | afc4110d19a0325c76d393c5954052a0e7db7ad5 | BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The head of China's quality watchdog is reported to have resigned over the tainted baby milk scandal that has killed four children and sickened nearly 53,000 others. The official Xinhua News Agency said Li Changjiang had quit with the approval of China's State Council. Li's agency is responsible for ensuring that China's food supply chain is safe. Monday's resignation came hours after the World Health Organization said the scandal had highlighted flaws in the country's entire food supply chain. The chemical melamine blamed for causing kidney stones and kidney failure has been detected in formula milk powder from 22 dairies across China. The crisis was initially thought to have been confined to baby milk powder, but tests have found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from China's two largest dairy producers, Mengniu Dairy Group and Yili Industrial Group, as well as Shanghai-based Bright Dairy. WHO China representative Hans Troedsson said on Monday quality issues could occur anywhere from the farm to the retail outlet. He said "it's clearly something that is not acceptable and needs to be rectified and corrected," according to The Associated Press. Troedsson said the WHO was discussing with officials how to strengthen China's food quality system. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called milk manufacturers "heartless" and promised stricter laws to protect the public. China's Health Ministry said Sunday that about 13,000 children were hospitalized, while another 40,000 had undergone outpatient treatment for illnesses related to suspected melamine-tainted milk products. The scandal has spread beyond the mainland with melamine being found in three Chinese-made dairy products in Singapore. The country's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said tests on "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" showed that it was contaminated with melamine and it ordered stores to remove the product from shelves. Taiwan announced Monday it was banning the importation of all dairy products from China because of melamine contamination in milk supplies on the mainland, Taiwan's Health Ministry said Monday. And a second child in Hong Kong has been diagnosed with a kidney stones after drinking the tainted milk as worried parents continued to take their children for health checkups, the government said Monday, AP reported. The 4-year-old boy was in hospital in a stable condition, the Hong Kong government said in a statement. A three-year-old girl was sickened by a suspected melamine-tainted milk over the weekend -- the first known illness outside of mainland China. The Chinese premier visited Beijing hospitals and a supermarket Sunday to show his concern for the crisis. "What we need to do now is to ensure that nothing like this happens in the future, not only in dairy products, but in all foods," he said. "Manufacturers and owners of dairy companies should show more morality and social responsibility in these cases. They are heartless, so we have to create strict law and legislation. I'm sorry." Investigators arrested two brothers who sold milk used to produce the contaminated baby milk powder last week. They could face death if convicted, according to China Daily, a state-run newspaper. The raw milk had been watered down and the chemical added to fool quality checks, the newspaper said. Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Watch CNN visit the company at the center of the scandal » . But anger has been directed not just at the producers accused of adulterating their milk to increase profits, but also at government regulators, Time magazine reported. "Xinhua was quick to blame the dairy industry for their skewed rules, but what it didn't say was that the government also played a part in that ugly game," the magazine quoted a blogger, identified as sadmoon109, as saying. Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation. It also robs infants of much-needed nutrition. Thousands of tons of the tainted milk powder have been recalled. Melamine is the same industrial contaminant from China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats last year. The chemical, a byproduct of plastic manufacturing, can be used to mimic high-protein additives. Learn more about the chemical melamine » . A senior dairy analyst said Chinese farmers were cutting corners to cope with rising costs for feed and labor. "Before the melamine incident, I know they could have been adding organic stuff, say animal urine or skin," Chen Lianfang of Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant told Time. "Basically, anything that can boost the protein reading." Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. | Head of China's quality watchdog resigns over tainted baby formula scandal .
WHO representative said scandal shows up flaws in China's food supply chain .
Four infants in China dead, 53,000 reported ill from tainted milk powder . |
242,278 | c59597ce39243168ff5144f5c2f66f9afc47355b | By . Emma Glanfield for MailOnline . A 12-year-old boy has died after being hit by a skip lorry on a pedestrian crossing, according to police. Emergency services were called to the collision near Countess Wear in Exeter, Devon, at around 3.10pm yesterday. The boy, who has not yet been formally identified, sustained serious injuries and was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. A 12-year-old boy has died after being hit by a skip lorry on a pedestrian crossing in Exeter, Devon, police said . Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the collision for the youngster, who police confirmed is from the Exeter area, and dozens of others have been left on Facebook. One tribute at the scene read: 'The little lad with the biggest cheesiest smile. Taken far too soon. RIP Little Fella.' On Facebook, Jayson Rulo wrote: 'Very sad. RIP young man and prayers to his family. Also prayers to the driver who hit him as he will have to live with it the rest of his life.' While, Hannah Mills said: 'So young, heartfelt sympathy for his family and all those who had to witness such a wasted life taken. Fly high in the clouds young man xx' Those who witnessed the crash praised the actions of one of the boy's friends and members of the public who tried to save him. One said: 'This was by far the most heartbreaking thing I have ever witnessed. I prayed all afternoon that the poor boy involved would be okay. Floral tributes have been left at the scene for the youngster with one describing him as a 'little lad with the cheesiest smile'. While formal identification has not yet taken place, police confirmed he was from Exeter . A tribute at the scene read: 'The little lad with the biggest cheesiest smile. Taken far too soon. RIP Little Fella' 'My heart goes out to all his friends and family, especially the boy he was with who acted so quickly. What an amazing friend.' Devon and Cornwall Police said the lorry driver was shocked but uninjured in the incident. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collision are still being carried out but police confirmed no arrests had been made. Any witnesses should contact the force on 101. | Boy, 12, was knocked over and fatally injured after being hit by a skip lorry .
He was walking on pedestrian crossing in Exeter, Devon, at time of collision .
Taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital but died from injuries sustained .
Police said investigations are ongoing into circumstances surrounding death .
Lorry driver escaped shocked but uninjured after crash yesterday afternoon . |
43,255 | 79fa5095356e8951c251de0134a3c49e18a82fae | (CNN) -- Japan -- battered by a strong yen, slowing global demand and increased oil and gas imports due to last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster -- posted a record trade deficit of $18.7 billion in January, according to official figures released Monday. The record fall was stoked by greater energy imports of gas and oil following the March 11earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which forced the closure of most of Japan's atomic power plants. "The sharp increase of oil price could be the main reason of the sharp deterioration of trade balance," said Takahide Kiuchi, chief economist for Nomura Securities in Tokyo. Currently, only five reactors out of 54 in the country are in operation after officials allowed most to fall idle in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. By April, if more reactors are not brought online the country will have no nuclear plants in operation, placing more pressure on its energy suppliers. Liquid natural gas imports alone climbed 28.2% year on year, according to the ministry's preliminary report. Last month, U.N. nuclear experts gave a thumbs-up to Japan's planned "stress tests" for its remaining nuclear power plants to test whether they could withstand another emergency. The team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommended Japanese regulators improve communication with the residents around the plants and address plans for dealing with severe accidents more comprehensively in the wake of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Monday's record deficit comes after Japan posted in 2011 its first annual trade deficit in 31 years, and underlines the difficulties facing the export-driven nation as it looks to rebuild. But the world's third largest economy faces difficult headwinds with a currency that reached record-high levels in the past year, cutting profits returning home from multinational companies and slowing demand from major trading partners such as the European Union and China. Exports fell 9.3% year-on-year, according to figures released by the country's Ministry of Finance Monday. The biggest drop was with China, which fell 20.1%. Exports to Europe fell 7.7%, while trade with the U.S. was up 0.6%. January was the fourth straight month where imports outpaced exports. CNN's Kyung Lah contributed to this report . | Japan posts a record trade deficit of $18.7 billion in January .
Rise due to the increase in oil prices and increase of fossil fuel imports .
Deficit fueled by the shut down of Japan's nuclear power plants .
Only five reactors out of 54 still online after March 11 earthquake and nuclear disaster . |
234,190 | bb30c5a7cac772f873ff69dcc11c8e4becd73096 | By . Nick Craven . PUBLISHED: . 15:59 EST, 8 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:54 EST, 10 June 2013 . Pippa Middleton’s boyfriend Nico Jackson demonstrated a nifty backhand after the couple played tennis yesterday morning. The 35-year-old stockbroker put a cheeky hand on the world famous posterior as the pair enjoyed an amorous clinch on the streets of London, as passers-by looked on. Wearing her hair in a ponytail beneath a baseball cap and with a short tennis skirt, 29-year-old Pippa spent a couple of hours in the summer sunshine with her beau before they headed their separate ways. Couple: Pippa Middleton and her banker boyfriend Nico Jackson embrace after playing tennis together . Smooch: The couple kiss passionately in London's summer sun before going their separate ways . The couple have been dating for around eight months, and are reportedly set to move in together. Both sets of parents have been introduced over the last few months, and Nico has been on holiday to Mustique with the Middleton family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The pair were first seen together in September last year at the opening of London nightclub, Berkeley Square. ‘Nico is tall, good-looking and has the most amazing piercing blue eyes,’ said a friend. ‘He is incredibly charismatic and stands out from the crowd. He is a really good catch – everyone is after him.’ Tennis is one of their shared passions. Pippa, who attended Malborough College on a sports/all-rounder scholarship, is a keen player and last year won a place in the women’s first team at the exclusive Queen’s Club in West London. It is apt that she was pictured in tennis garb yesterday, after writing about Wimbledon in her first column for Vanity Fair magazine earlier in the week. In for the kill: The pair share an amorous moment in a London street . She even made reference to her own claim to fame by mentioning the famous Athena poster of the Seventies showing a female tennis player, calling it a ‘tennis classic with another famous bum!’ ‘All the boys at school had this on their bedroom walls,’ she wrote, admitting: ‘I’ve been sent similar cheeky ones by friends over the years.’ One of them was a 15th birthday card from her grandparents showing a cartoon rear-view of a tennis player in a very short skirt. ‘If only they’d known what was to come!’ Pippa wrote. Column: Pippa has recently started writing for Vanity Fair . She further recalled her love of the game, writing: ‘I first went to Wimbledon when I was eight years old and already a very keen tennis player.’ She even bought herself a postcard of the women’s singles trophy and signed it with the message: ‘I will win this one day’. She also told her family that if she ‘had to get married’ it would be in tennis whites, but with ‘shorts, with no pleats or frills’. Tennis is not the only sport Pippa . and Nico share a passion for, and in March they both competed in a . 26-mile ski marathon in St Moritz, Switzerland. Pippa . was cheered over the finish line by her parents, Carole and Michael, . before she was embraced by Nico, who completed the course eight minutes . ahead of her. Unlike many of Pippa’s past boyfriends, Nico doesn’t come from a particularly wealthy or privileged background. His parents, Martyn and Ulrike, run a ski and sportswear shop in Folkestone, Kent, where they live in a modest £250,000 home. Nico was educated at The Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone and Kingston University in Surrey. After graduating he made his fortune as a stockbroker and in 2010, he sold the leasehold on a luxury two-bedroom flat in a grand Georgian building in Kensington for £1.56 million. The property is just around the corner from David and Victoria Beckham’s new rented home and actor Dustin Hoffman’s townhouse. It is understood that his job at Deutsche Bank meant he was introduced to elite social circles where his good looks and charming manner allowed him to fit in effortlessly. A neighbour of the family in Folkestone said: ‘I’ve known Nico since he was a boy. ‘Nico is always very well-mannered, the whole family is. I know Nico is terrific at skiing, maybe that’s where he met Pippa, on the ski slopes.’ | Nico Jackson put a cheeky hand on Pippa's behind as they kissed in London .
The couple have been dating for about eight months . |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.